What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedTrail of Lightning
Rebecca Roanhorse · Book · 2018
If you loved Trail of Lightning, start with Reservation Dogs (Taika Waititi, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Trail of Lightning across media.
If you loved Trail of Lightning, you will be drawn to these stories where personal survival and identity are tested against the backdrop of a crumbling world.
Films on the same thread
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Benh Zeitlin · Film · 2012
Shares a thread with Trail of Lightning: Climate Change.
Just as Trail of Lightning features a protagonist navigating a landscape shaped by environmental catastrophe, this film captures the raw resilience of a young girl facing an unraveling, flooded world.
The Revenant
Alejandro González Iñárritu · Film · 2015
Shares a thread with Trail of Lightning: Revenge.
Fans of the brutal, visceral survival stakes in Trail of Lightning will recognize the same unflinching focus on a solitary individual pushed to their physical limits by nature.
The Book of Eli
Albert Hughes · Film · 2010
Explores: Faith and Purpose, Survival, Redemption.
The lone wanderer archetype found in Trail of Lightning is mirrored here, as a protagonist traverses a dangerous, post-apocalyptic landscape while protecting something vital to humanity's future survival.
Twisters
Lee Isaac Chung · Film · 2024
Shares a thread with Trail of Lightning: Climate Change.
The climate-driven anxiety present in Trail of Lightning is central to this film, which examines how people confront terrifying, unpredictable natural phenomena that threaten to destroy everything in their path.
Series on the same thread
Reservation Dogs
Taika Waititi · Series · 2021
Explores: Indigenous identity, small-town life, teenage friendship.
Readers who enjoyed the authentic Indigenous perspective of Trail of Lightning will appreciate this series, which centers on the lives and dreams of teenagers navigating their culture in modern times.
House of the Dragon
George R. R. Martin · Series · 2022
Explores: Succession, Power Struggles, Dynastic Conflict.
The high-stakes political tension and focus on the weight of legacy in Trail of Lightning are echoed in this drama, where a powerful dynasty faces its inevitable, slow collapse.
The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann · Series · 2023
Explores: Survival, Found Family, Moral Ambiguity.
The bond between two unlikely companions struggling to survive in a ruined world in Trail of Lightning finds a powerful parallel in this intense, character-driven journey through a pandemic.
Station Eleven
Patrick Somerville · Series · 2021
Explores: Rebuilding Society, Loss and Grief, The Power of Art.
If Trail of Lightning hit, Station Eleven shares the thread.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Realignment
The Realignment · Podcast · 2026
Explores: institutional change, populism, technological disruption.
The structural instability and systemic shifts depicted in the background of Trail of Lightning are explored here through analytical discussions regarding how societies adapt to radical technological and political change.
Up and Vanished
Tenderfoot TV · Podcast · 2026
Explores: missing persons, small town secrets, pursuit of truth.
Much like the mystery-solving aspects of Trail of Lightning, this investigative series digs into the unsettling secrets and disappearances that haunt isolated, cold-weather communities, demanding a pursuit of the truth.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Trail of Lightning considered a notable work in the fantasy genre?
Yes, Trail of Lightning is highly recognized. It was named one of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time and was selected as one of Bustle’s top 20 landmark science fiction and fantasy novels of the decade.
Did Trail of Lightning win any major literary awards?
Trail of Lightning achieved significant critical success. It was the 2019 Locus Award winner for Best First Novel. Additionally, the book was a finalist for both the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Nebula Award for Best Novel.
When was Trail of Lightning published?
Trail of Lightning was written by Rebecca Roanhorse and published in 2018. The book quickly gained recognition, earning a spot on the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time list in 2019 following its successful debut.
How has Trail of Lightning been received by other authors?
The book has received praise from prominent authors within the genre. Charlaine Harris, the New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, described Trail of Lightning as an excitingly novel tale.