Apocalyptic Fantasy

Political division in the US has reached the boiling point, and the second American Civil War is underfoot. A far-left socialist candidate has stolen the reins of power, and his designs against the republic are absolute. Ava's group pledges to launch an insurgency campaign against the occupying force in Texas, but will have to watch out for those who have been tasked with purging the patriots. Ava's team cannot fail in its mission to liberate Texas. If Texas falls, America's demise is all but certain.

Hugh Howey is known for crafting riveting and immersive tales of boundless imagination. Now comes Machine Learning, an impressive collection of Howey's science fiction and fantasy short fiction, including three stories set in the world of Wool, two never-before-published tales written exclusively for this volume, and 15 additional stories collected here for the first time. These stories explore everything from artificial intelligence to parallel universes to video games, and each story is accompanied by an author's note.

The scattered worlds of the Elara's Veil nebula were once protected by the oath of unity sworn by three mighty Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The Star Scorpions were undone by flaws in their genetic coding. The Celestial Lions were ravaged by the Inquisition for sins they did not commit. Now, after hundreds of years, only the Emperor's Spears still keep their vigil. They are barbarian watchmen against the Outer Dark, bloodied but unbroken in their long duty.

When a new disease turns people into sadistic, laughing killers, a light infantry battalion fights to maintain order in Boston. As infection spreads, the Army loses control, and the soldiers find themselves fighting the people they once swore to protect. As the country slides into violent collapse, the lost battalion learns the last bastion of the federal government is still holding out in Florida. Harry Lee, its commander, decides the only hope is to lead the survivors there.

Thousands of years in the future, Earth is a desolate ruin. The first human ship to return in millennia discovers an abandoned wasteland inhabited by only a few degenerate or mutated human outcasts. But among them is a boy of immense native intelligence and determination who grows up to become the force behind a plan to make Earth flower again.

When the end of the world arrived, it came not with a bang, as most expected, but with more of a "pfft" instead. Humanity has been torn asunder and brought to the edge of total annihilation in less than an hour. For those who died, it was a quick death, so fast that their brains didn't have time to process the pain signals from their nerves. For those who survived, the true horror is about to begin as they struggle to not only stay alive, but come to grips with the shocking realization about what - and who - was responsible.

Three survivors travel the ruins of a collapsed society, sifting through the rusted relics of the Ancients' civilization as they search for a better future, hoping to escape the horrors of the past. But among those treasures lurks danger. And what they discover might be worse than what they left behind.

Cotton Crossing was a dead end, but not for Ginny Mills. She's just marking time, getting experience in the county library system, before moving back to a decent urban environment. Then the phones stop working. Lee Quartine knows there's no way the pretty girl at the library will even look at him. Especially since he can't open his mouth. He knows he's a hick, but when the power starts going out and the woods are full of strange creatures, it's good to have someone around who can build a fire. And kill.

All Noelle Cunningham has ever wanted is a life beyond - beyond the walls of Eden, where only the righteous are allowed to remain, and beyond her stiflingly restrictive existence as a councilman's daughter. But only ruins lie outside the City, remnants of a society destroyed by solar storms decades earlier. The sectors surrounding Eden house the corrupt, the criminal-men like Jasper McCray, bootlegger and cage fighter.

Bailey Monzac has just graduated college and is heading to her parents' ranch for the summer when dragons invade. Like something out of her worst nightmare, the fire-breathing beasts rain down chaos and devastation on unsuspecting human populations. One minute Bailey's planning her future; the next she's merely trying to survive. But it isn't long before she discovers she's different from the people around her - the dragons' destructive flames don't affect her.

With their Safe Zone overrun by the undead, taking refuge in the mountains seems like the safest bet for Rose, Tom, and the other survivors. There's one catch, however—between last spring's human exodus and a neighboring group's stockpiles, there's no food left to scavenge. They know to be wary of people and zombies, but a new adversary proves itself just as relentless—hunger. Supplies are slim in the wilderness, and living off the land is easier said than done. As winter sets in, and their food dwindles to nothing, they discover how far they'll go to save the ones they love.

Perry returns to Franklin City to find his home under the control of a being of unimaginable power. To stop the mad god’s cruel games, Perry has to win… if he can even remember he’s playing. And even as Perry struggles to save his city, an unstoppable force from the dawn of the age of capes grows in power, laying their plans to extinguish humanity from the face of the Earth. Join Paradox as he walks the fine line between Madness and Sanity, Hero and Villain… Life and Death.

The post-apocalyptic world isn't that bad. Sure, there are mutants. But, for the people of New Hope, daily life isn't so much a struggle of finding food or medicine as it is trying to find a new shortstop for their kickball team. This makes it difficult for a post-apocalyptic warrior to find work. Thankfully, an army full of killers is making its way to the peaceful town and plans to raze it to the ground. Only a fully trained post-apocalyptic nomadic warrior can stop them.

Growing up, she was the girl down the street. Even then, I knew she was different. She was tough, rough, and had the strength to stop a speeding car with her bare hands. We were as thick as thieves, sharing every adventure. Then one day she revealed a secret. She wasn't from Earth. She was from a distant place called the Arcadia Multiverse. Her people lived under the rule of a god-like entity known as the System. That System had its gaze fixed on Earth. And it was only a matter of time before it came for us.

It's been two years since the zombie uprising devoured 99% of the world's population - and the vampires have come out of the shadows to claim the spoils. It's Emily Campbell's job to destroy vampire communes and rescue their human herds, but when a mission goes wrong, and she faces certain undeath, she would rather die than ever let them transform her. The problem is that when she makes a desperate suicide attempt, not only does the Grim Reaper fail to take her life - he also somehow loses all his powers in the process.

Three years ago, a massive solar event shattered life on Earth. The EMP storms that followed wiped out every trace of modern technology, plunging humanity into chaos. Radiation, starvation, and violence claimed billions, and those who survived were left to rebuild—or simply endure. But survival was only the beginning. An unknown alien force has arrived, ruthless and relentless. They can’t be reasoned with. They can’t be understood. And no weapon we have seems to stop them. Entire continents are burning, and hope is fading fast.

Silas Ford’s compound has weathered the early storms of the end times, but the worst is still ahead. The next phase of prophecy is about to ignite—The Trumpet Judgments—and nothing can stop what's coming. Fire and blood will rain from the sky. Oceans will turn crimson, freshwater poisoned by a fiery comet. The sun will vanish behind a curtain of ash, and demonic locusts, unleashed from the depths of the abyss, will bring torment to all who remain.

Two hundred years ago the earth was destroyed by the World’s Worst Day Ever. Keeping his head down for the last few centuries, a mutated vampire has taken advantage of the new post-apocalyptic normal. Now, Ryder is provided an opportunity to escape his tyrannical rule…But she won’t stand for simply disappearing, it’s time for justice. Taking one mutated vampire down should be no problem, right? Wrong! Throw in a newly developed herd of zombies, and Ryder is facing a full recipe for disaster.

Set on the coast of South Carolina, an unknown infection has caused people to die and come back to life as reanimated corpses, attacking any living person. This is the story of the survival of one man who was the benefactor of a shelter that helped him to live through the onslaught of the infected dead.

After nearly four years, the zombie epidemic has almost burned itself out. Once a lone survivor on the brink of insanity, Gus Berry has a new life on a communal farm, his daily routine of policing the fields only rarely disrupted by straying undead. Gus’s drinking binges are over, and the dark days of Annapolis are soon to be a distant memory. But his troubles are far from over . . .