Book picks similar to
Black by Max Booth III


zombies
first-reads
horror
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Conflict: Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse


Joshua Jared Scott - 2014
    Civilization is in ruins. Cities have fallen. Shambling corpses wander the back roads and highways of America. Places of safety grow ever more rare as bands of survivors find themselves under siege. Even so, a handful have managed to hang on. Among these is Jacob Thornton who, along with a small group of friends, has built a home in the wilderness. Isolated and protected by thick walls, they made it through the early, dreadful months and the harsh winter that followed. Wanting more, the group decides to seek out others in the hope of bolstering their numbers and creating a true community. Not all who have survived the change seek a return to normalcy. There are those who embrace the collapse and chaos. Most such men have since perished, but there exists a single unified force, an army crisscrossing the land attacking all they encounter, leaving nothing but battered, violated bodies in their wake. Guided by a shadowy prophet, these raiders have targeted those few settlements and outposts still standing.

Bowdrie Rides a Coyote Trail (Louis L'Amour)


Louis L'Amour - 2004
    With the dead man's horse in tow, Bowdrie ambles into the middle of a dispute between the H&H ranch and the Darcy spread. Seems some H&H hired guns are giving Jack Darcy a hard time . . . and leading the troublemakers is ranch owner Rack Herman, strangely in the middle of many a run-in. But with the help of some friendly locals, Bowdrie pieces together a puzzle of murder, corruption, and the shady dealings of a power hungry rancher. Will Bowdrie travel far to track down Dyson . . . or is this killer closer than he thinks?

Dark Days Rough Roads


Matthew D. Mark - 2013
    He needs unconventional skills and resources to mount a daring and deceptive plan to retrieve his daughter who is away at college. He’s hundreds of miles away and it seems like thousands. It’s a trip he planned for, but a trip resulting in some unexpected and deadly events as chaos grips the country.Encountering friends and enemies along the way, the journey becomes a fight for their lives. With the help of both family and friends, they all hope to work their way towards a safe haven. A rogue militia group has a different idea in mind however. Teetering on the brink of a small civil war, drastic measures must be taken. Without technology, society begins to collapse. Without the basics to survive, people change. Without rule of law, it’s every person for their self. They have Dark Days and Rough Roads ahead of them.This book is not only loaded with action and adventure, but suspense and drama as well. If you're a prepper or survivalist you'll love the military style guerrilla warfare, the tips, tricks and gadgets. If you're just an apocalypse reader, you'll love the insight into human behavior after the SHTF.

The Old Man and the End of the World: Book One: Things Fall Apart


William Harrison - 2021
    

Dark Road


David C. Waldron - 2012
    A disastrous solar storm has knocked out power grids throughout the northern hemisphere, and life as we know it in America will never be the same. The Taylor family, Eric, Karen, Chuck, and Sherri were able to evacuate from their neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee before society collapsed, and join with the Tennessee National Guard to begin building a successful and thriving community in Natchez Trace--called Promised Land. First Sergeant Mallory Jensen was promoted to Major, thanks to orders from higher authority codenamed ARCLiTE...Dark Road follows the family of Dan and Marissa Clark. Increasingly desperate under the despotic rule of the HOA leader, Carey, wary of the rapidly increasing threat from contagious disease, and slowly but surely starving to death; what will happen when a family with two young children, and a better destination in mind, decides to undertake a journey outside the purported safety of their patrolled neighborhood--only to discover that it's patrolled to keep neighbors in, as well as marauders out?The community at Promised Land continues to grow--holding elections, annexing a town, and even celebrating their first wedding. But when Mallory reaches out to other military camps in the region, she discovers that ARCLiTE--and the forces behind it--may not be at all what they claimed to be...and suddenly everything is up in the air.PROFESSIONALLY EDITED AND FORMATTED

Parker: The Story of an Apocalypse Survivor


Ben Stevens - 2013
    (60,000 words.)Meet Parker.In a world devastated by plague, Parker has to fight everything from mutant vermin to the horrific, hissing 'things' that were once human.Parker also looks out for other survivors, all the while trying to keep clear of the vicious, murdering road-gangs known as 'hogs'.Then he saves the life of a young girl, Abigail - and finds that his life once again has purpose and meaning.But with the odds hopelessly stacked against the mismatched pair, how can they possibly hope to survive...?'A nightmare world... Brutal biker gangs, flesh-hungry zombies and also the occasional 'good guy'... Much better written than the usual 'apocalypse/zombie' slush... Get PARKER...' Cliveinsydney

Who the Hell is That? (Zombie Rules Book 8)


David Achord - 2021
    

The Wretched


E.G. Michaels - 2018
    A top-secret research project goes terribly wrong. A new species, the Reapers, are unleashed onto the unsuspecting citizens of Philadelphia and soon the rest of the country. The Reapers are stronger, faster, and have no mercy for any humans who have the misfortune of crossing their paths. Philadelphia Cop Malcolm Foster quickly discovers a routine disturbance call is anything but ordinary. Foster soon finds himself scrambling to survive, gather together a rag-tag group of survivors, and get them out of the city. As Foster and his group fight to escape the city and find a Reaper-free sanctuary, a looming question prevails. Can anyone stop the Reapers from taking over the world? This is the story of the Wretched, a rag-tag group of survivors who may be the only ones that can keep the human race from becoming extinct.

