Poll
(closed)
PLEASE VOTE FOR A BOOK YOU'D LIKE TO READ for a bonus mid-October book, written by a member of the Apocalypse Whenever group! This is poll #1 to narrow down the options. Please keep the voting fair (no campaigning outside the group to pad the numbers); only members who will actually read and discuss with us should be voting. (Chances are we will do more than one bonus read in upcoming months, by the way.) Happy voting!
PLEASE VOTE FOR A BOOK YOU'D LIKE TO READ for a bonus mid-October book, written by a member of the Apocalypse Whenever group! This is poll #1 to narrow down the options. Please keep the voting fair (no campaigning outside the group to pad the numbers); only members who will actually read and discuss with us should be voting. (Chances are we will do more than one bonus read in upcoming months, by the way.) Happy voting!

Ain't No Grave by S.A. Softley
2015, 260 pages
Kindle 2.99 (on sale from Sept 20 to Oct 1 for 99¢), print 15.99
"A man is struck by an unknown illness high over northern Canada. The plane is forced to make an emergency landing in an isolated northern town. When he awakens, he finds himself naked and cold in an empty hospital. He soon discovers that the town is deserted and all its people missing. Alone in the unforgiving winter, he must struggle to survive and uncover the truth. Nothing can prepare him for what he finds."

After the Storm by Don Chase
2012, 204 pages, AR 3.64
99¢ Kindle, cheap used paperback
"After the Storm is a post apocalyptic novel set five years after a meteor wipes out 95% of the population. A group of survivors in Boston have to find ways to survive and contend with a reemerging government that wants to take back control after deserting them for years... Hilarity ensues."

Devastation Point -5 Years Post Viral Apocalypse by Paul Kirk
Print Length: 568 pages
Publication Date: October 8, 2014
Kindle Price: $2.99
Book Print Price: $18.97
"The world collapsed after the spread of the hyper-aggressive H5N1 Avian plague and several airborne mutations. By simply breathing the air, billions around the world died in less than a few months' time. Airborne Special Forces Colonel Connor MacMillen survives the dark and dangerous times. DEVASTATION POINT begins with Connor Mac's exploits in the fifth year of the New Dark Ages as he encounters a strange and changed America turned upside down by the "Cuckoo Flu". "

The Hauntings of Playing God by Chris Dietzel
2014, 225 pages, AR 3.5
$3.99 Kindle, paperback from $7.97
"Everyone is dead. All that remains is an old woman and a gymnasium full of unresponsive bodies. Each day, another storm approaches, threatening to destroy the building they call home. Each night, a series of nightmares leaves the woman screaming for help. Alone and overwhelmed, will the final member of the human race be thought of as a caretaker or as a monster?
A Great De-evolution Story."

The Last of the Ageless: A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure by Traci Loudin
2015, 410 pages
$4.99 Kindle, $14.99 print
CreateSpace has a $4 off coupon: SQ9T5GUG
No zombies, no romance, just an adventure through the apocalypse.
"After the end of the world, every survivor must choose who to become... Victim? Or villain?"

Blank: Mind the Gap by Matt Eaton
2015, $3.99 on Kindle and iBooks. About 300 pages
"The oceans of the world rise five metres without warning on the heels of a massive solar event."

Rocky Mountain Locust: Opus I, Trio by M.I. Lastman
2014 323 pages
Kindle $6.78 Soft Cover $17.86
Review: "The storyline is fast-paced, and thrilling, the commentary a sensitive and thoughtful discourse on 21st century life and times. Read it and weep.” Susan Koswan, KW Record. “This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. . . the story riveting and the characters believable, . . . it is also terrifyingly plausible, and maybe even inevitable. This is a MUST READ for every adult. . ."

Apocalypse Wow by Ben Mariner
2015, 288 pages, AR 4.31
$2.99 Kindle, paperback $10.99
"A 30-something guy and his friends head off on a cross-country road trip through a post-apocalyptic wasteland to find one woman and a whole bevy of problems."

