11 Novels About Cults That Are So Good, They Have Devout Followings

A best-of list frequent flyer, The Colony has drawn avid fans with its quiet yet crushing illustration of hopelessness—or defiance, depending on how you look at it. In the novel, Annika Norlin examines those who give up material things to live off the grid—and what you could gain, lose, or expose about your true nature in doing so.

The book follows Emelie, a burned-out journalist who's camping in a forest to reconnect with the natural world. Shortly into her trip, she encounters a group of misfits. From an ant specialist (yes, you read that right) to a quietly persuasive woman and a baby, it’s clear that unique circumstances have brought this collective together.

Impressed with how the group respects the surrounding land and one another, she records her observations in a notebook. The book presents these passages alongside deep-dive character studies that reveal each group member’s motivation to make the compound work—and stay on the fringes of society.

Emma Cline’s debut novel announced her as one to watch in the literary world. It’s not hard to see why. Pulling inspiration from the Manson Family and their horrific crimes, The Girls is set in Northern California during the late 1960s. In the novel, teenager Evie is having a very bad start to summer. Not only is she struggling with her parents’ divorce, but she’s fallen out with her best friend, leaving her to kill time alone.

One day, Evie notices a group of girls hanging out in a nearby park. They seem to be everything she’s not: free, rebellious, and happy. In a chance encounter, she meets the ringleader, Suzanne, and starts hanging out with the group. Evie learns that unlike her suburban home, the girls live on an old ranch outside of town. Avoiding her parents at all costs, Evie spends as much time as possible with Suzanne and the others, eventually meeting Russell, the aspiring musician who runs the ranch. Everything seems right in the world, until Evie and Suzanne erupt into a fight that irrevocably alters both their lives. With combustible sapphic yearning and violent stakes, The Girls is a must for any cult junkie.

Let this be a reminder of what an absolutely heartbreaking banger The Incendiaries is. Brimming with dark academia vibes, the novel follows two students at the fictional elite college, Edwards University. Will, a transfer student on scholarship, is immediately besotted with Phoebe, a captivating young woman who’s harboring a painful secret: She thinks she caused her mother’s death.

The two date, but the footing is unsteady. One of Phoebe’s best friends suddenly dies, compounding her grief and pushing her mindset to a breaking point. Will wishes he could stay with her over the summer, but an opportunity in China is too good to pass up.

Vulnerable and alone, Phoebe catches the attention of former Edwards student, John Leal, who, after his own traumatic experiences, begins a religious cult centered on suffering and penitence. Phoebe joins the group. The results are as bad as you think. A hard look at loss, grief, and community, The Incendiaries is completely can’t-put-downable. (That's not without trigger warnings: Note that this book contains campus sexual assault.)

Catharine West has done everything she can to distance herself from her complicated childhood spent in a Florida commune run by her father. But when she receives an email from a journalist doing a piece on the collective—now a shell of what was once an active community—Catharine is flooded with memories. While some elements were idyllic, like spending time with her best friend, Linna, other parts were far darker.

After discovering something hidden about Catharine’s mother, Catharine and Linna waffle over how to manage the secret and what it could mean for their futures. An unflinching story on the ties that bind us and honoring your self-worth, Little One stashes more than one surprise up its sleeve, making it a propulsive thriller.

After his father's death, journalist Faruq is sent on assignment to investigate "the Nameless," a utopian community living deep in the California redwoods. There, he meets their leader, Odo. While serving in the Vietnam War in the late '60s, Odo and fellow Black soldiers were confronted with the hypocrisy of fighting for a country that heavily discriminated against them at home—which is in part what inspired him to begin the Nameless.

But Faruq has lost the plot. Extending his trip for months, the journalist grapples with the nature of the Nameless. Is their utopia a veneer for something darker? Or is the compound a marvel that should be replicated? Is he imagining things, or has he become Odo's pet project? As Faruq searches for answers, he recalls painful memories of his parents, compromising his mindset and sometimes his outlook. Centered on home, grief, and the distortion it can unleash on the everyday, O Sinners! is an engrossing read with a unique structure that keeps the pages turning.

It’s rare that a film is released before the corresponding book hits shelves. Quentin Tarantino, however, is no stranger to breaking with tradition. Based on his wildly successful film of the same title, Rick Dalton, a washed-up actor, and his body double, Cliff Booth, become snared in stopping a tragedy before anyone can get hurt.

