Book picks similar to
Prelude to Dystopia by John Lyman


dystopia
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Origins


Kristen Middleton - 2012
    Seventeen year old Cassandra Wild thought living in the chaos of her mother’s home daycare and dealing with her developing feelings for Bryce, her new Martial Arts’ instructor, was a struggle, until the night her world turned upside down.When an untested vaccine kills more than just a rampant flu virus, Cassie learns how to survive in a world where the dead walk, and the living…run!

The Curse


Mark Gillespie - 2018
    They're intent on defying the curse and rebuilding the human race all over again. But can it be done?Is the impossible their only hope? The Curse is a fast-paced post-apocalyptic thriller packed full of shocks and surprises. If you like end of the world, dystopian and horror fiction, you’ll love The Curse.

Prophecy


Kyle West - 2015
    What was once known as the Wasteland is now controlled by the Annaran Covenant, a theocracy that rules with an iron fist.To the east of the Covenant lies the Red Wild, the abode of the human Elekai. Each side believes that their Goddess, Annara, has called for the other's extermination -- a prophecy that will be fulfilled during the end of days, known as the Second Darkness.Living in the Covenant's capital of Colonia, seventeen-year-old Shanti Roshar discovers she has the ability to speak to dragons -- and when she catches the eye of the Covenant's Hunters, her life will never be the same.Note: The Xenoworld Saga is a follow-up series to The Wasteland Chronicles. Start that series for free here: amzn.com/B00AJF2130

Corridor Man Volumes 1-3


Nick James - 2017
     The Dirty Lowdown wrote: "Nick James has nailed it. The all too dark side of our legal industry, and the type of character we're all too afraid to admit exists!" It looks like disbarred attorney Bobby Custer has won the lottery. After serving four years of a seven-year sentence, he gets an offer he can’t refuse – from the feds. They just want him to keep an eye out for shady goings-on at one of the most prestigious law firms in the city. And suddenly he’s out – out of jail, but also totally cast out of his old life: shunned by family and friends. Bobby Custer is psychotic, narcissistic, psychopathic, greedy, unprincipled...and always charming. He did all the right things -- went to law school, got a job in a good law firm -- right up until the conviction for “a minor dalliance with a trust fund”. You could almost feel for the guy – a young man tempted by the high life could make a mistake he regrets and end up losing everything. And a guy who’ll help you hide a body could just be a good friend. But as the bodies start piling up, you have to wonder if there’s something about Bobby that’s just not … right. Chilling and action-packed, Corridor Man exposes a dark, violent undercurrent just beneath the surface of “perfectly legal and above-board”. A combination of Breaking Bad and House of Cards, Corridor Man is a sinister, disturbing legal thriller series that's bound to keep you awake at night. Books one, two and three in the Corridor Man series.

Guns of the Waste Land: Departure: Volumes 1-2


Leverett Butts - 2016
     Now featuring Volume Two, Diversion Guns of the Waste Land is an epic retelling of Arthurian Legend in an American Western setting. In late 1800s just outside the Texas town of Bretton, four men wander the American desert. Percy Murratt seeks Sheriff Ardiss Drake to learn the fate of his late father. Meanwhile, Ardiss’ deputies, Gary Wayne Orkney and Boris Bennick, are in the pursuit of the outlaw Lancaster O'Loch flees, who has seduced and stolen Ardiss’ wife, Guernica. Featuring a host of familiar characters reminiscent of Gawain, the Green Knight, Lancelot, Merlin and, of course, King Arthur, Guns of the Waste Land is a timeless adventure of chivalry, revenge and honour. Now, in Book Two: Diversion , follow Percy and co. on their epic quest as they traverse the frontier of the American Waste Land, in pursuit of their own Holy Grail… Guns of the Waste Land “impressed the hell out of me with its inventiveness and wonderfully colorful dialogue, […] you may have a genuine classic on your hands.” –T.E.D. Klein, author of Dark Gods & The Ceremonies “Leverett Butts is a real talent. His Guns of the Waste Land is an original way to use a genre. I like a guy who has a mad literary streak and walks the wobbly tightrope: so far he's gotten across. This is the first installment in a longer narrative, and I can't wait to read the next if it's as good as the first or even close.”—Richard Monaco, author of the Parsival series “Guns of the Waste Land brings us back to a genre that has mostly been out of fashion for a time, but I believe this work has the power to bring us back to why we loved westerns. The western story is the story of America. In the western, the lines between good and evil are often vague, just as they are in real humanity. The western shows us the difficulty to survive and how it changes people for better or worse. Butts has explored these ideas and many more in a book that is unique and as well written as anything you'll read this year.” –Scott Thompson, author of Young Men Shall See & Eight Days Leverett Butts teaches composition and literature at the Gainesville campus of the University of North Georgia. His poetry and fiction have appeared in Eclectic and The Georgia State University Review. He is the recipient of several fiction prizes offered by the University of West Georgia and TAG Publishing. His first collection of short fiction, Emily's Stitches: The Confessions of Thomas Calloway and Other Stories, has been nominated for the 2013 Georgia Author of the Year Award in Short Fiction. He lives in Temple, Georgia, with his wife, son, their Jack Russell terrier, and a couple of antisocial cats. Venture Press is a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK’s leading independent digital publisher. We are committed to the discovery and rediscovery of immensely talented authors in the SFF genre, and continue to push boundaries in search of great literature. Join us as we venture across universes and unknown landscapes – past, present and future. Sign up to our newsletter: http://bit.ly/1LUVI4n Follow us on Twitter @venture_press Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1NnFow7

