Book picks similar to
Instant Darkness by Mark J. Russell


science-fiction
a1-apocalypse
audio
survival

Erupting Trouble


Grace Hamilton - 2021
    His ailing father, David, an Army vet, has the skills the Riley family needs to survive in the dark new world, but with no medication for his heart condition on hand, keeping him alive may be an impossible task as they journey home from what was supposed to be a simple day trip.She’ll keep her daughter safe and reunite her family…Kathleen doesn’t share her husband’s optimistic view of humanity. When the power goes out during a visit to her brother in prison, she and her teenage daughter will need to find their way out and start the long journey back to Galena, IL, in the hope they can reunite with the rest of their family.They’ll defend their home…With the rest of the Riley family gone, it’s up to Ruth and her grandson, Patton, to keep their newly renovated hotel safe for the family they know is coming their way. But food is running low and some see an elderly woman and a pre-teen boy as easy pickings.In a broken civilization the only way to survive is strength in numbers. One family is determined to work together in this new world, but will they be able to defend themselves against desperate survivors?

The Age of Embers


Ryan Schow - 2019
    A crippling attack on America and her infrastructure. Are humans in their final days? When a sudden, unexplained spasm of violence rocks the country from coast to coast, when our military is hijacked and the President can’t be found, the survivors will be left to wonder if this is the start of a new world war, or if this is the last chapter of humanity itself.Undercover DEA agent, Fire Dimas, is drowning in problems: a unrelenting job, a difficult marriage and a teenage daughter with suitors of the worst kind. Then there’s the cartel he double-crossed and the “incident” at the high school. To say he’s in way over his head is the understatement of the century. Rest assured though, for Fire and his family, it’s about to get much, much worse. The assault has already begun…Eliana Gutierrez and her niece, Carolina, are stolen by the Guatemalan cartel and swallowed into the dark world of human trafficking until a brutal crime separates them. Eliana must now use the deadly trafficking lines to trek up through Mexico and into America in search of the only person she ever loved. Along the way, she’ll come face-to-face with a handsome, rancorous hitman who will either be her salvation or her bitter end. Under the cover of a post-apocalyptic nightmare, Eliana will risk life and limb for the child, but will it be enough?The Age of Embers is a post-apocalyptic survival series written inside the universe of the best-selling The Last War series. This edge-of-your-seat thriller chronicles the harrowing journey of ordinary people trapped in an encroaching dark age.  Get ready for characters you'll want to know in real life, big post-apocalyptic action and a no-holds-barred action/adventure series that just might hit a little too close to home.

Rise of the Locusts


Mark Goodwin - 2019
    America will not survive. Cyber Security Analyst Kate McCarthy knows something ominous is about to happen in the US banking system. She has a place to go if things get hectic, but it’s far from the perfect retreat.When a new breed of computer virus takes down America’s financial network, chaos and violence erupt. Access to cash disappears and credit cards become worthless. Desperate consumers are left with no means to purchase food, fuel, and basic necessities. Society melts down instantly and the threat of starvation brings out the absolute worst humanity has to offer.In the midst of the mayhem, Kate will face a post-apocalyptic nightmare that she never could have imagined. Her only reward for survival is to live another day in the gruesome new reality which has eradicated the world she once knew.As with all works by Mark Goodwin, this book contains no profanity and no embarrassing sex scenes. However, if you're offended by conservative principles and references to Scripture, this book might not be for you.

Solar Storm: Homeward Bound


Vincent Keith - 2017
    He'd spent years learning to live in a minimalist and sustainable way. He'd changed careers, and he had a plan. A plan just in case the worst happened. Unfortunately for Jack, he was far from home when disaster struck, when the end of the world as we know it came. Now he is on foot, with winter coming. Jack and his two dogs will need to trek over 750 miles to get home. How do you cope when almost everything you depend upon is lost? When everything you've come to rely on stops working. There was no way to predict a Solar Storm. There was no way to predict its enormous magnitude or the damage that it would do. What do you do when you can't call for help? When transportation stops and the lights go out? How hungry do you have to be to steal, to kill? What will people do when there is no law? Who can you trust? Jack would most likely run out of food before he got home, even if nothing went wrong. But something had already gone wrong, and it was just the beginning. He had choices to make and no information. Every decision was a trade-off. Would he survive if he chose wrong? Jack was about to find out.

After It Happened: Omnibus Books 5-6


Devon C. Ford - 2017
     Set in the UK in the immediate aftermath of a mysterious illness which swept the country and left millions dead, the series follows the trials facing a reluctant hero, Dan, and the group he forms around him. They must battle the elements, find sufficient supplies and equipment to survive, and protect themselves against the most destructive force on the planet: other people.

