Survival Short Stories

Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, has joined forces with the editors of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern to create a collection of action-packed short stories by some of today's most talented names in literature.

Are you feeling overwhelmed with your present life situation? Are you in need of a quick retreat into the mountains or a dense forest ? Do you need to recharge your life’s batteries? Then this book of inspirational stories is just for for you. The night may be long, the days might be clouded but nothing lasts forever. Sooner or later, the situation changes for change is the law of life. Those who keep the lamp of hope alive in their heart, see the lamp burning bright and eventually filling their lives with glow and warmth. But all this does not happen on its own. It demands constant ...

From Stranded in the Heart of Darkness... "Red-shirted man speaks once more. In turn, I gaze at the interpreter, await his translation. “You have fought and killed many men?” he hesitantly asks. I shake my head. “No,” I say, taken aback. “I have never killed anyone.” “In the voodoo culture,” the translator goes on, “men who are able to wear such a band are considered to be powerful fighters.” Now gesturing towards the red-shirted man. “This man here envies you for your power.” _________________ In 2009, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Vincent Zandri ...

Wars have a way of dragging on, and sometimes you need a safe harbor. A Sanctuary, if you will. Having reclaimed the stolen mech, Firefly, Matthew is now concerned with saving Marie. After all, she saved him. He's bound by honor to do the same in return. With the twins Alois and Louise at his side, Matthew reasons that the odds are stacked in his favor. Problem is, they aren't. Join Matthew as he fights to save Allegra! Sanctuary is the sixth book in the short story military sci-fi series The Battle for Allegra. Dive into this thrilling story that is filled with all sorts of sci-fi warfare....

Rabid brain-eating zombies have taken over the world – well, not all. Some eat rats, cockroaches, and bugs! VOMIT! The least they could do is clean their teeth. Oh wait, they can't. Their teeth are falling out! And that’s not the only thing falling out – brains, gizzards, livers, butt holes, and eyeballs too. Our bunch of unlikely survivors has to outsmart and outrun the zombies if they want to live to see another day – as humans! Read with the light on or in the company of friends! There is safety in numbers. And keep fit, keep a bag packed under your bed, and get ready to run – ...

Speed Kyle is a master-builder of the hottest, fastest planes around. Cal Bradley’s a daredevil test pilot who pushes those planes to the limit. Add in Speed’s blond bombshell daughter who fears that Cal will go too far—and you’ve got a winner. And as far as Speed and Cal are concerned, winning is everything. Speed’s company is bleeding cash, and they need money quick. They’re competing in the upcoming National Air Meet, and to the victor goes the spoils—some extremely lucrative contracts.

Seemingly unstoppable alien invaders are invading the Milky Way. Archibald Dare's ship, the Huntress is dispatched to defend an uninhabited moon to keep the alien invaders, known as Beets, from getting a foothold in the galaxy. Will they succeed, or is their mission doomed to fail? Read on to find out! *This is a side story to The Invasion of Allegra story, but it can be read as a standalone. This, and the Invasion of Allegra, both take place prior to The Battle for Allegra.* **Note, this is an edited and republished version of the story that was first published on Kindle Vella in 2022.***

A young girl, finding herself alone in the world with a retired mining engineer, determines to make something of her life. This story appears in the collection The Day of the Tiger and Other Stories.

A book about adventure, survival, and resilience of the human spirit. Sea Soul is the second book in the Big Little Stories series by contemporary Ukrainian writer Ivan Kuznietsov. Each book in the series is an independent, complete story and can be read in a free sequence. All stories have something in common—they are all about change. You will discover the adventures of different characters, but all of them, just like you and me, are essential parts of the big little story of our world. This book tells the story of an elderly man who has lost the meaning of life. One day he decides to ...

Moving on is difficult Fifteen months after the traumatic hostage situation at the hotel, Cole and Amanda are ready to get things back in order. They arrange to go to an event that takes place at a stadium. What they don't know is that Mason's crew will be waiting for them. After learning from the mistakes of Ricky's crew, Mason's crew vows to capture Cole and Amanda. After all, nothing sounds better to Mason's boss than making some monetary profit and getting revenge at the same time. Mason's crew is heavily experienced and determined, while Cole and Amanda are left in a very vulnerable ...

