End of the world, or apocalyptic, futures have long been of interest to people around the world. May be the interest lies in the fear or unease of the unknown in “after” the apocalypse. Is it really the end, or will there be some survivors? For fiction writers, sometimes the apocalypse is just the beginning.
In this last week of the Horror in October blog series, the focus is apocalyptic horror. Whether it's nuclear disaster, world war, climate or ecological disaster, pandemic decimation or alien invasion leading to the complete melt-down of civilization, the horror begins with the survivors learning how and, even if, they can survive. Read how these characters manage to get through the horrors of their apocalypse only to face the terrifying aftermath and dangers of their post-apocalyptic worlds in this selection of books available in the Kansas Talking Books collection.
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DB 108784 The black tide by K. C. Jones
"It was just another day at the beach. And then the world ended. Mike and Beth didn't know each other existed before the night of the meteor shower. A melancholy film producer and a house sitter barely scraping by--chance made them neighbors, a bottle of champagne brought them together, and a shared need for human connection sparked something more. After a drunken and desperate one-night stand, the two strangers awake to discover a surprise astronomical event has left widespread destruction in its wake. But the cosmic lightshow was only part of something much bigger, and far more terrifying. When a set of lost car keys leaves them stranded on an empty stretch of Oregon coast, when their emergency calls go unanswered and inhuman screams echo from the dunes, when the rising tide reaches for their car and unspeakable horrors close in around them, these two self-destructive souls must band together to survive a nightmare of apocalyptic scale." -- Provided by publisher. -- Some descriptions of sex, strong language, violence. Commercial audiobook. 2022.
DB 113099 Sister, maiden, monster by Lucy A. Snyder
"To survive they must evolve. A virus tears across the globe, transforming its victims in nightmarish ways. As the world collapses, dark forces pull a small group of women together. Erin, once quiet and closeted, acquires an appetite for a woman and her brain. Why does forbidden fruit taste so good? Savannah, a professional BDSM switch, discovers a new turn-on: committing brutal murders for her eldritch masters. Mareva, plagued with chronic tumors, is too horrified to acknowledge her divine role in the coming apocalypse, and as her growths multiply, so too does her desperation." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB 96410 Last ones left alive by Sarah Davis-Goff
Orpen's life on a tiny island off the coast of a post-apocalyptic Ireland revolves around surviving the ravenous skrake, zombies roaming the wilds and searching for prey. When her guardian, Maeve, is bitten, Orpen sets off on a journey to attempt to save her. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
DB 83423 Black tide rising, books 1-2 by John Ringo
First two books in the series, published in 2013 and 2014. In Under a Graveyard Sky, the Smith family fights for survival during a zombie plague. In To Sail a Darkling Sea, a fleet of ships known as Wolf Squadron scours the Atlantic for survivors. Violence and strong language. 2014.
DB 56081 The stand by Stephen King
An experimental virus called superflu hits the world--rapidly wiping out the whole of civilization except for the few who are immune. Expansion of novel originally published in 1978. Strong language, some explicit descriptions of sex, and some violence. 1990.
DB 97725 Hell divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Centuries after Earth has been poisoned during World War III, the remains of humanity inhabit massive airships in orbit. To keep the aging ships functional, individuals called Hell Divers skydive to the surface to scavenge for parts. On one such dive, a team discovers a threat to humanity's future. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.
DB 84824 The fireman by Joe Hill
A pandemic known as Dragonscale has swept the planet, causing the afflicted to develop markings on their skin and then burst into flame. A nurse who contracts Dragonscale wants to avoid quarantine long enough to give birth to her child. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2016.
DB 111997 World War Z by Max Brooks
"In this new classic of apocalyptic fiction that feels all too real, the Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. The documentary-style oral history records the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. Featuring five more hours of previously unrecorded content, this full-cast recording is read by F. Murray Abraham, Alan Alda, René Auberjonois, Becky Ann Baker, Dennis Boutsikaris, Bruce Boxleitner, Max Brooks, Nicki Clyne, Common, Denise Crosby, Frank Darabont, Dean Edwards, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, Maz Jobrani, Frank Kamai, Michelle Kholos, John McElroy, Ade M'Cormack, Alfred Molina, Parminder Nagra, Ajay Naidu, Masi Oka, Steve Park, Kal Penn, Simon Pegg, Jürgen Prochnow, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Henry Rollins, Jeri Ryan, Jay O. Sanders, Martin Scorsese, Paul Sorvino, David Ogden Stiers, Brian Tee, John Turturro, Eamonn Walker, Ric Young, and Waleed Zuaiter." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB 63649 The road by Cormac McCarthy
A father and his young son journey south after the destruction of the civilized world. Their survival kit consists of a few blankets, a pistol, a cart of scavenged food, and their love for each other. Their values are tested by occasional encounters with other desperate survivors. Bestseller. 2006.
DB 71422 The passage by Justin Cronin
Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte becomes humanity's last hope after the North American populace is decimated by a terrifying viral infection--the product of a secret military experiment housed in a remote compound in the Colorado mountains. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2010.
DB 79311 Bird box by Josh Malerman
As Malorie learns she is pregnant, the news is full of people committing sudden violent murders and suicides after seeing some unknown thing. Like others, Malorie blindfolds herself and stays inside, but finally must risk death to find others to help her. Violence and strong language. 2014.