Containment


Christian Cantrell - 2010
    Venus, being almost the same mass as Earth, is chosen over Mars as humanity’s first permanent steppingstone into the universe.Arik Ockley is part of the first generation to be born and raised off-Earth. After a puzzling accident, Arik wakes up to find that his wife is almost three months pregnant. Since the colony’s environmental systems cannot safely support any increases in population, Arik immediately resumes his work on AP, or artificial photosynthesis, in order to save the life of his unborn child. Arik’s new and frantic research uncovers startling truths about the planet, and about the distorted reality the founders of the colony have constructed for Arik’s entire generation. Everything Arik has ever known is called into question, and he must figure out the right path for himself, his wife, and his unborn daughter.

White Cat Black Cat: New Dog


Sigal Adler - 2017
    White Cat, Black Cat: NEW DOG * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * It was a terrible day for the perky black cat His owner adopted a dog – just like that! A poodle too small to even harm a mouse Who acted as if he could rule the whole house.

Handbags and Poobags: Tales of a Soho Boxer Dog


Alice Wright - 2012
    and bags of laughs too! A love story with a twist in its very waggy tail. I think Alice Wright is really Bridget Bones! Forget Hugh Grant or Colin Firth though, her dog is a much better love interest (and he’s a proper Boxer!)If you’re contemplating settling down with a good dog, read this first and if it doesn’t put you off then you’ll be fine. Already had your heart stolen by a dog? You’ll definitely recognise the dogification of your wardrobe, the permanent damage to your flooring and especially the gritty bed linen!What a page-turner. I Loved it.”Beverley Cuddy, Editor DOGS TODAY MAGAZINE"Incredibly honest, genuine and captivating... a real life take on modern day doggie living. It is brutally honest yet heart-warmingly brilliant. A must for all animal fans."Jessica Brown, PETS MAGAZINEWhat happens when you drop a big, bouncing Boxer dog into the life of a glamorous girl about town? Alice Wright reveals all in her dog-memoir with a difference...Alice's busy life consists of 'parties, premieres and private members clubs' and she loves it! She certainly doesn't want the responsiblity of a partner or a pooch but seems to end up with more than she bargained for in this very funny but incredibly personal memoir about modern dog ownership.Set in the streets of Soho and the parks of North London HANDBAGS AND POOBAGS reveals why you should never wear a long cashmere scarf when poop scooping and how to hide a dog under a barstool and in the back of a taxi-cab. A bit different from the traditional pet-memoir this warm, touching real life tale is full of embarrassing anecdotes and surprising discoveries as Alice realises that owning a dog changes not only her lifestyle but her life.See facebook.com/handbagsandpoobags for updates and photos!

Blonde


Stan Jackson - 2018
    Perry Webster, a university lecturer at York University, is distraught at his young love’s death. But when the police start to suspect he was the culprit, his world is turned upside down. Working in the local bar, his girlfriend was well-known and liked by many. Who could have killed her? Webster begins questioning the pub locals, to no avail. Yet his actions are carefully followed by the police, and several times he is brought in for questioning. Just when the trail is going cold, Webster stumbles on a clue. This takes him down a dangerous path, confronting important people in political circles and dangerous criminals in the underworld. It will take all of Webster’s wit and learning to see through the lies that surround his girlfriend’s death. But, like Webster, the reader is in for a surprise when the true identity of the killer is revealed. Having kicked a hornet’s nest the perpetrator maybe much closer to home than he first thought. Can he prove his case and clear his name? BLONDE is the first in a series of murder mysteries with Perry Webster as private investigator.

