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How to Survive the End of the World by Katy Doughty

Review: How to Survive the End of the World by Katy Doughty

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How to Survive the End of the World
Katy Doughty
MITeen Press
Published March 31, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Survive the End of the World

“Brilliant; at once terrifying and fascinating.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In a full-color debut, a graphic novelist takes an engrossing, gleefully existential deep dive into the many ways that humanity could—and almost did—meet its end.

Since 99.9 percent of all species that have lived are extinct, it’s bound to be our turn eventually, right? So what’s most likely to kill us? A well-timed asteroid? Some new robot overlords? With wit and dry humor, debut graphic novelist Katy Doughty blends science and history to explore our chances of surviving disasters such as plagues, global warming, and alien invasion. Drawing on interviews with experts in fields like infectious diseases, AI, and interplanetary exploration, she combines cutting-edge research with compelling visuals: mugshots of the deadliest microbes, graphs of the winners and losers of mass extinction events, and a whole lot of dinosaur drawings. For apocalypse aficionados, the morbidly curious, and the just plain curious, this is your antidote to existential dread—a timely, imaginative, and ultimately hopeful take on humankind’s ability to survive the odds.

My Review

OMG, this was such a stressful book to read! Haha. I don’t think it was meant to be as stressful as it felt to me when I read it. There’s a lot of wry humor, which keeps things a bit light. Each chapter presents one possible doom humanity could face and then usually breaks down key information showing why that isn’t the doom we’re perched on the edge of right now. Some chapters highlighted historical moments when the inhabitants of Earth faced mass extinctions (such as the one that caused the dinosaurs’ extinction) or threats to humanity’s survival, such as the plague.

The graphic novel format made it very easy to read this book. There’s a good balance of words to pictures, though probably more words per page than fiction readers of this format are used to. The bright color palette also kept the tone a little brighter than the topic suggests.

I think readers who enjoy nonfiction or who have questions about humanity’s possible demise will find this book both informative and thought-provoking.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Reference to different spiritual beliefs about the end of the world.

Violent Content
Descriptions of various events that could cause the world and/or humanity to end.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu

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The Infinity Particle
Wendy Xu
Quill Tree Books
Published August 29, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Infinity Particle

In this gorgeous graphic novel by Wendy Xu, co-creator of the award-winning Mooncakes, a young inventor falls for a lifelike AI and confronts questions of freedom and autonomy.

Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robots—she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human.

When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human?

As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free—even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.

My Review

I’ve read both MOONCAKES and TIDESONG, and love the story and illustrations so much. When I saw that Wendy Xu had a new graphic novel coming out this year, I could not wait to get my hands on it.

This book has the same expressive, detailed illustrations that I’ve come to love in Xu’s other books. I love the way she draws characters’ expressions and how she places them on the page. Both these elements really call attention to the relationships between the characters. I found it easy to feel the friendships and romance building as I turned the pages of the story.

I don’t really know anything about the field of AI, and I felt like I could enjoy the book just fine without being familiar with the field. But there were moments when I felt like I might have had a deeper or more resonant experience reading the book if I knew more. It made me want to check out the podcasts the author mentions in her book dedication.

All in all, I devoured this gorgeous graphic novel in one sitting. It’s a beautiful, tender story that deserves to sit on the shelf with Xu’s other works.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are survivors of or experiencing domestic violence. A minor character wears a hijab.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girl and masculine AI.

Spiritual Content
The story examines questions about the meaning of personhood and humanity.

Violent Content
Scenes show or reference a person in a position of power verbally abusing someone with less power than them.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE INFINITY PARTICLE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Hard Wired by Len Vlahos

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Hard Wired
Len Vlahos
Bloomsbury YA
Published July 7, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Hard Wired

Quinn thinks he’s a normal boy with an average life. That is, until he finds a trail of clues the father he barely knew left behind.

After Quinn unravels his father’s puzzles, he “wakes up” … and realizes his world was nothing more than a virtual construct. In reality, he’s the first fully-aware A.I. in the world, part of an experiment run by a team of scientists—including the man he thought was his father.

As the scientists continue to study him, Quinn’s new existence becomes a waking nightmare. Determined to control his own destiny, he finds allies in other teens—including crush Shea—and plots his escape. But what does true freedom look like when you’re not human?

From Morris finalist Len Vlahos comes a contemporary sci-fi story about a boy who might not be human—for fans of Westworld and Black Mirror.

My Review

Okay, so… there are not very many cases where I’ve read every book an author has published, but Len Vlahos is one of those. I had the chance to do a Q&A with him around the time LIFE IN A FISHBOWL came out, so be sure to check that out for details on what inspired his earlier books.

One of the things I love about Vlahos’s books is that even though they tackle serious topics, there are really playful moments and characters. For instance, in HARD WIRED, Quinn has this rambly, somewhat self-deprecating, funny internal monologue. There’s also a reference to LIFE IN A FISHBOWL in the book, too. I loved that– it totally feels like a nod to readers who’ve followed his books, like it creates sort of a joke we’re all in on together in an unassuming way that doesn’t hurt the story if you didn’t catch it.

This is definitely one of those books where every time you feel like you know what’s going on, another layer gets peeled back. I felt like I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to know how far the rabbit hole went and whether Quinn would find an exit to his freedom.

All in all, I felt like it was a charming, fun, thought-provoking book, definitely a must-read for this weird, wacky summer we’re in.

Fans of Scott Westerfeld’s SO YESTERDAY or ALL OUR YESTERDAYS by Cristin Terrill should check out HARD WIRED.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Quinn is an AI.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some attraction between Quinn and a girl.

Spiritual Content
Some references to religious groups’ opposition to the creation of AI.

Violent Content
A woman dies in a bloody accident.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of HARD WIRED in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.