Publication date: February 26th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
Synopsis
Read these bestselling tales of survival against the odds, dark worlds, dystopian regimes and heroic rebels.
Shattered Worlds features six full-length novels from bestselling authors. Immerse yourself in post-apocalyptic civilizations and bleak near-futures where hope still lives.
Featured authors and books are:
Elle Casey: Apocalypsis
Shalini Boland: Outside
Zoe Cannon: The Torturer’s Daughter
Scott Cramer: Night of the Purple Moon
Sarah Dalton: The Blemished
Katie French: The Breeders
Purchase The Shattered Worlds Box Set on
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Read
these bestselling tales of survival against the odds, dark worlds, dystopian
regimes and heroic rebels.
Shattered
Worlds features six full-length novels from bestselling authors. Immerse
yourself in post-apocalyptic civilizations and bleak near-futures where hope
still lives.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Elle
Casey – Apocalypsis Book 1: Kahayatle
My name's
Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of
Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along
with all the other adults in the world. I'm almost out of food and the gangs of
kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day.
It's time
for me to leave and find another place to live ... a place where I can find
food and shelter ... a place where they won't be able to find me.
Alone, it
might have been possible; but now I've got company. I'm worried that I don't
have what it takes to get from here to my final destination.
And I
have no idea what might be waiting for me when I get there.
**May not
be suitable for younger, middle grade readers.**
Excerpt
I stuffed the sleeping bag down into my
backpack with angry, punching motions, sick and tired of having to be here and
having to do the same thing over and over again. I hated camping, I hated being
organized, and more than anything, I hated what this exercise stood for.
“Don’t do it like that. I told you - you
have to conserve the room as best you can. You have to travel as efficiently as
possible. Take it out and start over.”
“I don’t see what difference it makes.”
“Trust me, it’s going to be a really big
deal to you in the not so distant future.” His voice sounded hollow.
“Says who?” I was being ornery. I knew the
answer to the question already.
“Says me, Bryn. And the news. Look around,
would you?” He sounded like he was pleading now. “Stop defaulting back to the
rebellious young teen act, and get serious. We don’t have enough time to play
those games anymore.”
“They’re not games, Dad. I am a teenager. I don’t care what the
news jerks and the government say.” I threw my backpack down on the ground.
“And it’s not rebellious to not want to play friggin’ survivor in the backyard
every day.”
My dad looked at me with a sad expression
and sighed, reaching over to pull me into a tight hug. He dropped his nose to
my head and inhaled deeply.
My face was pressed up against his shirt,
and I could smell his sweat mixed with the sweet scent of his aftershave. My
dad always said he was the last of a dying breed, using that stuff. He couldn’t
have been more right.
“Maybe it’s not going to happen here … to
us.” I said it just to hear the words, but I knew it was only wishful thinking.
I could tell he was getting choked up again
when he started talking, his voice now hoarse.
“I wish, more than anything else in this
world, that you didn’t have to be standing here with me in this backyard
playing survivor.” His whole body started to shake with silent sobs. “Oh, God,
Bryn. If I could do anything to
change this, anything at all, I would. I swear to God I would. But it’s
happening. No one can stop it.”
I put my arms around his waist, letting go
of my earlier stubborn anger, now choking back my own tears. “I know, Dad. I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“Yes, you did,” he said, sniffing hard and
clearing his throat, shifting to hold me at arm’s length. He was staring at me
while he smiled through his tears, giving me that look. The one that always made me confess.
“Okay, so maybe I did mean it. But I’ll
shut up about it for a little while.”
“Not for too long, though. You wouldn’t be
my daughter if you weren’t complaining about something.”
I tried to slap him playfully but he moved
too fast for me. My dad is light on his feet, an expert level-one practitioner
of krav maga - a certified badass. He’d only recently taken up camping.
“Pick it up,” he ordered, now back in
control of his emotions. “Do it again. Only this time, get the air out of that
bag first, condense it down …”
I cut him off. “I know, I know … ‘down into
the smallest footprint possible.’ Geez, Dad, I’m not an idiot.”
I shook the sleeping bag out and started
rolling it up quickly, using the moves I’d been practicing for four months
straight to squeeze it down into a lump the size of a small loaf of bread. I
folded the whole thing in half, pushed it to the bottom of the backpack, and
then let it unfold itself one time, before putting the other items in on top of
it: unbreakable water bottle, half-liter of bleach, square of plastic, cup,
hunting knife, and various other tools my father was quite certain I would need
… once all the adults in the world had died off, leaving us kids alone to fend
for ourselves.
Shalini Boland – Outside
A post-apocalyptic
romance thriller.
The world
of the future is divided by Perimeters: high-security gated communities where
life goes on as normal. If you’re inside you’re lucky, if you’re outside life
expectancy takes a nose dive.
Riley is
fortunate to have been born on the right side of the fence. But her life of
privilege comes crashing down when someone breaks through the Perimeter and
murders her sister. She forsakes her own safety to go in search of the killer.
