It’s time for another installment of the “Gamers’ Guide to Permuted Press!
Here at Permuted Press, we love all things apocalyptic! As a company that has published over 80 titles targeting the apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, and survival horror fiction markets we realize that we share a lot in common with gamers. We love immersing ourselves in worlds that take us to places that we would never have imagined. No matter how gore-filled or how many hordes of undead threaten to annihilate us, we keep coming back for more. On occasion that next gamer fix might be months away, and we are left craving something to fill that empty void with the thrill of survival that the normal day-to-day fails to offer. We at Permuted Press would like now to lend a helping hand to our fellow gamers of the world by pairing some of the hottest new and upcoming gaming releases into a comprehensive Gamers Gift Guide.
Supplement that gaming addiction with the following novels!
• • •
Book: The Journal: Cracked Earth by Deborah D. Moore
Allexa Smeth has believed in being prepared ever since she got caught up in a grocery store mob hours before a big snow storm in Detroit. Many years later she’s living a quiet and peaceful life in a remote region of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and still preparing. This serves her well when a horrendous natural disaster rocks the entire country and brings all shipping to a halt, leaving many without food and
other necessary supplies.
In her small town of Moose Creek, Allexa serves as the little needed emergency manager, but is called on when many start to feel the effects of the food and gas shortage and they don’t know where else to turn. The nearby county seat is overwhelmed and leaves Allexa to handle the problems that arise on her own.
With the crisis worsening, power plants begin to divert electricity to the major cities, leaving the town a casualty of the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few. With this happening at the beginning of winter, the timing couldn’t be worse. The lack of heat pushes the residents to the limits of endurance; some leave for the city to be taken care of, others stay only to die of exposure, starvation or illness. Still others that have stayed survive by working together, only to be attacked by outsiders wanting what little the town has left.
As the winter progresses, more and more issues come up for Allexa to deal with, some of a very personal nature. Her son turns to her for help in caring for his autistic child when his wife goes missing. She then learns to prioritize and she learns she can’t save everyone. Click here for more information about this book.
Game: Tom Clancy’s The Division
Release Date 2015
The Division is inspired by Operation Dark Winter and Directive 51, real-world events which “revealed how vulnerable the United States have become”; society has become fragile and complex. In the game, a disease that spreads on Black Friday causes the United States to collapse in five days. The player is part of a group called the “Strategic Homeland Division (SHD)”, or “The Division” for short. This group was established to combat the threat brought about by the outbreak and are given direct authority by the President of the United States to do whatever it takes to save what remains in a massive multiplayer online situation, putting them against AI-controlled enemies, as well as other players in the game.
http://www.gamestop.com/ps4/games/tom-clancys-the-division/115468
* * *
Book: Dead Tide (Book 1) by Stephen A. North
Nick Talaski is a hard-bitten, angry cop. Graham is a newly divorced cab driver. Bronte is a Gulf War veteran hunting his brother’s killer. Janicea is a woman consumed by unflinching hate. Trish is a gentleman’s club dancer. Morgan is a morgue janitor. The dead have risen and the citizens of St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park are trapped. The survivors are scattered, and options are few. And not all monsters are created by a bite. Some still have a mind of their own… Click here for more information on this book.
Game: H1Z1
Release Date 2014
A zombie survival MMO set in a post-apocalyptic sandbox world where thousands of players must align with friends in order to survive the worldwide infection. Enter a world that has been overrun by zombies and fellow survivors since the H1Z1 virus outbreak. This is not a hoax! This is the Apocalypse! Fight for your life against the infected and against the brutality of others as you attempt to live and see another day. Every moment is borrowed time with one question to answer…Will you survive? https://www.h1z1.com/home
* * *
Book: Bloodlines: The Skylar Connors Chronicles (Book 1) by S.E. Acker
Skylar Connors is a retrieval specialist working out of Kingdom City. In the Kingdom, as it’s known to locals, fae, Otherkin, and witches all live alongside an oblivious human population. Connors himself is Otherkin, specifically the howling at the moon variety. Being a werewolf with supernatural friends definitely has its perks, along with some dark inclinations.
There are some animal urges that can’t be tamed even if you are living in the middle of a city. Life for the most part is comfortable for the only werewolf in Kingdom City if not entirely safe. That all changes when the city’s otherworldly citizens start to turn up with the life literally sucked out of them. No one is the community understands the murders and no one wants to help stop it.
Skylar, the one guy who would rather do anything else, is hired to track down the evil force that is becoming the bump in the night for all that bumps in the night. Soon his task becomes personal when one of his own is threatened with her life on the line, all the while he and his rag-tag group of friends face down some of the biggest names legend and fairytale has to offer. Click here for more information on this book.
