Book picks similar to
Hold Back This Day by Ward Kendall


fiction
science-fiction
dystopia
forbidden

The Handmaid's Tale / The Testaments


Margaret Atwood
    With The Testaments, the wait is over. Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead. The Handmaid's Tale: Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. She is placed in the household of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'. She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. As she recalls her pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men upon which her future hangs.

The Far Shore


Glenn Damato - 2019
    An untested spacecraft. A perilous gamble.Can her journey preserve humanity's freedom?Cristina Flores speaks her mind. But in a totalitarian surveillance state where privacy is a thing of the past, her critical thinking and outspoken nature have marked her for death.So when rebel scientists recruit the math genius for a covert plan to start anew on Mars, she accepts the chance to control her own destiny.But space is a harsh sanctuary, and freedom is never purchased cheaply.Alongside a small band of like-minded renegades, Cristina struggles to overcome escalating failures and rising panic. She fears their most lethal threat may be a charismatic but incompetent leader determined to command the colony to its last dying breath…Can Cristina's unstoppable determination keep their dream alive, or will the hope for freedom be lost in the void?The Far Shore is a thrilling sci-fi novel in the classic tradition. If you enjoy courageous heroes, convincing technology, and hard-edged science, you’ll love Glenn Damato’s bold odyssey.“A magnificent story – a soaring feat of imagination, highly suspenseful and utterly gripping.” –Robert Bidinotto, bestselling author of HUNTER“I give The Far Shore five stars. It rivals The Martian in accuracy, ambition and attitude. It offers hope for humanity at all levels.” –Tamara Wilhite, contributor at Liberty Island Magazine“A plausible and harrowing adventure that explores humanity’s drive for personal freedom.” –Kirkus Reviews“Gripping and immersive, The Far Shore offers a lot: technology for the hard science fiction fans and tons of heart for all of us.” –Laura Montgomery, author of Mercenary Calling“Brilliant . . . I admit to having tears in my eyes.” –Jeffery D. Kooistra, author of Dykstra's War“I was hooked! Damn! The pace is awesome, the suspense is unbeatable, the characters are engaging, the plot is original, the theme is eternal and universal.” –Irene Psyhogios“Highly recommended for adult sci-fi fans who enjoy exceptionally well-developed plots, characters, and hard sci-fi.” –Donovan’s Literary Services“The Far Shore sucked me in from page one. It really is amazing.” –Sherri Addleston Hilts“I'm a techie, and like my science fiction hard, with rivets. Damato has not only done a marvelous job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, he's made it all technically solid and credible.” –Tom Ligon, Member, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America“Whenever I put this book down I couldn't wait to get back to the characters. The story line was gripping and made me late for meetings and kept me up late reading more than a couple times.” –Mark Bottorff“Damato masterfully reins together the emotional titans of hope and fear through the eyes of a young girl.” –Joel S. Copeland“Kept me riveted. Damato expertly blends science fiction with an all too possible and alarming future.

The Old Soul


Joseph Wurtenbaugh - 2012
    As tiny and inconspicuous as it may seem, That-Which-Had-Been exhibits an unexpected and varied gift for survival, as it journeys implacably toward its ultimate destination. Along the way, it meets a rich array of ordinary human beings, some of whom assist it along its way, others who impede its progress, none of whom have any idea of its existence.From whence comes the strange, but universal, experience of deja vu? Why do some people exhibit a wisdom far beyond their age and experience - persons reincarnationists refer to as 'old souls'? Joseph Wurtenbaugh in this short story offers a fascinating and tantalizingly plausible explanation for these phenomena, presented in a natural setting that brims with adventure and exhilarating possibility. Not to be missed by anyone who enjoys science fiction or thinking outside the box.

