Science fiction: apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic

Book SynopsisNominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. New York Times bestselling author Robert McCammon's prescient and astonishing vision of a post-apocalyptic United States comes to life in this classic epic of terror and renewal.Facing down an unprecedented malevolent enemy, the US government responds with a nuclear attack. Soon, America as it was is gone forever, and now every citizen from the president of the United States to the homeless on the streets of New York City will fight to stay alive. In a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, Earth's last survivors are drawn into the final battle between good and evil, which will decide the fate of humanity: Sister, who discovers a strange and transformative glass artifact in the destroyed Manhattan streets...Joshua Hutchins, the pro wrestler who takes refuge from the nuclear fallout at a Nebraska gas station...and Swan, a young girl possessing special powers, who travels alongside Josh to a Midwest town where healing and recovery can begin with her extraordinary gifts. But the ancient force behind the world's devastation is scouring the walking wounded for recruits to build its relentless army, beginning with Swan herself...

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Book SynopsisUnited States of America, 2041 A.D.Eustace Fargo’s new justice system has been in effect for eight years. The old days of waiting times and backlogs are over: judgement is quick, and sentencing is instantaneous. The old police academies have all shut down, and the new order is triumphant.But are things any better? Unrest is worse than ever. Criminals are more likely to kill rather than be caught.There’s a war coming for the streets…Trade Review“Each story is quickly devoured, packed with twists and brutal political analogy. This is the rise of fascism, eerily familiar and terrifyingly plausible… this is the Justice Department as The Wire, and it really works.” -- Starburst Magazine * Starburst Magazine *“I enjoyed this book, although it made me nervous. I loved the conflict it caused in me. It’s fast-paced and uncompromising, keeping true to the essence of the Judges.” -- The British Fantasy Society * The British Fantasy Society *“Challenging at times, yet extremely rewarding in the end.” -- Pop Culture Bandit * Pop Culture Bandit *

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Book SynopsisThere are 22 candidates. There are 12 seats.The last interstellar colony ship is down to its final batch of humans after the robots in charge unhelpfully deleted the rest. But rebooting a species and training them for the arduous task of colonisation isn’t easy – especially when the planet below is filled with monsters, the humans are more interested in asking questions than learning, and the robots are all programmed to kill each other.But the fate of humanity rests on creating a new civilization on the planet below, and there are twelve seats on the lander. Will manipulation or loyalty save the day?Trade Review“Had me fully on board in the first couple of pages, sticking with me long after finishing.” -- Frank Fleming, author of Superego * Frank Fleming *'Breakwell’s examination of society is as precise and pointed as his humor, taking readers on a roller-coaster ride to a bittersweet conclusion.' -- Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisHardship is all Adam Hardy and his community have ever known.Almost a century ago a storm of cataclysmic comets struck the Earth and triggered generations of perpetual cold and darkness. Now the survivors of rainswept England huddle in their tiny communities, scavenging the ruins of the old world. Finally, the Long Autumn is coming to an end, and society of a kind is starting to rebuild.But for how long? Adam is struggling to hold his small Berkshire village together as the age-old rivalry between the Taylors and the Lyalls spills out into fresh bloodshed. A new tyrant, Frank Pendennis, has risen in the east in Kent, and has dreams of conquest. And rumours of something even worse are coming from the north...The struggle to inherit the world is just beginning.Trade Review"Hutchinson does a superb job of illustrating how the ruin of the world has brought about the ruin of humanity. This is an old form made new, because it speaks to our current doubts and uncertainties, our unease at the way the world is going, our fear that sense will not prevail." -- Paul Kincaid, Locus"Dave Hutchison’s writing in this novel is as good as any of his earlier work. If you haven’t read anything by him before, I would strongly urge you to check this out. Shelter is the ideal place to start." -- www.theeloquentpage.co.uk"Shelter is a triumph, a dark, vivid story of life in future England, beautifully bleak, rich and rewarding." -- sfbook.com"Shelter is a beautifully crafted story of life when technology and the comforts of contemporary life have been abandoned as unnecessary and unrealistic and where the best the characters can hope for it to wake up the next morning." --britishfantasysociety.org"Hutchinson’s characters feel so very real. He’s got a fine eye for human details. Which makes Shelter so engaging. Troubling times require a thorough examination. Shelter is such an entertaining scrutiny." -- geeksyndicate.co.uk"If you enjoy the quiet apocalypse stories of John Wyndham, you’ll find this a very enjoyable tale. The destruction by the comet is fascinating but it’s the consequences of such an event on society where the true horror lies. You may find yourself looking at your neighbours and friends around the street and wondering what would happen if the lights went out forever…" -- runalongtheshelves.net"Dave Hutchinson continues to be one of the most exciting and soulful writers of contemporary science fiction." -- For Winter Nights