The Northern Star: The Beginning
2012, 355ish pages
Kindle $.99 or paperback $9.99
""Top 5 Indie...” –Examiner
2058. As the struggle for dwindling resources plunges the world into chaos, and "Mindlink" technology opens cyberspace to the masses, injured soldier John Raimey is transformed into a powerful bionic warrior to retrieve the King Sleeper: a computer hacker so devastating on-line, he can decimate government infrastructure, subliminally persuade the masses, and even kill. "

The Freezer by David Kersten
2015, 318 pages paper, 419 pages Kindle
$3.99 for Kindle, $12.99 paperback.
"Ready to give up his fight with cancer, Jack Taggart wakes from surgery to find 350 years have passed. As one of the few people remaining on a scorched earth, he is now tasked with the fight to save humanity, a fight that will revolve around a recently discovered pre-war military bunker dubbed “The Freezer”"

Sunstone by R.W. Krpoun
2015, 248 pages
Kindle $1.99, print $6.50
"Sunstone is an alternative-history novel set in 1912. Three Pinkerton agents ride deep into revolution-torn Mexico on the trail of a wanted man and find themselves caught up in a web of horror that dates back centuries and threatens the world they know. "

David #26
ZomoSapienS by David B. Moon
2013, 175 pages
$2.99 ebook, $8.99 paperback
Review: "[...] another book on zombies but this one turned out really good. I found it refreshing and absolute creativeness. Nowadays U can go down the list of copy vs copy of authors who feed off of each others work with a newly added twist/ This book parts from the mundane with a fresh approach and shows someone capable of taking a rehashed subject and making it a worthwhile read. I hope he writes more. "

Sacrifice the Living by Michael Andre McPherson
2013, 344 pages
Kindle $2.99 (he'll drop it to 99 cents if it becomes a group read), Paperback $12.99.
"With half the company changing their hours to the night shift, and murders occurring through Chicago at an alarming rate, Bert and his friends infiltrate a strange society of hybrids bent on forcing an evolutionary change on humanity. Some will be slaves, fodder for the new hybrids, but most of the living will be sacrificed to feed the dead. Only a revolution can prevent the destruction."

Sugar Scars by Travis Norwood
2015, 288 pages
Kindle price: $4.99, Print price:$17.95
"I think the group would find it refreshing since the story is unique. A virus kills most of the population (which is very typical for this genre), but the story takes a different focus. Most of the survivors have it easy since resources are plentiful. But a nineteen-year-old girl who is a type 1 diabetic will die if she can't figure out how to make insulin."

Final Response by E.R. Yatscoff
2015, 250 pages
$6.14 kindle, $13.46 paperback
"The Polar Vortex has grown stronger with every winter, ravaging northern cities, and forcing an evacuation of a major city until springtime. Firefighter Captain Jack Sellars and his men are contracted to protect the city with one mandate: don't let the city burn down. With no power or gas, and all the citizens gone, what could possibly happen?"

H narratives: Divulgence by S.J. Romero
2015, 300 pages, new book/no reviews yet
$2.99 Kindle
"Death is not what we thought in this debut novel by s.j. romero. Six people, three women and three men, begin a mind-altering journey through Hell as participants in an elaborate war-games environment run by the ruling overseers known as Rivaaja. Part suspense, part shock, H narratives: Divulgence is like nothing you've ever read."

Summer of the Apocalypse by James Van Pelt
2006, 260 pages
$4.99 Kindle, $17.99 paperback
"When a plague wipes out most of humanity, fifteen-year-old Eric sets out to find his father. Sixty years later, Eric starts another long journey in an America that has long since quit resembling our own, but there are shadows everywhere. Shadows of what the world once was, and shadows from Eric's past. Blood bandits, wolves, fire, feral children, and an insane militia are only a few of the problems Eric faces. "

Storm Orphans by Matt Handle
2014, 237 pages
Kindle price $3.99, print price $8.99
"After an attempt at urban pacification goes horribly awry at the CDC, 99% of the population is wiped out and most of the survivors have turned into cannibalistic freaks known as The Afflicted.
Storm Orphans is the tale of a handful of men and women that avoided that fate and now make their way through a hellish gauntlet from Miami to Atlanta in search of both answers and revenge."

Evolution of Angels by Nathan Wall
2014, 388 pages
$2.99 Kindle
"In the pursuit of genetic perfection, and the hopes of helping his wife conceive, William Sanderson clones an Angel. The only problem is the clone's powers can't be controlled, so his memory is erased and a mental wall is erected to keep what lingers inside from breaking out. One day, to battle a force the likes which have never been encountered, this clone’s mental wall is broken."

The Mountain and The City: The Complete Saga
2012, 348 pages
Kindle $2.99, print $11.42
"A solitary survivor hides in a mountain above a dead city. This is life with the door and windows taped shut. But one day a visitor comes up the mountain."

