Book picks similar to
Testing Zero by N.G. Simsion


science-fiction
dystopian
young-adult
sci-fi

The Remnant Keeper


Robert Scott-Norton - 2015
    Jack Winston is one of the best and hates it. Under the scrutiny of the world's most powerful corporation, Jack is as much a prisoner as those he helps send behind bars. But when his latest case arrives, Jack's world shatters as his wife is brutally murdered. Fuelled by vengeance, Jack vows to catch the murderer, but as the bodies pile up, Jack realises he's made a terrible mistake; he was never the hunter, only the hunted. The Remnant Keeper is the first book of Tombs Rising, part of The Tombs Legacy. If you're a fan of Torchwood, Stephen King, or The X-Files, then you'll love a series that combines all of their best traits in a fast-paced, captivating, thrilling adventure. Buy THE REMNANT KEEPER and take your first steps into a universe of darkness created by author Robert Scott-Norton.

Turning Grace


J.Q. Davis
    She wakes up in the morning with bags under her eyes, lifeless hair, and a hunger like she’s never had before.Her mother—former doctor and current personal chef to Gracie—insists that these changes are hormonal. But Grace is growing skeptical of her mom’s knowledge on the matter, especially after Grace willingly dines on Fluffy, the very delicious four-legged neighborhood feline. When her mom introduces Grace to Dr. Walker, he promises to help her curb her sudden craving for living things…in another country. Grace can’t leave her life behind, not when her long-time crush, Tristen, is finally showing some interest. But when a couple of serious crimes are committed—assault and murder—Grace must decide whether or not to run away. It may be the only way to protect the people she cares about…from herself.

A Land of Ash


David Dalglish - 2010
    We're 40,000 years overdue. A LAND OF ASH Lava flows stretch for hundreds of miles. A cloud of ash billows east, burying the Midwest, destroying crops, and falling upon the Pacific Coast like a warm, dead snow. The remnants of the United States flees south as the global temperatures plummet. Amid this total devastation are stories of families, friends, sons and fathers and wives: the survivors. Within are eleven stories focusing on the human element of such a catastrophe, from an elderly couple gathering to await their death to a father sealing his shelter in hopes of keeping the air breathable for his daughter. Contributing to this collection include many popular and up-and-coming independent authors, including David McAfee, Daniel Arenson, and more.

The Clockwork God


Jamie Sedgwick - 2013
    I highly recommend The Clockwork God, and cannot wait to see what else Jamie Sedgewick has in store for us."-Goodreads ReviewFour Stars: "An action packed, thrilling read; Very much a must for sci-fi and steampunk fans!"-Goodreads ReviewFive Stars: "Can't get enough of the stories by Jamie Sedgwick. This has been the best yet."-Amazon ReviewMr. Sedgwick’s new steampunk series picks up where the Tinkerer’s Daughter Trilogy left off:Barreling through their post-apocalyptic world in a massive steam locomotive called the Great Iron horse, the steam-powered ape Socrates and his crew of warriors, miscreants, and genetic anomalies are in search of a rare and precious element known as starfall. Starfall is the fuel that powers the Iron Horse, as well as the great city of Sanctuary. Supplies are running low and unless they can locate another source, all civilization may soon collapse. Starfall also happens to be the ape’s power source and without it, Socrates will die.On their first adventure, Socrates, River, and the rest of the crew encounter a bizarre cult of isolationists and their strange “Clockwork God.” Meanwhile, several crew members have gone missing, and tensions are rising as mutineers conspire to overthrow Socrates and destroy the train. As the conflict comes to a boil, a power more ancient and sinister than anything they ever imagined threatens to destroy them all. The "Iron Horse" series is a follow up to Sedgwick's "The Tinkerer's Daughter" series. A reading of the earlier books is not necessary to enjoy this new series, but may provide added insight to certain characters and history.

City of the Falling Sky


Joseph Evans - 2011
    But the worms aren’t the only thing that he finds. Staring at him through the darkness, with wide, innocent eyes, is something that makes Seckry’s heart almost stop.A girl.She’s shaking, petrified, and has no recollection of who she is or what she’s doing there.Floodlights bleach the area and Seckry has no choice but to grab a hold of the girl and escape with her.Suddenly the question of what Endrin were doing with a few worms becomes the last thing on Seckry’s mind. What were Endrin doing with a human?

Steamborn


Eric R. Asher - 2015
    These towering barriers keep the Deadlands creatures at bay, but the monsters move higher into the peaks every year. More and more, they breach the defenses of the Lowlands while the Highlands rest easy. A swarm overruns the walls and wreaks utter devastation on the Lowlands. Charles, the old tinker, suspects the attack may not be natural. With help from Jacob's closest friend, Alice, and Samuel, one of the city's elite spider knights, Jacob and Charles will uncover a terrible darkness at the heart of their city.

