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Zombies are real. And we made them. Are you prepared for the zombie apocalypse? The Smith family is, with the help of a few marines.

When an airborne "zombie" plague is released, bringing civilization to a grinding halt, the Smith family, Steven, Stacey, Sophia and Faith, take to the Atlantic to avoid the chaos. The plan is to find a safe haven from the anarchy of infected humanity. What they discover, instead, is a sea composed of the tears of survivors and a passion for bringing hope.

For it is up to the Smiths and a small band of Marines to somehow create the refuge that survivors seek in a world of darkness and terror. Now with every continent a holocaust and every ship an abattoir, life is lived under a graveyard sky.

A World Cloaked in Darkness

With human civilization annihilated by a biological zombie plague, a rag-tag fleet of yachts and freighters known as Wolf Squadron scours the Atlantic, searching for survivors. Within every abandoned liner and carrier lurks a potential horde, safety can never be taken for granted, and death and turning into one of the enemy is only a moment away.

The Candle Flickers

Yet every ship and town holds the flickering hope of survivors. One and two from lifeboats, a dozen from a fishing village, a few hundred wrenched by fury and fire from a ship that once housed thousands...

Light a Flame

Now Wolf Squadron must take on another massive challenge: clear the assault carrier USS Iwo Jima of infected before the trapped Marines and sailors succumb to starvation. If Wolf Squadron can accomplish that task, an even tougher trial awaits: an apocalyptic battle to win a new dawn for humanity. The war for civilization begins as the boats of the Wolf Squadron become a beacon of hope on a Darkling Sea.

With the world consumed by a devastating plague that drives humans violently insane, what was once a band of desperate survivors bobbing on a dark Atlantic ocean has now become Wolf Squadron, the only hope for the salvation of the human race. Banding together with what remains of the U.S. Navy, Wolf Squadron, and its leader Steve Smith, not only plans to survive--he plans to retake the mainland from the infected, starting with North America.

The next step: produce a vaccine. But for do that, Wolf Squadron forces led by Smith's terrifyingly precocious daughters Sophia and Faith must venture into a sea of the infected to obtain and secure the needed materials. And if some of the rescued survivors turn out to be more than they seem, Smith just might be able to pull off his plan.

Once more, exhausted and redlining Wolf Squadron forces must throw themselves into battle, scouring the islands of the Atlantic for civilization's last hope.

With the world consumed by a devastating plague that drives humans violently insane, what was once a band of desperate survivors bobbing on a dark Atlantic ocean has now become Wolf Squadron, the only hope for the salvation of the human race. Banding together with what remains of the U.S. Navy, Wolf Squadron, and its leader Steve Smith, not only plans to survive--he plans to retake the mainland from the infected, starting with North America.

Smith's teenage daughters have become zombie hunters of unparalleled skill, both at land and on the sea, and they may hold the key to the rebirth of civilization on a devastated planet.

From his corner office on the forty-fourth floor of the Bank of the Americas tower on Wall Street, Tom Smith, global managing director for security, could see the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park--and a ravening zombie horde.

Officially, Smith was paid to preserve the lives and fortunes of employees, billionaires, and other clients. And with an implacable virus that turned the infected into ravenous zombies tearing through the city, the country, and the world, his job just got a lot harder.

Good thing Smith, late of the Australian special forces, isn't a man to give up easily. But saving civilization is going to take more than the traditional banking toolbox of lawyers, guns, and money. Smith needs infected human spinal tissue to formulate a vaccine--and he needs it by the truckload. To get it, he will have to forge a shady alliance with both the politicians of the City of New York and some of its less savory entrepreneurs.

But all of his back-alley dealing may amount to nothing if he can't stave off the fast-moving disease as it sweeps across the planet, leaving billions dead in its wake. And if he fails, his only fallback is an incomplete plan to move enough personnel to safe havens and prepare to restart civilization.

What's more, there are others who have similar plans--and believe it or not, they're even less charitable than a Wall Street investment banker. Sooner or later Smith will have to deal with them.

But first he has to survive the Fall.

THROUGH THE RAGING PLAGUE

At Tom Smith's previous gig, he was the global managing director for security of an international bank. Then the zombies emerged. And New York burned. His plan to save the city long enough to find a cure for the zombie virus didn't survive a bloody scrimmage between angry cops, cunning gangsters, and rapacious officials.

Tom and a few trusted allies were able to stay one step ahead and barely escape. Now they seek refuge in the bank's prepared evacuation retreat in the Cumberland Valley of Tennessee. But between Tom's people and relative safety are hundreds of miles of clogged roads, burnt-out towns and howling mobs of infected humans who know only hunger. Plus there are gangs of the non-infected who would like nothing more than to defeat and enslave any weary travelers who happen their way.

And finally, if Tom does pull off the journey, no one is sure how they are going to restart civilization. But even for that, Tom Smith has the spark of an idea. And, as always, the beginnings of a plan. Which he is certain will change completely when the enemy strikes.

CASTAWAYS IN A ZOMBIE PLAGUE

Six kids ranging from suburban geeks to street-smart pariahs. A British captain who rarely talks and never smiles. All on the 70-foot pilot house ketch Crosscurrent Voyager, bound on a senior summer cruise to adventure and serious fun.

Except most of the kids don't get along. And they'll be gone all summer. And none of them have sailed before. And worst of all--because they booked at the last minute--they got the destination nobody else wanted: the frigid and remote South Georgia Islands.

But there's one other hitch: they'll never see their families or friends again. Just days after they leave, a plague starts spreading like wildfire, turning most of its survivors into shrieking, cannibalistic rage-monsters. So with their past dying as fast as the world that shaped it, the kids' hated destination becomes their one hope for survival.