Rocketbar Amicus by Stephen M. Shaw
2012, 646 pages
Kindle $8.99, paperback from $4.46
"Movie deal: Global Sunrise Productions. Upheavals in nature signal the End of Days.Rogue NSA commandos implode mega-highrises on the West Coast,without casualties.They demand an end to the Electoral College,lobbying,and private campaign financing.To pursue the terrorists, the president erroneously orders the invasion of Mexico. His key agent falls in love with the daughter of Mexico's president."

King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology by Paola K. Amaras et al.
2015, 355 pages
Kindle Price: 5.99, Print: 14.95
This anthology includes some post-apocalyptic tales such as "Twilight's First Dreaming".
"What if Merlin was actually advising multiple reincarnations of King Arthur during various points, and places, in time and history? And what if this all began at the end of time? King of Ages is an anthology like no other, showcasing stories that re-imagine King Arthur at several points in history, from the end of days all the way to the beginning of mankind."

The Fractured Earth by Matt Hart
2015, 128 pages
$0.99 Kindle, $8.99 paperback
"Alien Reality TV meets Earth Apocalypse -- aliens have simulated an EMP and created a bio-infestor that turns a portion of the population in Zombies. The struggle and death of the humans is fodder for selling commercial time for stim-sticks and chewy drinks. Can the humans win against the might of the Boreling Empire?"

Of Sudden Origin - Omnibus by C. Chase Harwood
2014, 349 Pages
$3.99 Kindle (iBook, Nook, Kobo) $11.99 Paperback
A review: "You can't give a man who lives in the woods a book like this! Absolutely rocked my socks off. Non-stop OMFG action. The writing on this one was top notch. Great story plot. Great timing. Characters were awesomely developed. You just do not know how this one will end. If you like Zombie Apocalypse stuff then you will love this. Read it now before it's too late!" "

A Guide to First Contact by T.P. Archie
2014, 584 pages
Kindle Price $6.00
Print Price soft cover: £15, hard cover: £25.
"Alternates between the present day & a post-apocalyptic future.
Civilisation collapses but why? Is it the aliens? the post-humans? the genetic plague? Or the new super-power: the Mandat Culturel?
Triste is a mercenary & makes enemies for fun: sub-human, post-human, alien. He finds pieces of the puzzle. Events draw in beings as old as the stars.
New twists on First Contact, the Rapture and God."

6th Horseman by Anderson Atlas
2015, 382 pages
ebook $4.99, $14.99 print
"For hundreds of years, a ninth century mosque guarded a secret, an artifact covered with strange spores. Zilla tinkered with the spore’s DNA until a biological weapon emerged, one that obliterated all but a fraction of humanity. A new creature spawned inside the rotting corpses. In symbiosis, they attacked, adapted and learned. They were poised to inherit the Earth when they met Ian
Gladstone. "

Partholon by D. Krauss
2013, 311 pages
Kindle: 6.99 Paperback: 13.99
No tiny blurb provided, so I'm grabbing a bit of the long one:
"Based on an old Irish legend of the same name, Partholon is a brutal look at how the just and the civilized respond to anarchy. It will delight lovers of action and military science fiction, like John Scalzi's Old Man's War or Robert Ferrigno's Prayers for the Assassin."

Unknown Object by William Soppitt
2014, 242 pages
Kindle $1. Print $6.49
"An object impacts earth, but this is no ordinary meteor. The object rises and continues to impact at various locations. Undetectable by modern technology, it decimates the planet. Only a young woman, made mute by a close encounter with the object, stands in the way of total annihilation. Does anyone have faith in her? "
78 total votes
Poll added by: Gertie
This Poll is About
Authors:
Ben Mariner, Stephen M. Shaw, James Van Pelt, David Kersten, Paul Kirk, Don Chase, Chris Dietzel, Paola K. Amaras, C. Chase Harwood, Travis Norwood, S.A. Softley, Nathan Wall, William Soppitt, M.I. Lastman, Michael Andre McPherson, Matt Handle, D. Krauss, Anderson Atlas, R.W. Krpoun, Sara F. Hathaway, E.R. Yatscoff, T.P. Archie, Matt Eaton, Traci Loudin, David B. Moon, Matt Hart, S.J. Romero
Books:
Ben Mariner, Stephen M. Shaw, James Van Pelt, David Kersten, Paul Kirk, Don Chase, Chris Dietzel, Paola K. Amaras, C. Chase Harwood, Travis Norwood, S.A. Softley, Nathan Wall, William Soppitt, M.I. Lastman, Michael Andre McPherson, Matt Handle, D. Krauss, Anderson Atlas, R.W. Krpoun, Sara F. Hathaway, E.R. Yatscoff, T.P. Archie, Matt Eaton, Traci Loudin, David B. Moon, Matt Hart, S.J. Romero
Books:





























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Yup that is what I was thinking we'd probably do too, IF enough members participate in the first read.
S.J. wrote: "Is there a way to keep authors from voting for their own book?"
If you guys really are concerned about it we could make a rule that authors can't vote on their own, but not until the next poll as we are already 9 votes in. I won't proceed on that unless several authors chime in with the same request.


