Here are 74 books that The Guardians fans have personally recommended if you like The Guardians. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Total War

Justin Oldham Author Of Haven's Legacy

From my list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

My firsthand experience of the Cold War influenced my taste in reading and entertainment from an early age. I’ve spent my entire adult life collecting books and movies that showcase adventure and adversity in situations where combinations of war and climate change have brought about the end of life as we knew it. All those influences have inspired me to make my own contributions to this form of literature.

Justin's book list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories

Justin Oldham Why Justin loves this book

As a teenager, I was captivated by this fast-moving romp that didn’t pull any punches. With so many knockdown, drag-out action sequences, I couldn’t help wanting more. The author infused epic storylines with moments of heart-breaking humanity in a dark and dangerous world. This novel made me appreciate storytelling on a grand scale. Even now, it’s still a fun read. 

By Jerry Ahern ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Total War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is NUMBER ONE in the Survivalist series featuring the hero, John Thomas Rourke: The story of the ultimate war, the final nuclear holocaust and the unrelenting quest of John Thomas Rourke as he begins his search across war-ravaged America, following every haunting clue, however fragmentary, to locate his missing family.


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Doomsday Warrior

Justin Oldham Author Of Haven's Legacy

From my list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

My firsthand experience of the Cold War influenced my taste in reading and entertainment from an early age. I’ve spent my entire adult life collecting books and movies that showcase adventure and adversity in situations where combinations of war and climate change have brought about the end of life as we knew it. All those influences have inspired me to make my own contributions to this form of literature.

Justin's book list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories

Justin Oldham Why Justin loves this book

I love epic heroes. From the first page, this author (who was actually two collaborators) presents a hero that is so larger-than-life, it’s just breathtaking. The heroes and villains in this imagined wasteland are so very fun to read, even when the carnage is eye-watering in severity. I’ve never experienced anything else like this. 

By Ryder Stacy ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Doomsday Warrior as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Doomsday Warrior 1st Novel
Doomsday Warrior is a series of science fiction short novels set in 2089 and later, depicting the struggle to reclaim America from the USSR, after a nuclear strike and invasion in 1989 (the first book was written in 1984).


Book cover of Wingman

Justin Oldham Author Of Haven's Legacy

From my list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

My firsthand experience of the Cold War influenced my taste in reading and entertainment from an early age. I’ve spent my entire adult life collecting books and movies that showcase adventure and adversity in situations where combinations of war and climate change have brought about the end of life as we knew it. All those influences have inspired me to make my own contributions to this form of literature.

Justin's book list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories

Justin Oldham Why Justin loves this book

I’ve never encountered anything else like this aviation-oriented apocalypse. The author skillfully blends supersonic air combat and cutthroat conquest in a shattered world. This is the most high-octane adventure concept I’ve read in the last 30 years. It grabbed me by the throat and never let go. For many reasons, I still feel influenced by it today.

By Mack Maloney ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wingman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first book in the bestselling, action-packed Wingman Series: With America in ashes, and lawlessness threatening to rule land, air, and sea, one pilot stands poised to pull his nation back from the brink of all-out anarchy
The Big War started in Western Europe with a Soviet nerve gas attack that laid waste to France, Germany, and Spain. The world's democracies fought back, and pilots like Hawk Hunter led the charge-tearing across the flaming wreckage of the continent at supersonic speeds. They pushed the Russians back and just when victory was in sight, a traitor at the highest level of…


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Book cover of The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More: A Great Wharf Novel

The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More by Meredith Marple,

The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.

Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…

Book cover of Omega Sub

Justin Oldham Author Of Haven's Legacy

From my list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

My firsthand experience of the Cold War influenced my taste in reading and entertainment from an early age. I’ve spent my entire adult life collecting books and movies that showcase adventure and adversity in situations where combinations of war and climate change have brought about the end of life as we knew it. All those influences have inspired me to make my own contributions to this form of literature.

Justin's book list on action-oriented post-apocalyptic stories

Justin Oldham Why Justin loves this book

For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed submarine stories. This author got my attention when he put a post-apocalyptic twist on it. Action and adventure are blended with mystery solving in a way that I still enjoy. The author describes a variety of familiar locations around the world in haunting ways that remind us just how fragile civilization can be.