Lancelot and Mr. Biggs face a traitor, an intruder, and an imposter in this second book in the Lancelot Maddox series. There’s a traitor at the intelligence agency. Lancelot and Mr. Biggs must discover who the traitor is before classified information falls into the hands of foreign agents. An intruder hides explosives at various places in the intelligence agency. Lancelot and Mr. Biggs must locate the intruder and the explosives before it’s too late. Mr. Biggs’ life is threatened by an imposter delivering toxic material disguised as regular mail. When the imposter kidnaps Lancelot, Mr...

Leo Daly is looking forward to a family vacation and a break from his hectic hospital schedule. His dreams of kicking back, fishing, and hanging out with the wife and kids turn into a fight for survival when an electromagnetic pulse takes out the power grid leaving them stranded in the woods. Leo must use all of his skills to create a community of survivors from his family, the locals, and ill-equipped vacationers.

Hiding is no longer enough…she needed answers… What did Jackson see on the video…and how does he tell Simon… Daman and Niall are asking all the right questions...will they survive to find the answers... Mick Johnson might be dead but his killer is unknown and the clues leading to them are non-existent. Completely non-existent…which according to Jackson never ever happens… Elijah Sullivan, the father she adored all her life left clues…Ava just has to unravel them even as she comes to terms with her feelings about Harper…and his for her. It’s the middle of the twenty-third ...

Cosmic Hellos - A Tapestry of Chance Encounters In a world of 8 billion, every meeting is a miracle. From a silent subway stranger to a payphone’s unexpected caller, a hillbilly everyman with a drawl as deep as his roots shares five heartfelt tales of connection. With a nod to the rarity of each “hello,” this short collection weaves a tapestry of small moments—proving that even the briefest encounters can echo across a lifetime. Perfect for readers who cherish the beauty in the everyday and the magic of the unlikely.

In the first days of the zombie apocalypse, a military physician and small team of survivors must gather their wits, their weapons and their available resources to make a last stand. When nowhere seems safe and no-one seems immune to the rapidly spreading disease, they must choose a destination that is both attainable and sufficiently remote to assure their long term safety. It's a sheer stone tower standing alone over a remote frontier, as iconic as it is forbidding. It is also the location of humanity's last stand. Do zombies climb?

How many times can a boy lose his home? When Jacques is transferred to the Buckners Orphans' Home in 1916 at the age of six, he hopes that he's finally found a place to belong. Unfortunately, he couldn't be more wrong. Jacques' only choice is to run away to Dallas and live on the streets. He has no future, no guarantee he will even survive. Then he stumbles on a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change everything—if he dares to take it. Origin/Prequel novelette for Black Jade - A Daiyu Wu Mystery. Stand-alone fiction.

For the animals and plants of the Arizona desert, every day is about staying alive. But it’s all the other stuff—desire, fidelity, hope, envy, grief, betrayal—that bridges the gap between science and fiction, and highlights the interconnectedness of the human and natural worlds. A wealthy Gila monster suffers from halitosis. A young peccary chooses a side in war. A rattlesnake upends the historic enmity between serpent and man. A subterranean termite princess comes home. These and dozens more characters run, hop, slither, and fly through captivating storylines.

In the world of the Stymph, humans have become prey. Survivors must hide every day and night, praying the Stymphs don't find them. If they do, there's no escape. Technology helps them to come back, to Reawaken after a Stymph feasts upon them... ...but what price does Reawakening exact? Follow Captain Yuen as he journeys to a place he never expected. Into the minds of fellow humans, once people he knew, now mentally damaged and trying to heal. But Captain Yuen will discover something on this journey...something that could rock all of humanity to its core. (This story takes place within the ...

What if the president of the United States was the leader of a murderous motorcycle gang? Dive into a world where treasure hunts become deadly, houses are set aflame, and motorcycle gangs are connected to a Civil War-era homicidal leader. After a mysterious treasure hunt at the O’Neill’s ancestral home in Sterling, Illinois goes horribly wrong, Jim O’Neill takes his two children, Adrianna and Jay, on a getaway to Chicago. Seemingly leaving both the treasure hunt and the Quant motorcycle gang behind, the O’Neills embark on a quiet family vacation in the windy city. As Jim’s ...

Mister Tidwell is a scholarly Oxford professor snatched out of his bookish world and pressed into service aboard Lord Nelson’s legendary British fleet - in the position of schoolmaster. Such is the life of the land-loving, seafaring Mister Tidwell, Gunner. Thrust into service at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, Tidwell soon finds himself directly in the line of fire and way out of his depth. Fate has cast him into a terrible and terrifying spot - alone on deck to face the fearsome approach of a French man-o’-war.