The Complete Disruption Trilogy: Books 1 - 3


R.E. McDermott - 2018
     Get THE COMPLETE DISRUPTION TRILOGY, now for one low price! You'll get all 3 books of THE DISRUPTION TRILOGY in this omnibus edition. That's almost 1,200 pages of pulse-pounding action and nail-biting suspense that Amazon readers have awarded a combined total of +1,600 reviews. (See separate review stats below.) Proven quality at a terrific price make this a great time for you to: Meet Jordan Hughes - A harried ship captain, stranded far from home with a crew near mutiny. He’s no hero – until he has to be. Get to know Matt Kinsey – A Coast Guard petty officer just days away from retirement, when fate deals him a bad hand. Hike with Shyla ‘Tex’ Texiera - As she fights her way home along the Appalachian Trail. At five foot two and a hundred and nothing dripping wet, men always underestimate her. Their mistake. Cheer on Congressman Simon Tremble – Speaker of the House and last hope of an ebbing democracy. Until he disappears. Struggle with Luke Kinsey – As he agonizes over his oath of loyalty to a government that no longer deserves it. Join these and a vibrant cast of characters you’ll grow to love (and hate) as they wind their way through a sprawling epic stretching from the swamps of Louisiana’s Cajun Country, up the Appalachian Trail to the woods of Maine, and all points in between. A tale plausible enough to make you wonder ‘what if’ and check the pantry to see how much food YOU have in reserve. THE BOOKS Under a Tell-Tale Sky (Book 1) Reviews: Amazon US = 547/Amazon UK = 59/Avg Rating = 4.6 Stars When a massive solar flare fries the power grid, Jordan Hughes is stranded far from home with a now-priceless cargo and a restless crew. As violence worsens ashore and the world crumbles around the secure haven of his ship, the Pecos Trader, Hughes is determined to get his ship and crew safely home -- but FEMA arrives with other plans. Eluding authorities, Hughes leads a ragtag little band of sailors, preppers, and dissident military personnel on a desperate voyage to reunite them all with home and family – only to find their real journey just beginning. Push Back (Book 2) Reviews: Amazon US = 563/Amazon UK = 75/Avg Rating = 4.9 Stars In the U.S., order collapses and opportunistic forces fill the power vacuum, as what remains of an overwhelmed and self-serving federal bureaucracy abandons the general population. Chaos and starvation spread, as isolated pockets of survivors unite. In Texas, Hughes and his band gather their families close and resist the depredations of a horde of escaped convicts. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, survivors’ efforts to salvage a vast store of supplies and feed the starving refugee population draw unwelcome attention. Secure in his Camp David compound, an increasingly unstable president builds a mercenary force to seize all resources for ‘government use and fair distribution.’ Betrayed by their own government, survivors face a choice. Do they knuckle under to a dictator, or do they PUSH BACK? Promises To Keep (Book 3) Reviews: Amazon US = 309/Amazon UK = 62/Avg Rating = 4.

Blackout: A Tale Of Survival In A Powerless World- Book 0


Alexandria Clarke - 2017
    This is Georgie Fitz’s reality when an EMP bomb goes off over her home in Denver, Colorado. As one of the few who knows how to survive the start of an apocalypse, she sets out with her boyfriend to escape the city. After all, the darkness of the Rockies is safer than the violence in the streets.

Solar Storm: Episode 1: IMPACT


Marcus Richardson - 2017
    Each episode will be released as they are finished so readers do not have to wait until the entire story is written to read along. Solar Storm is a look at our future through the eyes of the average American, with an aim to educate and inspire. Jay Cantrell will find his family…or die trying. Episode 1 He had the perfect life as a small-town librarian: married just over a year to his second wife, an airline pilot, he also has a daughter in college studying to be an astrophysicist. He's ready to celebrate the first year of his new marriage as he adjusts to an empty nest and a new stage in life. But the sun had other plans and sent a coronal mass ejection as an anniversary present. Awakened before dawn one morning in mid-December by northern lights that blanket the sky—in central Illinois—Jay's world changes in the blink of an eye. Flying a planeload of passengers to Hawaii, his wife Kate experiences the CME in a whole other light and must fight to stay alive every step of the way. Leah, Jay's daughter, witnesses the impact through the eyes of a student far from home. Jay must decide to stay and wait for news of his wife or leave before things get worse to find his daughter. The problem is, with no electricity, he doesn't know how bad it is...anywhere. Will he set out to rescue his daughter and make a harrowing journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland only to find the power is still on, two states away? In a world where electricity is a thing of the past, can there be any hope for the future? After all, it's not a matter of if a CME will strike the earth, but when. Solar Storm is serialized story published in 5 episodes of about 20,000 words each. Each episode will be released as they are finished so readers do not have to wait until the entire story is written to read along. Solar Storm is a look at our future through the eyes of the average American, with an aim to educate and inspire.

