When it comes to enjoying a book, is there anything better than bringing in an element of the natural world?
Not everyone likes to read nature fiction books, but for those that do, few things are as enjoyable as a good book that blends nature and storytelling together into a fascinating book
If you have been on the hunt for new ones to read or want to read some of the most famous ones out there, you have come to the right place.
These books cover a wide range of themes, from wilderness survival to environmental activism, and from introspective journeys to imaginative tales set in the natural world.
Nature fiction books
This collection includes great nature fiction books for anyone to read.
- The Overstory by Richard Powers
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- Watership Down by Richard Adams
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel
- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
- The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
- Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
- Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
- The History of Bees by Maja Lunde
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Sea Wolf by Jack London
- The Living by Annie Dillard
- The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
- Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
- The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
- The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
- Barkskins by Annie Proulx
- The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
- The Bees by Lailine Paull
- The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard
- The Swarm by Frank Schätzing
- Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
- Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
- Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
What Is A Nature Fiction Book?
Nature fiction books are one of the books that combines a fascinating story and nature elements to enhance the story.
In some books, nature almost takes on the role of being its own character. For example, if a story is some characters stranded at sea, the ocean can be a strong influence on the telling of the whole story.
Many people enjoy reading them since characters often have to not only grow throughout the book but battle against the elements as well.
29 Nature Fiction Books To Check Out
Here are 29 nature fiction books that offer compelling stories, beautiful prose, and a deep connection to the natural world. These books explore various aspects of nature and the environment, often with a blend of science, imagination, and storytelling:
1. The Overstory by Richard Powers
The Overstory is a perfect nature fiction book because it is about nine different people who have experiences with trees which inspires them to work together and save forests from being torn down.
Richard Powers has written thirteen novels, taught at Stanford University, and won many awards for his literary works.
2. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Great Alone is a story of a family looking for a new beginning in an isolated part of Alaska. As time goes on, they learn that the great outdoors is less threatening than human nature.
Kristin Hannah’s most popular book is The Nightingale which has sold over 4.5 million copies, so if you enjoy The Great Alone you should check out some of her other work as well.
3. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Regarded as a classic and as one of Jack London’s masterpieces, The Call of the Wild is a story about a dog who must fight to survive as a sled dog in Alaska.
4. Watership Down by Richard Adams
Watership Down is the story of a group of rabbits and their fight against the intrusion of man and the destruction of their home.
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Life of Pi is the story of a young man who is stranded for 227 days at sea with his Bengal tiger.
6. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
My Side of the Mountain is about a young man who runs away to the Catskill Mountains and learns a lot about living life in the wilderness and what it means to grow up in the process.
7. The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Yearling is a great story about adopting an orphan fawn and having to survive in the Florida backwoods, but it is also a story about identity and family.
8. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver has written a ton of books about nature and living with the elements, but Prodigal Summer is a novel with three stories intertwining together set against the backdrop of southern Appalachia.
9. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
The Island of Missing Trees is a heartwarming story about love, trauma, nature, and renewal.
10. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Once There Were Wolves is a grizzly story about reintroducing fourteen gray solves to the Scottish Highlands. It is a complicated story that will hold your attention and not let go until the last page.
11. The History of Bees by Maja Lunde
The History of Bees is the story of three generations of beekeepers and their relationship to an urgent, global crisis.
12. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Road is a postapocalyptic novel about a father and a son trying to survive alone in a destroyed America.
13. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden is a complex, classic story that is about a young girl named Mary and a secret garden she discovers while also mourning the death of her parents.
14. The Sea Wolf by Jack London
The Sea Wolf is a psychological adventure novel about a man captured by a seal-hunting ship.
15. The Living by Annie Dillard
The Living is a classic novel is a story about a rough settlement in the 1850’s in Seattle, WA. It also has an interesting story about murder and intrigue.
16. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
The Wild Robot has a fascinating premise, asking: “Can a robot survive in the wilderness?” It is an emotional story that teaches us a lot about what it means to be alive.
17. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Once again, another book by Charlotte McConaghy, but Migrations is the story of a woman who leaves everything behind to head to Greenland with a singular mission.
18. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
As the author of the famous story, Eat, Pray, Love, this story is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and enthralling stories.
19. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Snow Child is a story about survival in Alaska during the 1920s. It blends the harsh backdrop of survival in that rough environment with a fantasy story about family and belonging.
20. Barkskins by Annie Proulx
Barkskins is a great story of two young Frenchmen arriving in New France who are in charge of clearing a forest in exchange for land.
21. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
This is one of the few horror books on the list, but The Only Good Indians is a complicated story about revenge, cultural identity, with many spooky elements brought in.
22. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a story about the complications of family intertwined with farm life in northern Wisconsin.
23. The Bees by Lailine Paull
The Bees is called a combination of The Handsmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games, so you can imagine what a fun read this would be.
24. The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard
The Drowned World is a story that first came out in 1962 and imagined a world where solar radiation and global warming have destroyed the polar ice caps.
25. The Swarm by Frank Schätzing
The Swarm is a story about what would happen when humans started to feel the impact of the ocean’s revenge.
26. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
If you have not picked up on it yet, Barbara Kingsolver is one of the top literary authors for nature fiction books, and Flight Behavior is no different. This book tackles head-on the future of climate change and what it could look like.
27. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
The Dog Stars is the story of a man who survives a flu pandemic. He thinks almost everyone in the world is gone, but he gets the hope of possible survivors still out there in the world.
28. Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
Damnation Spring is the story of how far a community can go to protect the world they know and love.
29. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Annihilation is another horror story about a place called Area X. It is a place untouched from the rest of the world and four women are being sent in to study it.
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