The world did not end in a single night, it rotted from within. The infection spread like wildfire, consuming cities, collapsing governments, and bringing entire nations to their knees. The powerful fled. The desperate fought. The doomed prayed. But the undead were relentless, devouring everything in their path. From the fall of New York City to the last stand in London, from the Pope’s final sermon in the Vatican to billionaires seeking refuge in Switzerland’s most fortified bunkers, this is the story of how civilization crumbled, one country at a time.

China, its military ravaged by Covid and stung by the loss of its only significant ally, Russia, launches four intercontinental, nuclear-tipped missiles from submarines off the coast of North Korea. Detonating high in the atmosphere over North America, the missiles create an electromagnetic pulse that takes down the entire power grid. The US is set back to the eighteenth century. It now lacks any power, transportation, communication, food supplies, water, or electronics.

For a decade now, the world has known of the existence of the immuno-degenerative and epidermal decomposition virus (strain two). The world governments and several civilian agencies have, so far, managed to keep the unimaginable from happening. They achieved it by keeping the outbreaks under control and preventing a global pandemic.

A fallen disciple. A kingdom in chaos. A destiny that cannot be escaped. Faro was once a loyal warrior, fighting to free Evania from the grip of a tyrant. Now, he is something else—something not quite human. Betrayed by Eli, the fallen chosen one of Evania, Faro was struck down and left for dead as dark magic reshaped the land. Stripped of his past and hunted as an enemy, he wanders a kingdom on the brink of ruin—where ancient powers stir and war looms on the horizon.

In late September of 1866 a former confederate soldier returned home. But his dreams of putting the battlefield and bloodshed behind him were cut short. Deep in the night he learns of an awful and terrible truth. A pair of strange men arrive and dig up the body of his recently deceased father. He quickly learns that they are not simply grave robbers. But they are in fact part of a secret organization. One dedicated to the defense of mankind.

The immortal Lifetree, once the source of all creation in the world, has become corrupted. Nightmarish, tainted creatures now fill the realms, and the world calls out for a hero. Nikolas, a warrior resurrected from beyond the grave, has been given the insurmountable task of destroying the evil and bringing balance to the world. He must win the support of four beautiful champions, learn to harness the powers they control, and fight against the chaotic hordes whose very presence chokes the life from the land itself.

The climb through the ranks often ends with a knife in the back. Slum-dwelling orphan Garrett Walker scrounges for scraps in the wildlands beyond the walls that guard society, salvaging valuables from the ruins of fallen civilization. Offered the opportunity to compete in the Warden Academy entrance trials, Garrett seizes the chance for a better life. However, the academy holds dangers a street rat is ill-equipped to handle and he’ll have to grow stronger while relying on his wits to survive.

Hi, my name's Max and I'm one of the Selected. What's the first thing that pops into your head when you read those words? A great hero, chosen from among all the billions of people on Earth? A lucky man who has ended up on an unknown world and gained superpowers? An explorer of new worlds who has discovered his destiny? Well, that's all true, but there is one but . . . Actually, if I'm honest, there are a whole load of buts. And there are rules. And the first rule of the Selected is: "Try not to die. It is expensive and impractical."

Orcs and elves come streaming out of portals. People lose their grip and are transformed into afflicted. If this is a zombie apocalypse, it's a pretty weird one. The rules are simple: kill an orc or anything else—gain life energy, reducing your chances of becoming a walking corpse. But fail—and become a zombie, AKA an afflicted.

I have been reborn from an advanced techno-magic world into a world where magic is still in its infancy. In this new world I have the body of a young baron and my entire worldly possessions are one village—a village surrounded by monsters and hostile aristocrats on the fringes of a young, rapidly expanding empire. The other thing I have, though, is knowledge beyond what this world has dreamt of, and nothing will stop me from building my own magic empire!