About Sisterland


Martina Devlin - 2015
    A world ruled by women. A world designed to be perfect. Here, women and men are kept separate. Women lead highly controlled and suffocating lives, while men are subordinate – used for labour and breeding. Sisterland’s leaders have been watching Constance and recognise that she’s special. Selected to reproduce, she finds herself alone with a man for the first time. But the mate chosen for her isn’t what she expected – and she begins to see a darker side to Sisterland. Constance’s misgivings about the regime mount. Is she the only one who questions this unequal society, or are there other doubters? Set in the near future, About Sisterland is a searing, original novel which explores the devastating effects of extremism.

Jason and Lily


Kate Wrath - 2015
    THE PREQUEL TO THE E SERIESLong before Outpost Three…Before battles,Before journeys….Before the shattering of old worlds……And the building of new ones….Long before Eden and Jonas…there was…Jason and Lily.

A Planet for the President


Alistair Beaton - 2004
    He wants Americans to be adored by freedom-loving people everywhere. Instead, half the planet seems to be in permanent insurrection against US power. What's more, there's a growing environmental crisis that even he can't ignore. At a secret meeting in the Oval Office, the President is persuaded of one simple fact—there are too many people in the world. Only radical action, his advisers say, can deal with the problem. The solution they propose is frighteningly audacious and breathtakingly ruthless. Soon, the President has embarked upon a plan that will guarantee American supremacy for generations to come—or so he believes.

Rage of Angels


Michael Tinker Pearce - 2014
    Who are they, and why have they come? The survivors soon discover the aliens are here for the one resource they cannot find elsewhere in the solar system- surface biomass. Life itself. The survivors are left to fight a guerrilla war against their technologically superior adversaries in the vain hope of driving them off before they can strip the world of life. But they may be doomed to fail unless they can find a way to strike directly against the aliens, unassailable in their fortress-mothership orbiting high above the earth. With memorable characters, packed with action and bleeding-edge technology ‘Rage of Angels’ is a fresh, up to date and frighteningly plausible addition to the alien invasion genre.

Timecaster


J.A. Konrath - 2014
    With crime at an all-time low, Talon has little to do except give lectures to schoolkids--and obsess on his wife's profession as a licensed sex partner. Then one of her clients asks Talon to investigate a possible murder. When Talon uses the TEV to view the crime, the identity of the killer is unmistakable--it's him, Talon Avalon. Someone is taking timecasting to a whole new level and using it to frame Talon. And the only way he can prove his innocence is to go off the grid--which in 2064 is a very dangerous thing to do. Time is not on his side.

The Liar


Bobby Adair - 2018
    Was it a terrorist acting alone, or the beginning of something much more frightening? Tommy Joss is working long hours, making a life for his daughter and wife. He doesn't have time to worry about politics and the endless arguments pouring across his social media feed. He has debts to pay and a boss to keep happy. When he returns from a business trip to find his house dark and empty, he discovers blood on the floor and a cryptic message painted on the door. His wife and daughter are missing. Kidnapped, dead, or disappeared for their political views, he doesn't know which. But, his search to find them will turn deadly for their captors and will put Tommy in the middle of a war he never had any interest in fighting. The Liar's Apocalypse Trilogy Book 1 - The Liar Book 2 - The Fool (https://amzn.to/2TfcEMr) Book 3 - The Dead

Judge Dredd Year One: City Fathers


Matthew Smith - 2012
    2080 AD“I think we can rule out suicide.”“How so?”“You’re standing on his pancreas.”It is Joe Dredd’s first year as a full-eagle Judge.He may have been created from the genes of Eustace Fargo, the ‘Father of Justice’, and thus part of an illustrious lineage, but right now Dredd is not long graduated from the Academy, and yet to establish himself as the metropolis’s toughest, greatest cop.His reputation will be moulded in the years ahead, but at the moment he’s a young lawman, fresh on the streets.The brutal murder of a Justice Department-sanctioned spy sparks an investigation that will see Dredd trawl the criminal underworld in the hunt for the killer – and he will discover that all is not what it seems in the sector’s murky black market. Something new has entered the system, and unless Dredd can stop it, chaos will be unleashed...Written by Matthew Smith, editor in chief of 2000 AD, this is the first in a new series of Judge Dredd: Year One titles and goes back to the beginning of Dredd’s life on the streets, explores his earliest cases and charts the development of the man who would go on to become the most famous of all the Judges.Smith has previously written the novels Judge Dredd: The Final Cut, and Tomes of the Dead: The Words of Their Roaring.

