Book picks similar to
Halfskin by Tony Bertauski


science-fiction
short-stories
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Kick


John L. Monk - 2013
    But if coming back to life in the bodies of violent criminals is Hell, then Dan Jenkins will take it. And he does, every time a portal arrives to whisk him from his ghostly exile in limbo.Dan rides the living like a supernatural jockey, pushing out their consciousness and taking over. They're bad guys, right? Killers and brutes of every sort, which makes it okay. He doesn't know where their minds go while he's in charge, and for the most part doesn't care. For three weeks at a time, it's a chance to relax and watch movies, read fantasy novels, and have random conversations with perfect strangers.Normally, before the villain returns to kick him out, Dan dishes out a final serving of justice and leaves the world a safer place. It's one of the rules if he wants more rides, and he's happy to oblige. For a part-time dead guy, it’s a pretty good gig ... until someone changes the rules."Kick" is the first book in a series of dark fantasy paranormal thrillers. If you like "Quantum Leap" and "Every Day," you'll love this gritty, hilarious, and original take on the body hijacking hero story. Vividly written, "Kick" is a wild ride with a sharp sarcastic wit and a flawed yet likable main character.

The Neighbor


Dean Koontz - 2014
    Malcolm Pomerantz is twelve, geeky and socially awkward, while his seriously bright sister, Amalia, is spirited and beautiful. Each is the other’s best friend, united by a boundless interest in the world beyond their dysfunctional parents’ unhappy home. But even the troubled Pomerantz household will seem to be a haven compared to the house next door, after an enigmatic and very secretive new neighbor takes up residence in the darkest hours of the night.

Black Tuesday


Bob Mayer - 2015
    The Time Patrol must send its highly skilled members into the past with only twenty-four hours to stop the destruction each time.Each targeted date features a significant event, including Sir Walter Raleigh’s beheading in 1618, the American stock market crash of 1929, and the first Internet message sent in 1969. But the missions are never as clear-cut as they seem, leading the team straight into the dangerous paths of extraordinary adversaries, such as yetis, krakens, and Vikings.As time grows short, the Time Patrol learns that no amount of training and experience can prepare them for the enemies they battle and the alternate realities they face. And now, six changes to history could lead to the ultimate catastrophe: the end of existence.

Since the Sirens


E.E. Isherwood - 2016
    Who will save Grandma? What would you do if a mysterious plague began to devour your city and the dead started banging on your door?Fifteen-year-old Liam Peters is spending the summer with his great-grandmother (not by choice) when the authorities of St. Louis spin up the tornado sirens to announce a civic emergency. Police robocalls declare mass disturbances throughout the city, suggesting citizens try to escape to safer jurisdictions. Radio offers contradictory instructions: stay inside, hunker down, ride it out. The President tries to convey a message of hope to calm a scared populace, but the tone is interpreted as a goodbye. The mixed messaging sends society--already on the verge of panic--into a tailspin. When the President signs off, half the city hunkers down while the other half dashes for the interstate.Now Liam is faced with his first dilemma of an increasingly complicated morning. Should he stay with Grandma and attempt to defend her urban home against both the living and the dead, or should he try to get her out of the city to his parents' home in the suburbs? Nothing is ever as simple as it sounds when life and death are on the line.As an avid reader of zombie literature, Liam realizes you go into the zombie apocalypse with the army you have, not the one you want. He sees himself as an unlikely savior, with an unlikely ally, but he embarks on the hero's journey nonetheless. As the city implodes, they race against the clock to outpace desperate refugees, gang violence, criminal opportunists, overzealous military units, scared civilians, and a growing horde of bloodthirsty zombies. He does it while burdened with a woman who is unable to walk more than ten feet without help.As they chase the elusive vision of safety, Liam comes to appreciate why there are no atheists in foxholes. Introducing the Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse series. Book 1: Since the Sirens Book 2: Siren Songs Book 3: Stop the Sirens Author's Notes: Since the Sirens can be read as a standalone story. It doesn't end with a cliffhanger. Books 2 and 3 are optional reading beyond this first volume. I hope you'll enjoy Liam and Grandma's journey enough to follow them further, but as an author and a reader of zombie books, I abhor misleading or otherwise trapping readers.This cover replaces original edition ASIN B018H82ZYU.

Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle


Marie Harbon - 2011
    If you had special abilities to travel out of body, where would you go? What would secret organisations do with these abilities? And how far could you go?A physicist begins a quest to measure the soul but soon finds himself drawn into the world of the enigmatic Max Richardson, where research is sold to the military at the highest bid. However, he soon discovers another purpose when an extremely talented young psychic enters his life. He devises a project and builds a team to stretch the frontiers of exploration, only to make a reality-shattering discovery...Written in the style of a TV series, Seven Point Eight draws together psychic powers, alternate dimensions, time travel, past lives, ancient wisdom, quantum physics, drama, romance, and conspiracy in a soap opera for the soul.It's the ideal read for lovers of science fiction, fantasy, the paranormal, big sweeping epics, 'Lost', 'Fringe', 'Touch' and Dan Brown books.'Marie Harbon has created a story with a wealth of multi-dimensional characters, enthralling action and the desire for answers... The charming and yet no-nonsense Max Richardson will make you want him and hate him in the same breath.'Best Chick Lit.com*'The author says that Seven Point Eight has a structure like a TV show - and I can see this... the kind of sweeping show - Game of Thrones perhaps - which has several ongoing plot arcs... this device works well.'thebookbag.co.uk*

Packed by the Alpha 1


Ali Beckett - 2014
    Being the only humans allowed within the Territory, Kate’s family has learned to adapt to the pack’s strict rules for the family’s protection against the unknown enemy. Kate’s only solace from the strange life of the pack is the time she spends running on the beach at the edge of Shady Coast Territory. But with that solace comes a price, and the only thing keeping her away from the same fate as her father and the pack’s Alpha is the one person she should be most afraid of—the gorgeous, but formidable Regent Alpha – Beau Maddox. He’s the last person she wants to trust, but the first person she needs to if she chooses to submit to her own fate… her fated mate. But as luck would have it, she’s not free to make that choice without hurting someone else, and Kate must decide if her heart, or her fate, will win in the end before her luck runs out. ***Packed by the Alpha is written in the short story serial format***

Shadow


Nicholas Woode-Smith - 2016
    On it is Galis City, a sea of shanties ruled by gangs and violence.James is the Shadow of Galis, a master thief and skilled killer. Through cunning and near inhuman agility, James has become a living legend among the criminals that rule Galis.But not even the blood-thirsty gangs of Galis can stop the invasions of the alien Xank Empire. James realises he cannot stop the horde alone and embraces the defenders of humanity – the Trooper Order.But despite all his skill, can a master criminal be a good soldier?

Recruited


Wesley Robert Lowe - 2016
    She’s a fascinating character: stunningly gorgeous, IQ off the charts, a sniper in the league of Chris Kyle… Flaws? Naturally, but she’s definitely one very dangerous and very human lethal weapon.Recruited is the opening novella in the RAYNA TAN action thriller series.

Infestation: A Small Town Nightmare 1


Tanya R. Taylor - 2015
    Yet, one resident has seen the devastation before-hand and knows that if something isn't done quickly to eradicate the evil that is upon them, the town they know and love will be a distant, tragic memory.What no one can possibly fathom is that the seemingly pious and good-natured may be the reason the darkness has found its way to Bringham in the first place.As you pay close attention to this story, each episode will bring you closer and closer to the truth.Will Marie Adams become a victim herself? Has she slipped too deeply into the bowels of darkness?

Ghost Exile Omnibus One


Jonathan Moeller - 2015
     Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous annihilation. But the victory cost her everything. Now she is exiled and alone in the city of Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the world itself. And Caina is the only one that stands in its way...

