The explosive new prequel to the much anticipated Dark Days of the After series. America is changing fast. Cities are becoming dangerous. Time to bug out… Security Engineer, Logan Cahill, and a woman who may or may not be his girlfriend, Skylar Madigan, live together, but only because it makes their conspiring that much easier. Logan, like Skylar, is tormented by the notion that time is running out for America. As the nation spins perilously out of control and foreign forces make their foothold in the country known, Logan is tasked with investigating the mysterious Harper Whitaker, a programmer he believes to be working under false pretenses. Is she caught up in cyber espionage, or something darker? And how does Skylar fit in with this? Has she been using him to get to Harper? Things are not as they seem, and the lid is about to blow off the whole city, maybe even the country. The question that plagues Logan is the question of when, and how. When does he bug out? How will he survive a total collapse of society? The good news is, Skylar has a plan and Harper just might be a part of it. Will they be able get off the grid before all hell breaks loose? The apocalypse is coming, which means the end is near…

In the near future, the Constitution is outlawed, the government is ceremonial at best and the country is about to lose her name. No one knows how this happened, or why America prostrated herself to the kind of foreign forces who would impose obedience through compliance. Resistors call the occupation “creeping death.” Those countries grabbing at the reins of power see it for what it is—a full scale invasion. Security engineer, Logan Cahill, is part of the underground effort to reclaim America, but when he finds a cryptic message in the world's largest server room leading to a doomsday clock, everything changes. With the help of a local hacker, Logan traces the clock to its origins where he discovers a truth so horrific, so terrifying, the mere mention of it carries a death sentence. He now knows the enemies, the weapons and the time of America’s death, right down to the minute. If he wants to survive the apocalypse, he and the feisty Skylar Madigan have to bug out fast. This won’t be easy considering the surveillance grid in place, or the armed lock-down of all major cities. The final defensive frontier for dedicated patriots is life on the land held by their ancestors, those men and women dug into their off-grid homes and operating a black market economy. But not everyone has what it takes to survive life outside the occupied cities, and precious few know how to defend themselves against the brutality of America’s captors. All that is about to change…

THIS IS THE NEW AMERICA. The lights are out, the grid is fried and war between two monstrous armies is breaking out all along the coastal states. Logan, Skylar and Harper thought they were prepared. They thought time was on their side. They even thought they were tough enough to survive, a notion they’re about to put to the test… THE EMP MARKS THE START of a new post-apocalyptic world war in this cross between 1984 and The Man in the High Tower. Nothing is easy, the best laid plans are faulty, and murderous forces put ordinary citizens to the test on every level. Get ready for post-apocalyptic fiction like you’ve never read before. Tons of action, characters you’ll come to love and root for, the kinds of stakes that will have you wondering, if this really happened, would I survive? Well, would you?

USA TODAY BESTSELLING author and AMAZON ALL-STAR AWARD winner of The Last War series, The Age of Embers series and the Swann series presents the Dark Days of the After series. With hundreds of reviews (series wide) at a 4.8 star average, this high octane, tour de force series is post-apocalyptic fiction at its finest! AS THE SOUTH AMERICAN ARMY wages war on the Chicom regime inside California’s most populated cities, the San Francisco survivors find themselves out of supplies and caught in the crossfire of the two warring armies. If they hope to escape the downtown ruins, they’ll have to cut a hot trail through the middle of a war zone and pray they can safely make it to the Oregon homestead. THE DARK DAYS SERIES PUTS ordinary citizens on the front lines of a domestic conflict that was never supposed to happen, one that will either unify the country or break her for good. This intense new tale of strength, survival and patriotism marks the start of a brand new series critics are calling “jaw-dropping,” “prolific,” and “a post-apocalyptic tour de force.” WHAT READERS ARE SAYING… “A Brilliant Series! Breathtaking, exciting, captivating, fantastically written. [Ryan’s] ability to transport his readers from the everyday stuff of life into a world of love and war is uncanny, and he does so in such a seamless fashion. A wonderful gift, awesome in presentation, and full of honest emotion.” – Hugh Callaghan, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ “Excellent book! Any time you read a book by Ryan Schow you expect to be on the edge of your seat glued to the pages. This one didn’t disappoint. Very intense and, considering today’s world, is just a little scary.” – Libby, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ “I was sitting on edge of my seat! This book made me cry, laugh and a little breathless! I love the story and characters.” – Kindle Customer, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ “Dark Days of the Surge is well structured, quite intense and deep at times, and somewhat twisted to boot, but that's what makes Ryan's books so great. Nothing is sugar coated, you get the guts and glory, warts and all.” – CobbnWebbs, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ “This one is probably my favorite of the Dark Days series so far. It kept me on the edge of my seat and had some serious surprises along the way. It was gritty enough that a few ouches escaped out loud. I loved it!” – Kindle Customer, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ OTHER BOOKS IN THIS

When in doubt, knuckle up and go for broke… The Chicom/SAA war is ravaging California, turning the once beautiful state into a West Coast wasteland. With the surge into Oregon and Washington underway, only small pockets of Resistance survive. Logan, Skylar, Harper, Ryker and the Madigan family make up one of those pockets. While the Resistance in Five Falls prepares to hold their ground at all costs, a much larger army is headed their way, one that will make the Chicoms look tame by comparison. While the new communist utopia is being established in Washington, the Chicoms are planning the roundup of residents of Roseburg, Oregon. Near Roseburg’s newly established detention camp, Felicity Espinoza narrowly escapes capture. With no choice left, she sets out on the dangerous road to Five Falls looking for help from a friend, Clay Nichols. Will the two of them liberate the detention center and stop the American depopulation, or will more patriots fall to this vile, communist regime?