Bean Counter


T.A. Clark - 2016
     When the head of Nick Rohmer’s Miami accounting firm is found dead after a suspicious accident, Nick finds his quiet, comfortable, boring life slipping out of his control. With most of the firm’s management either on vacation, sick, or dead, Nick is thrust into the unfamiliar position of actually having some responsibility. The weight does not sit easily on his shoulders. He’s relieved when the instructions from the Chicago head office are – don’t do anything until we get there. This he can do. He tries to stick to his ‘do nothing’ instructions even as the firm’s largest client threatens to jump ship. But Nick’s plan of inaction is short-lived when he is convinced to try to save the business. He secures an invitation to dinner on the private island of the mega-wealthy, and highly dysfunctional, Keene family. Things quickly go from bad to disastrous when another dead body shows up, and Nick finds he's the prime suspect. As he gets sucked into the mystery, Nick’s focus quickly changes from trying to save the business to trying to save his skin.

American Survivor


A.J. Newman - 2018
    The North Koreans launch a surprise Nuclear EMP attack on the USA. Our hero, Joe doesn’t care about politics or what happened, he just knows his world went to Hell. Planes fell out of the sky, people went nuts looting and killing as he scrambled to hide from all of the craziness. Joe had a cabin and land in Southern Oregon when TSHTF and retreated to the cabin to survive the massive die-off that was always predicted for an apocalypse. The weeks before the Grid went down weren’t much better for Joe because his best friend, his fiance, and his beloved Grandma all died during the weeks leading up to lights out. Joe was a young auto mechanic whose only stress in life was from a domineering girlfriend, and now he has to learn how to survive in a Post-Apocalyptic world without military or survival training. To make matters, worse others look to him for support and guidance. Read American Survivor to find out how a regular guy survives in a Post-Apocalyptic world. AJ Newman

Free Comic Book Day 2014: Project Black Sky #5 (Dark Horse FCBD)


Fred Van Lente - 2015
    -Comic Book Resources

The Flood


David Sachs - 2015
    For three years, Travis Cooke has dreamed of reuniting his family, but not like this. When the Flood hit, America's East Coast was evacuated by every means possible, by air, land and sea. Hours later, a cruise ship assisting in the rescue lies dead in the water: no power, no communications, and nowhere near enough food. Thousands of refugees on board, including Travis, his-ex-wife, and their young son, find themselves alone in a big ocean. On the isolated ship, a journey into human darkness and heroism begins. Desperate to protect his family as the panic rises, Travis finds behind each door an unexpected new side to the Festival, but no way out. How far will Travis go to save the people he loves and has lost once before? How far would YOU go? You'll remember where you were when the Flood hit. Bonus Short Story Included in Ebook: Locked in the Trunk of a Car, a sharp suspense thriller in a small package.

The Tithe


Elle Hill - 2014
    Joshua Barstow, raised for twenty years among her town’s holy women, is one of these seventy Tithes. She is joined by the effervescent Lynna, the scholarly Avery, and the amoral Blue, a man who has spent most of his life in total solitude. Each night, an angel swoops down to take one of their numbers. Each night, that is, except the first, when the angel touches Josh… and leaves her. What is so special about Josh? She doesn’t feel special; she feels like a woman trying to survive while finally learning the meanings of friendship, community, and love.How funny that she had to be sacrificed to find reasons to live.

Repatriate Protocol


Kelli Kimble - 2016
    But she soon learns that there is another path she can follow.In nearly a thousand years, only a few have seen the outside world, and virtually everyone inside is terrified of it. When Hillary is offered the chance to see it herself, she can’t help but want to jump into the adventure.But it isn’t just a matter of opening a door. Hillary must endure a rigorous education and brutal physical training to get outside. Can she pass through the grueling gauntlet to get outside? And what does she risk if she makes it?Part coming-of-age adventure, part survival horror, and part science fiction, REPATRIATE PROTOCOL is the gripping first installment in THE REPATRIATE PROTOCOL series by Kelli Kimble.