Lawdog: The Life and Times of Hayden Tilden


J. Lee Butts - 2001
    Lee Butts! Legendary as the meanest, most fearless lawdog of the Old West, Hayden Tilden sometimes blurs the line between U.S. Marshal and hired assassin. His adventures all began with one murderous, cold-blooded bastard: Saginaw Bob Magruder. The depraved killer butchered Tilden’s entire family and hurled the young man into a ruthless, bloody crusade for vengeance and a career as a U. S. Marshal. Tracking down Magruder will be just the beginning of Tilden’s adventures, bringing his own brand of justice to the wild and lawless West. “Lawdog has it all. I couldn’t put it down.” —Jack Ballas, author of A Town Afraid “Lawdog should assume its rightful place beside other Western classics.” —Peter Brandvold, bestselling author of Once Hell Freezes Over About the Author: J. Lee Butts is the author of 22 published books and numerous magazine articles and short works. His book Brotherhood of Blood was runner-up for the Western Writers of America Spur Award in 2005. He’s worn many hats over the years (teacher, administrator, pool manager, IBM supervisor, and western author), and he and his late wife lived everywhere from Los Angeles to Dallas. Currently he’s hanging those hats back in White Hall, Arkansas.

The Walking Dead Collection: Rise of the Governor, The Road to Woodbury, The fall of the Governor, Part I, The Fall of the Governor, Part II, Just Another Day at the Office


Robert Kirkman - 2014
    The first volume, THE WALKING DEAD: RISE OF THE GOVERNOR, explores the heart-wrenching and horrifying origin of the comic world's most infamous villain: Philip Blake, AKA The Governor. Following Blake and his ragtag band of survivors as they carve out a terrifying path through infested subdivisions and rotting cities, RISE OF THE GOVERNOR is a fever dream of a road trip that explores the making of a super-villain, culminating in a mind-bending twist-ending. The second volume in the series, THE WALKING DEAD: THE ROAD TO WOODBURY, delves even deeper into the dark heart of the Governor, taking readers through the fractured looking glass of a small town turned into a deadly dictatorship. As seen through the eyes of a troubled bystander, Lilly Caul, this rotting utopia crumbles under the weight of its own excesses and lurid pastimes.The final installments, THE WALKING DEAD: FALL OF THE GOVERNOR: PARTS ONE and TWO, ties all the narrative strands and back stories together in a roller-coaster finale that spans two books--an epic conclusion that resonates for fans of the comic series in startling ways. Every dark promise made during the Governor's rise to power now pays off in a series of terrifying, dramatic confrontations. When collected as a set, these four installments tell a heart-wrenching and terrifying saga of apocalyptic horror as well as human behavior in the extreme.

Zombies in Paradise (Guardians of the Apocalypse Book 2)


Jeff Thomson - 2018
    Humanity seems lost. The Zombies have taken over. But the crew of Sassafras and True North aren't about to just kneel down and take it.

Old Kyle's Boy


Frank Roderus - 1981
    Another fine action adventure from Frank Roderus, America's western tale master. Don't miss this one!

Hellspawn


Ricky Fleet - 2015
    Portsmouth, England. A global particle physics experiment releases a pulse of unknown energy with catastrophic results. Scientists in their laboratories search desperately for a solution to the broken fabric of existence, but they are already too late, the sanctity of the grave has been sundered. There is no virus or bacteria to combat, just chaos and horror as a million graveyards expel their tenants from eternal slumber. The world is unaware of the impending apocalypse, realisation only dawns with the appearance of the mouldering corpses who devour everything they encounter. Governments crumble and armies are scattered to the wind. Kurt Taylor, a self-employed plumber, witnesses the start of the horrifying outbreak. Desperate to reach his family before they fall victim to the ever growing horde of shambling corruption, he flees the scene, watching the unfolding cannibalism and destruction in his rear view mirror. In a society with few guns, how can people hope to survive the endless waves of zombies that seek to consume every living thing? With ingenuity, planning and everyday materials, the group forge their way and strike back at the Hellspawn legions. Rescues are mounted, but not all survivors are benevolent. The evil that is in all men has been given free rein in this new, dead world. With both the living and dead to contend with, is there any hope for the Taylor family?

The Scattered and the Dead


Tim McBain - 2016
     Survival. Murder. Snow. Winter is here. The cold spreads over the land, shriveling and choking out all the plant life. Harsh. Unforgiving. The first winter without electricity will surely claim more human lives as well. The isolation may do more damage than the cold, however. Too much time alone drives people to unthinkable acts.

99 Brief Scenes From The End Of The World


T.W. Grim - 2012
    It detailed our culture, accumulated mathematical knowledge, and the finer points of human physiology. Now, years later, they have finally received a reply... The Western Hemisphere is plunged into chaos, as exposure to the alien radio signal transforms millions of ordinary citizens into savage lunatics, their re-programmed minds relentlessly driving them to spread mayhem and death. From the southernmost point of Chile to the farthest reaches of Northern Canada, the day dawns upon a desperate struggle for survival. Fleeing from raging fires, disastrous havoc, and the murderous rampaging of the infected, the survivors must try to overcome the odds and survive to see tomorrow - but, with a mentally unstable President contemplating full-scale nuclear war on the East, will there even be a tomorrow? Originally published as a condensed serial on Reddit.com, in the SubReddit Library of Shadows, 99 Brief Scenes From the End of The World is a taut, adrenaline-fueled excursion into the darkest depths of the human id. It takes the reader from the embattled streets of suburbia to a besieged church in a Texan border town; to top-secret government facilities, where powerful men play a game of political chess, using people as pawns. Will the alien transmission succeed in destroying us all - or does salvation lie within the extraordinary mind of a catatonic little girl?