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Book SynopsisYoung Forktongue Davy has visions; epilepsy, his Ma calls it. He's barely able to help around the family farm. But something about the lad is attracting attention: the menacing stranger who might be the angel of death himself; the women-only community at Wycombe; Daniel, sent by the mysterious Guz. They all want Davy for their own reasons. But what use can he be to anyone? He has visions of flight, but how can flight ever be possible in this shattered world? A simple farmboy, caught up in events beyond his power to control-but his visions may be the key to the future.Trade Review"If Hutchinson’s novel presented the idea that the true catastrophe is the human propensity for violence, Roberts explores the necessary stub­bornness and persistence that ordinary people need if they are to survive in such brutal times. -- Paul Kincaid, Locus"I loved Roberts’s attention to fine detail, and his ability to spin a compelling yarn out of tiny pieces ... His prose is delightful; I particularly enjoyed the clever word play and humour, lightening the inherent bleakness of this post-apocalyptic England." -- THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE…

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Book Synopsis'Science fiction's freshest new writer...MacLeod is a fiercely intelligent, prodigiously well-read author who manages to fill his books with big issues without weighing them down.' - SALON'Engaged, ingenious, and wittily partisan, Ken MacLeod is a one-man revolution, SF's Billy Bragg.' - Asimov's SFEllen May Ngwethu is a young woman with centuries of experience, no morality and the true knowledge. The world she knows is about to end.The Cassini Division, elite defence force of the Solar Union, sends her on a search for the man whose knowledge could save it. A search that takes her from space to the ruins of London, and back; from the margins of her socialist-anarchist world to its most dangerous edge. The Division's orbital forts around Jupiter are the front line in a centuries-long conflict with post-human AIs, whose intentions are unknown but whose powers once extended to shattering Ganymede and building a wormhole bridge to the far future. Their radio-borne viruses blanket the Solar System, keeping most of its resources from humanity's grasp.But are the post-humans less hostile than they seem?The acclaimed third novel from one of the genre's most exciting new talents.Books by Ken MacLeod:Fall RevolutionThe Star FractionThe Stone CanalThe Cassini DivisionThe Sky RoadEngines of LightCosmonaut KeepDark LightEngine CityCorporation Wars TrilogyDissidenceInsurgenceEmergenceNovelsThe Human FrontNewton's WakeLearning the WorldThe Execution ChannelThe Restoration GameIntrusionDescentTrade ReviewA rare but successful fusion of hard SF, space opera and serious political speculation -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLYDeliciously ironic, brilliantly imagined, MacLeod's witty and intelligent yarn packs a tremendous wallop. More, please! -- KIRKUS REVIEWSA brilliant novel of ideas, frequently funny, always ingenious. Ken MacLeod brings dramatic life to some of the core issues of technology and humanity. -- VERNOR VINGEFascinating...The kind of high-spirited and thought-provoking romp through the solar system unseen since the heyday of John Varley. And it reads at lightning speed. -- ROBERT CHARLES WILSONThis man's going to be a major writer. * Iain M. Banks *Prose sleek and fast as the technology it describes...Watch this man go global. * Peter F. Hamilton *Great sci-fi. * FOCUS *MacLeod still writes with charm and wit. * SFX *

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