Book picks similar to
Book of Shorts Volume One by R.R. Haywood


1-cataloged
3-dystopian
3-thriller
a2-apocalypse

Vengeance Road


G. Michael Hopf - 2018
     With no home, or family, he heads west in pursuit of revenge. There he will not only find purpose in killing the men responsible for destroying his life but will also uncover that justice is not as simple as life or death. VENGEANCE ROAD is book one in THE WANDERER series.

The Last Boy On Earth


Thomas M. Burby - 2011
    As far as his eyes could see, he was the only one left alive. You might think he was pretty upset about the whole situation and he was, for awhile. There were dead bodies and nothing but desolation and it's true that he sat around a lot and wished that he was dead, too. For a long time he wondered why he remained and all the others were taken. Then he thought, it doesn't matter. It just is. Anyway, sitting around just got boring. So he equipped himself with tools and weapons and set out with his faithful sidekick so see what there was left to see and do what there was left to do. He wasn't disappointed, because since the fall of Humanity, the world had changed in a thousand different ways too small to notice at first and some so fantastic he couldn't believe it. As the days passed into weeks, he discovered something amazing: there really are monsters in the dark." What if a pandemic plague struck the planet and when you woke up one morning, everyone else was dead? What if you were a fourteen year old boy with an excellent imagination and the will to survive? What if you found that something else was out there, hunting you? This is the story of Brady, a teenager who quickly discovers that although people may be scarce in the world of the Abandonment, other things are arising to take their place. He is master of all he surveys but discovers that the world has changed and that he has gained some new exciting abilities. With no adults to tell him what to do and no peers to judge him, Brady discovers that he is capable of great deeds and this is a good thing, because things long quiet are waking up from the sleep of ages. With his faithful dog, Max, and a host of non-human assistants, Brady discovers that there are monsters in the dark and that deep within his own heart, a hero dwells. This post-apocalyptic novel straddles the line between fantasy and magic surrealism and is intended for teenage audiences and beyond. Half survival tale and half magical odyssey, this is a hero's journey into the darkness of the monster's lair and back out again. Action, horror, and mystery blend together with a sense of wonder and loss at a world gone forever. If the world ended tomorrow and you were still alive, then what? In this novel, the main character decides to survive and finds that, aside from food, water and a safe place to sleep, his most necessary tool for survival is imagination and a good, sharp sword! This novel is lavishly illustrated with 50 beautifully crafted drawings by Brian Estes. The story is set in the present-day cities of Bangor and Brewer in central Maine after the advent of an airborne virus has destroyed all but a few humans on earth. Unless these people can find each other, the species is doomed to extinction. This reconnection of the few straggling survivors becomes one of the central themes of the story. Perfect for readers looking for adventure, ghosts, werewolves, and things coming to life that were never meant to do so. A ripping good tale!

The Hoffmann Plague


Tony Littlejohns - 2018
     With all established infrastructure and support systems gone, they must learn new skills quickly: skills which have become unfamiliar to most people living in modern times. By turns moving, shocking and humorous, it is a tale of ordinary people trying to build new lives in extraordinary circumstances and the practical issues they have to address. In a lawless country where societal norms have been destroyed, they encounter other survivors - some friendly; some hostile. But do they have what it takes to survive in this harsh new world? “Really enjoyed it. Flowed really well. Loved the detail you put into things and made me feel like I could actually survive!” Stuart R. “Your style is quite chatty and easy to read and your descriptions are evocative: it's very easy to visualise things! You also reminded me a bit of elements of Day of The Triffids, I think in style. TBH I really liked your general style - it's engaging without being hard work.” Dee T. “ Wow! It's over. Loved it and loved the ending… What was great is we were both always looking forward to the next chapter. Brilliant. We both loved it.” Sue Z. “Great stuff… thoroughly enjoyed it… The story is way too good not to be shared with millions of people.” Ant Z. “I can't believe it's over! I just finished it: it was really good! And that last sentence makes me hopeful for a sequel!!” Steph L. “The pace of the novel is about right, with the reader able to follow the characters through their journeys, both individually and combined. It feels moralistic without being prescriptive, leaving the reader to make up their own mind about where they would stand in such a circumstance.” Michael S.

Emergence of The Wolf (Ameri-Pocalypse Series Book 1)


Z.M. Payne - 2020
    

Goose Truman: The Horsemen


Don A. Carey - 2021
    

A World Unprepared : An EMP Survival story


Connor McCoy - 2021
    

The Fight For Survival: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller


Morgan Carpenter - 2021
    

I'll Cry Alone


Jacqueline Druga - 2011
    What you don't know won't hurt you. What you don't fear… will kill you. The unthinkable has happened. We are at war. Across a crippled America struggling to rebuild in the after effects of what has happened, one woman faces a different battle. Separated from her family in the midst of a violent war upon American soil, she returns home to find her husband has died, her mother has been murdered and her children are gone. Through the chaotic torn country, with limited means of resources and communication, she begins a search. A search she will not give up no matter what the cost until she is reunited with her children or finds a painful truth in what has become of them. This new version contains the originally omitted epilogue.

