Book picks similar to
Darkness Rising by Justin Bell


post-apocalyptic
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No Sanctuary


Mike Kraus - 2017
    Frank Richards barely escapes with his life when he watches his truck explode in front of his eyes. As chaos descends across the country, Frank's home-grown survival and preparedness training and the help of a mysterious stranger he meets are the only things he can rely on to see him safely across the thousand miles separating him and his loved ones. Frank Richards has been an accountant for most of his life, but when the economy took a turn for the worse he was forced to take the only job he could find - driving tractor-trailers cross-country. Thanks to his parents being dyed-in-the-wool prepper and survival experts he's learned enough to keep him alive. If he wants to make it from Maine to Texas, though, he'll have to figure out how to get along with the mysterious stranger that he's picked up along the way. With skills as strange as her background, Linda's far more prepared than Frank to survive in a fallen world. But in a world with no safety, no security and no sanctuary it takes more than one person to survive. No Sanctuary is a post-apocalyptic thriller/survival series that asks the "what if" question that lurks in the back of everyone's mind. What if there was another attack? What if it was larger than any other? What would you do if it came without warning? No Sanctuary is planned to be a series that will contain 7 novel-length books, published once every 4-6 weeks.

Things Fall Down


Keith Taylor - 2018
    Stripped of his medical license, his marriage destroyed, hollowed out by grief and guilt, and reliant on alcohol to manage a pain the surgeons insist is all in his head. He’d have to climb for days just to reach the gutter. And then a call from an old colleague changes everything. Something terrible is about to happen on the west coast. A nuclear blast has sent the nation into a panic. The government has triggered Condition Black, a chilling secret contingency plan intended as the last resort after the last resort has failed, and Jack’s ex-wife and seven year old daughter are standing in the line of fire.Will he reach Emily before the missiles hit? Can he fight his way though the chaos and earn one final shot at redemption, or is Jack Archer cursed to watch another child die?

Fight to Survive


Dave Bowman
    The surviving few are left to find their way among the ashes of civilization. Chaos reigns. What if your preparations weren't enough? Nick thought he was ready. He has a lodge in the mountains in New Mexico, packed full of supplies and ammo. He thought he could protect his family, but the virus took them anyway. Soon, he finds others that rely on him. With everything lost, can he find the strength in himself to go on? Could you face your greatest fears? Liz is trapped in Albuquerque. A dangerous battle rages around her, and she doesn't have long to live if she stays. The only way out is through the mountains, and there's only one man who can take her. But can she put her faith in a stranger's promise? Only a few survived the outbreak, but that was just the beginning. Now they'll have to fight harder than ever to stay alive. Fight to Survive is Book 1 in a post-apocalyptic thriller series about people pushing past their limits as they try to survive the end of the world.

300 Miles


P.A. Glaspy - 2018
    But ... what if they can?A nuclear warhead detonated at 300 miles above the center of the United States would effectively take out the entire electrical grid and infrastructure of the forty-eight contiguous states. Most people don't think this is a possibility. But what if it is? What if a country like North Korea actually has the capability to do this but has led us to believe they don't? What if they had acquired stealth technology that would let them launch a missile that we didn't know about until it was too late to stop it?Carly Marshall is a twenty-first-century single mom. She works hard and lives modern. Take-out food, the latest technology, and all the modern conveniences of the time make up her life. She doesn't have to worry about feeding her family. She doesn't think twice about water coming out of the faucets. She's on the path to advancement at her firm. Life can't get much better. But what if it could get worse?Check out Book 1 in the Perilous Miles series by P.A. Glaspy. Readers are saying it's better than her first series. Find out for yourself!

