You’d think a guy who made a game about a killer bear would just stick to making games. But Scott Cawthon isn’t exactly predictable. Honestly, if you only know him from the Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) games, you’re missing about half the story—literally. He’s written, co-written, or guided dozens of books that range from weird teen horror to deep-dive lore manuals. Some fans swear the books are the "true" version of the story. Others think they’re just a confusing mess of alternate timelines.
Here is the thing: Cawthon uses books to do what he can’t do in a 4:3 aspect ratio office with limited power. He uses them to explain the "how" and "why" of haunted robots. But he also has a whole history of writing before Freddy ever existed.
The Books That Started the Lore War
The most famous books by Scott Cawthon are undoubtedly the original novel trilogy. It started with The Silver Eyes back in 2015, followed by The Twisted Ones and The Fourth Closet. For a long time, these were the only way to get a name for the "Purple Guy." Without these books, we might still be calling him "the killer" instead of William Afton.
But there is a catch.
Cawthon himself once said these books are "canon, but in a different continuity." That basically means they share the same DNA as the games—the same characters and tech—but the events don't line up perfectly. In the books, Charlie (the protagonist) is a teenager investigating her father's past. In the games, Charlie is... well, she’s a bit more "ghost-in-the-machine" than a living person. This distinction drives the fandom crazy.
If you want to understand the feel of the world, read the trilogy. If you want a 1:1 map of the game events, you're going to get a headache.
Fazbear Frights and the "Stitchline" Mystery
After the trilogy, things got even weirder. Enter Fazbear Frights. This is a series of anthology books, each containing three short stories and an epilogue.
They are dark. Really dark.
We are talking about stories where kids get turned into candy, or a guy gives birth to a tiny animatronic (yes, In the Flesh is a real story, and no, we don't need to talk about it ever again). But these books serve a purpose. They introduce the "Stitchwraith," a character made of parts from various haunted items.
Some theorists, like the folks over at Game Theory or the "StitchlineGames" believers on Reddit, argue that these specific stories actually do happen in the same timeline as the games. Why? Because Scott mentioned that some stories would "directly connect" to the games to fill in blanks.
Tales from the Pizzaplex: The New Era
As of 2026, the focus has shifted to Tales from the Pizzaplex. These are basically the Fazbear Frights formula but set in the world of FNAF: Security Breach. If you’ve ever wondered why the Pizzaplex is so big or what the deal is with the "Mimic," these books are your answer key. They’re less about "what if" and more about "here is what happened before you showed up as Gregory."
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It Isn't All About the Horror
Before the jump scares made him a millionaire, Scott was writing and animating Christian-themed content. This is a part of his bibliography that often gets ignored. He worked on projects like The Pilgrim's Progress (both a game and an adaptation).
His early writing often dealt with themes of faith, struggle, and redemption. You can still see those threads in FNAF—the idea of "remnant" (soul energy) and the quest to free trapped spirits. It's not just about robots; it's about the soul.
Why the Guidebooks Are Controversial
You’d think a book titled The Freddy Files or The Ultimate Guide would be the final word on everything. It isn't.
These guidebooks are notorious for having errors. Some fans have pointed out that early editions of The Freddy Files used fan-made models or got basic dates wrong. Scott has even acknowledged that some of the information in these "official" guides isn't always accurate because they are often compiled by third parties at Scholastic.
- The Freddy Files: Great for beginners, but take the theories with a grain of salt.
- Survival Logbook: This one is actually "in-universe." It’s written as if it belongs to a security guard, and it’s filled with hidden codes that fans are still trying to solve.
- Security Breach Files: Essential for understanding the 2021 game's messy development and lore.
Choosing Where to Start
If you are new to the books by Scott Cawthon, don't just grab the first thing you see. You need a plan.
- For the Story: Start with The Silver Eyes. It's a solid YA horror novel that feels like a "What If" version of the first game.
- For the Lore: Jump into Tales from the Pizzaplex. It's the most relevant to the current state of the franchise.
- For the Chaos: Read Fazbear Frights #1: Into the Pit. It sets the tone for the weirdness that follows.
- For the Completionist: Track down the graphic novels. They adapt the original trilogy and some of the short stories into comic form, which is great if you prefer visuals over walls of text.
The reality is that Scott Cawthon doesn't write like a traditional novelist. He writes like a puzzle maker. Every book is a piece of a larger picture that he may or may not ever finish. But that’s why people keep buying them. They want to be the one to find the final piece.
Actionable Steps for Readers
If you're looking to dive into this massive library, here is how to do it effectively:
Check your local library's digital app (like Libby or Hoopla). Because these are published by Scholastic, they are almost always available for free as ebooks. This is the best way to see if you like the "vibe" of Fazbear Frights before buying the 12-book box set.
Focus on the "Stingers." If you read the Frights or Tales books, pay close attention to the epilogues at the end of each volume. These are the parts that actually connect the dots between the individual stories.
Don't ignore the non-horror stuff. If you can find his older work or his interactive novels like The Week Before, you'll get a much better sense of Scott's actual writing style—dry, slightly sarcastic, and surprisingly emotional.