Over the years, many books have been created based on video games, and some of the most popular are the Resident Evil novels written by S.D. Perry. The series includes seven books total: five that retell the stories of individual games, and two that feature brand new, original storylines.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Resident Evil franchise, so I revisited everything – playing all the games, watching the movies, and rereading the books. I enjoyed the Resident Evil books a lot in high school, but it had been a long time since I picked them up again.
I really enjoyed rereading the Resident Evil novels, especially while playing the games simultaneously. S.D. Perry expertly adapts the video games into book form, enriching the characters and vividly recreating the game environments. Her books expand on the existing story with interesting new details and characters. Sometimes these characters appear in her original stories, and other times they’re integrated into her novelizations of the games.
List of All S.D. Perry Resident Evil Books
- Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy (novelization of Resident Evil)
- Resident Evil: Caliban Cove (original novel)
- Resident Evil: City of the Dead (novelization of Resident Evil 2)
- Resident Evil: Underworld (original novel)
- Resident Evil: Nemesis (novelization of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis)
- Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (novelization of Code: Veronica)
- Resident Evil: Zero Hour (novelization of Resident Evil Zero)
Be warned: this article contains significant spoilers for the Resident Evil series of books and games. Read at your own risk!
The Resident Evil Books Have Great Original Characters
Trent is a key character in S.D. Perry’s Resident Evil novels. He’s a secretive executive at Umbrella who secretly aids heroes by giving them hints to solve puzzles in the Spencer Mansion and revealing information about Umbrella’s hidden labs. We later learn, in Resident Evil: Underworld, that Trent’s parents were killed by the company, and his actions are driven by a desire for revenge.
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I recently rebought a book series on Amazon, thinking I’d lost my original set. I realized I actually owned them about halfway through reading the new copies! I first bought the series back in 2019, and couldn’t find it anywhere, so I ended up with two complete sets. What a frustrating discovery!
Trent, easily recognized by his trademark trench coat, was a compelling character in the Resident Evil universe, and fans were hoping to see his story fully unfold. Unfortunately, the Resident Evil book series concluded with the novelization of Resident Evil Zero, leaving Trent’s ultimate confrontation with Umbrella unresolved.
David and John
David and John are original characters introduced in S.D. Perry’s Resident Evil novels. In these books, S.T.A.R.S. is a global organization secretly controlled by Umbrella. David, a British S.T.A.R.S. agent, actively fights against Umbrella, leading a raid on one of their labs in Maine – the central event of the second novel, Caliban Cove. He’s aided by John, a former S.T.A.R.S. member he trusts. They initially team up with Steve and Karen, but those two don’t survive the events of Caliban Cove.
David and John play a key role in the fight against the Umbrella Corporation, just as important as Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. In the novels, David is essentially the leader of the resistance. While they’re briefly mentioned in the novelizations of the games, they take center stage in both the novel Caliban Cove and another original Resident Evil novel, Underworld.
Underworld’s Monsters Steal the Show
Of all the Resident Evil novels written by S.D. Perry, Underworld is arguably the most enjoyable. In this book, David, John, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and Rebecca Chambers venture into a hidden Umbrella Corporation facility called The Planet, located in the Utah desert. The Planet serves as a testing ground for Umbrella’s bio-weapons, and features various dangerous environments that the team must overcome to survive.
The plot of Resident Evil: Retribution feels a lot like Underworld, but it doesn’t pull it off as effectively.
Perry didn’t just develop the characters in the novels; she also designed unique monsters for the Resident Evil series. These included flying creatures similar to pterodactyls and goats that had been mutated to spit acid. Infected scorpions first appeared in Underworld, but later made their way into the Resident Evil games, specifically Resident Evil Zero.
The most impressive monster in the book Underworld is its version of a Tyrant. Known as “Fossil,” this monster is a massive, human-shaped creature with a head resembling a dinosaur. Author S.T. Perry portrays it as truly frightening, and many fans would have loved to see it featured in the video games based on the series.
Caliban Cove deserves credit for introducing some unique creatures. It includes the Trisquads, essentially zombies equipped with guns – a similar idea later appeared in the poorly-received Resident Evil: Survivor, though that was probably just chance. The game also boasts large sea monsters and its own villainous mad scientist.
Continuity Errors Are the Only Downside to the Resident Evil Books
When S.D. Perry began writing the Resident Evil novels, the story’s background wasn’t fully developed. She had to create some details and expand the world herself, which unfortunately led to some inconsistencies. For instance, the novel City of the Dead initially suggests Jill Valentine escaped Raccoon City with Chris and the team, but that doesn’t align with what actually happened in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.
The story continuity in the Resident Evil book series gets complicated with Resident Evil Zero. The books clearly state that Rebecca Chambers first faced Umbrella’s creatures at the mansion, but Zero Hour presents events that directly conflict with this. This also causes confusion regarding the timeline of Albert Wesker’s actions and the time between the Bravo Team helicopter crash and the deployment of Alpha Team.
The Resident Evil novels introduce White Umbrella as the division of the company responsible for secret and unlawful biological weapons research. Interestingly, the books include a hidden reference revealing that White Umbrella received funding from individuals named “Mikami” and “Kamiya” – a tribute to Shinji Mikami, the director of the original Resident Evil, and Hideki Kamiya, who directed Resident Evil 2.
The Resident Evil games aren’t always consistent with each other, and Zero is often the source of those issues. Later Resident Evil novels acknowledge these timeline and continuity problems, which was a good way to address them. Despite these inconsistencies, the books remain fun and engaging reads.
Will There Ever Be More S.D. Perry Resident Evil Books?
It’s common for adaptations of long-running video game series like Resident Evil to have some inconsistencies, but it’s still disappointing that the book series ended. The Umbrella Chronicles could have provided a satisfying conclusion to Trent’s story and the conflict with the Umbrella Corporation, and it would have been interesting to see how Perry would have approached adapting the more action-packed games like Resident Evil 4 and 5. A novelization could also have helped organize the complex story of Resident Evil 6, with its multiple campaigns, and presented it in a clear, chronological order.
There have also been novelizations of the live-action Resident Evil movies.
In a 2024 interview with Exposition Break, author S.D. Perry talked about her work on the Resident Evil book series. She mentioned being asked to adapt Resident Evil 4 into a novel, but Capcom ultimately decided not to move forward with the project. Perry stated the deal unfortunately fell through. She also expressed interest in writing more Resident Evil books in the future, whether adaptations of existing games or original stories, something many fans would eagerly purchase.
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2026-03-26 16:05