Dystopian Mystery

Welcome to future-shock. Hold on tight and buckle yourselves in, because the future is on a relentless onslaught, for better or worse. This is a collection of the short speculative fiction of Gabriel Walker Land. Most stories are flash fiction, meaning less than 1000 words. Each contains a story of mystery, action, romance, and suspense.

Sophie knew real fear and never more so than now. They had to escape the increasing danger...and that meant leaving their home. Their options were few...staying could be deadly. She knew disappearing wasn’t enough...they needed a safe place. Somewhere no one would ever think to look. She’d hoped their grandmother’s house would be safe...that didn’t work out. Caleb was determined to keep his best friend’s widow and children safe. But first he had to find them. Travel with Caleb, Sophie and her family on an inspirational saga that will rivet you with heart-wrenching moments of drama...

A Noir Mystery Collection by the Mysterious Thomas Temple Step into a world where darkness whispers your name, and reality twists beyond recognition. In Whispered Crimes, Thomas Temple masterfully weaves together noir mystery, psychological horror, and grotesque fiction in a collection of short stories that will leave you haunted. Inspired by the eerie allure of crime fiction and urban mysteries, Temple invites you to embrace the bizarre, the twisted, and the unknown.Prepare for a Literary Experience Like No Other If you're a fan of dark psychological thrillers, urban noir, or the surreal ...

A shipwreck on an isolated island. No food. No comforts. And only one player wins. Jack’s back, and in the thrilling conclusion to the End-User Jack series, his nemesis Mr. Smiley has thrown him into the deadliest contest yet. He’s up against a new game set in an unforgiving wilderness against a dozen adversaries competing to be the last player standing. But Jack is here to bring it all down. If he doesn’t defeat the game’s mad host, the tower will fall. It’s a final collision between the virtual and real as Jack fights to uncover Starvation Island’s biggest secret—the ...

In our near-future, the eccentric tech billionaire Jamin Lake reveals an innovation that could save our broken and divided nation: Algo, an A.I. candidate for president. It is heralded as an efficient, rational, and seemingly incorruptible leader, underpinned by the brainpower of a million minds. Jamin vows the A.I. has been programmed to follow only a single benevolent mantra: to deliver “the most good for the most people”. In a nation mired in seemingly endless crisis and division, it feels like a real chance for a better future.

In a destroyed world of abandoned towns and haunted memories, Millie Daniels lives protected behind the constrictive fences of a long forgotten prison. Her entire life she has longed for two things, to discover the truth behind her mother's death and to understand the mysteries kept shrouded among the surrounding forest. However, she can not do either alone. Faced with tragic circumstances in the decaying lands of the red zone, Millie must learn to fight for her survival. Along the way, her reality intertwines with cryptic dreams and dangerous obstacles threatening her life and those she ...

Jodi McDonald and her family have escaped from the Helios cult. But their freedom has come at a heavy price. Now, grief-stricken and fractured, they are once again on the road. As they search for a new sanctuary, Jodi is driven by one need above all others: to protect her family at all costs. Every person has their breaking point, and Owen McDonald has reached his. To cope with unbearable loss, he fixates on finding a new home—a fresh start. But his obsession with reaching the coast could have deadly consequences.

Dark Space #1 Is your substitute teacher... human? Kayla Baines is pretty sure Mr. Asher isn’t. He doesn’t blink. He moves like he’s gliding. And somehow, he knows everything about her class before anyone says a word. At first, Kayla thinks she’s imagining things. But then the pop quizzes start grading themselves, kids begin acting strange, and permission slips appear out of nowhere with her mom’s signature. Something is seriously wrong. With the help of her best friend Jaden and a mysterious girl named Rowan, Kayla discovers a secret underground lab, a network of android ...

One mysterious farm... Five slaves with no memories of the past... A shocking discovery that none of them saw coming. *** "With elements of Lost, Westworld, and many classic scifi tales, The Farm is a simmering piece about the grey area of power relationships. Recommended for those looking for a contemplative sci-fi mystery." - Paul C In the distant future, mankind is nearly extinct. Those who remain work the farms. But it's just a matter of time before humans are no longer needed... The countdown to the end has begun. *** Waking up on a farm that appears to be out of the early 1800's, Cole...

In a world overshadowed by the remnants of a buried past, Galia Oliver's seemingly idyllic life takes a sudden turn. The year is 2049, and her parents, Edith and Benjamin, have shielded her from the haunting memories of the mysterious underground society known as the Buried Reserve. Curiosity gnaws at Galia's core, fueled by the cryptic emails that infiltrate her inbox. The messages promise revelations that could rewrite history, secrets long hidden within her own family's past. Determined to unearth the buried truth that has haunted her parents, Galia embarks on a journey that catapults ...

