Book picks similar to
ORIGINS by Jeff Olah


horror
zombies
zombie
zombie-apocalypse

Mad Swine: The Beginning


Steven Pajak - 2008
    The word zombie implies the infected have died and reanimated. The thing is, those infected with Mad Swine, they didn't die. They're still alive; they even breathe. They're just not human anymore.No one really knows how or why it started. What we do know is that the H1N1 virus--or the damn vaccinations that everyone so anxiously lined up for hours to get--mutated in a bad way. Now whether this mutation happened naturally, like the seasonal influenza does every year by changing its signature protein, or if it was the work of some mad dictator bent on bringing hell into the world by unleashing the bastardized disease, no one can say for sure.For Matt Danzig and the small community of Randall Oaks, the only thing that matters now is survival in this new world.

Zombie Fallout


Mark Tufo - 2010
    With fears of contracting the H1N1 virus running rampant throughout the country, people lined up in droves to try an attain one of the coveted vaccines. What was not known, was the effect this largely untested, rushed to market, inoculation was to have on the unsuspecting throngs. Within days, feverish folk throughout the country, convulsed, collapsed and died, only to be re-born. With a taste for brains, blood and bodies, these modern day zombies scoured the lands for their next meal. Overnight the country became a killing ground for the hordes of zombies that ravaged the land.This is the story of Michael Talbot, his family and his friends. This is their story a band of ordinary people just trying to get by in these extra-ordinary times. When disaster strikes, Mike a self-proclaimed survivalist, does his best to ensure the safety and security of those he cares for.Book 1 of the Zombie Fall-Out Trilogy follows our lead character in his self-deprecating, sarcastic best. What he encounters along the way leads him down a long dark road always skirting on the edge of insanity. Can he keep his family safe? Can he discover the secret behind Tommy's powers? Can he save anyone from the zombie Queen - a zombie that seems by all accounts to have some sort of hold over the zombies and Mike himself? Encircled in a seemingly safe haven called Little Turtle, Mike and his family together with the remnants of a tattered community while not fighting each other, fight against a relentless, ruthless, unstoppable force. This last bastion of civilization has made its final stand. God help them all.

The Keeper: A Short Story Prequel to Forbidden


Ted Dekker - 2011
    a secret so terrible that he must share it in order to find those who will help him protect the knowledge that will one day save humanity. He has chosen two brothers, both hermit monks, to join him in his quest. But time is short... and no man is ready to receive the news that Talus must now share with them both: That they are both already dead.THE KEEPER is the short story prequel to Forbidden, the first novel in The Books of Mortals series. First there was the Circle Trilogy. Now a new stunning epic begins.

Hell Week


Scott Medbury - 2018
    No factions. No games. AMERICA FALLS Think North Korea and Russia are the greatest danger to the United States? Think again. After a surprise biological attack, America, the most powerful nation on Earth, quickly succumbs, with 99.91% of the population over the age of 16 decimated. As society unravels, and the ground invasion of his country begins, loner Isaac Race must form a connection with a ragtag group of survivors and elude not only the invaders, but other dangers and threats unleashed in chaotic Post-America.Hell Week is the first installment of AMERICA FALLS*, a post-apocalyptic survival series, a compelling, action-packed story about who we are and who we have to become in order to survive.This book/ series was originally published as After Days and has been re-written and re-branded to embrace the author's original intentions of creating a compelling episode driven adventure. For lovers of books by Jack Hunt, Bobby Akart, AR Shaw, Chris Pike, Ryan Westfield, Harley Tate and Mike Sheridan

Among the Nameless Stars


Diana Peterfreund - 2012
    But the journey was not an easy one.Featuring narrow escapes, thrilling boat races and at least one deadly volcanic wasteland.

