Book picks similar to
Soundtrack to the End of the World by Anthony J. Rapino


horror
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anthologies-and-short-stories
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Outbreak


Warren Fielding - 2013
    It has mortal wounds and shouldn’t be walking, but it is, and if you hang around for too long, it will be heading towards you. How would you react? You survive the initial throes of civil unrest and the collapse of law and order. The world has become your playground. What kind of person do you become? You have never lived for anyone else except yourself. You are selfish. You like being alive. But you do have a conscience, and a soul. Who do you save first? Warren is not a likeable man. Warren doesn’t even like himself. But he does like existing, and he wants to continue doing it, no matter what hell is emerging around him. Being pragmatic and a bit of a git to boot, he doesn’t find making the hard decisions difficult. What he does find out, is that the hard decisions are not necessarily the right ones. And being a bastard in life does not prepare you for the clashes that will ensue once the edges of society begin to blur and fade out. It isn’t just the infected and the resurrected that Warren needs to be wary of, as he negotiates his way around the post-infection south coast in a haphazard attempt to keep himself and his family survive.

Forgive Us


E.T. Gunnarsson - 2020
    Generation after generation, survivors fight on enduring the world caused by their ancestors.In 2153, fledgling nations clash over land and resources. London is a veteran of the wasteland, struggling to protect his adopted daughter Rose as the world decays around them. Little does he know that both he and Rose will soon find themselves drawn into a warJust how far is London willing to go to protect Rose from a world full of violence, hate, and apathy?Fans of The Gunslinger and Mad Max will love E.T. Gunnarsson’s multi-award-winning book Forgive Us, a story readers call “thrilling, brutal, awesome, and completely unique.”

Zombie Lake


Javan Bonds - 2016
    Every night hordes of naked, blue, biting zombies flood the now dead Alabama lake town. While on board their replica pirate ship, the Viva Ancora, they fish and watch the monsters roam the night; seeking untainted flesh and leaving a disgusting mess in their wake…just like a horror show. Mo had sailed around the country, but now he finds himself 15 miles from his childhood home, a reluctant Hero. When a lone survivor stumbles upon Mo and Crow they gain a new member but also find much needed direction. The new comer, Smokes, will change Mo’s view of this zombie infested world forever. As reality mimics fiction an ever growing cast of crazy characters play out their role carving out an island sanctuary in a plague ridden world. The Expert, The Tech, The Oracle, The Sacrifice, The Old Friend plus many more ….. Welcome aboard, friend to this wild ride where the fish bite, the Zombies bite…sometimes life bites.

It All Started


R.S. Merritt - 2017
    Dragging himself out of bed he sleepily wanders over to the window with a warm bottled water and a handful of Advil. Looking out of his apartment window he sees people running around crazily and a bunch of burning shrubbery. He decides to go back to sleep and see if it all goes away. When he wakes up the next time it turns out the view from his fourth floor apartment wasn't a nightmare. Armed with a blunt samurai sword and some stolen steak knives he ventures out into the fray.These aren't your standard Zombies but Steve isn't your standard Zombie fighter either. Join him in book 1 as he heads out to check on his parents and try to survive in a world that's gone crazy...*** Updated Edition With Updated Cover and Content Updates ***

The Dead Lands


Benjamin Percy - 2015
    A few humans carry on, living in outposts such as the Sanctuary-the remains of St. Louis-a shielded community that owes its survival to its militant defense and fear-mongering leaders. Then a rider comes from the wasteland beyond its walls. She reports on the outside world: west of the Cascades, rain falls, crops grow, civilization thrives. But there is danger too: the rising power of an army that pillages and enslaves every community they happen upon. Against the wishes of the Sanctuary, a small group sets out in secrecy. Led by Lewis Meriwether and Mina Clark, they hope to expand their infant nation, and to reunite the States. But the Sanctuary will not allow them to escape without a fight.

Pearl


Josh Malerman - 2019
    Inside your head.Or is it?Come to me... A voice that makes you want to pick up that axe over in the corner of the barn.And swing it.And kill.Feed us. Feed us now.It is the voice of Pearl.Sing for me. Sing for your precious Pearl...

The Complete Colony Saga


Michaelbrent Collings - 2018
    Conversion is instant. Headshots just make them angry. And they’re getting smarter. Ken Strickland has made it through the first moments. But his family is still out there.Can he survive? Can he find them? And even if he does, what comes next? Will they survive? Will they, with the few other survivors they have found, find a way to stop this menace? Or will they simply become a fewmore of the creatures that now rule our world?

Haunted Collection Series: Books 1-3


Ron Ripley - 2018
    Seeking answers, he teams up with paranormal expert Jeremy Rhinehart. They race against time to stop a man who’s spreading chaos and violence by way of deadly, haunted objects… 1 - Collecting Death Victor Daniels and Jeremy Rhinehart discover a myriad of haunted collectibles unleashed upon the world. Together they begin to hunt them down. But it’s not long before they realize the haunted spirits within are more bloodthirsty now than when they were alive… 2 - Walter’s Rifle Stefan Korzh’s plan to spread fear and paranoia is unraveling perfectly, but Victor Daniels and Jeremy Rhinehart won’t let that happen. They race against time to stop the mayhem, but as they get closer, they discover how dangerous Stefan truly is. 3 - Blood in the Mirror As Victor and Jeremy continue their quest against evil, they discover a terrifying force lurking in their midst. Nothing is ever as it seems…

Resurrection


Scott Nicholson - 2018
     A researcher studying the virus suffers a fever and launches into a bloody killing spree that ends with two police officers dead. A second researcher, Dr. Meg Perriman, has just flown home for the Easter holiday with her family in North Carolina, unknowingly carrying the virus. Within days, the infection spreads across the planet, sparking martial law, chaos, and widespread slaughter as many of the infected turn into flesh-eating zombies. Meg and a few others appear to be immune, however, and the survivors gather in a megachurch called Promiseland that the U.S. government has established as an emergency shelter. The Rev. Cameron Ingram, a charismatic televangelist the president has appointed as the “zombie czar,” believes the catastrophe is a sign of the Biblical apocalypse. When a rash of natural disasters accompany the outbreak and civilization breaks down, people turn to Ingram for salvation in the face of fear and despair. But Meg and her group of friends soon discover Ingram is not what he appears, and they are caught between the devil and the living dead.

The Gates Saga: Books 1 & 2


Iain Rob Wright - 2017
    Box set includes full versions of THE GATES and LEGION, as well as bonus novella TAR. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of apocalyptic terror. Book 1: The Gates Guy Granger is a US Coast Guard captain in search of his kids, who just so happen to be thousands of miles away in the UK when strange gates open all over the globe. Mina Magar is a photojournalist forced to take pictures of horrors she could never have imagined as something terrible emerges on London's busy Oxford Street. Rick Bastion is a fading pop star with his head in a bottle and no hope for the future--even before the apocalypse begins on his doorstep. Tony Cross is a soldier stuck on the Iraq-Syria border, but fighting insurgents is no longer a priority as a new threat emerges that will unite mankind for the first time in history. For all of them, staying alive will be next to impossible, but they must try. Hell is coming and no one can escape it. When the gates open all Hell will break loose! The Gates is a world ending thrill ride of epic proportions. With so many characters and so many twists, it's like the horror equivalent of Game of Thrones.Book 2: Legion What will you do when the world ends? That’s a question that needs answering quickly when the gates to Hell open up all over Earth. Taking place across the globe is an apocalypse like no other, as humanity finds itself at war against a smart and merciless foe. Follow the struggles of survival with several characters as things go from bad to worse. Humanity is dwindling. Vamps has never been anything more than a kid on the streets, but when those streets become a war zone, he and his childhood friends are forced to step up and become heroes—not an easy thing to do for a bunch of gangsters. It doesn’t help matters that a rival gang is also out for their blood and that a group of humans seem to be helping the enemy. Hernandez is a US Navy Lieutenant with a bright, neatly planned future. That is until the world ends and a chance encounter with a rogue Coast Guard Captain leaves his future in disarray. It will take a lot of hard work, planning, and manipulation to take back the reigns of his destiny, and punish those who have crossed him. Richard Honeywell is a police office at a time when being a police officer is the least safest thing a person can do. The world is at war, but Richard still has a duty to keep the peace and protect the citizens of the United Kingdom. Yet, how can he do that when his own family are in danger? People are looking to him for leadership, but how do you lead army of civilians to certain death? The world must come together and fight back against the unstoppable Legions of Hell, because no one is coming to help them. The monsters are real and they will not stop. Welcome to Hell.Novella 2.5: Tar The world has ended, yet a few places still cling to life, dragging out their final, dwindling moments until the last second. The United Kingdom is one of those places still left alive, but it is only a matter of time before it too is wiped from the face of the earth. The Tar is coming, covering every inch of the globe. There is no escape. It means the clock is ticking for Finn, who needs to find the monster that murdered his sister. The world might be over, but vengeance never dies. By bestselling author, Iain Rob Wright, comes an apocalypse like no other.

Fiend


Peter Stenson - 2013
    As a longtime meth addict, he’s no stranger to horrifying, drug-fueled hallucinations.  But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived.  The funny thing is, Chase’s life was over long before the apocalypse got here, his existence already reduced to a stinking basement apartment and a filthy mattress and an endless grind of buying and selling and using. He’s lied and cheated and stolen and broken his parents’ hearts a thousand times. And he threw away his only shot at sobriety a long time ago, when he chose the embrace of the drug over the woman he still loves.  And if your life’s already shattered beyond any normal hopes of redemption…well, maybe the end of the world is an opportunity. Maybe it’s a last chance for Chase to hit restart and become the man he once dreamed of being. Soon he’s fighting to reconnect with his lost love and dreaming of becoming her hero among civilization’s ruins.  But is salvation just another pipe dream?  Propelled by a blistering first-person voice and featuring a powerfully compelling antihero, Fiend is at once a riveting portrait of addiction, a pitch-black love story, and a meditation on hope, redemption, and delusion—not to mention one hell of a zombie novel.

The Salt Line


Holly Goddard Jones - 2017
    Those within the zone live safe, if limited, lives in a society controlled by a common fear. Few have any reason to venture out of zone, except for the adrenaline junkies who pay a fortune to tour what's left of nature. Those among the latest expedition include a popstar and his girlfriend, Edie; the tech giant Wes; and Marta; a seemingly simple housewife. Once out of zone, the group find themselves at the mercy of deadly ticks--and at the center of a murderous plot. They become captives in Ruby City, a community made up of outer-zone survivors determined to protect their hardscrabble existence. As alliances and friendships shift amongst the hostages, Edie, Wes, and Marta must decide how far they are willing to go to get to the right side of the salt line.

The Long Night Box Set: The Complete The Long Night Series - Books 1-6


Kevin Partner - 2019
     Modern technology designed to heal has been sabotaged, leaving hundreds of millions dead. For the survivors, each day brings new horrors as the world descends into madness, all while powerful forces seek to take advantage of the turmoil. One man will stand apart in the chaos, seeking to reunite with his family as he becomes embroiled in a desperate attempt to save those few who survived The Long Night. From #1 best-selling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus comes a brand new, never before seen take on the end of the world, ripped straight from the headlines. When the leader of the largest healthcare company in the world drops dead on national television, over ninety percent of the civilized world follow in his wake. Health tracking implants called BonesWare were supposed to predict disease, prolong life and lead to a healthier, more robust society. Until they didn't. Now, for the few who remain alive, the question of their continued survival rests on the shoulders of one unlikely man. Solly Masters is having a rough night. He lost his job, his marriage is on the rocks and his wife and son are halfway across the United States on the eve of the holiday season. After witnessing The Long Night, when nearly every living soul around him drops dead at the same moment, his fleeting troubles suddenly become unimportant and one goal coalesces in his mind: get to his family, no matter the cost. Raw survival turns into something more when he comes across a man who claims to know what happened - and predicts that the rest of the survivors will soon follow in the footsteps of those who already died. Thrust into a pit of intrigue, corporate sabotage and greed, Solly must weigh his responsibility to his family with the knowledge that he just might be the key to preventing The Long Night from leading to the extinction of the human race. The Long Night is a collaborative work between Kevin Partner and Mike Kraus. A unique take on the apocalypse and on the post-apocalyptic genre, The Long Night box set is the complete post-apocalyptic series in one convenient box set.

Generation Z


Peter Meredith - 2018
    We now live like rats, scavenging in the ruins of our fallen civilization as the dead hunt us night and day.There is little left to scavenge, however. Grocery stores were emptied ages ago, gas tanks have long been dry and bullets are so precious that a man is lucky to have two to his name. Still, we survive. But for how much longer? Instinct and love have combined to turn Darwin's theory on its head. The strongest didn't survive in this world. They were the first to die, leaving behind a generation of orphans.It's a generation that's never had a full belly. It's a generation that has no idea what an Xbox did, or what algebra is for. It's a generation of children who never laugh out loud, and who have learned to cry softly because the dead are always near and the dead are always so very, very hungry.

Dystopia: The Beginning of the End


D.J. Cooper - 2014
    When their world begins to crumble it is up to her and those with her to find a way to survive.Not all is what it seems with Matt, and she knows this. He’s never been committed to her, but nothing could have revealed his true intentions.Banding together in rural Kentucky, this small group finds enemies in their own county far more dangerous than those who would change the world.Not all is what it seems; in the world or at home. This small group strives to connect with their community and rely on one another for security.Beginning of the End is an emotional ride through the end of the world. One where the community is key and an ideal read for fans of Alas Babylon and Lights out.