It began on New Year's Eve. The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsedâand more than half of the world's population was decimated.
Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the riverâor in the ones you know and love the most.
As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. Chuck, a tech genius trying to hack his way through a world gone offline. Arlys, a journalist who has lost her audience but uses pen and paper to record the truth. Fred, her young colleague, possessed of burgeoning abilities and an optimism that seems out of place in this bleak landscape. And Rachel and Jonah, a resourceful doctor and a paramedic who fend off despair with their determination to keep a young mother and three infants in their care alive.
In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain. The end has come. The beginning comes next.
Bo Mason, his wife, Elsa, and their two boys live a transient life of poverty and despair. Drifting from town to town and from state to state, the violent, ruthless Bo seeks out his fortuneâin the hotel business, in new farmland, and, eventually, in illegal rum-running through the treacherous back roads of the American Northwest.
Stegner portrays more than thirty years in the life of the Mason family in this masterful, harrowing saga of people trying to survive during the lean years of the early twentieth century.
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.
Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itselfâand that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.
Trapped between competing forces, pursued by a killer and the law alike, even Jazz has to admit she's in way over her head. She'll have to hatch a truly spectacular scheme to have a chance at staying alive and saving her city. Jazz is no hero, but she is a very good criminal. That'll have to do.
Propelled by its heroine's wisecracking voice, set in a city that's at once stunningly imagined and intimately familiar, and brimming over with clever problem-solving and heist-y fun, Artemis is an irresistible brew of science, suspense, and humor from bestselling author Andy Weir.
The Wolf of Wall Street meets The Godfather. Gripping, salacious, and irresistible.
Wall Street, 2000. A naive twenty-year-old from Nebraska, Laura Ellyson doesnât belong in New York's male-dominated Financial District. Against all odds, her wit, beauty, and determination lead her to a promising career at Aqua Capital, Lower Manhattan's hottest new hedge fund.
Suddenly, Laura finds herself living in a triumphant fairy taleâincluding a newfound romance that eclipses her deepest desires. But hidden behind Aqua Capital's stratospheric profits and megalomaniac manager lies a shady, treacherous secret: the Mafia. Now, after witnessing unspeakable horror, she must confront an unforeseen, tempestuous destiny as she is forced to fight for her own life.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
Character-driven, unfolding at breakneck speed, this novel compels the reader to read on until the very last line in a satisfying conclusion.
In the midst of a mysterious environmental crisis, as London is submerged below floodwaters, a woman gives birth to her first child, Z. Days later, the family is forced to leave their home in search of safety. As they move from place to place, shelter to shelter, their journey traces both fear and wonder as Z's small fists grasp at the things he sees, as he grows and stretches, thriving and content against all the odds.
This is a story of new motherhood in a terrifying setting: a familiar world made dangerous and unstable, its people forced to become refugees. Startlingly beautiful, Megan Hunter's The End We Start From is a gripping novel that paints an imagined future as realistic as it is frightening. And yet, though the country is falling apart around them, this family's worldâof new life and new hopeâsings with love.
Known by his friends as T-Lova, Terry Maddox is an intelligent and crafty individual determined to rise to the top of the underground drug trade along with his best friend, Jihad, and their crew.
Mack is an ambitious, yet ruthless hustler who runs South Philly with his partner, Shawn. Detectives Todd and Latrice Reed are siblings who are hell-bent on solving a slew of murders in hopes that it will prevent more casualties and bring the killers to justice.
Marty Frankel is a high-powered commodities trader who loses everything of value in his life due to his loyalty. He faces an uphill battle to regain his stature and seek calculating revenge on the man responsible for his downfall.
Whether it's a war against rival drug dealers, a war for justice, or a war to gain a position of power, they are all fully engaged. What will happen when their lives collide?
From the unforgiving inner city streets of Syracuse, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the prominence of Manhattan, this is a war for power like you've never seen it.
WARNING: This novella contains major spoilers from the novel Until the End of the World. Itâs suggested you read the novel before you dive into So Long, Lollipops. Unless youâre someone who likes to read the last page of a book firstâin that case, enjoy!
Peter watched his new family drive away, certain it was the last time heâd ever see them. But sometimes plans go awry in the best way. Now, the plan is to get back to them. But sometimes plans go awry in the worst way. Sometimes the only plan is to believe it will be all right, even when itâs almost impossible to believe.
Ruta Sepetys returns to WWII in this epic novel, Salt to the Sea, which shines a light on one of the war's most devastatingâyet unknownâtragedies. World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide.
Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand peopleâadults and children alikeâaboard must fight for the same thing: survival.
Told in alternating points of view, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloffâthe greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity and love can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.
Three different kids.
One mission in common: ESCAPE.
Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the worldâŠ
Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in AmericaâŠ
Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward EuropeâŠ
All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangersâfrom drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together in the end.
In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life. She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she's one of the world's bestselling authors.
Gina Royal is the definition of averageâa shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husbandâs secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctorâthe ultimate warrior mom.
With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husbandâs crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.
But just when sheâs starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lakeâand threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposedâor watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: sheâs learned how to fight evil. And sheâll never stop.
The Drowned and the Saved is a profound exploration by Primo Levi as he attempts to understand the rationale behind the atrocities of Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Bergen-Belsen. Levi dismisses the stereotyped images of brutal Nazi torturers and helpless victims, drawing extensively on his own experiences to delve into the minds and motives of oppressors and oppressed alike.