But it's an uncertain hope. Not only are other hostile survivors headed there, but South Georgia Island is unable to support permanent habitation. So if the strange crew of the Voyager doesn't come up with a further plan, they are--in every sense--heading straight toward the end of the world.

It was supposed to be fun. Six teenagers and their British captain aboard the ketch Crosscurrent Voyager, headed on a senior year summer cruise to excitement and adventure. Then the world as they knew it ended.

A plague spread throughout the globe, killing millions and turning the survivors into cannibalistic rage monsters--zombies, in so many words. Only by putting aside their differences were the young crew able to survive.

Now, they seek others like them, those fortunate souls who have made it through the zombie apocalypse. After all, maybe it's not the end of the world so long as GPS can help survivors navigate deadly terrain, to link up, and maybe--just maybe--ensure the continuation of the human race.

But the Earth's GPS systems are failing. It falls to those aboard the Crosscurrent Voyager to keep the unthinkable from happening. In order to do so, they must traverse dangerous seas to a European Space Agency complex in French Guiana.

And thousands of infected stand in the way.

If they succeed, humankind has a chance of rebuiling. If they fail, humanity may well be at the end of its journey.

TOP NAME WRITERS ENTER THE REALM OF JOHN RINGO'S BLACK TIDE RISING ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE SERIES!

A collection of all-original stories set in the Black Tide Rising series of novels created by multiple New York Times best-selling author John Ringo Stories by John Ringo, Eric Flint, John Scalzi & Dave Klecha, Sarah A. Hoyt, Jody Lynn Nye, Michael Z. Williamson and more.

The news that humanity had been dreading for ages had come true. Zombies are real. Worst of all, we created them. The apocalypse was upon us, and every man, woman and child had to answer a simple question of themselves: "What do we do now?" For a group of neighbors in the Chicago suburbs of Northern Indiana, it was "work together or die" ...and figure out how to live on top of oil storage tanks to keep the zombies at bay. For the Biological Emergency Response Teams in New York City, it was "how long can we fight off the infected before it's too late" ...as well as having to fight other groups all out to claim a dwindling stock of supplies and safety. And for a group of cheerleaders, it was about the end of their world. And about what happens when you get a group of physically fit young women really, really angry.

Contents:

• ix - Foreword (Black Tide Rising) - essay by Gary Poole
• 1 - Never Been Kissed - short story by John Ringo
• 5 - Up on the Roof - novella by Eric Flint
• 57 - Staying Human - short story by Jody Lynn Nye
• 71 - On the Wall - short story by David Klecha and John Scalzi
• 89 - Do No Harm - short fiction by Sarah A. Hoyt
• 109 - Not in Vain - novelette by Kacey Ezell
• 135 - How Do You Solve a Problem Like Grandpa? - novelette by Michael Z. Williamson
• 159 - Battle of the BERTs - novelette by Mike Massa
• 199 - The Road to Good Intentions - novelette by Tedd Roberts
• 227 - 200 Miles to Nashville - novelette by Christopher L. Smith
• 253 - Best Laid Plans - novelette by Eric S. Brown and Jason Cordova
• 267 - The Meaning of Freedom - short story by John Ringo
• 281 - Afterword (Black Tide Rising) - essay by John Ringo

Contents:

• ix - Foreword (Voices of the Fall) - essay by Gary Poole
• 1 - Starry, Starry Night - short story by John Ringo
• 11 - Spectrum - novelette by Mike Massa
• 37 - Storming the Tower of Babel - short story by Sarah A. Hoyt
• 61 - Return to Mayberry - novelette by Rob Hampson
• 93 - It Just Might Matter in the End - novelette by Travis S. Taylor
• 121 - Inhale to the King, Baby! - short story by Michael Z. Williamson
• 137 - Ham Sandwich - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• 163 - The Downeasters - novelette by Brendan DuBois
• 197 - The Species As Big As the Ritz - novelette by Robert Buettner
• 225 - The Cat Hunters - novelette by Dave Freer
• 255 - Alpha Gamers - short story by Griffin Barber
• 269 - True Faith and Allegiance - novelette by Michael Gants
• 299 - The Killer Awoke - short story by John Birmingham
• 317 - About the Authors (Voices of the Fall) - essay by uncredited

Contents:

• ix - Foreword (We Shall Rise) - essay by Gary Poole
• 1 - Social Distance - novelette by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta
• 37 - Liberation Day - short story by Brendan DuBois
• 53 - Appalachia Rex - short story by Jason Cordova
• 79 - Maligator Country - novelette by Lydia Sherrer
• 117 - Fire in the Sky - short story by Stephanie Osborn and Michael Z. Williamson
• 139 - Just Like Home - short story by Jody Lynn Nye
• 163 - Chase the Sunset - short story by Jamie Ibson
• 187 - Descent into the Underworld - short story by Brian Trent
• 215 - A Thing or Two - short story by Kacey Ezell
• 233 - Ex Fide Absurdo - short story by Brent Roeder and Christopher L. Smith
• 261 - The Best Part of Waking Up - short story by Mike Massa
• 288 - About the Editors and Authors - essay by uncredited

The world was brought to its knees by the zombie virus. But humanity has risen from the ashes and has begun to rebuild. Courageous men and women have kindled a fire of hope in the darkness. But mere survival is not enough.

The real challenge is how to keep that future alive. How to not just survive, not just rebuild, but actually thrive. To tell the universe that mankind can take whatever nature throws against us and not back down.

To stand united.

Stories by John Birmingham, Jody Lynn Nye, Jamie Ibson, Sarah A. Hoyt, Brian Trent, Dave Freer, Griffin Barber, Lydia Sherrer, Mel Todd, Christopher L. Smith, and Mike Massa.