By J. D. Cameron ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Omega Sub as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War

Jennifer L. Bayuk Author Of Enterprise Security for the Executive: Setting the Tone from the Top

From my list on cybersecurity for every type of reader.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a cybersecurity risk management thought leader and subject matter expert with hands-on experience in managing and measuring large-scale cybersecurity programs, system security architecture, cybersecurity tools and techniques, cybersecurity forensics, audit of information systems and networks, and technology control processes. I have spent my career educating others in cybersecurity, mostly because it has always been necessary to educate staff; and colleagues soon recognized that I was easily able to handle the transition from staff training to external classroom environments. But my main motivation for external cybersecurity education is to get feedback from the cybersecurity professional community on my approaches to today’s cybersecurity issues.

Jennifer's book list on cybersecurity for every type of reader

Jennifer L. Bayuk Why Jennifer loves this book

The book portrays a scenario in which nation-state adversaries launch a sophisticated cyberattack against the United States. Though it is science fiction, the political scenario it depicts is a realistic description of how today’s nation-states consider technology options when they are engaged in traditional war. For people interested in cybersecurity and attracted to that genre, it will be an eye-opening experience because the basic scenarios it describes are very easy to project into the near future. It is also a tale of adventure.

By P.W. Singer , August Cole ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghost Fleet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ghost Fleet is a page-turning imagining of a war set in the not-too-distant future. Navy captains battle through a modern-day Pearl Harbour; fighter pilots duel with stealthy drones; teenage hackers fight in digital playgrounds; Silicon Valley billionaires mobilise for cyber-war; and a serial killer carries out her own vendetta. Ultimately, victory will depend on who can best blend the lessons of the past with the weapons of the future. But what makes the story even more notable is that every trend and technology in book - no matter how sci-fi it may seem - is real. The debut novel by…


Book cover of Red Storm Rising

Alex Aaronson Author Of Advance To Contact: 1980

From my list on cold war turns hot military thrillers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started telling Sea Stories around February 1992, when I reported to the Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. Since then, I’ve been entertaining anyone who would listen with my hyperbolic storytelling, a loose relationship with the facts, and a total disregard for modesty. Writing these stories really showcases my experiences not only in the Navy but as a student of history and international relations. I couldn’t possibly write the whole story without having received my BA in International Relations from the University of California at Riverside and my Law Degree from Southern Methodist University.  

Alex's book list on cold war turns hot military thrillers

Alex Aaronson Why Alex loves this book

This is the brass ring of Cold War turns Hot military fiction. I loved what Tom Clancy put down on paper back in 1986 and truly believe that without this book, none of the others on this list would have been written. I loved the depth and detail that Clancy digs into with regard to operational planning as well as tactical combat operations. 

I can’t compliment him enough on his easy explanation of complex systems and operations. If you like “rivet counting” this book is going to blow your mind. As a former Russian linguist for the Navy, I’m impressed with Clancy’s understanding of Soviet politics and strategy. As a self taught civilian, he knocks it out of the park.

By Tom Clancy ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Red Storm Rising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tom Clancy's second classic No 1 bestselling thriller - a chillingly authentic vision of modern war - now reissued in a new cover.

Three Muslim terrorists who destroyed the Soviet Union's largest petrochemical plant thought they were striking a blow for freedom. What they had done, unknowingly, was fire the first shots in World War III.

Desperately short of oil, the Kremlin hawks see only one way of solving their problem: seize supplies in the Persian Gulf. To do that, they must first neutralise NATO's forces and eliminate their response - and so they develop Red Storm, a dazzling master…


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Book cover of That First Heady Burn

That First Heady Burn by George Bixley,

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of…

Book cover of The Prince

James Bradley Author Of Precious Freedom

From my list on smelling the approaching World War III reality roses.

Why am I passionate about this?

My expertise regarding the approaching World War III: My father—John Bradley—fought in the horrible battle of Iwo Jima. My young future dad’s best friend—Ralph Ignatowski—was tortured to death underground for three days. My father was forced to find his body. It’s all covered in my book Flags of Our Fathers and the Steven Spielberg/Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. I have spent my adult life interviewing victims of war and produced five books about war’s inanity and horror. 

Good luck to you all surviving World War III.

James' book list on smelling the approaching World War III reality roses

James Bradley Why James loves this book

Machiavelli will explain why and how our elected political shepherds are driving us herd of sheep to World War III.

Like me, you were required to read Machiavelli when you were young and dumb, and we didn’t grasp the power of his words. Now—even though it’s already too late—consider The Prince again to understand who we really are.

By Niccolò Machiavelli ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Prince as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The ends justifies the means.The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of The Prince is of accepting that the aims of princes – such as glory and survival – can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.