Luc decides to go with her otherwise she’ll be dead before she’s past the
security gate. But what awaits her outside is more unbelievable than she ever
expected.
Cut to
the present day where Eleanor's world is falling apart. This time next year,
civilization won't be quite so civilized . . .
*Suitable
for adults and teens aged 13+*
Excerpt
Pa is a black marketeer. Nobody and
everybody knows this. Pa pays people not to rock the boat. He pays the guards,
he pays the neighbors and he even pays his friends. He pays off just about
everyone – a liter of whisky here and a bag of sugar there, and in return we
live a life of ease and comfort. Pa believes in the carrot approach just as
much as the punishing stick. As long as he doesn’t draw too much attention to
himself from the wrong quarters, we’re safe and free.
Pa can get his hands on just about anything
from before. If you’ve got a craving for a pot noodle he can probably magic one
up from somewhere. But it’ll cost you all you’ve got and more besides. He isn’t
swayed by threats or tears. He’ll hold fast and stare you down and if you can’t
pay you might get a bullet in your head, or worse.
This morning, my parents are standing
together in the doorway of the sitting room. Behind me, the sun floods in
through the windows and they edge closer to avoid squinting into the too-bright
light.
Their faces are ghost white and Ma’s nose
and eyes are pink and swollen. She shivers and her teeth chatter as though
she’s chilled and it isn’t the warm July morning it appears to be.
‘Riley, can you sit down?’ Pa asks.
‘Okay,’ I say. They’re acting weird. It’s
freaking me out. My legs are heavy wood and I’m not sure I can make the three
feet required to reach the sofa.
‘Okay,’ I repeat. But I don’t move. I just
keep looking from one to the other and they stare back almost as if they’re
afraid of me.
‘Riley, sit down,’ Pa says.
I walk to the sofa and sit in one corner
with my hands on my lap. The leather is cool against my legs in the warmth of
the room. Fear has travelled up from my stomach to my throat and I can’t
swallow. I feel sick.
‘Riley,’ he says, running his hands slowly
through his hair.
‘No!’ Ma loses it. She sobs and stumbles
towards me. Sits and buries her head in my chestnut curls, rocking me backwards
and forwards, moaning and muttering. I can’t breathe she’s holding me so tight.
‘Sweetheart, let go, you’re crushing her.
Go and lie down upstairs if you want. I’ll tell her.’ Pa’s voice is soft and
broken. It doesn’t sound a bit like him.
She lets go of me, cups my face in her
hands and kisses my face all over. ‘No, It’s alright, I’m alright,’ she says
not taking her eyes from my face. ‘I'm not leaving my baby.’ She leans back,
trembling. I press my hands back into my lap and she wraps her arms around
herself, still shivering and rocking.
Our house has always been a light and happy
place. I don’t understand what’s going on. My face and pyjama top are wet from
Ma’s sticky tears. I let my mind wander for a minute, away from the awful
strangeness of what’s going on and I hear the low background hum of the
generators overlaid by the familiar whirr and thrum of a copter hovering
overhead.
Has my father done something wrong? Are we
in danger? Do we have to leave the Perimeter? All the most awful things I can
think of crowd my brain. And then … Skye! Why isn’t she here? My little sister
is usually up before me. I hesitate, not wanting to pose the question. Maybe
she’s too young for this conversation and they’ve sent her out of earshot. She
won't like that; she’ll kick up a real fuss. But then I would have heard them
arguing and everything has been quiet this morning; abnormally quiet up until
now.
An unwanted thought creeps into my head and
I push it out quickly.
‘Where’s Skye?’ My voice sounds high
pitched and distant, like my ears need to pop.
Pa comes close and crouches down in front
of me. He takes both my hands in his and looks into my eyes.
‘Something’s happened.’ He breaks off.
‘We’re waiting for … We’re not sure ...’
And then something really horrible happens.
My powerful, strong, wonderful father starts crying. Proper messy crying where
his face twists and his voice sounds broken. I’m appalled. He never cries.
‘Pa …’
I’m not a typical daddy’s girl. I love the
bones of him, but I feel easiest around Ma. We always talk make-up, fashion,
gossipy stuff and laugh a lot together. Skye belongs to Pa and Pa definitely
belongs to Skye. They’re a team. I never feel excluded exactly, but I don’t
have the same natural connection they do.
‘Riley,’ he says. ‘I don't know how to say
this.’ He looks over at Ma who’s staring at him in horror. ‘Skye is … Skye is.
Oh Riley, she … she’s dead.’
I stare down at the patterns on the carpet.
I’ve never noticed just how vivid the individual colours are. The over-all
effect is of a soft warmth, but I focus on a particular strand of red that seems
almost luminous, as if it’s going to jump out of the weave and hit me in the
face.
Zoe Cannon – The Torturer’s Daughter
When her
best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca Dalcourt assumes
it's the usual drama. Wrong. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents
- and Becca's mother, the dystopian regime's most infamous torturer, has
already executed them for their crimes against the state.