Tempest


Kenny Soward - 2019
     Stuck in Boston at a technology conference with his wife and children at their cabin in Tennessee, Jake Walton becomes trapped as multiple category five hurricanes devastate the east coast. As the situation worsens and an unknown foe begins to target key infrastructure points across the country, he will risk everything to get back to his family. Meanwhile, at their cabin, Sara and their children become ensnared in a dangerous conspiracy as they prepare to fight the elements, pulling them into a web of destruction that threatens the stability of the entire country. Weathering the Storm is a near-future, what-if tale of a frightening apocalyptic future told through a gripping, roller coaster lens. As severe weather continues to impact the United States, Kenny Soward and #1 best-selling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus explore what might happen if a foreign nation were to exploit one of the most dangerous weather seasons of the year, using it to slip into the country unnoticed and cause exponentially greater damage, all without us knowing. Weathering the Storm is a 6-part post-apoc tale that will be released monthly.

The Collapse


E.S. Richards - 2019
    How prepared are you? An enormous coronal mass ejection engulfs the world, destroying electrical grids and causing secondary fires to break out in every major city. Millions die in the first few hours, and even those who are most prepared are caught unawares. Trapped in the firestorm raging across Chicago, Leonard will stop at nothing to find his family while his wife and son struggle to stay alive in the chaos. When a CME that dwarfs the Carrington Event engulfs the world, Len - a businessman with next to zero survival training and experience - sets off to find his wife and child. Emerging out of the heart of Chicago, he will face dangers of all types and experience both the heights and depths of humanity. His survival depends solely on his ability to learn on the fly in this twisted new hellscape of a world. From the #1 best-selling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus and author E.S. Richards comes a fresh new take on the EMP/CME story. With characters that are learning how to survive as they go - and finding some unlikely teachers along the way - they represent the true "everyday person" who isn't a hardcore prepper or survivalist, something unique and exciting in this genre. Solar Crash is a 6-part series that will be published monthly.

Point of Extinction


Tara Ellis - 2021
    A nation torn apart. One woman will stop at nothing to save her family - or die trying.Tired of the usual post-apocalyptic story? Welcome to your new addiction.An underwater explosion devastates a chain of islands.A mysterious illness begins to spring up across the world.Earthquakes shatter the west coast, causing untold damage and loss of life.To the ordinary observer, these events appear random and coincidental - but for some they're all pieces of a global puzzle that leads to one conclusion: the end of humanity.In a desperate race against time, the survivors must not only survive but learn to adapt to an insidious set of foes, each more dangerous than the last.

Ash


Tom Abrahams - 2018
    But every book dunks them into a new, alternate apocalypse; a nuclear holocaust, an earthquake, a flood, a wildfire, a hurricane, a plague, and even zombies.Different heroes will emerge in each novel. Different characters will survive and perish. Your favorite character dies in one book? He or she will be back in the next. In the end you'll unwind the loose thread that connects every character and every stand-alone story.In Ash, Abrahams tells the story of four college friends, an ex-con, a lonely fry cook, and a secretive group of prepared civilians as they each battle to survive in southern California after a series of nuclear attacks. Theirs is a gray world covered in ash and nuclear fallout.Do they hunker down? Do they bug out? Do they find their salvation above ground or below?

Infection


J.T. Sawyer - 2017
    When a CIA bioweapons ship goes dark, operative Will Reisner and his team are sent to the South China Sea to investigate. As their mission unfolds, a deadly parasitic virus takes hold in cities around the globe, turning its victims into worm-riddled creatures bent on infecting others to increase their numbers, linked by a mysterious mental connection. After barely making it out alive, Reisner reluctantly joins forces with epidemiologist Selene Munroe, who has been trying to discover the origins of the virus to prevent humanity from being completely consumed by the horrific fiend that has been unleashed upon the world. Emergence is a bold reinvention of the well-worn zombie theme that will have you gripping the edge of your seat.

Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies


Scott M. Baker - 2020
    When patients and staff in the ER begin to die, reanimate, and attack the living, Alissa must fight her way to safety to avoid becoming one of the ravenous hordes. To survive, Alissa must develop instincts and skills she did not realize she had and overcome fears no human were meant to face. Escaping the hospital will be tough enough, but can Alissa survive the nightmare gripping Boston and make it out of the city to safety?

