Though I often read books to learn things (and those books are usually nonfiction), my primary reason to read is to be entertained. Having gotten my degree in English Education, I’ve read lots and lots of classics (Dickens, Faulkner, Hemingway, and all their friends), and what are considered important works of contemporary fiction such as The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and The Sportswriter by Richard Ford. But when I want to have fun and live an adventure through writing that takes me someplace else, nothing beats speculative fiction. Science Fiction and Fantasy are my true passions, and when you find a writer you really love, it becomes an obsession to read everything they write.

But now something new has emerged on the scene, and it’s not just about the author. Apocalypse Weird is the brainchild of Wonderment Media, a newly formed company that is using multiple authors to tell a story so vast in scope that it will no doubt be around for years. The feedback on the books released February 23 has been overwhelmingly positive, which is fantastic news for people like me, who love to live adventures (albeit these are life and death adventures!) in the pages of fun, fast-paced stories in a world that isn’t ours. Of course the scary thing is, you never know, right? The apocalypse HAS been talked about and prophesized for centuries.

Intrigued yet? A great primer for Apocalypse Weird is The Red King by Nick Cole. It’s free on Amazon, and with free, you can’t go wrong. I strongly suggest that you read it first. Once finished with it, you can try any of the Apocalypse Weird books that are for sale at your favorite online bookseller. My first foray after The Red King happened to be Texocalypse Now, which is co-written by Michael Bunker (you know, the king of Amish science fiction who wrote the hit novel Pennsylvania Omnibus) and Nick Cole (The Wasteland Saga and Soda Pop Soldier – must reads).

With Texocalypse Now we are introduced to new characters, both good and bad. There are precious metal pirates, bikers, and kids just trying to survive the crazy world they’ve suddenly found themselves a part of. Oh, and the tunnels. There are miles and miles of tunnels underneath a section of Texas. This is an intriguing part of the story itself, and yes, we find out the origins, but Texocalypse Now, I think, has barely scraped the surface…or should I say, “Underworld,” of these passages.

Texocalypse Now is listed in the top left corner of the cover as DIGGER 1.0. As a fan, I’m expectant that someday in the future, we’ll be seeing DIGGER 2.0, and perhaps 3.0. This is fun stuff, and if you are a fan of end-of-the-world fiction, how can you NOT hit the Buy Now button? ( )