Book picks similar to
Dawn's End by Justin Bell


g_dystopia-apocalyptic
post-apocalyptic-astronomical
fiction
intriguing

Cracked Earth


Deborah D. Moore - 2014
    Many years later she’s living a quiet and peaceful life in a remote region of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and still preparing. This serves her well when a horrendous natural disaster rocks the entire country and brings all shipping to a halt, leaving many without food and other necessary supplies. In her small town of Moose Creek, Allexa serves as the little needed emergency manager, but is called on when many start to feel the effects of the food and gas shortage and they don’t know where else to turn. The nearby county seat is overwhelmed and leaves Allexa to handle the problems that arise on her own. With the crisis worsening, power plants begin to divert electricity to the major cities, leaving the town a casualty of the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few. With this happening at the beginning of winter, the timing couldn’t be worse. The lack of heat pushes the residents to the limits of endurance; some leave for the city to be taken care of, others stay only to die of exposure, starvation or illness. Still others that have stayed survive by working together, only to be attacked by outsiders wanting what little the town has left. As the winter progresses, more and more issues come up for Allexa to deal with, some of a very personal nature. Her son turns to her for help in caring for his autistic child when his wife goes missing. She then learns to prioritize and she learns she can’t save everyone. “This isn’t your typical post-apocalyptic story. There are no zombies, no teenagers who save the world in a society now devoid of adults, and no super macho men who get shot a dozen times and keep on moving. This is about a small town, populated by people like you and me, trying to survive in a world falling apart. This story is frightening because it’s so real and could happen, anywhere, anytime.”

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.

No Way Out


T.L. Payne - 2020
    Cars stall. Communications fail.Cities descend into chaos.An EMP attack leaves single-father Will Fontenot and his son stranded in Houston, Texas.It's an all-out battle for survival.Wracked with guilt and struggling with PTSD from the accident that took his wife’s life, he’ll do whatever it takes to get his son out of the city. But an encounter with two injured women hurls them into a deadly game of cat and mouse and puts all their lives at risk.It’s a race against time as the plot to bring America to her knees unfolds in this fast-paced post-apocalyptic EMP survival thriller. No Way Out will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Ashfall Apocalypse


M.L. BannerM.L. Banner - 2022
    Cities are leveled. No one is left untouched.Ronald Ash and his small Texas town experience the effects firsthand when an enormous dam breaks and wipes away everything in its path, including Ron's wife.Nan Thompson is already at her lowest point in life when the wave destroys all that she owns.As suffocating ash falls and temperatures plummet, strangers must band together quickly if they hope to survive another day.But as supplies dwindle, something more threatening looms ahead. The lawless have taken over and they want what the survivors have.If you're a fan of The Day After Tomorrow, The Postman or Snowpiercer, then you'll love this explosive action-thriller about survival and hope when all looks hopeless, from USA Today Bestseller, ML Banner.Rated PG-13 for violence.

Searching for Shelter


Stephanie Mylchreest - 2021
    No shelter. No way out but through.A calamitous pair of storms.Two women on the run from their past caught in the whirlwind.They'll either stand and fight - or be consumed in the aftermath.***Twin hurricanes obliterate the eastern coast of the United States, bringing with them a blight that devastated America's breadbasket.As the nation's food supply withers on the vine, the population turns upon itself and millions die from starvation, infighting and disease within days of the storms' passing.In the midst of the devastation left by the storms, two women in the Gulf Coast must fight against the dangers from their past to survive the aftermath of the storms and find a new order in a broken nation.

Surviving the Fall


Mike Kraus - 2017
    To get back home he'll have to draw on every survival instinct he has as he's pulled into a web of lies and conspiracy that threaten not just his survival but that of the entire world. Surviving the Fall is a thrilling post-apocalyptic episodic series that focuses on Rick and Dianne Waters and how they each deal with the apocalypse. Stranded across the country away from his family, Rick must travel from California to Virginia to reunite with his wife and children, all while struggling to comprehend and deal with the horrors along the way. At home with her three children when she experiences the beginning of the end in a dramatic and deadly fashion, Dianne Waters has experience as a prepper and survivalist, but not even years of training and preparation have readied her for the darkness that comes with the end of the world. Now she must draw upon those skills to protect her loved ones and fight back against those who come against her and her family.

Battlefield Z


Chris Lowry - 2016
     After the world collapses when a zombie plague sweeps the nation, a three time father has two choices. Stay hiding in his house or go hunt for his children with their mother and step-father just to make sure they're safe. How tragic would it be if you had no idea what happened to your kids when a disaster occurred? No amount of survivalist training can prepare you for a break down in society when all the tools we use to stay in touch are no longer available. When Dad decides to take off from Florida to Arkansas to check on the safety of his children, he discovers Z aren't the only awful things left in the world. The survivors are just as ruthless, just as deadly and the only way to really survive is with off the cuff gallows humor. Fast paced with laugh out loud moments and maybe even a sniffle or two this book would be good for fans of Harry Dresden, even if there are walking dead involved. This is the first in a series of six books about a Dad's hunt for his kids and answers after the end of the world. If you head over to Chrislowrybooks.com, you can sign up for a free sci fi novel and get all the latest release details

Static: A Quiet World


Jacqueline Druga - 2021
    Seconds later it's gone, and no one knows what happened. Normal life resumes. BBQs continue, and kids play in backyards. No one notices the screams coming from one backyard.Everyone believes it to be a fluke. But it doesn't just happen in Carthage, it happens all over.While delayed, the after effects of the event are brutal to all those who were exposed to the flash, and horrifying to behold.Those not exposed, like Alana Cross, are helpless to do anything. All they can do is witness humanity self-destructing right in front of their eyes.