Unleashed


Dirk Patton - 2013
    Nuclear bombs destroy cities and the widespread release of nerve gas sends the majority of the surviving population into a murderous rage. Rescuing a woman who survived the attacks he must lead her to safety as Atlanta burns, raging infected roam unchecked and society disintegrates into savagery.

The Long Fall


Logan Keys - 2018
    A soldier in Poland dies in a mysterious accident. A reporter in Manhattan stumbles across a conspiracy that has global consequences. As millions succumb to the strange attack across the globe, a handful of brave souls must step forward and fight not just for their own survival but that of the entire human race. The Long Fall is a thrilling post-apocalyptic episodic series that follows the survivors of a global catastrophie that threatens the survival of the entire world. As each survivor learns more about the reasons and sources behind the apocalypse, they must work to save themselves and their families as they seek a way to reverse the disaster before it's too late. Written as a collaboration between Logan Keys and #1 bestselling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus, The Long Fall is a gripping and unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre, and one that will leave you breathless with every turn of the page. The Long Fall will feature approximately ten episodic (25k-35k words in length) books that are full of action, suspense, emotion and drama as the survivors of a global disaster struggle to survive the end of days. Episodes will be published once per month.

Melt


J.J. Pike - 2019
    A bold scientific breakthrough? Or an end to modern society as we know it It was supposed to be a ground-breaking demonstration: "Melt" a newly created compound, promised to revolutionize waste processing. When things don't go as planned and the city begins to implode, Bill and Alice Everlee are caught on opposite sides of the divide. Stuck at ground zero as the city begins to sink around her, Alice races to discover what is causing the disaster and how to stop it - if she even can. Meanwhile, having received a frightening message from his wife, Bill hurries to pack everyone up at home before racing to a remote cottage in upstate New York to begin preparing for the coming storm... A new, intensely thrilling series, "Melt" has received unanimous praise from beta readers and early reviewers alike. Written by J.J. Pike and Mike Kraus, "Melt" examines a part of our world that we often take for granted. Add in a dash of real science and a glimpse of what the future might hold in store and you're presented with the recipe for "Melt" a frighteningly real post-apocalyptic thriller. "Melt" is a novel-length series will be released on a monthly basis.

Brace for Impact


Harley Tate - 2018
    He’s the only one in the airport who knows the truth. When the power goes out, he can’t waste another second. It’s the beginning of the end and every man for himself. A nuclear attack will rip the country apart. Leah Walton is wrapping up a twelve-hour shift as a nurse in the heart of the city. When the power goes out, the hospital operates on crisis mode. She can’t stop to to breathe, let alone check her messages. When she finally listens to her husband’s frantic calls, she’s faced with an impossible choice: leave or die trying. Could you drop everything to save yourself? Grant and Leah race the clock to find each other before the United States is plunged into chaos. When the bombs fall, their worst fears come true. Can Grant make it home in time to find his wife? Will Leah escape the brunt of the blast? The EMP is only the beginning. Brace for Impact is book one in Nuclear Survival: Southern Grit, a post-apocalyptic thriller series following ordinary people struggling to survive after a nuclear attack plunges the nation into chaos.

Overfall


Marcus Richardson - 2020
    A country torn apart. A man who will stop at nothing to get home to his family.When a massive landslide in the Canary Islands sets off a mega-tsunami, the east coast of North America is square in its path. On a fishing trip off the coast of Maine, Reese Lavelle barely manages to make it to high ground when the wave hits. His only thought? Getting home to his wife and daughter in South Carolina.Cami and Amber Lavelle barely escape the wave in Charleston, they retreat inland, watching the city as it's wiped out by the wave in one fell swoop. As those who survived slowly sink into madness and the country succumbs to chaos, Cami's goal is simple: survive at any cost.