What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Darkest Minds
Film · 2018
If you loved The Darkest Minds, start with See (Steven Knight, 2019) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Darkest Minds across media.
What hooked you in The Darkest Minds is the way young people navigating government conspiracies must forge chosen families to survive.
Books on the same thread
The Maze Runner (Book 1)
James Dashner · Book · 2014
Shares a thread with The Darkest Minds: Survival.
If the struggle for autonomy against an oppressive system in The Darkest Minds resonated with you, you will appreciate how Thomas must rely on his companions to survive imprisonment.
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins · Book · 2008
Explores: authoritarianism, class inequality, spectacle of violence.
The Darkest Minds mirrors this story’s focus on a young protagonist thrust into a fight for survival against a corrupt government that treats children as disposable assets.
Children of Blood and Bone
Tomi Adeyemi · Book · 2018
Shares a thread with The Darkest Minds: Rebellion.
Just as the teens in The Darkest Minds fight for their right to exist, you will find the same spirit of rebellion and magical defiance in this narrative.
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness · Book · 2008
Shares 2 threads with The Darkest Minds: Survival, Dystopian.
You will recognize the tension of The Darkest Minds in this journey, where a boy and girl on the run must navigate a world that views them as dangerous.
Series on the same thread
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Shares a thread with The Darkest Minds: Coming-of-Age.
This series captures the same feeling of government-experimented youth found in The Darkest Minds, blending supernatural abilities with the desperate need for friendship and protection against cold authority.
See
Steven Knight · Series · 2019
Shares a thread with The Darkest Minds: Survival.
Much like the gifted protagonists in The Darkest Minds, these characters possess rare abilities that make them targets of an oppressive regime, forcing them into a struggle for survival.
His Dark Materials
Jack Thorne · Series · 2019
Explores: Orphan Protagonist, Moral Ambiguity, Interdimensional Travel.
If the mystery surrounding stolen children in The Darkest Minds kept you engaged, you will enjoy this story about a girl caught in a sinister plot involving kidnapped children.
The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann · Series · 2023
Shares a thread with The Darkest Minds: Survival.
The bond between Joel and Ellie mirrors the protective, found-family dynamic that defines the journey of the teenagers fleeing government forces in The Darkest Minds.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
This audio drama echoes the harsh, survival-focused reality of The Darkest Minds, placing characters in a hostile universe where their only path forward is through reliance on their fellow castaways.
The Youth Mind
Podcast
Explores: mindset, personal development, emotional intelligence.
While this podcast focuses on personal growth, it serves as a companion for readers who want to analyze the themes of resilience found in stories like The Darkest Minds.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Darkest Minds about a government conspiracy?
The Darkest Minds follows a group of teenagers who escape from government-run internment camps. After a disease wipes out most of the child population, the survivors with superpowers are detained by the government, leading the main character to join a resistance group while on the run.
What is the primary premise of The Darkest Minds?
The Darkest Minds depicts a world where a mysterious disease has killed 98 percent of children in America. The remaining 2 percent of children develop dangerous superpowers, resulting in their forced relocation to internment camps by the government, which serves as the catalyst for the film's events.
How old is the protagonist in The Darkest Minds?
The protagonist in The Darkest Minds is a 16-year-old girl. She escapes from an internment camp where children with superpowers are held after a disease kills the vast majority of the youth population in America, forcing her to navigate life on the run with other teenage survivors.
Are the children in The Darkest Minds dangerous?
In The Darkest Minds, the surviving 2 percent of children develop superpowers following a lethal disease. Because of these abilities, the government views them as a threat and places them into internment camps. The story focuses on these teens as they flee government forces to survive.