Book picks similar to
Brace for Impact by Harley Tate


post-apocalyptic
apocalypse
hoopla
survival

Breakdown


Bruno Miller - 2018
    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. Without the ability to communicate with his ex-wife in Maryland, Ben has no idea if Joel’s brother and sister are okay. The two decide they have no options but to head East. Before their journey begins, they venture into town to check Ben’s outdoor store for supplies and discover one of Joel’s classmates, Allie, alone and in desperate need of help. When Ben realizes Allie’s flight attendant mother is most likely dead and her father lives in Pittsburgh, he knows he has to take her with them. Ben must use the skills he learned as an Army Ranger many years ago to survive the post-apocalyptic world they now live in. Can he keep himself and two teenagers safe as they navigate the dark and dangerous road ahead?

Caldwell's Homestead


Millie Copper - 2019
    They have tried to plan for everything, but they never imagined this would happen. Recently, personal tragedy nearly devastated Mollie and Jake, leaving them struggling to rebuild their relationship while they consider selling the farm.  Now, as disaster strikes, Mollie is away on business, leaving Jake and ten-year-old Malcolm to prepare for the worst. Daughter Katie, soon to start her final year of college and planning a mission trip afterward, is over a thousand miles from home. The older children, and their spouses, live within an easy drive—under normal times. In this first installment of the Havoc in Wyoming series, they'll soon find themselves in a chaotic new world, where nothing is normal or easy, it's downright dangerous. Will the Caldwells’ planning, provisions, and faith be enough? Or have the recent changes in their relationship been detrimental to the family's survival? The Havoc in Wyoming series has been described as “Cozy Apocalypse” and contains no profanity; gratuitous sex scenes; or gruesome, overly detailed death scenes. While set in an imagined future, the people of Bakerville face real-life obstacles, created by this new world and brought with them from their old world.

Flashpoint


Tara Ellis - 2019
    Impossible to predict or stop, the Gamma Ray Burst tore through the Earth like a bullet, its radiation wave killing hundreds of millions and the aftereffects ensuring the deaths of billions more. Now, as the world crumbles around them, a ragtag group of survivors make for the only home they know - the small town of Mercy. Spared the worst of the GRB's effects, the town is isolated, safe and self-sufficient - for now. The flash hasn't just decimated the Earth's population, though. It's brought out the worst in many of those who are still alive. Survival in this new world doesn't just depend on preparedness - it depends on strength. ***** It's the one disaster no one can plan for. A rogue cosmic event called a Gamma Ray Burst, sending a spike of radiation through the earth like a .50 caliber bullet through a ripe watermelon. It's speculated that such an event hit the Earth at some point in the past, causing a mass extinction event. With two potential sources for a GRB pointed directly at our heads, the chances of another one happening in our lifetime is remote... but still possible. In Flashpoint, we explore such an event and the havoc it would wreak across the entire planet. From destroying our atmosphere to millions dying from incredibly painful radiation exposure, a GRB would be unpredictable and unavoidable for everyone, rich and poor, prepared and unprepared alike. Flashpoint is a six-book miniseries-like event, written by Tara Ellis and #1 best-selling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus. This thrilling post-apocalyptic survival series will have you second-guessing the very nature of post-apocalyptic disaster scenarios and leave you breathless with every turn of the page.

The Day after Oblivion


Tim Washburn - 2018
    A nuclear-armed CIA drone has lost all flight control. North Korea . . . Iran . . . Russia . . . and soon the gates of Hell will open.   DEFCON 1—FULL SCALE NUCLEAR WAR Humanity’s most terrifying nightmare has become reality. Bombs are detonated, missiles are launched, counterstrikes are ordered, and within minutes, untold thousands of megatons have left countless millions dead or dying. Devastation of biblical proportions has fallen over the land . . . and the USA has been hit the hardest.   NOW THE SURVIVORS ARE ON THEIR OWN… The death toll is incalculable. Following the devastation, there is no law, no power, no communication. But there are survivors. And now the real battle begins, on the ground, hand to hand, person to person. Can those who remain survive long enough to rebuild a world . . . or will it just take a little longer for them to die?   “Leaves you breathless.”—Marc Cameron, bestselling author of National Security and Day Zero   “Like a nuclear reactor, this story heats up fast!”—Anderson Harp, author of Retribution and Born of War (on Powerless)

