The Dire Earth: A Novella, by Jason Hough

In 2013, Jason Hough published The Dire Earth Cycle, a trilogy of three books that were released within a few weeks of each other.  This year, he is releasing two more, in May and June.  In the meantime, he wrote The Dire Earth: A Novella to serve as a prequel to book 1, The Darwin Elevator.

The central feature of The Dire Earth Cycle is a mysterious space elevator of alien origin and a related plague that wipes out almost all of earth's population.  The Dire Earth takes place a few years after the space elevator is established, and chronicles the beginnings of the world-wide plague.  What seems like a series of unrelated vignettes comes together to build the central cast of characters for The Darwin Elevator.

Hough writes great action sequences.  His characters are varied and engaging.  The set-up in The Dire Earth--the elevator, the spread of the plague, the individual fights to survive--lay a solid ground work for the series.  If you've read The Dire Earth Cycle, pick this up.  If you haven't go ahead and start with The Dire Earth.  This is fun, action-packed, sci-fi.