Apocalyptic Science Fiction

The worst has happened. Texas has fallen. It's up to Ava to get it back. Without the support of the Lone Star State, the Alliance has no hope against the powerful and corrupt regime which has hijacked the majority of the United States. Still mourning her loss, Ava has seen more death and destruction than she ever bargained for. She's finished with fighting, but she may hold the key to America's survival. An unexpected visitor implores her to take on one last impossible task.

It's been months since the zombie outbreak took over America, and Alex Duncan is slipping. She's the leader her father always prepared her to become, but now life is about more than survival...she's the only one who can lead her family into a new future, and the pressure is on to make a new beginning. Alex is barely keeping her head above water when she's taken by a local gang. The worst of society has come together to create a horrifying place of carnage during the apocalypse, and Alex has been dragged right in the middle of it.

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.

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.

With the plan of mass murder foiled, Rivera and his team face the challenges of cleaning up the mess. They soon come to realize that Zion can't operate in a vacuum, and the key to their future relies on uniting the wasteland. Going back out, the fight to rid their world of the most dangerous elements comes at a great cost...Can they handle it?

With no power, no heat, and a total grid collapse, tough times keep getting tougher. But when America is struck with an EMP, this small group of survivors will be forced out of the frying pan and into the fire. Only there can they fight for their homes, their families, their community, and their right to be free from the restraints of an oppressive world force.

Dan has accidentally "Noclipped" into the Backrooms—a bizarro, extra-dimensional Alice-in-Wonderland world, overrun with horrific nightmare creatures known as the Dwellers. No one ever gets out. Hell, forget about leaving, if Dan wants to survive the week, he's going to need to harness the strange game-like magic of the Backrooms, make some very sketchy allies, and carve out a little safe haven to call his own.

A cyber-dystopian thriller unlike any other. In a near-future Tokyo, every action - from blinking to sexual intercourse - is intellectual property owned by corporations that charge licensing fees. A BodyBank computer system implanted in each citizen records their movements from moment to moment and connects them to the audio-visual overlay of the ImmaNet so that every inch of this cyber-dystopian metropolis crawls with information and shifting cinematic promotainment.

The apocalypse has arrived. Now, it's down to control. Who will control the rich resources of a newly inducted world? Multiple systems, sects, guilds, and incursion parties are all aiming for that control. But Silas believes there is more to control than just land and resources. He aims to win over the hearts and souls of the people while making Earth the strongest it can be.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Three days. That’s what they promised. But on Earth, the danger is unrelenting, and promises are hard to keep. Now Sheriff Duke is the one on the run, chased by an unexpected enemy eager to finish what they started. An enemy with an agenda that begins with killing him but ends with something worse. Much, much worse. Once the secret is out, the universe will never be the same.

America is on the verge of a second civil war, and Ava must pull it together if she wants to survive. Violent protest, widespread destruction, and politicians who insist on letting the disassociated vent their rage will bring America to her knees, threatening to decapitate the laws, principles, and values on which the country was founded. Ava refuses to give into fear, but she simply cannot survive on her own. She must deal with her crisis of faith and learn to trust other people, or she’ll never make it through the bloodiest period of America’s history.

The world fell, the invaders won, and demons now ruled what had once been man's domain. The great works of a once powerful civilization lie in ruins, its people having forgotten the wonders of their forefathers as they now live in the yoke. Not everyone is willing to go quietly into the endless night, however. Human pests still infest occasional parts of the conquered world. In one nearly uninhabitable part of that world, a very young such pest has come of age and, without understanding what it means, she walks in the shadow of destiny.

A devastating attack. A family separated. A desperate struggle to survive. Jackson Block is trapped far from his family and those he loves when a rogue state unleashes a devastating attack on the United States. To reunite with his loved ones he must fight through streets that have turned into a war zone as survivors and government agents alike threaten not only his existence, but that of the entire nation. Zero Hour is a near-future, what-if tale of the apocalypse told through a frighteningly realistic lens.

Ten years ago, Hell Diver Xavier "X" Rodriguez fell to Earth. Those he left behind went on without him aboard the airship he once called home. Michael Everheart - the boy once known as Tin - has grown into a man and the commander of Hell Diver Raptor Team. While Michael dives to help keep the Hive in the air, Captain Leon Jordan rules with an iron fist at the helm of the ship. But unrest stirs under his strict leadership as a prophecy of hope sweeps the lower decks.

Kate has managed to survive a massive cyber attack that annihilated the US banking system. The societal collapse that followed in the wake of the attack has already claimed the lives of millions, including members of Kate’s own family. The government has instituted a temporary solution, but another wave of computer viruses has just been found. This time, the malware is targeting America’s power grid. To make matters worse, Kate inadvertently killed the leader of a violent local gang, and there’s a price on her head. Trouble and peril await her at every turn.

After inspiring a revolution, Campbell must lead his followers into the wasteland to fight for self-determination. If they lose, they risk subjugation at the hands of ruthless oligarchs who control the flow of water, the availability of food, and the safety of shelter. If they win, their future in their hands. But who is it Campbell and his followers are truly fighting? Is the real enemy from within?

In the jungles of Uganda, Ebola has mutated into an airborne strain. Now, all it takes is a little nudge, and the virus explodes across the planet. Panic, disbelief, and disinformation leave people unprepared to react. They hoard. They flee. They turn to violence. Austin Cooper is stranded in Africa, at the epicenter of the outbreak. His sister, an NSA analyst, is pulling strings to locate him, while trying to understand what is going on. In Colorado, Austin's parents are fighting to stay alive as millions are infected. And then billions.

After years of battling elite soldiers, slaying soul-crushing monsters, and acquiring powerful combat skills and destructive mana abilities, the realization of Zeke Blackwood's destiny is imminent. Everything he's endured since being reborn into a system of troll-infested caves has been to prepare him for ascension into the Ethereal Realm, where he'll stand against the forces of darkness that threaten all existence.

Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever, and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent - and nearly five million souls in the United States alone - the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.

Chorizo, Nevada is filled with the grittiest of men and the filthiest of women—the perfect place for a man chockful of secrets to hide. But one fateful day, his past catches up to him....