Bobby Adair Books in Order

Where Should You Start Reading Bobby Adair?

Bobby Adair has carved out a dedicated following by writing grit-infused, fast-paced, and darkly humorous post-apocalyptic tales. Because he writes across several distinct universes, you have a few excellent entry points depending on your favorite flavor of the end of the world:

• For Zombie Enthusiasts: Start with Zero Day, the first book in his massive 10-book Slow Burn series. This is his signature work, following a young man named Zed Zane navigating a virus-ravaged Austin, Texas. It features heavy action, gore, and a healthy dose of sarcastic humor.
• For Medieval-Style Post-Apocalyptic Survival: Begin with The Last Survivors, co-authored with T.W. Piperbrook. Set 300 years after a fungal spore outbreak plunges Earth into a new Dark Age, it is perfect for readers who prefer swords, bows, and settlement politics over modern firearms.
• For High-Octane Military Sci-Fi: Start with Freedom’s Fire. This series trades viral outbreaks for a gritty, action-packed space opera about a human rebellion fighting back against alien occupiers.
• For Near-Future Pandemic Thrillers: Try Ebola K Book 1, a terrifyingly plausible geopolitical thriller focused on an airborne strain of the deadly Ebola virus.

The Slow Burn Series

Spanning ten books, the Slow Burn series is Bobby Adair’s most famous universe. The story begins during the sudden outbreak of a virus that turns the infected into mindless, violent beasts. Unlike typical slow-moving zombies, these creatures are fast, making survival a minute-by-minute struggle. The series stands out for its Austin, Texas setting, vivid urban navigation, and its protagonist Zed Zane, whose flawed, pragmatic approach to survival makes him highly relatable. The publication and reading order is straightforward:

1. Zero Day (2013)
2. Infected (2013)
3. Destroyer (2013)
4. Dead Fire (2014)
5. Torrent (2014)
6. Bleed (2014)
7. City of Stin (2015)
8. Grind (2015)
9. Sanctum (2016)
10. Firestorm (2021)

The Last Survivors Series (Co-authored with T.W. Piperbrook)

In this collaborative series, Adair and Piperbrook transport readers 300 years into the future. Modern technology is gone, replaced by a medieval-like feudal society where villages defend themselves against mutated beasts infected by wind-borne fungal spores. The story alternates between characters like Ella and William, blending settlement politics, survivalism, and horror. Read them in this order:

1. The Last Survivors (2014)
2. The Last Escape (2015)
3. The Last Humanity (2015)
4. The Last Command (2016)
5. The Last Refuge (2016)
6. The Last Conquest (2016)

Freedom's Fire Series

Dylan Kane is a veteran soldier who becomes a key figure in the human resistance after Earth is colonized and enslaved by an alien race known as the Grays. Adair delivers relentless space battles, rail gun firefights, and political intrigue across six books. You should read them chronologically:

1. Freedom's Fire (2017)
2. Freedom's Fury (2017)
3. Freedom's Fray (2017)
4. Freedom's Fist (2017)
5. Freedom's Fall (2018)
6. Freedom's Fate (2018)

Dusty's Diary Series

For a lighter, more sarcastic spin on the apocalypse, Dusty's Diary is a fan-favorite. After a corporate-engineered fungal spore ruins the planet, Dusty seals himself inside a backyard bunker for two years. When he finally opens the hatch to see if anyone is left, he encounters a ruined suburbia and dangerous "Shroomheads." It is a raw, diary-style account filled with blue-collar complaints and practical survival humor:

1. Dusty's Diary (2015)
2. Dusty's Diary 2 (2017)
3. Dusty's Diary 3 (2017)
4. Dusty's Diary 4 (2019)

The Ebola K Trilogy

If you prefer grounded, near-future thrillers over sci-fi or fantasy, Ebola K is a great choice. It explores the geopolitical and social fallout when terrorists weaponize a highly contagious, airborne mutation of the Ebola virus. The trilogy is heavily researched and paces like a high-stakes action movie:

1. Ebola K Book 1 (2014)
2. Ebola K Book 2 (2015)
3. Ebola K Book 3 (2015)

The Burn Box Trilogy

A newer dystopian addition to Adair's bibliography is the Burn Box series. In a world where rogue geneticists use CRISPR and AI to unleash designer plagues, the government employs terrifying incineration devices called "Burn Boxes" to execute infected citizens. When Noah Blanks' grandfather is dragged to a Burn Box, Noah joins a dangerous rebellion. Read them in order:

1. Embers (2023)
2. Flames (2024)
3. Ashes (2024)

Black Rust, Standalones, and Novellas

Adair has also written several shorter projects and standalones that expand his catalog:

• Black Rust: This two-part post-apocalyptic thriller follows Christian Black surviving in the wake of the devastating Brisbane strain. Start with the prequel novella Black Virus (2016) before reading the novel Black Rust (2016).
• The Liar (2018): The first entry in the Liar's Apocalypse series, tracking a normal family man thrust into a search for his missing wife and daughter after a localized terrorist attack.
• Novice Gods (2020): An independent sci-fi/apocalyptic novella.
• Flying Soup (2013): Bobby Adair's very first published book. A biting political and religious satire that was later pulled from major retail sites by the author due to its highly controversial content.