Denial Measures


J.R. Jackson - 2013
    This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 9781310129957.Where will you be when the world ends?What will you do to save the lives of people you love?When a genetically modified virus is released to eradicate the disease known as Man, survival is all that matters.In the first book of this epic saga, follow the men of ODA-141, the Outlaws and the SEALs of Shark Platoon in this hard-hitting, real-world look at life before, during, and after an apocalyptic event.With the world now inhabited by crazed cannibals, will their skills, training and experience be enough?This is the way the world ended.

The Search: A Walker Series Thriller


Alex Howell - 2019
    Though burdened by his past, Mason has found contentment in the anonymity of his family life in Baltimore, Maryland. And then his daughter gets kidnapped. Upon returning home for lunch one day, Mason comes home to find his house destroyed, his daughter gone, and security footage of her in an anonymous bunker. A voice advises that she will only be safe if Mason does exactly as he’s told. Will Mason be able to reclaim his old skills to save his daughter? Can he use his ingenuity to save her before he’s too late? What will it cost him?

Dust to Dust


Rashad Freeman - 2016
    Earthquakes in Florida. Magnetic storms across the globe. Randall is a wannabe prepper. A few small provisions and not much know-how, make up his bag of tricks. But when his family's life is cast into a struggle for survival, he's left with two choices, put up or shut up.It all starts with a series of torrential storms and a power outage with unknown reach. Randall plays the waiting game, expecting society to quickly pick up the pieces and make everything right. When a quick jaunt to the grocery store turns into a fight for his life, Randall realizes he must take matters into his own hands.In a world without answers or rules, where the costs of food and water are paid in blood, Randall must make an impossible decision. Does he risk the life of his young family and venture into the remnants of a ruined world or does he stay back and pray that help makes it before society crumbles?This is the Deconstruction Series

Relics of Dawn: A Story Carved in Time


A.W. Davidson - 2021
    Cities crumble to dust.As Kaia’s world dies, who should she trust?Part hard sci-fi, part epic mystery, Relics of Dawn is a time-twisting tale of audacity, conspiracy, and survival at all costs.On a blistering day in 2296, the Council unveiled the Dawn Project. Artificial volcanic eruptions and precision meteor impacts flashed on the viewscreens in every home. In that instant, everyone understood there was no safe way out of this mess. To save the planet, they must first leave it behind. And so, a civilization on the brink began its exodus to the heavens.Biologist Kaia Badra and her small team of scientists are keeping an eye on phase one from orbit. She is dreaming about life after the project when her friend discovers an anomaly in the data stream. The updated simulation shows their daring act of creation could tip toward apocalyptic destruction, but why?A controversial theory from a geologist named Alan Pearce may be the answer. His peers called the backup plan insane because he claims it came from buried clues in Earth’s ancient ruins. Separated by time and bound by courage, Kaia and Alan work to combine long-lost knowledge with cutting-edge science in a desperate attempt to rewrite the past and save their future.“Relics of Dawn is such a nice mix of believable science fiction and character development. It sucked me in - which doesn't happen very often - and kept me hooked until the end. All in all, a lot of fun!”“Without being preachy, this ambitious epic tale weaves anthropology, climate science, physics, politics, and science fiction into a truly deep time saga. It makes critical connections from our past roots to our future potential, whether that be salvation or ruin. Amazing!”The complete trilogy includes:• Prologue• Act 1: Eruption• Act 2: Impact• Act 3: Revelation• Epilogue• Afterword• Research notes from the authorThird Edition updated based on reader input, with corrections, improved pacing, and the latest science.

The Angola Deception


D.C. Alden - 2015
    Delta Force, US Navy SEALs and the CIA’s Special Operations Group, all of them unaware of the conspiracy swirling around them and the politicians determined to see them fail.From the ice-capped mountains of Switzerland to the burning deserts of Iraq, from the grimy streets of south London to the teeming metropolis of Shanghai, the battle to seize ultimate control of the planet threatens every corner of the globe.The virus is out there. And humanity has never been closer to extermination.

It Came With The Crash


Boris Bacic - 2021
    They were dead wrong.Stranded in the middle of the forest and without help, six crash survivors forge a plan to stay alive in the harsh conditions that surround them. As the days go on and their supplies dwindle, the tension in the group increases. To make matters worse, they soon begin to realize that they are being watched by someone... or rather something. The bodies of their dead passengers disappear in the night, animalistic shrieks fill the air, and sometimes - just sometimes - they see a figure between the trees watching them.The group is faced with a difficult decision: Leave the crash site in search for help, or continue waiting for rescue. They know that the wrong decision could be their death - either by mother nature, or something far more terrifying.

The Dark Roads


Wayne Lemmons - 2016
     A group of men including Richie, Buddy, and the unlikely Elvis resolve that times are way too hot in Miami, Florida and decide to trek out, on their own, as far to the north as they can make it. Richie, who is the leader of their faction, suggests Alaska as the most favorable destination and the journey begins. They find themselves navigating the U.S. and Canadian Highways through long and lonely nights, sleeping in underground dwellings to avoid the deadly radiation of the daylight hours. Throughout their travels they scavenge limited supplies in department stores and gas stations in order to sate thirst, hunger, and the need for ammunition to protect against the looming threat of human nature. As the three life-long friends make their way toward Alaska, they encounter new friends in the form of a strong, but damaged, woman who will hold them even closer together, a young girl and her substitute father, and an improbable stray cat. They find grave dangers in the forms of a loving father and his two seemingly innocent daughters, groups of cannibals and the people trying to avoid them, and a lack of easily procured supplies that have met the same fate as the charred plants and animals of the globe. The sun, though the most obvious hazard to their journey, is seemingly the easiest to overcome. Only determination, cunning, and loyalty to each other can ensure their survival in this savage existence.