Apocalyptic Science Fiction

In pursuit of his abusive father’s approval, Zeke Blackwood pushed himself to the very pinnacle of his chosen obsession. Since childhood, all he’d ever wanted to do was play baseball, and through hard work, discipline, and no small degree of talent, his goal of reaching the major leagues was finally in sight. But then a horrific car accident ruined his arm, eliminating any hope of a professional baseball career. Consumed by depression, Zeke gave up on his future, preferring to wallow in self-pity. That is, until an opportunity came along for him to prove his worth.

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 to whatever’s left of it - on foot.

After the arrival of the multiversal monopoly BuyMort, life got brutal. All systems were through BuyMort. All currency was through BuyMort. All sales were through BuyMort. You could resist, you could compete, but it didn’t really matter because in the end you used BuyMort—or you perished. BuyMort be praised. But not everyone’s happy with the new system. Some, even, want to see it destroyed. It’s quick. It’s convenient. And it will help people kill you and your family as readily as it will help them sell you knickknacks for a quick mortie.

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.

The world outside has grown toxic, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. The remnants of humanity live underground in a single silo. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they want: They are allowed to go outside.

When an accident kicks Sean Lawrence forward in time, he finds himself square in the apocalyptic end-times. The world is doomed, and he only has a mysterious guidebook, a leather jacket, and a homemade knife to keep him company. He could spend his days grinding low-level mobs, gathering rat pelts, and waiting for a chance to escape. Or he could rise up, slay dragons, and fight against the odds. Faced with a choice between the dead-end life he's been living and the possibility of greatness, Sean has to decide if he's willing to risk his life and more for a chance to save Earth itself.

In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platforms that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate. In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event. At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened.

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher...

Nature is dying. Perhaps before the world is turned into an industrious machine, nature itself can play one final trump card to save itself. Summoned to a new world, a mushroom-loving mycologist needs to grow up and grow stronger in order to accomplish the goal that brought them to this new place: to save nature from the system that the sentient races have created. Stats, levels, classes, and skills are all well and good, but when you're a Child of Poverty in the slums of City Nineteen, there's little you can do to change the world. Not unless you're willing to think outside the box!

Costume-masked killers have taken over downtown in such masses that they overwhelm the already weakened city and law enforcement. Anyone caught in their path is murdered without mercy. Caught unaware of the extreme danger, the city had their focus on the wildfires in the forest not far from them. Power is off, the banking system is shut down, and the nightmare begins. Ultimately, the violence and death lead to food shortages.

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.

Fueled by memories of a fallen world and revenge, Nick takes on a quest to take down the all-powerful [Admin]. Armed with nothing more than his grit, his experience, and an unyielding will, his every decision becomes a high-stakes gamble in a world changed by the coming of the system. Powerful and otherworldly foes obstruct his path, their strength formidable enough to pulverize any ordinary man. But Nick is far from ordinary. He embodies humanity's best hope to overcome the catastrophe known as System Fall and to challenge the [Admin].

Earth was invaded. Earth was conquered. And humanity was summarily subjugated, as 400,000,000 people were culled. The terrifying part was this only took the Peacekeepers a second. There wasn't even a chance for us to fight back. In the blink of an eye, questions like whether or not we're alone in the universe or at the top of the food chain were answered. We were not. Not by a long shot. Despite the mass murder, the Peacekeepers promise they're benevolent. They don't want to rule Earth. They don't want to control humanity. They just want us to stop playing around with AI and genetics.

The apocalyptic event known as the Reset took place five years ago... In the span of a few seconds, ninety percent of the world's population was killed by a mysterious alien force. The ten percent left had their memories wiped. They were given incredible superpowers and a LitRPG stat system that allowed them to advance their skills. But they lost a lot of technology in the process. Many lost their humanity. Sterling Monedero was one of these survivors.

Mason Lot is in-house counsel for Poseidon, a major Wall Street firm that serves as a front company for the National Security State. His job pays well and gives him insight into the corrupt shadow government, but it can't help with his problems at home. Mason assumed that the hefty price tag for his daughter’s private school would buy him a pass from the insanity plaguing New York’s public school system. Nevertheless, indoctrinated by propaganda, Wynter wants to transition into being a boy. When Mason refuses to pay for the procedure, Wynter turns to the state for help.

As reality's grand show concludes and alien watchers abandon and reset Earth, the world dissolves into primeval chaos. Monsters roam, magic surges, and the survivors battle to reclaim their world. Humans are forced to adapt… or become extinct. But humans aren't the only players in the game. Cunning mandrills now weaponize Earth's creatures, laying waste to the remnants of humanity. Warring dinosaurs, primordial monsters, and alien beasts complete this apocalyptic free-for-all, each hungry for their next kill.

Caleb Webb is the dictionary definition of disadvantaged, and surviving on his own is nothing new. When the apocalypse hits, his rugged skill set for staying alive on the mean streets of Los Angeles comes in handy. Unfortunately, he's on a collision course with the worst criminal cartel in the city, unless someone intervenes.

Sometimes the only way out of the storm is directly through it. Spencer and his loyal dog, Finn, along with their crew—Rob, Natalie, and young daughter, Maya having barely survived the treacherous seas, discover that the dangers they left behind on the open ocean are nothing compared to what lies ahead. As they reach their destination in Stuart, Florida they find a ravaged coastline, and the remnants of civilization descended into anarchy. With the safety of Spencer's girlfriend, Kate, still uncertain, his resolve and training are tested more than ever.

When Arthur Clark, wage slave and bookworm, takes a bat to the head, he assumes his days of dreary counter minding are over. Instead, a dragon who calls herself a goddess gives him an offer he can't refuse. The job is simple on the surface, manage a store in an apocalyptic city and bring her currency to the people there. Upon arrival at his new home, he finds himself with little more than the clothes on his back and the equivalent of a child's lemonade stand.

A small mountain town is isolated by a snowstorm as an ancient evil, gone pandemic, turns the residents into the living dead. Almost overnight the town becomes a snowy tomb of the roaming, hungry infected. Stranded by the weather, hiding, a small group of survivors follows the progress of the disease as society around them and around the world begins to break down. Determined to escape, they find that the normal rules of civilization don't apply anymore. Will they be able to adapt to this strange, hungry new world?