Game: Overcast – Walden and the Werewolf
Release Date 4/18/2014
The game tells the story of Walden, an old hunter who lives alone in the woods. Recently, Walden began to be haunted by a mysterious creature that destroyed the village located near his cabin, killing every person residing on the premises. Now, Walden wants revenge. http://store.steampowered.com/app/293180/
* * *
Book: Voices of the Stars (Book 1) by Rowena Whaling
Woven into the rich Dark Age tapestry of this magnificently complex, emotionally charged novel – the first in its series – are the Old Ways, The Old Gods, the Great Goddess and the Goddesses Nine, Magic, Seers, Enchantresses, Druids, Dragons, Ancient Rituals, medieval warfare, and the Leonardo DaVinci of his day – Gwyddion, the Merlin. It is filled with intrigue, passion, treachery, love, and with Epic Poetry throughout. It follows this evocative tale through five generations and is an intricately involved work with many legendary, historical and original characters.
“Voices of the Stars” is the story of how Arthur’s sister, Morgan of the Woods, realizing the import of her time, bids all of her brother Arthur’s close allies, kith, and kin to write their “histories” – their autobiographies – as their lives unfold. All events – such as battles – are seen and written from the differing perspective of each contributor. We come to know the truth of “Voices’” characters – their joys, tragedies, hopes, dreams, ambitions, accomplishments, failures, desires, fears, loves, and hatreds are written into their stories. Tricks of the Fates abound throughout their lives as each comes to accept their shadow selves, weaknesses, flaws, hidden desires, strengths and goodness. < a href=”https://permutedpress.com/books/voices-of-the-stars-book-1″>Click here for more information about this book.
Game: Lichdom: Battlemage
Release Date 8/26/2014
Lichdom: Battlemage is a first-person caster that gives the Mage the spotlight in a way never before seen in games. With limitless magical power at your disposal and brutal enemies around every corner, victory hinges on a combination of skill and strategy. You must carefully craft a vast array of spells and learn to cast them in the heat of combat. You are your spells! The Lichdom: Battlemage spell crafting system offers an enormous range of customization. Every Mage is the product of crafted magic that reflects the individual’s play style. Whether you prefer to target your foes from a safe distance, wade into combat and unleash your power at point-blank range, or pit your enemies against each other, endless spell customization lets you become the Mage you want to be. http://www.lichdom.com
* * *
Book: Life Among the Dead by Daniel Cotton
There are over a million people in the city of Waterloo. Today, most of them have died, and now they are hungry. Corporal Dan Williamson is caught in the middle of the outbreak. He is desperately trying to reach his wife who is somewhere amid the urban decay. There are other souls out there, other tales of survival among the horror. Dan will soon learn that the living may prove to be an even bigger threat than the dead. Click here for more information on this book.
Game: Metro Redux by Deep Silver
Release Date 8/26/2014
Brave the horrors of the Russian apocalypse – equip your gasmask and an arsenal of hand-made weaponry as you face the threat of deadly mutants, human foes, and the terrifying environment itself. http://www.deepsilver.com/news/newsdetails/article/return-to-post-apocalyptic-moscow/
* * *
Book: Sundowners – By Tonia Brown
Sundowners is a backwoods southern horror about the importance of family, the power of gossip and the nature of the artistic muse.
Fifteen years ago, siblings Coil and Cassiopeia suffered an incident in the woods behind their family home. An incident that neither of them are willing to remember. Something that nearly killed Cass and left Coil accused as her abuser. An act that robbed young Coil of his artistic potential yet boosted his little sister into an almost overnight sensation in the art world.
Now, fifteen years later, the self-exiled Coil has come home to deal with his world famous sister as she suffers from sundowning; severe and violent personality shifts after the sun sets. Coil’s reluctant loyalty to his family is rewarded with an unexpected return to his artistic roots, as he wakes each day to find he has painted a brilliant but disturbing masterpiece in his sleep.
As the siblings struggle to heal old family scars, something is reaching out to the small town of Ellenville, driving the townsfolk mad and leaving chaos, mayhem and death in its wake. The key to stopping the madness lays in Cass’s sundowning and Coil’s blooming talent.
In order to cure Cass, the pair of siblings must come to terms with their old demons, both figuratively and literally. They find an ancient and terrible horror has risen once more from the backwoods of the family home, and this time it threatens to not only tear their family apart, but also the small town of Ellenville, and perhaps the entire world. Click here for more information on this book.
Game: Murasaki Baby
Release Date September 2014
Murasaki Baby tells the story of a little girl who wakes up in a weird world, populated by children’s fantasies and fears. Holding a purple, heart-shaped balloon in her hand, she feels lost, homesick and vulnerable. She wants her mommy. The player can grab Baby’s hand with their finger to guide her through a nightmarish journey to find her Mother. This peculiar interaction amplifies the emotional bonding with Baby, allowing players to live a truly unique experience. Unconventional and artistically crafted artworks shape the world of Murasaki Baby; players will go through a uniquely hand-drawn world of wonder. Combined with the original soundtrack, fully composed and produced in-house, the game is designed to challenge convention and move its audience. http://murasakigame.com
• • •
Look for our next installment of the Gamer’s Gift Guide soon and be sure to Enjoy The Apocalypse!