Iron Mike

They came, but not in peace. They came to destroy us. Our cities crumbled. Our people died by the billions. Their weapons were sophisticated beyond our worst nightmare. In this chaos, a teenage boy must get his sister to safety and, in doing so, become a man.

Iron Mike is a light science-fiction story. Yes, aliens invade, but they're more the background. It's a heavily character-driven book. It begins with Mike trying to get his younger sister to safety, to get her "behind a line of soldiers at Fort Knox" to keep her safe from potential looters and rapists. Along the way, Mike picks up strays, so his responsibilities increase exponentially. Hard decisions are made, as in any apocalyptic tale, and consequences are accepted.