Season Of The Harvest


Michael R. Hicks - 2011
    The group’s leader, Naomi Perrault, is a beautiful geneticist who Jack believes conspired to kill his friend, and is claiming that a major international conglomerate developing genetically engineered crops is plotting a sinister transformation of our world that will lead humanity to extinction. As Jack is drawn into a quietly raging war that suddenly explodes onto the front pages of the news, he discovers that her claims may not be so outrageous after all. Together, the two of them must battle a horror Jack could never have imagined, with the fate of all life on Earth hanging in the balance…

The First Days


Rhiannon Frater - 2008
    Before the sun has set, they have become more than just friends and allies—they are bonded as tightly as any two people who have been to war together. During their cross-Texas odyssey to find and rescue Jenni’s oldest son, Jenni discovers the joy of watching a zombie’s head explode when she shoots its brains out. Katie learns that she’s a terrific tactician—and a pretty good shot. A chance encounter puts them on the road to an isolated, fortified town, besieged by zombies, where fewer than one hundred people cling to the shreds of civilization. It looks like the end of the world. But Katie and Jenni and many others will do whatever they have to to stay alive. Run, fight, pick each other up when they stumble, fall in love…anything is possible at the end of the world.

Frontier Justice


Arthur T. Bradley - 2013
    Governments have collapsed. Cities have become graveyards filled with unspeakable horror. People have resorted to scavenging from the dead, or taking from the living. The entire industrialized world has become a wasteland of abandoned cars, decaying bodies, and feral animals. To stay alive, U.S. Deputy Marshal Mason Raines must forage for food, water, and gasoline while outgunning those who seek to take advantage of the apocalyptic anarchy. Together with his giant Irish wolfhound, Bowie, he aligns with survivors of the town of Boone in a life and death struggle against a gang of violent criminals. With each deadly encounter, Mason is forced to accept his place as one of the nation's few remaining lawmen. In a world now populated by escaped convicts, paranoid mutants, and government hit squads, his only hope to save the townspeople is to enforce his own brand of frontier justice.

Germination


Jamie Thornton - 2015
    Powerful enemies, twisted memories, a government willing to do anything for control. Find out how it all began… ONCE UPON A TIME A PLAGUE ENDED THE WORLD. Mary knows how to thrive on the street. She makes it her mission to keep other kids away from everyday monsters. But when she’s attacked by a crazed man clutching a bloody heart she realizes—there’s a new kind of monster in town.A single drop of blood, and now Mary’s one of the infected. Unless she can stop the virus and save her friends, the new monster in town might just be her. "Thrilling...keeps you reading and wanting more.""I couldn't put this down.""This left me hungry for the next book." Interview with the Author Q - What makes the Zombies are Human series special? An epidemic ravaging the human population. A world spiraling into chaos. People doing whatever it takes to survive. I wanted to write something I would love to read. I've always been drawn to the post-apocalyptic genre and thought about end-of-the-world books I’ve loved--Stephen King's The Stand, Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower. But also recent stories like The Girl With All the Gifts, The Passage, and even Stranger Things. I’ve always found stories with big epidemics/events that reinvent the world so thrilling. I also love getting into some of the science, like the genetic engineering, that would make the situations plausible. Zombies are Human gives you some of that classic Walking Dead zombie fare, but...without giving too much away...I guarantee you've never read a zombie series like Zombies are Human before. Even though my cast of characters are teenagers I’ve definitely had plenty of adults write me about how much they’ve enjoyed the series. I think Zombies are Human hits the sweet spot of older Young Adult that will appeal to plenty of adults too. No matter what your age, the Zombies are Human series is designed to keep you furiously turning those pages. Q - What order should I read the books in? I think the complete series would be most enjoyable in the following sequence:--Germination (prequel short novel) --Contamination--Infestation--Eradication Q - Why should readers give these books a try? The prequel hit #5 on the New York Times and #8 on the USA Today bestseller lists. I've gotten tons of emails from readers letting me know how much they loved Zombies are Human (stay-up-all-night-even-with-work-the-next-day love). But more than that, as a reader myself, I am always looking for the next Stranger Things, The Passage, The Girl With All The Gifts. THAT'S the kind of story I hope you'll find in Zombies are Human. Smart. Dangerous. Gritty. With rip-your-heart-out intensity (literally and figuratively in some cases). Zombies are Human is a fast, dark apocalyptic ride. Just remember...nothing is what it seems.