He describes the difficulty and shame of remembering, the limited forms of collaboration between inmates and SS goalers, the exploitation of useless violence, and the plight of the intellectual. Levi writes about the issue of power, mercy, and guilt, and their effects on the lives of the ordinary people who suffered so incomprehendingly.
Through his writing, Levi warns and reminds us that the unimaginable can happen again, urging us to learn from the past to make sense of the senseless.
From the creator of the acclaimed TV show Fargo comes a gripping thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat. On a foggy summer night, eleven peopleâten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painterâdepart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean.
The only survivors are Scott Burroughsâthe painterâand a four-year-old boy who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family. With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew membersâincluding a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilotâthe mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens.
As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work?
Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. While Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.
Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.
Under The Rug is a memoir chronicling the unforgettable childhood & adolescence of L. Marie Williams. She illustrates her unconventional upbringing in this heart-rendering story of neglect, abuse, and loss.
L. Marie Williams captures the essence of a lost childhood in this recount of her youth. Physically and sexually abused at a young age, she was passed through her family and the foster care system, neglected and lost.
She met Tony, and despite their age difference, he showed her an unconditional love and loyalty that she had never experienced before. When he ended up in prison, Marie found herself homeless and a victim of the Juvenile Justice System.
This is a story of the trials she experienced, her journey of survival, and the lasting effects it has had on her life.
Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit tells the remarkable true story of Christopher Knight, a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.
In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries.
Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, author Michael Finkel provides a vividly detailed account of Knight's secluded lifeâwhy did he leave? what did he learn?âas well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.
In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.
Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didnât change who she was. But the night her brotherâs best friend rapes her, Edenâs world capsizes.
What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once lovedâwho she once lovedâshe now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows sheâs supposed to tell someone what happened but she canât. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.
Told in four partsâfreshman, sophomore, junior, and senior yearâthis provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young womanâs strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.
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Trapped, his family missing â how can ancient wisdom tell him how to survive? This powerful, true-life drama shows us how to triumph over every darkness.
Home in India on holiday, Viral Dalal is vacationing with his family when a 7.7 magnitude earthquakeâone of the most ferocious in historyâcollapses the high-rise building where, just the night before, he had celebrated being together with his family. Now, buried under tons of rubble, in total darkness, without food, water, light, or the ability to even moveâand with the ceiling hanging precariously just inches above his headâall Viral wants is to find his family. The cement box he is trapped in, however, will not yield â and hours crawl by. Then a full day, and another, and anotherâŠ
Is anyone even looking for him? Or is he buried alive? Forgotten? What would you do, trapped in such a predicament? What is going to help him now?
This bold, challenging, breathtaking tale of courage reveals the source of willpower that drove a man who would not give up. What he learned, we can all learn - about ourselves, and about life. In every life, there is a source of strength. Do you know yours? What Viral learned by going to his sources of inner strength can change your perspective on living. It can empower you to face anything⊠once you, too, know how to choose light.
A shining, inspirational story you will not be able to put down⊠or ever forget.
FBI special agent Mercy Kilpatrick has been waiting her whole life for disaster to strike. A prepper since childhood, Mercy grew up living off the landâand off the gridâin rural Eagleâs Nest, Oregon. Until a shocking tragedy tore her family apart and forced her to leave home. Now a predator known as the cave man is targeting the survivalists in her hometown, murdering them in their homes, stealing huge numbers of weapons, and creating federal suspicion of a possible domestic terrorism event. But the crime scene details are eerily familiar to an unsolved mystery from Mercyâs past.
Sent by the FBI to assist local law enforcement, Mercy returns to Eagleâs Nest to face the family who shunned her while maintaining the facade of a law-abiding citizen. There, she meets police chief Truman Daly, whose uncle was the cave manâs latest victim. He sees the survivalist side of her that she desperately tries to hide, but if she lets him get close enough to learn her secret, she might not survive the falloutâŠ
From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box comes a chilling novel about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that threatens to reduce civilization to ashes. A band of improbable heroes battles to save it, led by one powerful and enigmatic man known as the Fireman.
The fireman is coming. Stay cool.
No one knows exactly when it began or where it originated. A terrifying new plague is spreading like wildfire across the country, striking cities one by one: Boston, Detroit, Seattle. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else, itâs Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodiesâbefore causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe.
Harper Grayson, a compassionate, dedicated nurse as pragmatic as Mary Poppins, treated hundreds of infected patients before her hospital burned to the ground. Now sheâs discovered the telltale gold-flecked marks on her skin. When the outbreak first began, she and her husband, Jakob, had made a pact: they would take matters into their own hands if they became infected. To Jakobâs dismay, Harper wants to liveâat least until the fetus she is carrying comes to term. At the hospital, she witnessed infected mothers give birth to healthy babies and believes hers will be fine too... if she can live long enough to deliver the child.
Convinced that his do-gooding wife has made him sick, Jakob becomes unhinged, and eventually abandons her as their placid New England community collapses in terror. The chaos gives rise to ruthless Cremation Squadsâarmed, self-appointed posses roaming the streets and woods to exterminate those who they believe carry the spore. But Harper isnât as alone as she fears: a mysterious and compelling stranger she briefly met at the hospital, a man in a dirty yellow firefighterâs jacket, carrying a hooked iron bar, straddles the abyss between insanity and death.
Known as The Fireman, he strolls the ruins of New Hampshire, a madman afflicted with Dragonscale who has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted... and as a weapon to avenge the wronged. In the desperate season to come, as the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Firemanâs secrets before her lifeâand that of her unborn childâgoes up in smoke.