Dystopian Science Fiction

The best-selling Extinction Cycle series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith first introduced listeners to a world ravaged by an engineered virus that turned men into monsters. Humanity's only hope was not a cure, but another bioweapon. When deployed it killed 90 percent of the infected, but the remaining 10 percent transformed into even more terrifying creatures called Variants. Here's a collection of Extinction Cycle short stories that explore the human spirit and the fight for survival in the face of overwhelming odds from some of the leading voices in the post-apocalyptic genre.

Dinah Caldwell has been filling her father's role since he abandoned their family four years ago. She and her grief-stricken mom run their subsistence farm deep in the Ozarks, making sure her younger brother never has to worry. Until the day Gabriel Gates, who owns everyone in Charlotte County, kills her mother to steal her family's well.

The world outside has grown toxic, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. The remnants of humanity live underground in a single silo. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they want: They are allowed to go outside.

With Max and Colt taken by the Institute, Sage is desperate to get them back. So when the leader of the West resistance shows up and offers her a deal she can't refuse, she eagerly accepts. Finally, she is in a position where she can exact revenge on Ebony and the Institute, while also saving the people she loves. But the deal she made came with a steep price, and now she only has so much time to fulfill her end of the bargain.

The long years of near-utopia have come to an abrupt end. Peace and order are now figments of the past. Corruption, deception, and insurgency humwithin the once steadfast leadership of the Hives, nations without fixed location.

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.”

The world outside the domes is a scary place, but nothing compared to the marauder who captures Laura. With one dark look, Axel promises violence, yet his touch is gentle. He shows her a different way of living. A new set of truths. How the ancients used to do things. Makes her want a forbidden thing called love. But can she leave her past and beliefs behind? The woman is trouble with a capital T. Yet the moment Axel sees her, rational thought disappears, and when she ends up in grave danger, he can't stop himself from going to her rescue. Will he be in time to save her?

Big hearted Cal, a former tanker truck driver, decides to use his skills to help those in need during a Zombie Apocalypse. Delivering much needed hope in desperate deadly times. Bonus Story: Devil at the Wheel A Joyride in a Chevy Chevelle. The car was just sitting there for the taking. What could possibly go wrong? Vinnie and Mike are about to find out what can and will go wrong once they turn the key. Evil awaits. Ride shotgun if you dare. Bonus Story: The Dragon A simple machine. Able to answer requests. Able to play music. Able to turn on lights and answer questions. Fun and enjoyable ...

The explosive sequel to Dinosaur Run! It's called Dinosaur Run, and it's the most sadistic sport ever devised. Athletic teenagers are snatched off the streets and transported 150 million years back in time--to the age of dinosaurs--allowing wealthy spectators to gamble on who'll be the first to go, who'll last longest, and who'll be ... eaten ... by what. But a bold trio of survivors has begun fighting back, and now it's time to change the rules . . . Don't blink, don't breathe, and don't look back . . . read Dinosaur Strike today!

Banner Dawson spends seventeen long years in cryosleep aboard the damaged Valkyrie-198 as it limps along towards the small void just beyond the orbit of Saturn. During those years, back on Earth... Jack works with determination to develop the skills and knowledge needed to rescue Laura from the cryogenic pod under the mountain.... Alexis rises through the ranks of the Independent Order of Valkyries... Maestro seeks to help and then heal a king... The leader of the Society authorizes increased activities in the Borderlands, and Ranger Stone is lost as a result... Ranger Stone's son Brian, ...

The world has been thrown into chaos after thousands of people suddenly vanished one horrifying evening. Four kids in the Chicago suburbs - Judd, Vicki, Lionel, and Ryan - reel with shock as they learn they are the only ones left in their families. As the truth behind the disappearances becomes clear, the kids discover they are faced with far-reaching decisions. But while the others are making their choices, Lionel gets a disturbing message from his uncle in Chicago. Not knowing if his uncle is still alive, Lionel rushes to the inner city to search for him.

Wren Darlington has spent her whole life in hiding, honing her psychic abilities and aiding the rebel Uprising in small ways. On the Continent, being Modified means certain death—and Wren is one of the most powerful Mods in existence. When one careless mistake places her in the hands of the enemy and she’s forced to join their most elite training program, she’s finally handed the perfect opportunity to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks.

Since arriving in Enchantment, New Mexico, everything in Daire Santos' life has changed. And not all for the better. While she's come to accept and embrace her new powers as a Soul Seeker, Daire struggles with the responsibility she holds navigating between the worlds of the living and the dead. And with the fate of her boyfriend Dace in the balance, Daire must put aside her personal feelings and focus on defeating Cade, whose evil plans threaten everyone she loves and the world as she knows it.

It has now been several days since the world fell apart in the wake of the zombie apocalypse. Cities and towns have been reclaimed by the dead and survivors find themselves on the run, hunted like animals by the masses of cannibalistic zombies. Garrett Newton successfully led a handful of survivors into the deep reaches of a regional park where they have taken refuge from the more dangerous cities and towns nearby. Forced to scavenge for needed supplies they soon find themselves facing obstacles and dangers none of them were prepared for. Tough decisions have to be made as the number of ...

People are suddenly branded with a blood-red, three-digit number on their chests, providing incredible insight into our lifespans. But who is responsible for this life-changing phenomenon? In a world filled with paranoia, mistrust, and uncertainty—where the consequences of every action are instantly revealed—a ruthless killer emerges with a bizarre modus operandi: his victims have timers that are about to expire. Detective Stewart, hardened, cynical and committed to a case, struggles to find leads on this elusive suspect until a terrified scientist reveals a connection between the ...

The Earth is dying. The water, soil, and water have been used and abused to the point where remediation is no longer possible. The remaining population, decimated by war, sickness, natural disasters, and crime, have accepted their way of life and their eventual demise. Then an alien ship arrives offering to relocate a cross section of the people to a new world to start over. Its a way for Earth's humanity to survive. There is hope. But are the saviors who they claim to be?

Newt has been to hell and back with his friends. The Glade. The Maze. The Scorch. The inner halls of WICKED. But now he has a burden that can't be shared with Thomas and the others - the Flare. And Newt can't bear the thought of his friends watching him descend into madness as he succumbs to the virus.

A new drug is on the street. Everyone's buzzing about it. Take the hit. Live the most intense week of your life. Then die. It's the ultimate high at the ultimate price. Adam thinks it over. He's poor, and doesn't see that changing. Lizzie, his girlfriend, can't make up her mind about sleeping with him, so he can't get laid. His brother Jess is missing. And Manchester is in chaos, controlled by drug dealers and besieged by a group of homegrown terrorists who call themselves the Zealots. Wouldn't one amazing week be better than this endless, penniless misery?

In the aftermath of the pandemic, humanity is on the cusp of extinction as the mutant undead sweep throughout the world. The deadly virus has created a new predator that is far more intelligent and ruthless than anything mankind has ever faced. And the threat from the alphas is increasing as they evolve. Epidemiologist Selene Munroe comes up with a daring solution for gaining a foothold against the deadly virus, but will it be enough to save the human race before it’s too late? On another front, CIA operative Will Reisner and his team need to join forces with an unlikely ally to prevent ...

The Reaper is a legend, more myth than man: the savior of worlds, the leader of the Rising, the breaker of chains. But the Reaper is also Darrow, born of the red soil of Mars: a husband, a father, a friend. The worlds once needed the Reaper. But now they need Darrow. Because after the dark age will come a new age: of light, of victory, of hope.