The Skydark Chronicles Series by James Axler, Nick Pollotta

A nuclear apocalypse almost destroyed Western civilization in 2001, leaving in its place the forbidding world of Deathland. Though the human spirit has not been broken, the new rules of survival are harsh and barbaric. As barons fight for power in a savage new America, power is claimed with the salvaged arsenels of a predark world: weapons, gasoline and those willing to kill... moreA nuclear apocalypse almost destroyed Western civilization in 2001, leaving in its place the forbidding world of Deathland. Though the human spirit has not been broken, the new rules of survival are harsh and barbaric. As barons fight for power in a savage new America, power is claimed with the salvaged arsenels of a predark world: weapons, gasoline and those willing to kill.The Marshall Islands, once the testing grounds for twentieth-century weapons of mass destruction, remains perversely beautiful. But the infested waters become the battleground for looting pirates and sec men in still-functional navy PT boats, all driven by greed and madness to plunder the predark caches of science and technology hidden in the islands. Ryan Cawdor and his warrior band emerge in this perilous waterworld, caught in a grim fight to unlock the secrets of the past.In the Deathlands, the price for survival is high. less

A nuclear endgame played out among the superpowers created a fiery cataclysm that turned America into a treacherous new frontier. But an intrepid group of warrior survivalists roams the wastelands, unlocking the secrets of a pre-dark world. Ryan Cawdor and his band have become living legends in a world of madness and death where savagery reigns, but the human spirit endures . . .The South Pacific is a rad-blasted paradise, inhabited by giant mutated crustaceans and savage cannibals... moreA nuclear endgame played out among the superpowers created a fiery cataclysm that turned America into a treacherous new frontier. But an intrepid group of warrior survivalists roams the wastelands, unlocking the secrets of a pre-dark world. Ryan Cawdor and his band have become living legends in a world of madness and death where savagery reigns, but the human spirit endures . . .The South Pacific is a rad-blasted paradise, inhabited by giant mutated crustaceans and savage cannibals. The local baron rules the Marshall islands with a despotic iron fist and a secret formula for making Deathland's gold: gunpowder. But his true invincibility lies in his possession of stockpiles of pre-dark rapid-fire missiles and a fleet of functional PT boats. Ryan Cawdor and his companions have faced off against the baron and survived. But this time there's only one way out of these death seas -- through the sec-men-infested waters of the baron's kingdom.Imagine your worst nightmare. This is Deathlands. less

Forged from the Ruins A planet ravaged by the apocalyptic blast of 2001 gave birth to a new world of savagery — and a new breed of hero. In a land where violence rules with absolute authority, Ryan Cawdor and his wayfarer survivalists roam the strange, nascent twenty-second century, living by their own creed of honor as they continue their search for a sanctuary they can call home... moreForged from the Ruins A planet ravaged by the apocalyptic blast of 2001 gave birth to a new world of savagery — and a new breed of hero. In a land where violence rules with absolute authority, Ryan Cawdor and his wayfarer survivalists roam the strange, nascent twenty-second century, living by their own creed of honor as they continue their search for a sanctuary they can call home. Eternal Quest In what was once the nuclear testing ground of the predark world, the Marshall Islands are now the kingdom of the grotesque Lord Baron Kinnison. Here in this world of slavery and brutality the companions have fought a fierce war for survival, on land and sea — yet the crafty baron still conspires to destroy these interlopers. Activating a twentieth-century hot air balloon left untouched by the blast, they escape to the neighboring pirate-ruled Forbidden Island, with the baron's sec men in hot pursuit — and become trapped in a war for total supremacy of this water world. Not even Deathlands can deny the human will to survive. less