The Ranch: Jack Sterlings Legacy


Sean Liscom - 2019
    He had worked the same job his entire adult life, he had never married and he had no children. He was used to doing things on his own. His comfortable life was shaken to the core the day he learned of his fathers death. It was a mysterious meeting that set life altering events in motion and the allure of a new life was too great to walk away from. When an Electromagnetic Pulse brings the modern world to its knees, Jason's choice proves to be the right one. Excerpt I have been told by many people that I have lived an extraordinary life. While the past few years have been a wild ride, I don’t think that I would go that far. I would be more inclined to say that I have been very blessed. The people who I’ll introduce you to, they were the extraordinary ones. I was just lucky enough to call them my friends. In order to keep the memories alive of the ones that we lost along the way; I have decided to put pen to paper. It is in their memory that I tell you this story. My name is Jason Sterling and my incredible journey began on July 9th, 2015. That was the day I learned that my father had passed away. I was 38 years old and had been working at the same warehouse job for 20 years in Reno, Nevada. I had started there the summer I graduated from high school and the place just kind of stuck with me. Over the years I had risen through the ranks, from picker packer to shift lead. Then from shift lead to warehouse supervisor, then to supply chain manager. That was the position I had been in for the last five years. Retirement wasn't even a thought yet. Hell, I was only 38, who the hell retires at 38? So, every day I went to work. I was there at 5am and left after the second shift came on at 2:30pm. I liked to have contact with all my people. Maybe that’s why I was a successful manager. It's not that I really liked the job, I was just good at it and to be honest, I was comfortable. I had bigger plans for when I did decide to retire. Having never been married and having no kids, I had a lot of options open to me. The one option I was looking at was a huge log cabin in northern Montana. I loved the log cabin look and the idea of retiring and telling civilization to piss off was a feeling I felt more and more every day. At 6'-2" tall, I maintained an average weight of 195 with a pretty chiseled physique. I tried to do my hour every morning in the gym. After that, I was in the shower by 4:20 and on my way to work by 4:45. It was only a five-minute drive to work. That was the normal routine and had been every workday for years. I was always the first person at work, so I was a little surprised when I pulled in to find the Plant Manager’s car and a black limo in the parking lot. From outside I could see that the office lights were already on, my office light included. "Hmm, must be a surprise visit from corporate," I muttered to myself as I grabbed my briefcase and headed for the front door. I had been through these surprise inspections before, so I wasn't about to let it change my routine. In the front door, past the forklift charging stations and into the employee break room. It was a habit of mine to always start the coffee pots. I knew my people liked coming into work with hot coffee waiting for them. That done, I headed to my office. Let’s see who we had to impress today. Daryl, the plant manager, was in his office but the door was closed, so I proceeded to my office which was two doors down. My door was also closed, and I could see light spilling from under it. I stood there for a second or two trying to figure exactly what to do. Do I knock on my own office door? Do I just barge in like I own the place? This was a first.

The End is Nigh


John Joseph AdamsNancy Kress - 2014
    Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm.But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH will tell their stories.Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME focuses on life after the apocalypse.THE END IS NIGH features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Paolo Bacigalupi, Jamie Ford, Seanan McGuire, Tananarive Due, Jonathan Maberry, Robin Wasserman, Nancy Kress, Charlie Jane Anders, Ken Liu, and many others.

Incubation


Adrienne Lecter - 2015
    Brianna Lewis wants is a cup of coffee. Coffee, to make slaving away in her cell culture lab at Green Fields Biotech a little more bearable on a Friday afternoon when everyone is home already. What she doesn’t count on is a group of terrorists blowing up all the entrances to the building and taking her and a select few others hostage. Bree soon finds herself conflicted. Not only does she know their charismatic leader. She also starts to suspect that there is a lot more to this than the hunt for an illegal bioweapon—a virus that could potentially kill millions in just a few days—particularly as there is currently a flu epidemic raging across the country, and reports about violent behavior among the afflicted are getting more and more alarming.

The Farm Book 1: Behind The Curve


Boyd Craven III - 2020
    The economy barely survived the lockdowns, but it staggered along until civil unrest shattered people’s hope of better times to come. With it being an election year, more and more Americans were waking up to the idea that they truly were behind the curve. The hope was; if they did not get sick, run out of money, or they could avoid violent mobs, they would be fine. The collapse happened so gradually; nobody saw it coming but the very few.Life-long friendsThree doctors, a realtor, a contractor, and a pro shooter/model, make up the couples who had been lifelong friends and pooled their money to prepare for hard times. They soon find out money cannot buy you everything, even safety and security.A jealous rancher wants to buy their land and does not want to take “no” for an answer. More than once, Lyle and his family are found on the wrong side of the fence. With human remains found on the new property, the mystery deepens, as the world around them slowly descends into chaos.