To stop
Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents' innocence,
Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn't expect to find evidence that
leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents...
and about her mother.
When she
risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn't the only one
with secrets - and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people
she loves most. For Becca, it's no longer just a choice between risking
execution and ignoring the regime's crimes; she has to decide whose life to
save and whose to sacrifice.
It's easy
to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is
choose how you live in it? An Amazon dystopian bestseller, The Torturer's
Daughter is a story about ordinary life amidst the realities of living under an
oppressive regime... and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what's right
in a world gone wrong.
Scott Cramer – Night of the Purple Moon
Abby, 13,
is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly
bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She
must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the
while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her--adolescence.
*Parental
discretion advised for readers 13 and under*
Sarah Dalton – The Blemished
A
beautiful world comes at a price...
In a
world filled with stunning clones Mina Hart is Blemished. Her genes are worthless
and that takes away her rights: her right to an Education, her right to a
normal life and her right to have a child.
Mina
keeps a dangerous secret which she never thought she could share until she
meets Angela on her first day at St Jude's School. But their friendship is soon
complicated by Angela’s adoptive brother Daniel. Mina finds herself drawn to
his mysterious powers and impulsive nature. Then there is the gorgeous clone
Sebastian who Mina is forbidden from even speaking to…
The
Blemished is a frightening take on a fractured future where the Genetic
Enhancement Ministry have taken control of Britain. It will take you on a ride
filled with adventure, romance and rebellion.
Book one
in the popular YA dystopia series 'Blemished'.
Katie French – The Breeders
“When the
Breeders come for ya, there ain't no escape. They strap ya to a bed and all ya
hear is the thud of your heart and the cries of your friends as they wheel ya
down to hell. Then the doctors come. You squeeze your eyes shut and pray you
can forget. But ya never do.”
Sixteen-year-old
Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her
mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to
bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep
her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape
the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords,
the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless
society. And they're hunting Riley.
When the
local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over
to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a
shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who
seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks
Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's
affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and
risk her freedom?
The three
embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the
Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men
scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is
forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her
mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out.
About the Authors
Elle Casey
Elle
Casey is a full-time writer of New Adult and Young Adult titles in several
genres, including romance, urban fantasy, sci-fi dystopian, and
action-adventure. She's an American girl who's been living in southern France
with her husband and three children since 2010. She loves chatting with her
readers, so feel free to drop her a line.
Shalini Boland
Shalini
lives in Dorset, England with her husband and two noisy boys. Before children,
she was signed to Universal Music as a singer songwriter. Now, writing novels
has hijacked her life and she is usually to be found with a laptop welded to
her fingers and the house in a permanent state of neglect. Find Shalini at: http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk
Zoe Cannon
Zoe
Cannon writes about the things that fascinate her: outsiders, societies no sane
person would want to live in, questions with no easy answers, and the inner
workings of the mind. If she couldn't be a writer, she would probably be a
psychologist, a penniless philosopher, or a hermit in a cave somewhere. While
she'll read anything that isn't nailed down, she considers herself a YA reader
and writer at heart. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and a giant
teddy bear of a dog, and spends entirely too much time on the internet. Find
Zoe at: http://www.zoecannon.com
Scott Cramer
Scott
Cramer has written feature articles for national magazines, covered school
committee meetings for a local newspaper, published haiku and poetry, optioned
a screenplay, and worked in high-tech marketing communications. His pursuit of
a good story has put him behind the stick of an F-18, flying a Navy Blue
Angels' fighter jet, and he has trekked through the Peruvian mountains in
search of an ancient Quechua festival featuring a condor. Scott and his wife
have two daughters and reside outside Lowell, Massachusetts (birthplace of Jack
Kerouac) in an empty nest/zoo/suburban farm/art studio with too many surfboards
in the garage. Find Scott at: http://www.facebook.com/authorscottcramer
Sarah Dalton
Sarah
grew up in the middle of nowhere in the countryside of Derbyshire and as a
result has an over-active imagination. She has been an avid reader for most of
her life, taking inspiration from the stories she read as a child, and the
novels she devoured as an adult.
She is
the author of the popular YA dystopia series 'Blemished' and the gothic novella
'My Daylight Monsters'. She is currently working on a YA Fantasy series titled
'White Hart'. Find Sarah at: http://sarahdaltonbooks.com/
Katie French
Katie
French imagined herself an author when her poem caught the eye of her second
grade teacher. In middle school she spent her free time locked in her room,
writing her first young adult novel. Though her social life suffered, her love
for literature thrived. She studied English at Eastern Michigan University,
where she veered from writing and earned an education degree. She spent nine
years teaching high school English. Currently she is a school counselor, doing
a job that is both one of the hardest things she's ever done and the most
rewarding. In her free time she writes, reads great books and takes care of her
two beautiful and crazy children. She is a contributor and co-creator of
Underground Book Reviews, a website dedicated to erasing the boundaries between
traditional and non-traditional publishing. She lives in Michigan with her
husband and two children. You can find her at www.katiefrenchbooks.com.
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