I like violence and grit. I want to read a book about survival (whether that's zombies, natural disaster, suddenly getting targeted by a crazy person, etc etc) that has a protagonist that's clever. Not necessarily military trained, but smart and ruthless and resourceful. I selected sci fi tag but any fiction works. I don't mind if there's romance but it can't be the most important part of it.
by sabertoothdiego
2 Comments
Edge of Collapse series by Kyla Stone! It features several intelligent characters
My roommate got me into survival books last year and I think you’d dig The Road – guy protecting his kid after apocalypse and he’s constantly figuring out clever ways to stay alive. Not action-packed but the tension is insane and the father uses his brain more than brute force
Also there’s this book about plane crash survivors in mountains where the main character has to outsmart both nature and other survivors who go crazy. Can’t remember exact title but was really good, protagonist wasn’t some ex-military guy just regular person who gets smart real quick when everything goes to hell. The psychological stuff mixed with survival tactics was perfect combination
One more – there’s series about pandemic where main character is scientist who has to survive in city overrun with infected people. She uses chemistry knowledge and street smarts to stay ahead of both zombies and hostile humans. Really shows how regular intelligence can be more useful than combat training in these situations