Book picks similar to
Human Element by A.J. Powers


s-f
thriller
character-led
for-review

Humanity's Edge: The Complete Trilogy


Paul B. Kohler - 2018
    Can civilization survive ... and escape from the Edge of Humanity?3 books & nearly 800 pages of non-stop zombie action that readers are calling "fresh" with "dollops of violence" to satisfy even the most discriminating post-apocalyptic fan. From an Amazon bestselling author.BOOK 1: Turn -- A town on the run ... The Crazed that wants their flesh. Will they make it out alive?When a meteorite crashes to earth it catapults a small Utopian town into an archaic nightmare. It's up to one man to protect them, not only from the flesh-eating monsters but also from the maniacal colonel who storms in, barking orders for immediate evacuation. Clay Dobbs is the small town sheriff about to, unknowingly, take on the end of the world. When the Crazed come for your flesh, how will you survive?BOOK 2: Detour -- Their escape was certain ... or so they thought. Their survival is, and forever will be, in question.With the nanite epidemic out of control, Clay leads his skeleton crew head first into the aftermath. The nightmare continues as he battles both the Crazed and the rouge, as well as his own inner demons. The once small town sheriff must find order where there is no law until he encounters his near equal at the end of the world. But, is she all that she seems? Will Clay unravel all the clues before it's too late?The road is a dark and chilling place. There is no time to rest if you want to survive.BOOK 3: Reversion -- At the end of the world ... never dismiss the unexpected. A surprise reunion. A forgotten friend. Long odds and determination reward Sheriff Clay Dobbs with a bit of what he wants most. But, he won't rest—he can't rest—not until he's dead. And he has no plans for that until he defeats the insane military General that has caused so much hardship. But, it's not as easy as he thinks, not when there's an even more neurotic psychopath standing in his way. Can Clay learn to control himself, and the undead around him?When the Crazed come for you, where will you hide?

The Unraveling: Book 1 of the Bound to Survive Series


Charley Hogwood - 2019
    “On day 16, the symptoms either begin to subside, or the patient suffers a massive seizure and expires.”– CDC Outbreak Update When Cal Bohannon went to work on Friday morning, he felt the world was teetering on a knife’s edge but what he didn’t expect was a microscopic enemy rapidly spreading south of the border.New to preparing for disasters, Cal’s family, along with a small band of friends, will have their survival plans tested as the fragile threads of society quickly unravel around them.Can the fledgling group come together in time as the authorities scramble to gain control over the sudden contagion and hysteria?What if the virus isn’t their biggest problem but just the beginning of something much worse?

Reforged (Bolt Eaters Trilogy Book 2)


Isaac Hooke - 2018
    Trapped on an alien world. Struggling to survive. The mission was supposed to be easy. Travel to an alien world on the far side of the galaxy, do some recon, go home. But the operation proved tougher than expected. A whole lot tougher. Eric and the Bolt Eaters have been taken prisoner by a former member of their platoon, a Mind Refurb who has sold out Earth to the aliens. Normally, Eric and the platoon members wouldn't stand for such a blatant act of betrayal. It's just too bad they're all restrained aboard an otherworldly transport and scheduled for immediate disassembly. Some days it really sucks to be a human-machine hybrid.

Divided: Silent Nation Book One


Joseph Coley - 2019
    His grandmother died, his ex-fiancee was trying to take his daughter away, the snow was coming down, and he was on his way back from Ohio. Then something happened. As he stops at a rest stop in northwest Ohio, the power goes out. Not just the lights, but the cars, phones, and everything else that made up everyday life. He has to get home, and he has no idea how to do it. Stuck in the snow amid a cataclysmic event that no one can precisely explain, he sets out to help not only himself, but those trapped with him. He has to find a way to travel the 300+ miles home, and he needs to do it fast. His family at home is saddled with problems of their own, and they have no way of knowing what has happened to him. As the world slowly spirals out of control, Ben must try to make it home...or die trying. From the bestselling author of the Six Feet From Hell and Refuge From the Dead series comes a realistic take on TEOTWAWKI - the end of the world as we know it. No zombies this time, just pure survival.

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.

The Planetsider Trilogy Books 1-3


G.J. Ogden - 2019
    He longs to know what caused the apocalypse, but when mysterious soldiers crash to the planet’s surface in search of a planetsider and offering the truths he desires, Ethan must abandon his home and take sides in a deadly war that has raged for generations. Who will he choose to save and can he himself be saved?The Planetsider Trilogy is a gripping, post-apocalyptic military thriller and a journey of discovery, as Ethan uncovers the dark past of his planet and becomes embroiled in a war that threatens to the fate of two civilizations, and the existence of life itself, planetside.The full three book series comprises: 1. The Planetsider2. The Second Fall3. The Last of the Firsts

The Dust of Dawn


Eloise J. Knapp - 2018
    Then a solar flare nudges it hurtling toward Earth. Humanity crumbles during the countdown to Doomsday. But Zabat is more than just a comet. The impact brings not swift extinction but a massive cloud of dust that appears to have a mind of its own. A sinister intelligence. A force that threatens to change what's left of humanity. Jack, Colleen, Lara, and Dan survived the violent chaos of the countdown. They survived the threat of extinction. Now they're about to find out that after Doomsday, there are horrors even worse than death.