Ant and Cleo Book 1


Dominic Green - 2011
    They are not piloted by Englishmen. They do not have nameplates saying "HAWKER SIDDELEY AVIATION." And they are never, ever filled with smuggled catering packs of Monster Munch.Britain has had a top secret colony in space for decades. Unfortunately, the colony has grown tired of being run by the mother country - and the mother country has decided it's time to send in the military. A war of independence is going on, and one man's rebel is another man's freedom fighter. Between these two sides are Anthony Stevens and Cleopatra Shakespeare, abducted from England and hurled into a war between Britain, America, and the newly, fiercely independent United States of the Zodiac. A black girl from Northampton is about to encounter the dystopian U.S. colony of New Dixie, where the Deep South lives again and the white man rules supreme - and both Ant and Cleo are about to discover that the Cold War never ended in outer space, and that the KGB are still alive and well out among the scarlet stars.All flying saucer technology comes from the Saucerers, but who are they? Where is the mysterious hidden colony of Gondolin? How did the United States of America come to have interstellar spacecraft in the 1950s? And who or what is Truman J. Slughound the Third? Find out in a series guaranteed to contain colour-changing aliens, Godless communists from Altair, rednecks from Barnard's Star, space fighters, rocket pistols, death by ecstasy, very bad hair, and more explosions than you can shake a stick at.

Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons


Somber - 2012
    All that changes as she becomes enveloped in a plot that not only endangers her stable but the remaining world as well.

Beyond These Walls - Books 1-6 Boxset


Michael Robertson - 2020
     Edin is a city on the brink … On the brink of collapse through overpopulation. On the brink of revolution because of government oppression. On the brink of being overrun by the diseased hordes outside its walls. In a place like Edin, love is a luxury. But it’s a luxury Spike and Matilda--even when dealing with the very real threat of their own demise--refuse to live without. Will Spike and Matilda realise their dreams in a world of nightmares? And even if they do, what lies in wait for them beyond Edin’s walls? Beyond These Walls is a post-apocalyptic epic where staying alive is reward enough. Join Spike, Matilda, and their friends to see if they can survive the brutal landscape, and maybe answer that one big question: Why does their world belong to the diseased? REVIEWS 5 stars ***** ‘Excellent world building and in depth characters …’ Amazon customer. 5 stars ***** ‘I highly recommend this book … and I can't wait for book 2.’ Amazon customer. 5 stars ***** ‘The characters are great. Both good guys and bad.’ Amazon customer.

Beyond Armageddon IV: Schism


Anthony DeCosmo - 2011
    For Trevor Stone, however, what began as a straightforward battle for survival has grown into a complex campaign against both external and internal adversaries. While his forces confront a human/alien alliance, Trevor finds that his most dangerous enemy is much closer to home. Schism is the fourth installment in the five-part Beyond Armageddon series and features massive battles over the skies of California, a conspiracy that will shake the foundation of humanity's empire, and a conversation with the gods. Get Ready. Hold on. Choose your side.

Skylarks At Sunset


Rita Bradshaw - 2007
    And so when she meets and falls in love with Daniel Fallow, son of a successful businessman, she's quick to accept his proposal of his marriage. His family, though, are against the match, and so the young couple marry in secret. Grudging acceptance follows, and as the Depression worsens Daniel is persuaded to join the family business, unaware of his father's dodgy dealings. Tragedy is just around the corner, and worse is to come when war is declared in 1939: as Daniel leaves to fight and her children are evacuated, Hope wonders if she will ever have all her family around her again...