What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe 100
Jason Rothenberg · Series · 2014
If you loved The 100, start with The Hunger Games (Gary Ross, 2012) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to The 100 across media.
What hooked you in The 100 was the brutal way that surviving against impossible odds forces characters to confront their own moral limits.
Books on the same thread
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins · Book · 2008
Explores: authoritarianism, class inequality, spectacle of violence.
Like The 100, this story places young people into a lethal environment where survival requires difficult ethical sacrifices and the constant threat of death shapes every single choice they make.
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Shares 2 threads with The 100: Moral ambiguity, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction.
If the bleak landscape of The 100 kept you watching, this novel provides a similarly harrowing look at how humanity clings to life and love amidst total societal collapse.
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel · Book · 2014
Shares 3 threads with The 100: Survival, Hope, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction.
Fans of the rebuilding civilization arc in The 100 will appreciate this narrative, which explores how art and memory survive even after the world as we know it ends.
The Maze Runner (Book 1)
James Dashner · Book · 2014
Shares 3 threads with The 100: Survival, Hope, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction.
Much like the juvenile delinquents sent to Earth in The 100, these characters are trapped in a high-stakes environment where teamwork and secrets are essential for finding a way out.
Films on the same thread
The Hunger Games
Gary Ross · Film · 2012
Shares 2 threads with The 100: Sacrifice, Survival.
The 100 shares this story’s focus on the tension between rebellion and survival, showing how young people respond when forced into a state-mandated spectacle of violence and necessary defiance.
The Road
Film · 2009
Shares 2 threads with The 100: Survival, Survival drama.
Just as the characters in The 100 wander an unforgiving planet, this film captures the same sense of desolation and the desperate, quiet hope that drives survivors toward a destination.
The Martian
Ridley Scott · Film · 2015
Shares a thread with The 100: Hope.
If you enjoyed the resourcefulness displayed by the survivors in The 100, you will appreciate how this protagonist relies on scientific problem solving to stay alive in a hostile environment.
Children of Men
Alfonso Cuarón · Film · 2006
Shares a thread with The 100: Societal Collapse.
This film mirrors the societal collapse seen in The 100, focusing on a dangerous journey through a broken world where the protection of a single life becomes a desperate mission.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
While the setting differs from The 100, those who enjoy the complex interpersonal dynamics and community building of the Ark will find similar depth in these long-running, serialized character relationships.
Search & Rescue NZ
Podcast
Explores: search and rescue operations, wilderness survival, human resilience.
The 100 highlights the grit required to endure in the wilderness, and these stories provide a grounded, real-world look at the resilience and courage needed for survival in unforgiving terrain.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The 100 based on a post-apocalyptic premise?
Yes, The 100 is set 100 years in the future after Earth has been abandoned due to radioactivity. The story follows a group of juvenile delinquents sent from an orbiting ark down to the planet surface to determine if Earth is habitable again for the remaining human population.
What is the primary conflict in The 100?
The primary conflict in The 100 involves the survival of the human race. With the ark orbiting the planet failing, a repressive regime sends 100 expendable juvenile delinquents to the surface of Earth to test if the environment is still capable of supporting human life after a nuclear disaster.
How long after the Earth is abandoned does The 100 take place?
The 100 takes place 100 years after the Earth was abandoned due to high levels of radioactivity. The story begins when the last surviving humans living on an ark orbiting the planet realize their habitat will not last forever, forcing them to send juvenile delinquents to investigate the surface.
Why are the characters in The 100 sent to Earth?
In The 100, the characters are sent to Earth because the ark orbiting the planet can no longer sustain the surviving human population. The regime selects 100 expendable juvenile delinquents to descend to the planet to see if the environment is habitable enough for the rest of humanity.