The Culling


James Wallace - 2016
    He must overcome who he is and learn to fight for his life and lead those around him. While surviving, he finds the real reason for the Zombie outbreak and is pulled into a whole new fight. This time against a shadowy power calling themselves the Culling Initiative.

Secession: The Storm


Joe Nobody - 2014
    Working a series of heinous crimes, Zach uncovers a dark, treacherous secret – a conspiracy that could alter America’s future and result in the secession of Texas. Co-authored by P.A. Troit and bestselling writer Joe Nobody, Secession explores a world where a hopelessly gridlocked government fuels an ever-deepening divide between right and left. The public’s frustration with the country’s direction forces desperate leaders on both sides of the political spectrum to consider splitting the union.Based on actual historic events, current economic realities, and a growing global trend, Secession immerses the reader in a lifelike scenario that could be America’s future.

FORTRESS: A Post Apocalyptic-Dystopian EMP Attack Thriller (Reckoning Book 3)


Lee West - 2019
    As they settle into their new life among friends and fellow survivors within the university's hidden tunnel system, the U.S. military continues its relentless seizure of seemingly innocent civilians. After a student is openly murdered by soldiers, the Birch's and their close group of friends decide to take their chances on the outside. They make their way to a nearby survivalist camp, where Joe's brother has presumably hidden to ride out the disaster. However, they quickly discover that the survivalist camp is anything but safe, and that nothing is what it seems in the aftermath of the RECKONING.

Zombie Armageddon: A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Survival (Last Man Standing Book 1)


Max Lockwood - 2018
     No one thought that people would be able to turn into such horrible, violent creatures, even just in the metaphorical sense, let alone physically. Matthew was a retired soldier who quit the army after seeing his friends die. It’s hard for him to trust anyone, but in this crisis full of zombies, he will need to trust the group he’s stuck with to survive. Genevieve and Ellie are part of his group and are on a mission to find a cure to recover humanity. Luckily, they aren’t alone in this new reality of zombies and having to fight for their lives. But will they be able to work together to survive? Zombie Armageddon is book 1 of the Last Man Standing series.

EMP: Equipping Modern Patriots: The Aftermath


Jonathan Hollerman - 2015
     When the retreat where Sean and Maria reside suddenly grows exponentially, they must make tough decisions on splitting up and dividing their resources. Unknowingly, this leaves them vulnerable to a new, much larger threat that looms nearby. The devastation of America is also revealed through the eyes of a new character, Lt. Col. Bruce Harris, Commander, 31st Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. Colonel Harris is tasked with restoring electricity to the small town of Warren, PA, reestablishing order to the area, and tracking down a rogue platoon of Army Rangers that are reportedly pillaging the countryside. All is not as it seems though, and his orders will have life-changing consequences that leave him questioning where his true loyalty lies.

Survive The Dark (At Any Cost #1)


K.M. Fawkes - 2019
    But when the EMP strikes, will anything be left to reclaim? Garrett is an architect, of sorts. A renovator of unique dwellings, he makes his living creating luxury doomsday bunkers for a wealthy, paranoid clientele. He never thought he’d end up living in one… As a mysterious “nano virus” ravages the world above, Garrett hunkers down in a former missile silo in the New Mexico desert. Underground, he’s as equipped and prepared as can be, save for the grinding loneliness, and mounting horror of witnessing the fall of human civilization. Then one night, everything changes. A series of blasts in the sky, and then all of a sudden, every electronic device is rendered useless, including — he hopes — the nanobots responsible for decimating the population. In the wake of the EMP, Garrett’s doomsday bunker goes from survivalist haven to ready-made grave. He knows he’s going to have to leave, but has no idea what will be waiting for him, or what kind of people will have survived to tell the tale… This is the first book in the At Any Cost series. It’s set within the same universe as the Enter Darkness series.

Forgive Us


E.T. Gunnarsson - 2020
    Generation after generation, survivors fight on enduring the world caused by their ancestors.In 2153, fledgling nations clash over land and resources. London is a veteran of the wasteland, struggling to protect his adopted daughter Rose as the world decays around them. Little does he know that both he and Rose will soon find themselves drawn into a warJust how far is London willing to go to protect Rose from a world full of violence, hate, and apathy?Fans of The Gunslinger and Mad Max will love E.T. Gunnarsson’s multi-award-winning book Forgive Us, a story readers call “thrilling, brutal, awesome, and completely unique.”