Salvation: Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse


Joshua Jared Scott - 2014
    When the change struck, a quarter of the world’s population simultaneously, and without warning, perished. Seven minutes later the corpses reanimated and promptly began to attack the living. At zero hour well over one billion zombies walked the Earth. A day later, more than half the world’s population had turned. Escaping the city, Jacob Thornton and a group of survivors began work on a settlement deep in the wilderness where they hoped to rebuild their shattered lives. Isolated and far from the chaos, it seemed they were indeed safe, that is, until the raiders appeared. Forced to flee, Jacob led his people north to the Black Hills. They built fortifications, gathered supplies, and waited for the inevitable. It did not come. Time passed. Homes were constructed, crops planted, and contact made with others around the globe. So few remained, but efforts were underway to rid the world of zombies. There was a very real chance civilization would bloom once more. Then the enemy returned, determined to complete the genocide they began two years earlier.

Home Bound


Joshua K. Thomas - 2019
    A sudden blackout has the county in chaos. While at his office 50 miles away from his home, his wife at work 30 miles away and his kids at school, Jake must fight through roving gangs and utter anarchy to reach his wife and kids. Using his survival techniques and skills that he learned from his father and his time as a Scoutmaster, he struggles to get back to his sanctuary. Will his disaster preparedness knowledge and forethought keep him safe from danger? Will the mental strain break him or his family? Can he survive his journey to get home?

Cities on Fire: A Family's Apocalypse


A.J. Newman - 2017
    There have been nuclear and EMP attacks on the USA and most of the world. The Apocalypse has caught the world by surprise. Cities and countries are on fire. The USA has been reduced to burned-out cities, the grid is down and society has reverted backward 150 years. Food and drinkable water are scarce. The US Government is no longer able to help or protect its citizens. Millions are dying. In “Cities on Fire,” several of the Karr family members have to travel long distances to reach the family bugout location and encounter death and destruction along the way. Could you walk hundreds of miles in a short time to get the jump on the hordes of people flocking from the cities to the countryside to find food? Could you kill to protect your family from criminals? Worse yet could you kill good God-fearing people who would kill you or your family just to get food to feed their starving family? The Karrs live through these situations and get stronger day by day. The Karr family has a mixture of old school preppers, conservatives, and liberals that make for an interesting blend of personalities, opinions, and sometimes even volatility. They are able to hate the sin but always love the sinner who disagrees with them. They have each other’s backs through thick and thin.

Zed's World Book Two: Roads Less Traveled


Rich Baker - 2016
    In the course of one night, mankind teeters on the brink of extinction. Fighting through gathering hordes of undead, a group of friends brave military checkpoints, armed civilians, and forced allegiances in an attempt to reach loved ones. Thwarted at every turn, they press forward. But taking roads less traveled, could cost them everything.

Walking in the Rain Books One & Two


William Allen - 2016
    Instead, he finds himself fighting for his life as the world around him spins out of control. When the lights go out and there's no one coming to help, Luke must reach deep inside himself to find the courage and resolve to keep on walking the thousand miles between Chicago and home. Along the way, he makes some unexpected friends, as well as enemies that make his worst nightmares pale in comparison.

LOSS: The Darkness Falls - Book 1


S.M. Little - 2021
    

The Dark Times: Part One - The Beginning


Jerry D. Young - 2014
    YOU KNOW THEIR NAMES They are etched deeply in the new history books. things in common. First is the need to take care of themselves and their loved ones. Second is a sense of independence. Third is a willingness to work hard to achieve their objectives. Fourth, and fortunately for the human race, they all possess an understanding of history and the way history relates to possible futures. Last, but certainly not least, is the foresight and wherewithal to prepare for any number of futures, both good and bad. All of the Twelve Groups were rather well respected, if not always well liked, even before the Dark Times began. And each member of each Group became the stuff of legends during those terrible, fateful days that became known as the Dark Times. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jerry D Young was born at home, in Senath, Missouri July 3, 1953. At age 5 the family rented a small farm house on an active farm 40 miles southwest of St. Louis. While the family weren't farmers, they lived something of a homestead type life, raising a milk cow, sometimes two, and calves, a pig or two, chickens, and the occasional goat. Along with the stock, a large garden helped to feed Jerry's three brothers and two sisters for several years. Fishing and hunting contributed to the pantry, as did foraging the wild edibles on the property. At the age of 14, the family, minus a brother and two sisters that were now adults and on their own, moved back to Senath. Having been encouraged from an early age to read, Jerry was a regular patron of the Senath Branch Library. A love of a good story was born within him, and shortly before graduating high school, for a lack of stories that he liked at the library, he began to write short vignettes, and started taking notes for stories that he wanted to tell. Well, a full life interceded, and the writing didn't resume for several years. But while working a job with a much free time, and the then newfangled home computer, Jerry began to write in earnest. With the occasional gap in the process, Jerry continued to research and write, never believing he could ever be published. But when he turned 50, he wanted a change in his life, left the job he was doing and began focusing on his writing. When he became ill, the writing stopped, but not the inspiration. When he started writing again, in 2004, after getting the medical problems under control, he began to read some on-line stories dealing with emergency preparedness, one of his other loves. The die was cast. Now with over a hundred of the vignettes and short stories about how to survive disasters written, along with his other novels, Jerry decided to go for broke, adding one of his previous works every few days to his list of stories now available, Jerry continues to write, both the Prep/PAW stories, as well as action adventure with a little romance type stories that first got him started.