The Jakarta Pandemic


Steven Konkoly - 2010
    One family's struggle to survive as a deadly pandemic sweeps the nation. This book both entertains and prepares at the same time. Reading this book might save your life if the Ebola virus or Avian flu turns into a pandemic." Preparedness consultant-2014  The Jakarta Pandemic: The People's Republic of China announces strict travel restrictions...  Indonesia goes dark...  Cases of an uncategorized influenza virus appear in major cities around the globe...  Department of Health and Human Services officials claim that measures have been taken to safeguard the American public...  Most ignore the warnings...  Alex Fletcher, Iraq War veteran, has read the signs for years. A seasoned sales representative for Biosphere Pharmaceuticals, he understands the unique dangers of a pandemic flu and has taken the necessary steps to prepare. With his family and home mobilized to endure an extended period of seclusion, Alex thinks he's ready for the pandemic. He's not even close.  The lethal H16N1 virus rapidly spreads across the nation, stretching the fragile bonds of society to the breaking point. Schools close, grocery stores empty, fuel deliveries stop, hospitals start turning away the sick...riots engulf the cities.  As hostility and mistrust engulfs his idyllic Maine neighborhood, Alex quickly realizes that the H16N1 virus will be the least of his problems.  The Jakarta Pandemic  is a terrifying, cautionary tale that explores the depths of human desperation and its unremitting influence on our decisions. - The sequel, The Perseid Collapse, is now available -  "It delivers a vicious punch of violence and heroism for the reader to endure and admire. I could hardly put The Jakarta Pandemic down until I finished it." - Amazon Reviewer (2012) "The tension builds as difficult choices are made, when no good options seem to be available. I found certain segments to be uncomfortably realistic, at times creepy in the way you could feel things closing in around the family." - Amazon Reviewer (2013) "It makes you think just how prepared you really are for any kind of emergency. It makes you question your resolve in a potential crisis. How far are you willing to go to protect your loved ones? Every day that goes by, these characters have to question what is right and what is wrong. Take the trip thru this book. You won't be disappointed." - Amazon Reviewer (2013) "Pay attention as you may learn a few things in this book that could help you make the best of an emergency situation. For that matter some of the info in this book may very well save your life." - Amazon Reviewer (2013) "Anyone who has relished running to the hardware store before a big storm to stock up on essentials will be drawn to Steve Konkoly's intricately-researched and drawn breakdown of our supply systems, and transfixed by his description of what it takes to survive six months of enforced isolation behind the locked(booby-trapped, draped and shuttered) doors of one's own home.

Gone


Stacy Claflin - 2014
    Eager to prove herself grown up, she goes to a dark, secluded park. She’s supposed to meet the boy of her dreams who she met online. But the cute fifteen year old was a fantasy, his pictures fake. She finds herself face to face with Chester Woodran, a man capable of murder.Distraught over his own missing daughter, Chester insists that Macy replace his lost girl. He withholds food, locks Macy up, and roughs her up, demanding that she call him dad. Under duress from his constant threats and mind games, her hold on reality starts to slip. Clinging to her memories is the only way of holding onto her true identity, not believing that she is Chester’s daughter. Otherwise she may never see her family again.

Skin


Patrick Logan - 2015
    To Cody Lawrence it sounds like the perfect place for a family winter getaway. But everything 'they' say about Askergan is wrong... dead wrong. For the first time on record, a blizzard is blowing over Askergan—a storm so powerful that it knocks out a local power line, trapping his family inside with no heat and no electricity. Cody believes all he has to do is to protect his wife and daughters from frostbite. But when he hears a haunting voice in the blizzard urging him into the storm, he realizes that the stakes are much greater than frozen fingers and toes. Something in the driving snow wont be content until Cody heeds its call and delivers his entire family, presenting the gift of their smooth, supple skin... Readers describe Skin as: “…stomach churning…” “…vivid…” “…bizarre…” “…gripping…” “…engrossing…” If emotionally flawed characters, crisp dialogue, and action-driven plots turn your crank, then you will enjoy Logan’s psychological exploration of how guilt and remorse shape decisions in the face of unspeakable horror.Grab your copy of the raw, emotionally charged thriller Skin today! *Revised edition; includes editorial revisions and the first two chapters of the sequel Crackers* Other Books in the Insatiable Series Book 1: Skin Book 2: Crackers Book 3: Flesh

Nexus


Ramez Naam - 2012
    There are some who want to improve it. There are some who want to eradicate it. And there are others who just want to exploit it.When a young scientist is caught improving Nexus, he’s thrust over his head into a world of danger and international espionage – for there is far more at stake than anyone realizes.From the halls of academe to the halls of power, from the headquarters of an elite US agency in Washington DC to a secret lab beneath a top university in Shanghai, from the underground parties of San Francisco to the illegal biotech markets of Bangkok, from an international neuroscience conference to a remote monastery in the mountains of Thailand – Nexus is a thrill ride through a future on the brink of explosion.

The Haunting of the Holloway Family: A Riveting Paranormal Mystery Boxset


James Hunt - 2018
     James Hunt brings you the complete collection of the highly-rated "The Haunting of the House on Cypress Lane and Dead in the Desert" Series. A job opportunity has brought the Holloway family to a small desert town on the Arizona/California border in the middle of nowhere. But what is thought as a godsend soon devolves into a parent’s worst nightmare. The Haunting of the House on Cypress Lane There sits a large house on Cypress Lane in the small town of Ocoee, Louisiana, and its history is intertwined with the town itself. A feud was born within its walls, and it is there where it will die. The Cooley family finds themselves in the middle of a fight that started long before they arrived. Will they make it out alive, or will they become another casualty in the fight between the living and the dead?