Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surviving Chaos | TBD | John Birmingham | N/A |
| 2 | Zero Day Code | 2021 | John Birmingham | Buy |
| 3 | Fail State | 2021 | John Birmingham | Buy |
| 4 | The Only One | 2014 | John Birmingham | N/A |
| 5 | American Kill Switch | 2022 | John Birmingham | Buy |
| 6 | Grip of Evil | TBD | John Birmingham | N/A |
The End of Days series is John Birmingham’s take on modern techno-thrillers, dealing with cyberattacks, infrastructure collapse, and the fragility of contemporary civilization. Zero Day Code (2021) explores what happens when a coordinated cyberattack takes down critical systems across the United States, and Fail State continues the fallout as society struggles to function without the technology it depends on.
American Kill Switch (2022) extends the series with further scenarios of systemic failure. Birmingham draws on his experience writing large-scale disaster scenarios in the Without Warning trilogy, but grounds these stories in present-day technology and threats rather than speculative science fiction.
The series reflects Birmingham’s ongoing interest in how quickly modern societies can break down when their infrastructure is compromised. Where his earlier work imagined fantastical catalysts like energy waves or time travel, the End of Days books stay closer to real-world vulnerabilities that cybersecurity experts have warned about for years.