Underground


Chris Ward - 2012
    Now it is their only chance for survival... Britain in 2075 is a dangerous place. A man known only as the Governor rules the country with an iron hand, but within the towering perimeter walls of London Greater Urban Area anarchy spreads unchecked through the streets. In the abandoned London Underground station of St. Cannerwells, a group of misfits calling themselves the Tube Riders seek to forget the chaos by playing a dangerous game with trains. Marta is their leader, a girl haunted by her brother's disappearance. Of the others, Paul lives only to protect his little brother Owen, while Simon is trying to hold on to his relationship with Jess, daughter of a government official. Guarding them all is Switch, a man with a flickering eye and a faster knife, who cares only about preserving the legacy of the Tube Riders. Together, they are family. Everything changes the day they are attacked by a rival gang. While escaping, they witness an event that could bring war down on Mega Britain. Suddenly they are fleeing for their lives, pursued not only by their rivals, but by the brutal Department of Civil Affairs, government killing machines known as Huntsmen, and finally by the inhuman Governor himself.

Survive Another Day


Baileigh Higgins - 2017
    With no one to rely on but herself, she has to find a way off the bloody streets before it's too late. But with a six-month-old baby and a hysterical toddler in tow, escape seems unlikely. Battered and abused, Maria looks back upon her life with husband Rolf with loathing. Caught in a prison from which she cannot escape, she's powerless to change her destiny and forever bound to a man she hates. Until the virus grants her an unexpected chance at revenge.All it takes is one mistake...As the sun sets against the backdrop of the African veldt and living nightmares walk the streets in the shape of their loved one's bodies, humanity's last hope rests in the hands of ordinary men and women called to do extraordinary things.

Monument 14


Emmy Laybourne - 2012
    She can see it coming down the street. You don't stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don't thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not-you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it's the last time you'll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you'd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.When Dean raced out the door to catch the school bus, he didn’t realize it would be the last time he’d ever see his mom. After a freak hailstorm sends the bus crashing into a superstore, Dean and a group of students of all ages are left to fend for themselves. They soon realize the hailstorm and the crash are the least of their worries. After seeing a series of environmental and chemical disasters ravage the outside world, they realize they’re trapped inside the store. Unable to communicate with the ones they love, the group attempts to cobble together a new existence. As they struggle to survive, Dean and the others must decide which risk is greater: leaving… or staying. Monument 14 is a post-apocalyptic YA novel that transcends age barriers.

The Enemy


Charlie Higson - 2009
    Everyone over the age of fourteen has succumbed to a deadly zombie virus and now the kids must keep themselves alive.When the sickness came, every parent, police officer, politician - every adult fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive.Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait.But can they make it there - alive?This edition contains the first chapter of the second book The Dead.

The Way We Fall


Megan Crewe - 2012
    Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in. And then you're dead.When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Kellie's Diary #1


Thomas Jenner - 2013
    When the world crumbles and the dead walk, Kellie struggles to survive and find her way home, all the while sharing her tale with her diary.This is an account of our hypothetical past, present and future.

Prophet of Doom


Derek Murphy - 2016
    That was all awful enough, but it was more than that. I remember being young and thinking, when I grow up, I'll have a nice big house. I'll get an exciting, interesting job. I'll meet the man of my dreams and we'll fall in love and stay together forever.But that all disappeared the first time I tripped 20 years into the future and found the houses burned, the handsome boys dead, and the only jobs were the ones young girls gave hairy old survivors in tents in exchange for a little food and water. Nobody asked little girls what they wanted to be when they grew up anymore. Nobody wanted to draw attention to the fact that most of them wouldn't live that long.There was no hope, no peace for anyone. At least I had it better than they did. When my trip was over, I would get to go back. Back to the normalcy of 2015. Back to iPhones and Twitter and buying so much food it went bad before you could eat it. Back to laughing over foamy cappuccinos and iced lattes at the mall, window shopping and flirting with hot guys (not that I ever did that, mind you - but I always wanted to). And I still could. That was the point. Unlike everybody else, for whom 2015 was 20 years ago - long before humanity was destroyed - it was my reality. At least, it was some of the time.But after seeing the future; after struggling to make it to the end of the day; after my first kill - none of those other things were the least bit enjoyable. All I could think when I got back to the real world, is how can I stop what's coming?Prescient is a young adult time-travel dystopia, this is Part One of the first book in the series.

Dark Inside


Jeyn Roberts - 2011
    An inner rage has been released and some people cannot fight it. For those who can, life becomes an ongoing battle to survive - at any cost!

Sovereign


E.R. Arroyo - 2012
    Seventeen-year-old Cori (aka Citizen 1206) only longs for wide open spaces and freedom. But Antius has no use for such things, just mindless drones to serve in a place with walls, fences, and laws. A lot of laws, which Cori constantly breaks. So she’s spent years plotting her escape, which is the only thing that will save her from the colony’s deranged leader, Nathan. She isn’t looking to be a hero, and she certainly isn’t looking to fall in love, but she just might do both.