Do you prefer I hide the results until the end of the poll, or keep them visible? I'm guessing some authors will want to watch results, but I'm also aware some people vote based on what votes they can already see. I usually leave it all visible.


Do you prefer I hide the results until the end of the poll, or keep them visible? I'm guessing some authors will want to watch results, but I'm also aware some people ..."
I'm enjoying watching the action, but since I'm behind I don't mind if you hide it so that I can pretend I'm in the lead for a while. It's a fun Thursday, so I'm good either way. Anyone else out there have a real opinion?

Would love to have my book included, if not now, maybe in the next one. I've been a fairly quiet community member recently finishing my second book, but I do read the comment digest when I get it in my e-mail. My first book, All is Silence, is a pandemic apocalypse.
Thanks,
Rob
An Apocaloptimist!

Apocaloptimist, I like that.

Apocaloptimist, I like that."

Do you prefer I hide the results until the end of the poll, or keep them visible? I'm guessing some authors will want to watch results, but I'm also aware some people ..."
I prefer to see the results. If I vote and I see I'm the ONLY one who voted, I consider changing my vote to my second-place choice if it has a good number of votes. That way I end up with a book I really want to read in the running for the win.
I could care less whether authors vote for their own books or not. It's one vote! IF I was an author I would certainly vote for my own book. There are enough of us just plain old readers to even it out.

Do you prefer I hide the results until the end of the poll, or keep them visible? I'm guessing some authors will want to watch results, but I'm also awa..."
:) another reason I like to see the results: If I see a book is far ahead, I can assume it will win and get on the waiting list on my library's E-Zone.


I think they should be hidden. Lots of studies have shown that people will change their vote if they think they're voting for something that won't win. At least here in the first round, I'd rather have the votes be "pure".

That being said, I want to make a suggestion not having read the rest and afraid I may miss out, I suggest we read them all or at least those that have had some 4 - 5 star reviews. I understand this is subjective because one 5 star may be another's 3 star and they enjoyed the book at the same level. Over the last year or so I have had the luck to read some very impressive independent authors works that I have found through Goodreads. Since by definition these authors will be mostly unknown, it is hard to rate what is interesting except for reviews or stars and thus we should think about reading all of them or at least most of them. I hate to think we can be missing a gem because of a low vote count. Yes Yes Yes I know the authors will now love me because I am pushing all of the titles.
Seriously, we should at least consider this.

However anyone can start a Read With Me thread for a book, if anyone wants to take on some group reads of additonal titles.

Okay, Gertie. I was answering for both this poll and in general - just like to see and, as I said, perhaps change my vote (if I'm the only 1 or 2 to vote for a book, I'll change to another I liked that has more votes).
I know these are all new and self-published, so no, I won't find them in my library.



Nominations are now closed. The poll is now active and cannot be added to. If you'd like to participate in future events, stay tuned in case something is announced via the group or a newsletter.


I hope you try some of the books and let us know if you like them Joanne!

Second, thank you to all the voters, regardless of what you voted for. It's incredible to see 60+ supportive people engaging with self published books and authors. It's a great race to watch, I've been checking in regularly just for my own enjoyment. It's been really neck-in-neck!
Whoever wins, I'd love to see run-off votes with the remaining top candidates and would love to participate in all of these reads. I have lots of new books to work through now.
As an author, I have really enjoyed this being an open vote, but can see some merit to it being blind as well. Personally, I'd prefer it to be open regardless of whether or not I had a book in the running, just for my own interest.
As for authors voting, I don't feel strongly one way or the other. I did have one thought about it though: If you allow authors to vote, it encourages them to check back and be involved in the group rather than just dumping their promotion and leaving. I've been thoroughly engaged (and probably would have been with or without a vote) but by having the authors vote, people can see who has checked in and who has not. Just my thought, especially since the purpose is to feature authors that are members of the group.


Votes can be changed at any time as well - after you have voted, a "change your vote" link appears at the bottom of the options.


I'll leave it at that.