Mozari Arrival


Jack Colrain - 2019
    Now it’s time to return the favor. The massive Mozari spaceship struck without warning. In an instant major cities were leveled. Millions were wiped from the face of the Earth. The horrifying message to those remaining—your training starts now. Pods scattered across the globe are filled with strange, alien wares and scientists of all backgrounds must come together to harness the advanced technology in a race to discover its secrets before the one-year deadline. And before their experiments with the exo suits kill another soldier. Few possess the rare antibodies needed to control the Mozari armor. But Daniel West soon discovers he’s one of the civilians selected to be fitted and trained to use the suit. Instead of following in his family’s footsteps, he joins the military and is assigned to a team on a mission to the Mozari ship. But when tragedy strikes his team, he must take command of a mission into enemy territory that promises nothing less than certain death. What they discover on the ship changes everything. This novel contains violence and profanity.

Thunder Storme (Wyatt Storme Mystery #5)


W.L. Ripley - 2020
    Wyatt and Chick save the woman and are swept into a violent battle for control of a new casino and all the riches and power it will bring. The Kansas City mob, the Dixie Mafia and the local syndicate have them out-numbered and out-gunned but it's the gangsters who should be worried. There's a deadly storm coming...and his name is Wyatt.

Interstellar Caveman


Karl Beecher - 2019
    Now, he’s being pursued by a homicidal interstellar tourist board, and calculating insurance dividends is as outdated as making stone axes. Sci-fi-hating technophobe Colin embarks on a desperate struggle to find a cure for his illness, as well as a place for himself in this strange new galaxy where toilets talk back, and door handles are a long-forgotten relic. Only by teaming up with his rescuer, hard-boiled, space-traveling archaeologist Tyresa Jak (that’s Doctor Jak to you), can Colin hope to succeed before time runs out. Along the way, this galactic odd-couple must evade the Erd Tourist Board - a powerful mega-corporation which will do anything to ensure the mythical Earth stays mythical - and deal with a crackpot religious cult who not only possess a cure for Colin’s illness, but who also believe there is more to this caveman from Earth than meets the eye.... Don't miss the start of this side-splitting intergalactic adventure that will keep you laughing into the night. It's perfect for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Space Team. Also available on Audible, narrated by Steve West.

The Daedalus Job


M.D. Cooper - 2020
    

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt


Linda S. Prather - 2015
    Her job isn’t easy, but it has always been black and white—criminals versus victims. Now she is the victim, and the very system she’s fought to uphold is suddenly corrupt, the lines between good and bad are blurred and her world has turned upside down. She’s always known that world existed—a world of power so immense that a single phone call can result in people disappearing or political offices being vacated, a world where doctors are available at a moment’s notice. She’s never been part of that world—never wanted to be. The body count is rising, and unless she finds proof beyond a reasonable doubt against a corrupt former federal judge, and a notorious criminal defense attorney, it will continue to rise.

ZAP Agent Mathis


C.R. Daems - 2015
    Of course it did fit a pattern of not being able to decide what she wanted to do with her life since grammar school. In college she had tried a variety of subjects, played sports, and partied, excelling at each, but she had graduated as undecided as she had been in grammar school. And the Ad, interview, and current speaker made the training sound like hard work and the job dangerous. But they had dangled two worms in front of her: the chance to see the lives of the rich and powerful up close and to protect important people. And she could quit if she decided it wasn’t what she was looking for—whatever that was. To everyone’s astonishment, can't-make-up-her-mind and party-girl Kate Mathis survives the training, makes agent, enjoys her job, and finds something she loves—outmaneuvering the terrorists.

A Path of Ashes


Brian Parker - 2015
    Our world is a violent place. Murder, terrorism, racism and social inequality, these are some of the forces that attempt to destroy our society while the State is forced to increase its response to these actions. Our own annihilation is barely held at bay by the belief that we’ve somehow evolved beyond our ancestors’ base desires. From this cesspool of emotions emerges a madman, intent on leading the world into anarchy. When his group of computer hackers infiltrate the Department of Defense network, they initiate a nuclear war that will irrevocably alter our world. Aeric Gaines and his roommate Tyler Nordgren survive the devastation of the war, only to find that the quaint, politically correct world where they’d been raised was a lie. All humans have basic needs such as food, water and shelter…and we haven’t forgotten how to fight for what we desire. A Path of Ashes is the first book in an exciting new series about life in post-apocalyptic America, a nation devoid of leadership, electricity and human rights. The world as we know it may have burned, but humanity found a way to survive and this is their story.

Still Falling


Martin Wilsey - 2015
    When the Ventura and its crew enter orbit for a scheduled planet survey, the ship activates an automated defense system protecting the planet. Although the Ventura is destroyed in the attack, Barcus alone survives the harrowing fall to the remote planet surface. He struggles to remain alive and sane, and to discover why everyone he knew and loved on the Ventura was deliberately murdered. Swinging between despair and fury, Barcus discovers that for every answer he obtains, there are more questions raised. Barcus is assisted by the Emergency Module, Em, his most useful tool. It is an Artificial Intelligence system contained in an all-terrain vehicle specifically designed to help him survive. Barcus soon finds himself in the middle of a planetary genocide of the local native population. He is unable to stand passively by as more people die, even if they are long lost colonists who fear "The Man From Earth" like children fear the monster under their bed. Will Barcus ever find his way home? Will he find out who is responsible? Will his rage just burn this world down? Or will he find his soul in the eyes of a starving, frightened woman?