Good SHTF Survival Fiction Books

[jgradyc]

Here's a tip that some posters might not know. You can go to your local public library online. In my case, it's https://library.nashville.org and get a library card for your local branch library. Or, go to your local branch and get a library card. Then, you can set up an account online. You can see if a book is in stock at your branch or you can download an ebook or an audiobook (assuming there is an audio version) to your laptop or your smartphone.

If the book you want is already checked out, you can put yourself on the wait list to be notified by email when it is available. You can get recent best sellers this way, but you might have to wait a month or so. 

I use the OverDrive app on my Android phone to download ebooks and audiobooks from the library. I use the Smart AudioBook Player to play the audiobooks because it has slightly better controls than the Overdrive app. (I have to set the folder so the Smart AudioBook Player can find the audiobook files in OverDrive.)

I read the ebooks on my Kindle app or on OverDrive.

Occasionally, I will download free audiobooks from LibriVox using the LibriVox app. 

I also have an Audible.com account. It's free for 30 days and then $14.95/month. If you cancel the free 30 day trial before you get billed, it will ask you why you're cancelling. Tell them it's too expensive and you'll get an offer to sign up for 3 months for $8.95/month.  If you don't like a book you can return it for a free credit for another audiobook.  So far, I've listened to about 6 books and only had to make two $8.95 payments. 

Audiobooks are great for tasks like mowing lawns or driving long distances or just doing mindless tasks around the house. A typical audiobook is 12-13 hours long.

Oh, one more thing. If you search online before you set up your free 30 day trial on Audible, you can find a coupon to get 2 credits (books) instead of just one in the regular free trial.

Edited November 1, 2017 by jgradyc

[ReeferMac]

19 hours ago, Mark A said:

I didn't make it to the end of the series and it takes a lot for me to not finish a series...

Hahaha, now there's an endorsement no publisher wants!

[Defender]

I agree with earlier posts about One Year after, by Forstchen not being as good as One Second after.  It wasn't the writing style so much as the story line didn't seem fully developed.  Right now I'm reading The Final Day, which is the last of that trilogy.  I like it a lot, but I'm near the end and got a feeling the end will be sudden and quick, lol.  Anyway, I like it a lot.  Ive read most of his books, even the ones he co-wrote with Newt Gingrich about the Revolutionary War.

[monkeylizard]

The Final Day is definitely the weakest of the three. It's forced and rushed.

[felinesNfreedom]

54 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

The Final Day is definitely the weakest of the three. It's forced and rushed.

Dang.

 

I was going to order the audio book, still will

[Defender]

20 hours ago, monkeylizard said:

The Final Day is definitely the weakest of the three. It's forced and rushed.

Finished it.  Rarely are sequels as good as the originals, and that's true here too.  One Second After was the best of the three.

[monkeylizard]

I agree. I give One Second After 5 stars, One Year After 4 stars, and The Final Day 2.5 stars.

I'm glad I read it and wrapped up the series, but it's not as good as the first two by a country mile.

[Defender]

Im ready for a brand new modern  setting book, that will capture  my attention.  One that will take a while to read.

[Jamie Jackson]

On 11/3/2017 at 10:57 AM, JAlexanderMSgt said:

Im ready for a brand new modern  setting book, that will capture  my attention.  One that will take a while to read.

Me as well.

I just finished the last 2 A.American books (vol 8 & 9). They're decent, and I'm invested in the series so there's that.

Anybody still reading P.A.W. fiction? Any recommendations?

[hipower]

18 minutes ago, prag said:

Me as well.

I just finished the last 2 A.American books (vol 8 & 9). They're decent, and I'm invested in the series so there's that.

Anybody still reading P.A.W. fiction? Any recommendations?

I'm on the last(?) book of a 7 book series, Extinction, by Nicholas Sansbury Smith. It's a biologically induced, mass population killing--changing into monster forms, type of book. Characters are good, a few are well developed, some just there, if you understand what I'm trying to say here.

The story, and the books, move it a frenetic pace. Rarely giving the characters, or the reader, time to take a break.

Overall, the series has been entertaining and readable, not tremendously good. I would give it a 3.5 on a 5 scale.

[Jamie Jackson]

6 hours ago, hipower said:

I'm on the last(?) book of a 7 book series, Extinction, by Nicholas Sansbury Smith. It's a biologically induced, mass population killing--changing into monster forms, type of book. Characters are good, a few are well developed, some just there, if you understand what I'm trying to say here.

The story, and the books, move it a frenetic pace. Rarely giving the characters, or the reader, time to take a break.

Overall, the series has been entertaining and readable, not tremendously good. I would give it a 3.5 on a 5 scale.

Thank you!

I just ordered book 1 of the series. 

[martin5]

You might like Run by Douglas E. Winter. It's about an arms dealer. I read in just a few hours. Lots of action. I thought it would make a good movie.

[Jamie Jackson]

Thank you Martin. I'll check it out.

[ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ]

I have searched the forums, but have not reread every page of this thread. Sorry if this series has been previously mentioned.

The Borrowed Word Series by Franklin Horton is pretty good.
There are currently 5 books in the series:
The Borrowed World (The Borrowed World #1)

Ashes of the Unspeakable (The Borrowed World #2)

Legion of Despair (The Borrowed World #3)

No Time For Mourning (The Borrowed World #4)

Valley of Vengeance (The Borrowed World #5)

 

 

[xtriggerman]

If any one has a curiosity to scratch a UFO itch, an outstanding investigative work that reads quickly is David Jacobs PHD "The Threat" . Jacobs is the only professor to have taught college credit curriculum on the UFO phenomenon. The stories he has extracted via hypnosis in The Threat lead you down a road that reads Sci Fi , but grounded in multiple case similarity with folks not even vaguely associated with each other. Jacobs latest book "Walking Among Us" drags on and on threw the middle with to much incidental detail. But in the end ties it all up with the meat & potatos of what appears to be going on with the whole abduction scenario. What makes Walking Among Us rather intriguing to me, is in it, it describes a specific procedure used by Aliens on abductees that sparked a memory of something that happened to me over forty years ago. Pretty dang freaky... something defiantly going on that may affect us all in this stranger than fiction read. We'v all heard about the Anti Crist. Im about convinced this last man standing power broker may very well have his roots from else where. JMO! 

[ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ]

Another series that I found enjoyable was "The Colter Saga" - it's a story of societal collapse.
Currently there are 6 books in the series, the first title is Friends of the Family.

 

[Defender]

On 1/17/2013 at 9:47 PM, plank white said:

 

Edited February 23, 2018 by JAlexanderMSgt

[Jamie Jackson]

Thanks for all of the suggestions folks. 

I'm watching for the UPS (Amazon) delivery truck as I type this. 

[Jamie Jackson]

@hipower

Thanks again for the suggestion. I'm reading book #1 now and just ordered the next 2 in the series. It's an interesting (to me) topic as I helped our facility set up our "Ebola Cart" a few years back...that's some seriously scary s**t!

I receive daily CDC updates, part of the job. But it's not a bad idea to keep an eye on what's going on in the world... but nothing to date about a zombie mutant virus! 

[ReeferMac]

1 hour ago, prag said:

.... but nothing to date about a zombie mutant virus! 

Be sure to let us know when something on the topic hits your inbox! LOL!

[Jamie Jackson]

18 minutes ago, ReeferMac said:

Be sure to let us know when something on the topic hits your inbox! LOL!

I think that'll be the time when we all "go dark"! LOL

[hipower]

2 hours ago, prag said:

@hipower

Thanks again for the suggestion. I'm reading book #1 now and just ordered the next 2 in the series. It's an interesting (to me) topic as I helped our facility set up our "Ebola Cart" a few years back...that's some seriously scary s**t!

I receive daily CDC updates, part of the job. But it's not a bad idea to keep an eye on what's going on in the world... but nothing to date about a zombie mutant virus! 

LOL! Like me...you are hopeless. The absolute necessity to read all in a series is deeply troubling. It is a massive addiction, heavily fueled by the current writing/publishing schemes of Amazon and other retailers. "Like this book! Read them All!...by the way...you can only get them from us." 

A bit negative, but true. lol I'm currently going thru old books my BIL has been giving me. Since his new digs has little room, and his sweetie has limited space for his things; I'm getting a lot of them. Most just good for possible trade in at McKays, but should something interesting show up, I try and set it aside for my reading.

I've found a few 60/70s pure syfy books that I'm keeping for my ever-increasing personal collection. Should I see something that I think might interest you, I'll send a pm. How about the W.E.B. Griffin(Griffith?) books? There's a few here. LIke them? Read them? Any interest in the sword/sorcery/fantasy?

Just what would you prefer? 

[Jamie Jackson]

@hipower

I certainly have a compulsion to finish a series once I start one...it's always been that way for me LOL.

"Any interest in the sword/sorcery/fantasy?" I certainly went through the phase, but in the 70's & 80's primarily.... Tolkein, Stephen R. Donaldson, Ann Mccaffrey, and such. Then I discovered Jerry Ahern and that changed everything! I'm pretty much firearms and PAW related in my tastes these days.

 

[hipower]

On ‎3‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 2:55 AM, prag said:

@hipower

I certainly have a compulsion to finish a series once I start one...it's always been that way for me LOL.

"Any interest in the sword/sorcery/fantasy?" I certainly went through the phase, but in the 70's & 80's primarily.... Tolkein, Stephen R. Donaldson, Ann Mccaffrey, and such. Then I discovered Jerry Ahern and that changed everything! I'm pretty much firearms and PAW related in my tastes these days.

 

Ever read the J.D. Moles series The Remaining?

[martin5]

You might also like The Five Fingers by Gaile Rivers. He was a special forces soldier from New Zealand turned mercenary. It's supposedly a true story. I have a friend who was s.f. And met him.