Lockdown


Samie Sands - 2014
    But instead of sending it to Jake, she manages to forward the clip to her boss—who buys every gory second. When mass panic ensues, Leah learns the video is more than a staged act… The government is calling the virus AM13. As the outbreak spreads, citizens are forced to stay indoors while they assess the gravity of the illness. Most people are quarantined in their homes, but Leah, Jake, and Leah’s best friend Michelle are some of the unlucky few who are stuck at work when the Lockdown occurs. That’s where she first encounters one of the infected… Aside from a contaminated woman devouring one of her co-workers, Leah has another problem. Does she do as she’s ordered and stay at work? Or should she disobey government orders and break free to reunite with her family? She can’t go it alone—after all, Leah has none of the skills needed to survive—but with Michelle and Jake by her side, not even a contagious virus and a sea of the dead can keep her from… Breaking out of the Lockdown…

The Remaining


D.J. Molles - 2012
    On the surface, a plague ravages the planet, infecting over 90% of the populace. The bacterium burrows through the brain, destroying all signs of humanity and leaving behind little more than base, prehistoric instincts. The infected turn into hyper-aggressive predators, with an insatiable desire to kill and feed. Some day soon, Captain Harden will have to open the hatch to his bunker, and step out into this new wasteland, to complete his very simple mission: Subvenire Refectus.To Rescue and Rebuild.

Love and Decay, Episode One


Rachel Higginson - 2013
    Now, two years later, and in need of a serious shower, she’s just over the entire concept of a soul mate- or really, any kind of mate.Well, mostly anyway. When she runs- literally- into a group of boys holed up in a relative utopia of peanut butter and bottled water, maybe all hope in the love department is not lost.But at the end of the world, nothing can be simple. And with a horde of Zombies after her, Reagan is going to have to schedule falling in love between hunting and surviving. Hopefully she can last long enough find out if true love can still exist when everything else has started to fall apart.Love and Decay, Episode One, the first in a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with.This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words.

Survivors


Sophie Littlefield - 2011
    But surviving Aftertime requires the kind of toughness that can conquer the violent landscape of California and still retain its humanity.When a young boy and his dying grandmother are brought to the Box, the survivalist community where Cass takes shelter, she realizes that without her help he won't be long for this unforgiving new world. But while the Box is a haven from the roaming marauders—and the flesh-hungry Beaters—it forbids children within its confines. The boy will be turned out to fend for himself. All that stands between him and the brutal wilderness is Cass's protective instincts, and the stubborn resolve that's gotten her this far Aftertime."Littlefield has a gift...page-turning action and evocative, sensual, harrowing descriptions."—Publishers Weekly, starred review on Aftertime

The Plantation


Stella Fitzsimons - 2012
    and a spark.A century has passed since they arrived. Human history has been erased. Children are enslaved on Alien plantations. Some have heard whispers of the existence of a rebel band of humans who roam free in the forests. Most slaves dare not speak of the rebels for fear the mutant guards will grab and make an example of them.Seventeen-year-old Freya is pulled away in the night not by the mutants, but by her old friend Finn, to join the Saviors, the mythic band of rebel teens. Her bliss fades when she discovers she is the only Savior without a special ability. She is the odd one out, slowly pushing Finn away, defying Damian, the leader of the Saviors, and antagonizing the fierce and beautiful Daphne. In her despair Freya reaches deep within to discover a dark destiny, a truth so heavy it threatens to destroy her.

Zombicorns


John Green - 2011
    It was written in a hurry. It is riddled with inconsistencies. And it never quite arrives at whatever point it sought to make. But remember: The $25 you donated to charity in exchange for this steaming mess of prose will help our species shuffle along, and I hope you’ll feel warmed by your good deed as you read. Thank you for decreasing the overall worldwide level of suck, and as they say in my hometown: Don’t forget to be awesome.Best wishes!John Green* The book has been made available under creative commons license, so it can be acquired legally here: http://effyeahnerdfighters.com/post/2... :)