Apocalyptic Fantasy

Deep in the icy black of the North Atlantic, a state-of-the-art submersible makes a chilling discovery—a metallic object slicing through the water with impossible speed and precision. Moments later, systems fail, lights die, and terror takes hold. On Mars, a European rover transmits the image of a stone—etched with unknown symbols—just before vanishing from the data grid. Entire neighborhoods in Nevada disappear without a trace. And in the French Alps, a champion cyclist vanishes mid-race, his GPS pinging him thousands of miles away—then gone.

In the rugged, snow-capped mountains of Colorado, a new dawn breaks over a world reshaped by the apocalypse. This first book in the Dark Road spin-off series follows Ben and his family after returning to the heart of the San Juan Mountain range in Durango, Colorado to rebuild their lives after a harrowing cross-country journey. But survival in this new reality is anything but simple.

In the gripping finale of this cross-country post-apocalyptic odyssey, Ben and his crew traverse the desolate landscapes of a world ravaged by disaster, facing untold challenges, and forging unlikely alliances along the way. As Ben and the others approach their final destination of Durango, Colorado, the group is tested yet again on their final push home, confronting the ghosts of their past and the harsh realities of a fractured world.

It wasn't the day the Gates appeared that changed Jynn's life; she'd only ever known an Earth where hordes of interdimensional monsters terrorized humanity. No, Jynn's life changed forever when she graduated from high school and tested positive as a Hunter: a breed of enhanced humans evolved to challenge the monsters who are ushering in Earth's apocalypse. The only problem is . . . she has the very lowest stats possible.

Ben Davis was prepared for disaster. He just didn't know it would come so soon. He and his teenage son Joel, are miles deep in the backcountry of the San Juan Mountains when high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic detonations light up the pre-dawn sky. Ben, Joel, and their dog, Gunner, must make their way home - or whatever's left of it - on foot.

Spencer Hayes, along with his girlfriend, Kate, and their dog, Finn, enjoy a life most people only dream about. Living aboard their 31-foot sailboat, Restless, they make the most of all that paradise has to offer. But that changes in the blink of an eye when EMPs strike the east coast of the United States.

Zoe loves teaching science, she loves her garden, and most of all she loves her quiet, peaceful bungalow. Then at school, people start falling ill. The virus is airborne and highly infectious. It starts with flu symptoms, confusion, and sleepiness, which worsen until one day they just don't wake up. It decimates the population and leaves chaos in its wake. Now Zoe has to find a way to survive. Luckily, when the pandemic strikes, she already has a greenhouse full of vegetable seedlings, but not everyone around is as prepared.

Centuries ago, a cabal of powerful mages cast a disastrous spell that corrupted the source of magic, transforming much of the world's population into merciless monsters called Riven. Empires crumbled. Civilization collapsed. Yet an ember of hope remains. Duncan Keene is a Dread Knight, a dark warrior empowered by an unholy pact with a demon lord. He has sacrificed everything to save the world from the Riven—his family, his future, even his very soul. When he finds himself unexpectedly partnered with the last uncorrupted angel in the world, she makes it her mission to redeem him.

The primordial waters, full of algae and unicellular organisms...not quite how one would imagine the end of the world, is it? The goal is to evolve and reach the land. Use your teeth, claws, stings, and whatever else you deem appropriate to take down your opponents and survive in the New World.

Are there any decent people left? Having reached his kids in Maryland, Ben is faced with the challenge of crossing the country once more and getting everyone safely home to Colorado. The struggle to survive is the only constant in their otherwise unpredictable lives. With each passing day, Ben becomes increasingly cynical about the state of mankind and worries that the children will grow up to feel the same. Remaining vigilant is no guarantee that they will avoid problems on the journey back.

After a grueling trip, Ben, Joel, Allie, her mother, Sandy, and Gunner have reached their destination on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Ben is reunited with his two younger children who have been surviving with the help of their ailing grandfather, Jack, and his dog, Sam. But reaching Jack’s farm doesn’t guarantee their safety, however, and the struggle to survive continues.

Isolated at her family's wildlife refuge in northern Georgia, Raven longs to escape. Instead, she spends her days shoveling manure for bears, wolves, and a tiger. That is, until her father contracts the Hydra virus—a mysterious, lethal disease spreading across the country like wildfire. Desperate to help him, Raven journeys into town to get medicine, only to discover the outside world is swiftly collapsing into chaos. There are no more police, no more laws, and no hospitals. No one is coming to help.

Ninety years ago, Earth was consumed—and irrevocably transformed—by a cloud of alien nanites known as the Mist, bestowing humanity with uncanny abilities and enhancing technology far beyond early twenty-first century science. But these advancements came at a high price: Billions are dead. The planet has been overrun by vicious monsters. And alien overlords await the opportunity to swoop in and exploit what remains of Earth and its people for all their worth.

Will they ever see home again? Colorado seems farther away than ever for Ben and his crew. Especially when a road block lures them deeper into the Appalachian Mountains. Ambushed and captured, they fall prey to a gang of backwoods moonshiners turned post apocalyptic outlaws. After being led back to camp and locked up, the crew’s morale is at an all time low. Ben knows they must come together as a team if they are going to survive.

Things go from bad to worse for Ben and his crew as they struggle to push on toward Colorado. Unfortunately, due to Emma’s deteriorating health, they’re forced to alter their plans. But a delay might not be their biggest problem. Battling the elements and their own physical limits proves to be almost as treacherous as the roving gangs of highway bandits that lurk in the shadows, looking to prey upon the weak or unprepared. It’s more important than ever to remain vigilant.

Jed Welch thought washing out of the Marines Corps was the worst thing that could happen. It landed him back in his old life of crime, running with drug dealers in Queens. Just when he thought his luck couldn’t get worse, a global viral outbreak unleashed virulent hordes of Alpha predators. He quickly finds himself alone, saving his own skin, and on the run in New York City as the outbreak spreads.

The complete set containing all the books in Franklin Horton's bestselling THE WAY OF DAN series—a post-apocalyptic revenge thriller about one man's journey through the ruins of his world, his life, and his soul.

Thirty years ago the world as we know it was lost. Now humans live like rats, desperate for food and safety. The wall towers before us as a mocking reminder of what happened. The wall that keeps the monsters locked away from us. The wall that keeps us safe. The wall that every day I sneak through. I thought I was safe in the light beyond its scarred concrete. I thought I knew the way of the world. Then, night falls and I’m trapped beyond the wall. Monsters come out to play in an explosion of shadows, claws, and tails. Their black eyes track me like prey until he comes—their leader....

Ben and his crew have come a long way since they first began their dystopian road trip from hell. But hard-learned lessons and discovering what it takes to survive in a world that doesn’t tolerate the weak or unprepared has molded them into a cohesive team.

Courage isn’t having the strength to go on, it’s going on without having the strength. Betrayal by one of their own leaves Ben and the others with more questions than answers as they push westward toward Colorado and their home in Durango. Or what’s left of it.