A BRAM STOKER AWARD FINALIST!

A character-driven science fiction/horror blend, KC Jones’ Black Tide is Stephen King’s The Mist meets A Quiet Place.

It was just another day at the beach. Then the world ended.

Mike and Beth were strangers before the night of the meteor shower. Chance made them neighbors, a bottle of champagne brought them together, and a shared need for human connection sparked something more.

Following their drunken and desperate one-night stand, the two discover the astronomical event has left widespread destruction in its wake. But the cosmic lightshow was only part of something much bigger, and far more terrifying.

When a lost car key leaves them stranded on an empty stretch of Oregon coast and inhuman screams echo from the dunes, when the rising tide reaches for their car and unspeakable horrors close in around them, these two self-destructive souls must fight to survive a nightmare of apocalyptic scale.

“This is gasp-for-your-breath, peek-through-your-fingers horror, and I loved every page of it.” —Jonathan Janz, author of The Siren and the Specter

Cover design by Esther S. Kim

After graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a degree in film production, KC JONES returned to the Pacific Northwest to focus on a career in screenwriting, before making the leap to novels. When not writing, he can usually be found cooking, playing video and board games, or exploring the local wilderness with his wife. Black Tide is his debut novel.

Praise for Black Tide

“Grab your popcorn for this one….Mayhem, masses of menacing monsters, pulsing parasitic vines…this is one gnarly day at the beach.” —Jeremy Robert Johnson, author of The Loop

“A superb, fast-paced read that will compel readers to quickly devour the book…. Excellent writing, a consuming plot, and relatable characters make this an easy recommendation for library collections where sf/horror circulates well.” —Library Journal

“A wickedly fun, gut-shot punch of a story with whip-smart dialogue and breathtakingly tense action sequences. Don’t miss it.” —Philip Fracassi, author of Boys in the Valley

“Weird, tense, and at times unexpectedly funny….If this is any indication of the kind of horror Jones will bring to the table, I hope he gives us some more mayhem very soon.” —Locus

“A relentless, nerve-jangling nightmare ride through an apocalyptic maritime hellscape. Brimming with relatable characters and shocking left turns, this is gasp-for-your-breath, peek-through-your-fingers horror, and I loved every page of it.” —Jonathan Janz, author of The Siren and the Specter

“Black Tide is the ultimate walk-of-shame straight to the end of the world, equal parts cataclysmic thrill ride and acerbic character study.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother

“Jones’ debut novel unfolds like a movie, a terrifying nightmare come to life, an intense, realistic portrayal of an alien invasion. The action-oriented, blisteringly fast-paced plot is authentically rendered; but beware, not all make it out alive…..” —Booklist

“Black Tide is a droptop-down, pedal-to-the-floor joyride through hell. It’ll blast your hair back…A horror beach read like no other.” —Nat Cassidy, author of Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Nestlings

“Black Tide is cinematic, fast-paced, pedal-to-the-metal storytelling: I found myself gasping!” —Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces

“Jones’ debut novel reads like a summer blockbuster stuffed with adrenaline-pumping action scenes and moments of heart-stopping suspense.” —BookPage

“[A] snark-filled romp through a postapocalyptic world. The sarcastic, self-deprecating characters and quirky setup set this first contact tale apart.” —Publishers Weekly“The characters are so perfectly crafted, which makes their nightmare scenario even more frightening and seemingly possible. I held my breath for them every time I turned the page.” —S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence