Dystopian Mystery

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In the past, the mere whisper of the “N” word sent chills down spines. Nations stepped back from the edge. It meant destruction, devastation—nuclear war. But not anymore. The world has changed. Power is currency, morality is optional, and the leaders who possess nuclear weapons no longer see them as last resorts. They see them as leverage. The “N” word—nuclear—no longer deters. It provokes. It threatens. And this time… it may just happen.

Kyle Tait, having survived the harrowing, cross-country journey home to his family, must now struggle for existence in a post-EMP world that no one could have imagined just three short months prior. Each day brings new challenges - how to fight the bitter cold, where to scavenge food for the table, and how to best fend off intruders and keep their community safe. As the cold, dark days of winter begin the slow transition to spring, the Tait family is faced with a challenge that dwarfs all others.

Novelist Patrick Hamlin has come to Los Angeles to oversee the film adaptation of one of his books and try to impress his wife and daughter back home with this last-ditch attempt at professional success. But California is not as he imagined. Drought, wildfire, and corporate corruption are everywhere, and the company behind a mysterious new brand of synthetic water seems to be at the root of it all. Patrick finds an unlikely partner in Cassidy Carter—the cynical starlet of his film—and the two investigate the sun-scorched city.

When Yang Wei travels to C City for work, he expects nothing more than a standard business trip. A break from his day-to-day routine, a good paycheck, a nice hotel—nothing too extravagant, of course. No fuss, but all the amenities. But this is where his problems begin. A complimentary bottle of mineral water from the hotel minibar results in sudden and debilitating stomach pain, followed by unconsciousness. When he wakes three days later, things don’t improve; they get worse. With no explanation, the hotel forcibly sends him to a hospital for examination.

With the country slowly descending into chaos, a visionary leader takes action. Dave Cavanaugh, a silver-haired outdoorsman, mountain hiker, and billionaire, dubbed the “Richard Branson of the Rockies”, sets in motion a plan to construct walled, gated communities across the country to preserve art, science, medicine, and religion - designed to be islands of calm in a sea of chaos. Much like Noah built an ark before the great flood, Dave intends to build a series of land-based arks before the country completely drowns in chaos.

At the end of the twenty-first century on the lunar colony of Civitas, Detective Ray Babbitt faces a growing crime wave. What had been advertised as a utopia is being sullied by murders and drug trafficking. Amidst the growing unrest and unease of the colonists, Babbitt doggedly solves crimes while navigating the rising tensions among the corporate elites who founded and run the colony and the average citizens. Fast-moving and starkly relevant to our times, the book brings readers along to the dark side of the moon.

A virus nearly wiped out the human race. In order to survive, people are segregated into three tiers. Those with the best genetic viability get the most resources, and Kate and Eric are lucky enough to end up in Tier One.

What would you risk to save your family? Former United States Department of Defense Contractor Charlie Owens resigned from his position with the government to live a life off-grid. After building a cabin on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, the detonation of an EMP sets into motion a series of events that will test Charlie and his family in ways he never imagined.

When Alabine Rivers, a politically active young woman with a bright career and romance ahead of her, finds out the devastating news that she has terminal cancer, the only thing that gives her solace is the possibility of a second life through the emerging field of cryogenics.

But one Alt, Chester "Chilly" Beckett, did not celebrate; his eyes have been opened to the truth. Luka's corpse is dragged away, but Chester remains determined to find out what is going on in the Laboratory on the 65th floor. There, he finds three subjects tortured in an attempt to extract a regeneration formula... and one of the subjects is, impossibly, a face he never thought he'd seen again. A bold escape sets in motion a race against time as Happy's plans to release planet-eating nano-bots into the world draw nearer.

When propagandist Paulo Xirau dies and is discovered to himself be a "machine", State Security Agent Nikolai South is given a new assignment he could hardly want less: chaperone the widow, Lily, the only "machine" visitor ever invited from the outside world, and help her determine what happened to her husband. Nikolai knows it will be nearly impossible to complete the job without running afoul of the Party - but when he sees that Lily bears an eerie resemblance to his late wife, Nikolai stumbles on a larger plot.

"One of Me - 2 Near Future Short Stories" is a gripping collection of two short stories set in a not-too-distant future, each unraveling compelling narratives that entwine technology, morality, and the human spirit. In "The Last Rejection" readers are introduced to a world startlingly similar to our own, but with an ominous twist. The story follows the journey of a frustrated job candidate who, after facing one rejection too many, embarks on a dark path of revenge. This tale masterfully explores the depths of desperation and the dangerous consequences of a society driven by cutthroat ...

In a world of growing tyranny, social scoring systems, oppressive censorship, and persecution of the three Abrahamic religions, archeologist Seth Heshel makes a discovery. It happens in the ruins of ancient Babylon. The world will never be the same. Satan sees it. The principalities and powers see it too. They both move to attack Seth and his team before they can show their discovery to the world. Theology Professor Galen Kohl dreams a dream of Ancient Babylon, waking him out of an alcoholic stupor. The world has taken away his church, his faith, and his fiancé. God wasn’t giving up on ...

The world of culinary magic is about to implode as the greatest threat to their secret existence is carried—well, dragged—into this delectable second installment of the Hex Kitchen series. Kidnapped by the very group meant to protect her, Kenzie finds herself in another cooking tournament. This time, though, the stakes are higher. Every meal she cooks could be her last. If she’s going to survive, she’ll need to do the one thing she swore she’d never do again. Use her magic to kill. Braxton is facing his own battle. Each step that brings him closer to Kenzie jeopardizes his family....

When Adéla discovers she has a terminal illness, she leaves behind her native Czech village for a chance at reuniting in America with Tereza, the daughter she gave up at birth, decades earlier. But the country Adéla experienced as a young woman, when she eloped with a filmmaker and starred in his cult sci-fi movie, has changed entirely. In 2030, America is ruled by an authoritarian government increasingly closed off to the rest of the world.

Geo thought that the only thing he'd ever be is a miner for SMB... ...but his new best friend is closer than he ever would have thought! Geo Statler is (unfortunately) an expendable miner for SMB Mining, one of the three employers left on Earth. For Geo, life is split between cycles of work and home. During his last work-cycle an accident left him with a new voice in his head, but he's not telling anyone! Even though the illicit entity could cause him a lot of trouble from his employer, there's a definite upside. Not only has the entity started to 'optimize systems' resulting in physical ...

For generations, the cats who live outside the walls of Arc City have remained a mystery shrouded in urban myths and folk tales. Some claim monsters roam the wilderness, and some say it’s only a simple village of farmers. No citizen of Arc City has ever been able to learn the truth. Until now. Trigger is thrown into a wild world, filled with more danger and secrets than even an ace detective can decipher. On top of that, he’s once again hired to do the impossible. Can Trigger survive as a dog in a cat’s world, or is he finally in over his ears?

Cassie West licenses crimes for V.I.C.E, spending long hours convincing grieving families to allow her to sell their tragedies to the highest bidder. Life is hard and the cost of living high, but she and her husband Harris have never been happier. After years of trying, Cassie is finally pregnant. But leaving work late one evening, Cassie starts to worry. Harris isn't responding to texts or calls. Even worse, dozens of emergency drones seem to be heading in the same direction as she is: straight to their home.

Everything hinges on the success of Dougray and Robbie, orphaned brothers and fugitives, to lead King Morgran’s soldiers on a wild goose chase to the Groaning Rocks, a place of demented souls. Attacked by a black dragon, they are rescued and given shelter by Alysam, an exile from Alpinia. But all is not well. Dougray is infected with dragon venom and begins to turn to stone. A desperate race for survival begins as the dragon pursues them through the underground passageways. Found by Navarre, last of the Healers, Dougray is restored to health and the brothers are then offered a place of ...