The Drowned


Kevin Partner - 2020
    Billions are dead, governments are in chaos, and the few survivors left are literally treading water, trying to find the few bits of dry land left.In the midst of the chaos, family ties, determination and the sheer will to live will be the only protection against the complete annihilation of mankind.

Into The Darkness


Doug Kelly - 2013
    Dylan Smith was over a thousand miles from home when an enormous coronal mass ejection collided with Earth. The ensuing electromagnetic pulse devastated the power grids of the world and sensitive electronic equipment. Dylan, and a small group of men, must devise a way to return home through a world in which modern technology was abruptly stripped away. During their long journey home, they witness the civilized world transcend into anarchy and are forced to struggle with the morality of the decisions they make to survive. Into the Darkness is a remarkably convincing portrait of ordinary people facing the nightmare of survival in an apocalyptic world. The story concludes in its sequel, Fade To Black.Book 1: Into The DarknessBook 2: Fade To Black*

The America Falls Series: Books 1-3


Scott Medbury - 2018
     No Mazes. No Zombies. No games. If you think North Korea and Russia are the greatest dangers to the United States - think again. After a surprise biological attack, America, the most powerful nation on Earth, quickly succumbs, with over 99.5% of the adult population killed. As society unravels and a ground invasion of his country begins, loner Isaac Race must form a connection with a ragtag group of survivors and elude not only the invaders, but other dangers and chaos unleashed in Post-America.These are the first three episodes of America Falls, a compelling, action-packed story about who we are and who we have to become in order to survive.What Amazon readers are saying:   ★★★★★ "The characters are rich and believable, I was cheering, raging and crying as I read." ★★★★★ "The story kind of sneaks up on you and before you know it, the afternoon is gone." ★★★★★ "Compelling action! I could not stop reading this series... give me more, more, more! ★★★★★  " I LOVED IT ! I couldn't skip words or chapters or paragraphs, I was afraid I would miss something!!! Buy the box set and start a series you won’t want to put down!

Slashed


Lou Cadle - 2017
    We knew it was coming one day. But it happened so fast! Devlin Quinn turns sixteen the same week that a battle in a distant war shuts off the flow of imported petroleum to the U.S. Gas runs low, then runs out, and soon the highways are empty. And then it gets very serious. The grocery store shelves are empty, and people become desperate for food. Dev is trained to fight—his father made sure of that—but is he trained enough? Smart enough? Tough enough? He is about to find out when people desperate for food flee the burning cities and attack...

Black Autumn


Jeff Kirkham - 2018
    economy crumbles after a rogue nation detonates a small nuclear bomb in a Los Angeles port.The disastrous economic domino effect known as “Black Autumn” threatens a group of Special Forces vets, their families, and friends, leaving serious doubt that their skills and fortitude will be enough to bridge the deadly gap between modern society and an epoch of American savagery.**Black Autumn is a survival/military thriller, post-apocalyptic saga, Book One of the ReadyMan Series. The four books of the Black Autumn Companion Series occur during the same seventeen days of the collapse of America as Black Autumn and can be read in any order: The Last Air Force One, and Black Autumn: Travelers (now available), and coming in 2019: Black Autumn: Conquistadors, and Black Autumn: Gunslingers. **

Half Past Midnight (Half Past Midnight #1)


Jeff Brackett - 2011
    Currently, the clock is set at six minutes before midnight.What happens after the hands reach midnight?Survivalist Leeland Dawcett finds out when he and his family are plunged into the nightmare of their country returned to a third-world state.No phones. No computers. No television.At first, Leeland thinks basic survival is the answer.Until he crosses the path of the wrong guy...Someone who wants to do more than just survive...

Long Road to Survival: The Prepper Series (Book 2)


William H. Weber - 2015
    With deadly clouds of radiation swooping in from the wasteland of American port cities, Paul Edwards and his father-in-law Buck seek shelter in a spectacular government bunker, the likes of which has never been seen. They've succeeded in finding safety from the dangers outside, but in a world without rules, trust can be a deadly thing.