In This Article
- The Third Book and What Silvera Has Said
- The Series and the People Behind It
- Why the Series Holds Industry Attention
- What's Next
Adam Silvera has confirmed that a fourth book in his Death-Cast series, No One Knows Who Dies at the End, is planned for 2026, according to Publishers Weekly. The announcement came alongside the reveal of the third installment, The Survivor Wants to Die at the End, which released on May 6, 2025, from Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books. The fourth title is also noted by Wikipedia's entry on Silvera as an additional confirmed installment following the 2025 release.
The Third Book and What Silvera Has Said
Before the fourth book arrives, The Survivor Wants to Die at the End marks a thematic shift for the series. According to Publishers Weekly, the novel centers on a character named Paz, who has grown weary of waiting for a call from Death-Cast — the in-world service that notifies users they will die within the day. Paz attempts to take his fate into his own hands, but is saved by Alano, heir to the Death-Cast empire. The two then uncover a dangerous organization called the Death Guard.
Silvera announced the book on Instagram on January 15, addressing its subject matter directly. "It is definitely a novel about self unaliving ideation, which is something that I have struggled with for more than half my life," he wrote, as quoted by Publishers Weekly. He also noted that, unlike earlier entries in the series, the title of this book does not function as a spoiler for its characters' fates: "neither of these boys will unalive themselves at the end of this novel… it is about battling mental illness, but it is not about dying. It is about wanting to die."
The Series and the People Behind It
The Death-Cast universe began with They Both Die at the End, published on September 5, 2017, by HarperTeen, as documented by Wikipedia's article on the novel. The book follows two teenage boys, Mateo and Rufus, who each receive a call from Death-Cast informing them they have less than twenty-four hours to live. A prequel, The First to Die at the End, followed in 2022 and also reached the number-one spot on bestseller lists, according to Publishers Weekly.
Silvera, born and raised in the South Bronx in New York City, did not follow a traditional publishing path. According to Wikipedia, he worked at Barnes & Noble and the independent bookstore Books of Wonder, later served as a reviewer for Shelf Awareness, and supplemented his craft education through the Gotham Writers Workshop. He has spoken openly about his identity and mental health, including his diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and his experiences with depression and suicidal ideation — themes that inform the Death-Cast series directly.
Why the Series Holds Industry Attention
The original novel's commercial trajectory is notable. Wikipedia's entry on They Both Die at the End records that the book saw a major resurgence in April 2020 driven by BookTok, the reader community on TikTok, which returned it to the New York Times Best Seller list. Publishers Weekly reports that the series debut held the top spot on the New York Times YA paperback list for a full year, and that the outlet starred its original review of the book. Publishers Weekly also named Silvera among its Spring 2025 Flying Starts.
Beyond print, a screen adaptation of the Death-Cast series is currently in development with Netflix, according to Publishers Weekly. No further production details have been disclosed in available sources.
What's Next
With The Survivor Wants to Die at the End now out and No One Knows Who Dies at the End confirmed for 2026, the Death-Cast series is set to span at least four books. No publisher, release date beyond the year, or plot details for the fourth installment have been made public in available sources. For an assessment of the original novel that started the series, see our review of They Both Die at the End.