Providing insight into the characters’s motivations and relationships, the book is a galloping read. Whether you’re a film buff looking to build out your Tarantino catalogue or want to gear up for the sequel, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is charged with the same electricity as the film.

Leave it to Argentinian author and master storyteller Mariana Enriquez to put forth a family saga rich with social commentary—and a cult. Weaving together disparate timelines and settings, Our Share of the Night is a literary-leaning horror novel that is sure to convert even the genre’s toughest critics.

At the outset of the novel, Rosario, a young wife and mother, is killed in a tragic accident. Her death forces her husband and son, Juan and Gaspar, to go on a road trip for a meeting with Rosario's family that makes Meet the Fockers look tame.

Rosario’s family belongs to The Order, a religious cult that inflicts terrible acts in the name of its deity, The Darkness. Though many try, only a few are selected to serve as The Order’s medium. Often, like Juan, the group’s current medium, few are given a choice. Juan hopes to shield Gaspar from a life like his. But as Juan weakens with the strain of being a medium, his abilities as a parent—and protector—also fail. And Gaspard is left alone to shoulder his family’s expectations without falling victim to The Darkness.

Anyone who’s lived in N.Y.C. knows the horrifying feat of apartment hunting—let alone finding the perfect apartment. There’s always a catch. Unfortunately for Rosemary and her husband Gus, their new place is no exception. Though stately and regal, the young couple finds their neighbors are noisy at night—and a little nosy.

Over time, Gus settles in, but Rosemary struggles, stricken with bizarre nightmares and strange occurrences when she’s home alone. Then she learns some good news: She’s pregnant. And though previously irked by her neighbors, she finds herself increasingly grateful for them and the special interest they’ve taken in her baby...until she figures out their motive.

One of the most iconic horror stories of all time, Rosemary’s Baby itself has a cult following of its own. An investigation into autonomy, parenthood, and deception, Rosemary’s Baby is still a haunting read, nearly 60 years after it was first published.

The book that arguably ignited the dark academia phenomenon, The Secret History needs no introduction. Known for its gloomy New England university setting and a gaggle of strangely brilliant students—and one inspiring teacher—The Secret History rakes through Greek mythology and puts on a Dickensian twist to craft a timeless story about class, power, and groupthink.

For those who need a refresher: The Secret History is told through the perspective of Richard, an outsider from California who lingers on the edges of the tight Classics group. Hand-selected by Julian, the only professor of the concentration, few are accepted into the course. But after doing the crew a favor, he is permitted to join.

Soon, Richard gets a crash course in the group’s raucous, wine-fueled nights, which include gallivanting across campus in costumes. But as the semester progresses, tension thickens within the group, especially between the clique’s leader, Henry, and Bunny, who isn’t as innocent as he appears. After winter break, Richard learns the truth behind the rising hostility among the Classics majors and must decide who he will support. He doesn't know it, but someone’s life depends on it.

A book with pages screaming “fuck the patriarchy,” Supper Club is about reclaiming space and being completely unapologetic in the pursuit of pleasure. For the protagonist, Roberta, this means relearning how to enjoy food without guilt or harsh dieting. Sample sizes need not enter the chat.

She and her new bestie, Stevie, dumpster dive and devour cast-off leftovers in the name of joy. Experiencing something close to euphoria, she and Stevie organize group dinners, complete with appetizers, cocktails, and the release of female rage. But as Supper Club sessions spiral into madness, Roberta wonders if she’s started something bigger and more dangerous than she intended.

A spiky mixture of dystopia and horror, The Unworthy will have you staring at a wall after you’ve finished. Fans of The Leftovers or Midsommar will especially enjoy the tension that’s taut enough you could play it like a guitar. The book is written from the perspective of an unnamed woman living in a former Catholic convent with a religious order, the Sacred Sisterhood.

As wild storms rage outside the monastery’s walls, the narrator writes on all sorts of matters. From vying to graduate from her current tier, an “unworthy” to a “chosen,” and the brutal punishments that are part of the sect’s practice, the narrator depicts a harsh and unforgiving cult. But then a newcomer arrives at the convent’s doorsteps, sparking the narrator’s memory of her past, whether she likes it or not.