Given all of the technology and resources available to us these days, cults may seem like a thing of the past. However the more time passes, the more often a new docuseries drops on Netflix or Max that proves that the idea of a cult is still very much an active movement, even today.
Learning about these groups can be as fascinating as it is disheartening, and authors take inspiration from these groups in order to give life to their own stories. If you’re in the mood for some fictional cult vibes, these picks shed light on a darker side of human interactions.
10. Last Days by Adam Nevill
Cults can often be a sort of real-life horror, and with Last Days author Adam Nevill blends paranormal horror into his tale of a defunct institution whose history hides its dark indiscretions.
When documentary filmmaker Kyle Freeman is tasked with shooting a film about the disbanded Temple of the Last Days cult, he believes that his crew will be shedding light on unanswered questions following the group’s grisly end in 1975. However, while traveling the globe to speak with those involved, a series of unlikely events plague the crew and interviewees, leading him to question what exactly the Temple members may have summoned in their heyday.
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9. The Project by Courtney Summers
Preying on the weak is a staple of cult leaders, and in this heartbreaking thriller, two sisters are preyed upon by the same dynamic leader after suffering a devastating loss.
Lo never understood why her sister Bea abandoned her years ago to follow Lev Warren and his group the Unity Project. When she’s invited to observe the group’s inner workings, she jumps at the chance to view Lev in his element and finally reconnects with her sister. But Bea is nowhere to be found, and Lo will learn that if she wants any information from Lev, she’ll have to earn it.
8. The Girls by Emma Cline
It’s the 1960s, and Evie is a lonely teenager looking for a place to fit in. When she meets the mesmerizing Suzanne and her group of friends, she’s drawn to their freedom and carefree sensibilities. Evie decides to follow them to their home hidden in the hills, desperate to find acceptance and a sense of belonging.
Little does she know, she’s about to begin a spiral into violence beyond anything she could have imagined. If you’re looking for a story reminiscent of the infamous Manson Family, this is the book for you.
7. After the Fire by Will Hill
A multitude of cults throughout the years have been based on religion, and After the Fire provides a dark look into the aftermath of a fanatic cult, and what it means to find oneself on the other side of that level of control.
Inspired by the siege in Waco, Texas, in which several members of law enforcement as well as the Branch Davidians were killed, the novel follows a young woman named Moonbeam as she struggles with the aftermath of a massive fire that destroyed the isolated community in which she was raised.
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6. Kraken by China Mieville
Not all books about cults have to be serious – in fact, they can sometimes be downright delightful. In Kraken, readers are introduced to an alternative London, a battle to prevent the end of the world, and a group of cephalopod worshippers known as the Congregation of God Kraken.
This silly, surreal novel proves that stories about cults may spell doom and gloom, but that doesn’t mean that the reader can’t have a blast along the way.
5. The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
Following the recent death of her mother, a young woman named Phoebe follows a dark path into an extremist cult with ties to North Korea in R.O. Kwon’s haunting tale.
The Incendiaries is at once a story of love, grief, and the manipulators who prey on those who are suffering the most.
4. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Isolation is a recurring theme within many cults, and The Chosen One takes readers into the dark recesses of fundamentalist polygamist organizations and the control that they exert over their members.
Kyra is only thirteen when her community leader declares that she’s to be married off to her twenty-six-year-old uncle, who already has a number of wives in his household. The decision that she’s forced to make in the face of this new chapter of her life could mean life or death for Kyra and everything that she’s ever believed.
3. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
Survival tales are always a harrowing ordeal, and this harrowing tale is no exception. Minnow Bly has spent the last twelve years in the extremist Kevinian cult. When the Prophet is murdered and their camp is burned to the ground, she’ll have to confront her past in order to find her future.
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2. Kismet by Amina Akhtar
Recent years have seen a heavy rise in the culture of wellness, and the harder we look, the more we may find certain cult-like tendencies in these popular groups.
Amina Akhtar adds a gruesome twist to wellness culture with Kismet. When New Yorker Ronnie Khan follows wellness guru Marley Dewhurst into the Arizona desert, she thinks she’s in for some yoga and expensive juice detoxes. But things quickly take a turn for the sinister when fellow gurus begin to turn up dead, and Ronnie fears that she’s next on the list.
1. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
What would happen if one day a percentage of the population simply vanished into thin air without explanation? How would society adjust to their new normal? This is the question posed in Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers.
The novel follows people trying to pick up the pieces of their missing families and friends, and how individuals deal with a sudden and jarring loss. Some cope by ignoring the problem, while others are drawn to – you guessed it – cults and the idea of finding a new sense of purpose. This fascinating and existential novel is the basis of the HBO series that ran for 3 seasons.