When seven-year-old Callen is chased beyond his city's gated walls, and onto the land of the savages beyond, he uncovers a riddle that will take him twelve years to unravel. When he retraces his steps as a nineteen-year-old, he'll discover true love and adventure beyond his wildest dreams. He'll also be forced to choose between self-preservation and the greater good. The riddle Callen fought to solve, may end up costing his life. Reviews: 5.0 out of 5 stars “I recommend reading this book not just for the page-turning adventure but for what it can reveal to the reader about living one's ...

The Hunger Games meets Cinderella. This fairy tale has no happy endings - only dark beginnings. They call them the Crimson Fold. High up in their castle they look down on my little world and wield a silent control. That is, until the invitations are sent out. I never dreamed I'd be selected. They tell me it's a privilege. I should be honored. But the fear in their eyes doesn't lie. If I refuse to go, my family will be shunned. If I go, my life and my body will no longer be mine. It'll be theirs. At midnight it will be over. At midnight, I'll be his.

After barely escaping the Mission alive, Gene and Sissy face an impossible task: staying alive long enough to stop an entire world bent on their destruction. Bound on a train heading into the unknown with the surviving Mission girls, Gene, Sissy, David, and Epap must stick together and use everything they have to protect each other and their only hope: the cure that will turn the bloodthirsty creatures around them into humans again.

In a time when prisons no longer contain inmates behind concrete and steel, the convicted serve their time while asleep, rehabilitating in virtual reality while blissfully unaware of their crimes. Roger Parker is a professional prison breaker, skilled at navigating these strange penal dream worlds and extracting those imprisoned there - for a price. Parker wants out of the game, but a powerful senator, desperate to save his son, convinces Parker to pull one last job.

Science fiction meets future fairy-tale. When a time travel market research project goes wrong, Nils finds himself stranded and alone in post-apocalyptic Yorkshire, in the North of England, where civilization lies in ruins and literacy skills have completely and finally died out. Horrified by the brutality of the world around him, Nils seems doomed to endure the lonely life of a hermit in hiding until one day Ilsa, an injured child who has been raised by wolves comes into his life. Ilsa is mute and has never learned to speak, but when Nils reads Watership Down to her and then teaches her to...

Drake is a wounded man. He's given everything and lost even more. In order to save what little remains of his soul, he has to chase a man to another continent in hopes of retribution. But despite his efforts, New York City still isn't safe - it appears that not all rats went down with the ship. The rag-tag team that Drake left behind - Screech, Hanna, and Leroy - must do their best to clean up his mess before they are targeted by a group of ruthless drug lords who just also happen to be some of the richest and most powerful people in New York City.

Rhona has battled the malevolent AI intent on wiping out humanity since the first Machinations began - until she’s killed during a rescue mission gone wrong. Now, Rhona awakens to find herself transported to a new body, complete with her DNA and her personality. She's a clone...of herself. Except for her missing memories. Some of which could potentially turn the tide of the war.

A medical miracle is reshaping the world. The artificial womb ensures the perfect health and flawless development of every unborn child. Natural pregnancy is now an unnecessary risk - and quickly criminalized as a danger to both mother and fetus. As a reporter, Jessica Brantley makes new enemies on a daily basis covering both sides of the controversial new law. Now her search for the truth behind this world-changing technology will lead to an unimaginable discovery - the existence of children with terrifying telepathic powers.

From NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Josie Litton Think you know the story of "Sleeping Beauty"? Discover it again for the very first time. In this sensual retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” set in the near future, a beautiful young woman awakens in the garden of a secluded estate with no knowledge of who she is or how she came to be there. For the man who walks out of the darkness to claim her, she is at once the ultimate challenge and the greatest temptation. "5 Explosive stars...nothing less than spectacular…sensual, explosive and revealing."--DawnMarie Carpintero, Goodreads ...

The second book in a supernatural mystery series by the author of Thrown Away, Diary of the Displaced, Arisen, and Dustfall. Strange things are around every corner... After following an article that the ghost Larry has spotted in the local newspaper, Jake finds himself out on his own and on the trail of a series of disappearances stretching back for over a hundred years. But the deeper he delves, the more complicated and dangerous the mystery becomes. This is where the lost go. There are hidden places in our world where both the strange and the evil lurk. Few discover them, and even fewer ...