I discovered John Ringo partway through the Legacy of the Aldenata series. I was so taken by it, that I planned my own Posleen defense tale, where a lone middle school counselor bravely stands of anthrophagic croco-centaurs. Alas, I was just too late to make that happen. But I sure could have jumped into THIS playground with both feet!
I didn't, though: it's really HARD to write good stories! That didn't stop these folks, who have written some great bits for us to chew on. Not a cull in the bunch!
Foreword — Gary Poole. Worth spending a few minutes to read, because Poole identifies one of the central beliefs of Human Wave literature: humans are resilient. We've all seen it happen on a local level, if we cared to look, and even in a civilization-ending catastrophe like the Black Tide, resiliency remains.
Starry, Starry Night — John Ringo. Living a long time is no guarantee that you'll become a legend. But, even if you are measly little smidge of a man, if you do the next right thing, and keep on doing the next right thing; no matter what your motivation; then, you might actually deserve the title.
Spectrum — Mike Massa. Enoch is NOT Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump was what used to be called an idiot savante. Enoch is just an idiot. But even an idiot can learn to do a few things right, and that can make all the difference in the world.
Storming the Tower of Babel — Sarah Hoyt. Have you lost hope? Don't have a reason to go on? Then you are very, very close to the experience the protagonists are having. But having someone depend on you; someone who cannot make it alone? That is the sort of thing that puts meaning back into our existence, whether we want it to or not.
Return to Mayberry — Rob Hampson. In one of the earliest disaster-scenario books I read (maybe around 1978 or so), it was said that the key to survive a nuclear attack was to IMMEDIATELY move to a rural area, and start building a support structure out there. Well, I've lived in a rural area, and I'm not sure but what I wouldn't just rather get blasted to smithereens. However, this story demonstrates the strength of that argument.
It Just Might Matter in the End — Travis S. Taylor. The last survivors on the ground at NASA. The last humans, probably, to go into space for the next few centuries. What does it matter if a few more people die? BILLIONS have died, and what tech is left is mangled to the point that walkie-talkies are being used. But, a console jockey has got to jockey. Because it's important.
Inhale to the King, Baby! — Michael Z. Williamson. Guns AND butter, not guns OR butter. But maybe instead of butter, you have tons of pot. Still better have the guns, though.
Ham Sandwich — Jody Lynn Nye. A LONG time ago, even before MY time, short wave radio was king. I think there was a merit badge available in that. My dad told me stories of wandering the waves, picking up call signs from all over, and getting contact cards in the mail. After the collapse, the old equipment comes back out, nd a new community builds.
The Downeasters — Brendan DuBois. The costs of survival don't stop after the initial eruption of plague. An isolated island community has missed the disease itself, but they NEED the supplies only found on the mainland in order to keep going. And it's going to cost a great deal to make that happen.
The Species as Big as the Ritz — Robert Buettner. Against his own interests, a spook chooses to do a final duty. In doing os, he loses touch with the only human warmth he has ever found. But he is bound to do his duty, and that duty is determined by others. Until it isn't.
The Cat Hunters — Dave Freer. The eco-systems of small islands between Antarctica and Australia are delicately balanced, and introduction of a new species can utterly wreck the balance. Hence, hunters are hired to go kill cats, who have displaced pre0existing species. Their job is important, but they are treated with contempt by many of the scientific staff, who are utterly dependent on their work. Then, the end of the world comes. Who wins? Smarties? Or Shooters?
Alpha Gamers — Griffin Barber. Any structure can serve as a focal point for civilization to rebuild, after it all comes tumbling down. All it requires is people with a common purpose. And if gamers aren't purposeful, then the word has no meaning.
True Faith and Allegiance — Michael Gants. In other books in the series, we learn that ONE of the places where there are concentrations of healthy people is aboard submarines. Nuclear power plants can go a long time on the material stored on board. However, maintenance STILL has to be done, and mistakes happen. And when a sub is on its' own, and breaks down, it's the loneliest place in the world.
The Killer Awoke — John Birmingham. A spook wakes up in a hospital emergency room, surrounded by social justice warriors. She is there on a hugely important mission. And then, the bottom drops out, and what once was hugely important is now a trivial detail.