Book cover of The Neville Goddard Complete Collection (1939–1961)

James Bradley Author Of Precious Freedom

From my list on smelling the approaching World War III reality roses.

Why am I passionate about this?

My expertise regarding the approaching World War III: My father—John Bradley—fought in the horrible battle of Iwo Jima. My young future dad’s best friend—Ralph Ignatowski—was tortured to death underground for three days. My father was forced to find his body. It’s all covered in my book Flags of Our Fathers and the Steven Spielberg/Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. I have spent my adult life interviewing victims of war and produced five books about war’s inanity and horror. 

Good luck to you all surviving World War III.

James' book list on smelling the approaching World War III reality roses

James Bradley Why James loves this book

Neville Goddard tells us how to move our lives from the horror which our elected political shepherds are moving us to a future of our own choosing.

Through Neville, you will discover that God, Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Mohammed, and many more are all saying the same thing. It’s just that we’re not listening.

By Neville Goddard ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Neville Goddard Complete Collection (1939–1961) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Unlock the Power Within: Transform Your Reality Through the Teachings of Neville Goddard!✅ Are you tired of feeling stuck in the same limiting patterns — no matter how hard you try to change your life?✅ Have you ever felt deep down that your thoughts and emotions shape your world… but you’re missing the exact method to turn that inner power into real results?You’ve read about manifestation…You’ve watched videos, repeated affirmations, visualized daily — but still, nothing really changes.You wake up each morning carrying the same doubts, stuck in the same job, the same relationships, the same limitations.And worst of all,…


Book cover of The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

James Bradley Author Of Precious Freedom

From my list on smelling the approaching World War III reality roses.

Why am I passionate about this?

My expertise regarding the approaching World War III: My father—John Bradley—fought in the horrible battle of Iwo Jima. My young future dad’s best friend—Ralph Ignatowski—was tortured to death underground for three days. My father was forced to find his body. It’s all covered in my book Flags of Our Fathers and the Steven Spielberg/Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. I have spent my adult life interviewing victims of war and produced five books about war’s inanity and horror. 

Good luck to you all surviving World War III.

James' book list on smelling the approaching World War III reality roses

James Bradley Why James loves this book

This book helps us understand why all the sheep around us are illogically but emotionally walking over the cliff into World War III.

We imagine ourselves as individual agents making our own free will choices, but actually, we are walking, talking bundles of feelings who desperately wish to be judged by other sheep as good members of a tribe. We move as a herd, and to war again the crowd is going. We chant, “Follow the Leader.” But we follow the followers.

By Gustave Le Bon ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Crowd as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most influential works of social psychology in history, The Crowd was highly instrumental in creating this field of study by analyzing, in detail, mass behavior. The book had a profound impact not only on Freud but also on such twentieth-century masters of crowd control as Hitler and Mussolini — both of whom may have used its observations as a guide to stirring up popular passions. In the author's words, "The masses have never thirsted after the truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim."…


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Book cover of My Book Boyfriend

My Book Boyfriend by Kathy Strobos,

Lily loves her community garden. Rupert wants to bulldoze it. When feelings grow, will they blossom or turn to rubble?

"It literally had everything! - Bookworm Characters - Humor - Banter - Swoon-worthy lines."  - Book Reviewer.

Book cover of Galápagos

April McCloud Author Of The Switch

From my list on scifi that make us meditate on our humanity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have a congenital heart disease in which I go into spontaneous cardiac arrest, and I am now 1% bionic (I have an ICD—defibrillator and pacemaker—implanted). Ever since waking up from that surgery, I’ve changed my perspective on what it means to live in the Venn Diagram overlap of “human” and “machine.” My heart—an organ at the heart of so many metaphors about love and emotion—is not like everyone else’s. It is connected to a battery to keep me alive. I write about what it means to be human to better understand myself.

April's book list on scifi that make us meditate on our humanity

April McCloud Why April loves this book

I’m fairly certain that in this book, Vonnegut incites an apocalypse on humanity in order to prove that human beings are worth saving—and I’m so here for it. He didn’t hold back on who would live and who would die, on what would happen to humanity. And yet, I was enthralled with the interiority and struggles of each and every character—even those that were doomed.

I particularly love non-linear storytelling because it gives us glimpses into the future, only to make us ask questions about ourselves in the present. Getting to the end only made me want to start back at the beginning so I could linger a bit longer with humanity on the brink.

By Kurt Vonnegut ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Galápagos as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Total War
Book cover of Doomsday Warrior
Book cover of Wingman

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