Dead Batteries: A Novel

by Kate Maupin

A single mom and her neurodivergent son battle for survival and stability in a post-apocalyptic world, one that is arguably no less harsh to them then the pre-pandemic one, in this gripping, one-of-a-kind debut.

Ever since May’s husband decided parenthood wasn’t for him and left, it’s just been May and her autistic son with high support needs, Davis, against the world. A rather unwelcoming one that never had much patience or understanding.

Then 99.9% of the population was wiped out by a virus in just a few weeks, and that world ended. May has kept herself and Davis alive only through the self-imposed isolation she got so good at in the Before. They have their routines, their cozy nest in an abandoned library, and most importantly, the old battery-powered Game Boy that offers Davis familiarity and comfort in a world that’s difficult to understand.

One day May runs into a stranger while out scavenging for the precious batteries that keep Davis's Game Boy alive. This stranger calls himself Bird, he has intel—and a proposition. Supposedly there’s an entire haven of survivors nearby. Bird wants in, and he needs May and Davis to play along as wife and child in order to guarantee himself a spot. Besides, wouldn’t May want to be part of a community again?

Not particularly—but the survivors have batteries. So she reluctantly agrees. And while May knows better than to trust the man who ripped her and Davis out of their routines, she can’t help but open up to him. But when Bird’s true motivations come to light, her old life collides with the new in terrifyingly dark ways, forcing May to question how far she would go to protect her son. How long can she and Davis last until the batteries run out?

Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Adult

288 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 27, 2026

About the author

Kate Maupin, M.A. is an educator, foster child advocate, and national speaker. She is a genre hopping author with work originating in academic nonfiction, with her highly anticipated fiction debut, DEAD BATTERIES (Crown, 2026) being released in October of 2026.

Reviews

[Qrstephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been on a post-apocalyptic kick lately but Dead Batteries still managed to be unique. The world collapsed this time due to White Lung, a highly contagious upper respiratory infection that ultimately suffocates the host. We are introduced to May and her 10 year old son Davis. Stylistically, the narrative reads as though May is writing directly to her husband. She addressed him in a conversational, sometimes confessional tone, which brought in moments of humor.
“Don’t get me wrong, Pat, and excuse me very much if you’re dead, but men are a damn problem in the apocalypse.”

She had been alone with Davis for years prior to the apocalypse and survived thus far with routine and as much familiarity as she could manage. Davis’ Gameboy became the MVP distraction and batteries became May’s priority to scrimmage. Davis is mostly nonverbal and May lacked stimuli, so when Bird enters the picture, it isn’t too surprising that she is transfixed by something as simple as him unzipping a bag. They head to a camp of survivors, Bird masking his intentions until nearly the end.

I feel like the author portrayed autism and OCD realistically with Davis. There were several on page meltdowns that weren’t resolved instantly and May wasn’t the picture perfect parent. She had stims of her own and as the sole narrator, became a bit unreliable when she was overwhelmed. These were the only times I was lost in the story. Overall, I liked this, it made me cry a few times, and it ends in what I would consider a HFN.

[rebeccareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Batteries is a fast-paced, frenetic, and thoroughly engaging examination of motherhood, duty, and disability in the end of times. As an autistic adult with needs very different from Davis's, I was equally fascinated and horrified by May's struggles to keep him safe. It's hard enough for us and our loved ones in the world as it exists now; I can't even begin to imagine how we'd survive if society breaks down even further. But I'm glad Kate Maupin could— you can feel her real-life experience with special-needs parenting on every page — because I enjoyed Dead Batteries from start to finish.

I was instantly hooked by the hectic, desperate, almost manic first-person narration, the post-apocalyptic setting that strikes just the right balance of lived-in details and mysterious gaps, and the immediate, pressing call-to-action: more batteries, right now, or else. The looming weight of "or else" never lets up, and the same goes for the lurking, not-quite-menacing but never-non-threatening presence of Bird. The escalation of that tension is a solidly good time, and by the time I reached the climax, I wanted to crawl out of my skin, in the best possible way, though the ending itself is surprisingly sweet.

Dead Batteries will appeal to fans of post-apocalyptic survival stories and motherhood-oriented women's fiction alike. It's a fantastic fiction debut by Kate Maupin!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Xiibalba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Batteries looks like a post apocalyptic survival story on the surface, but it's really about one mother and her autistic, nonverbal son trying to hold their tiny routine together after a virus wipes out almost everyone. May and Davis live in an abandoned library, and the whole world has narrowed down to scavenging batteries for Davis's old Game Boy. That little lifeline carries so much weight, and Maupin clearly writes it from the inside.
What stayed with me is how honestly the book shows the labor of caring for a kid who can't speak for himself. The mental load, the physical exhaustion, the constant scanning for the next meltdown, none of it ever lets up. As someone neurodivergent myself I found a lot of it painfully familiar, even though Davis's needs are nothing like mine. May carries something that would flatten most people, and the book never turns her into a lesson or a tragedy. She just gets to be tired and scared and fiercely loving.
My one real gripe is that the middle drags. Once Bird turns up with his proposition the pacing slows to a crawl, and that same exhaustion that makes the book powerful starts to feel repetitive on the page. A few things get implied rather than explained too, so I reread some passages and still wasn't sure what happened. The ending won me back though, and it's surprisingly tender. Four stars, and I'll be thinking about May for a while.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Batteries is Kate Maupin's first work of fiction. The novel is set in the aftermath of White Lung, a pandemic that has drastically reduced the world's population. Some survivors have banded together into groups, while others, like May and her son Davis, have found more safety in isolation. Since May's husband left the family, she has kept a routine that helps Davis, who is autistic and has OCD, stay regulated: staying inside with him during the day and going out at night to forage for supplies. AA batteries are near the top of her list, since they power the toy Davis relies on most for comfort.

One night while out foraging, May encounters something she has been dreading, another human, and perhaps the most dangerous kind, a lone adult man. The man introduces himself as "Bird" and says he means her no harm. He proposes that May and Davis come with him to try joining one of the small pockets of society that accepts family units. The journey will take at least a week and is in no way guaranteed to be a safe one. In a completely unreliable world May will do anything to keep Davis steady and safe, but she can never see far enough down the road to know the outcomes that her choice will bring.

This is a terrific book for anyone who enjoys survival stories. It also opens a window into the life of caregivers of children with special needs. I learned a lot from this short and well-written novel.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy of the book.

[Marisa TA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publisbing for this lovely story.

Um.

😭🥹

What the actual heck. I loved this.

I was not expecting this from an arc. Honestly the entire book was really good, I wanted to read it often. But I think even if the entire book was trash apart from that last chapter alone, I still would’ve given it 5 stars.

It’s pretty short, but the author did a great job in so many ways. It’s well written, beautifully written really. The characters are really raw and real. It seems incredibly realistic of what could really happen to a mom of a child on the spectrum. As a dystopian lover, I really loved a story that considers this kind of family with her son’s needs being a very real thing to work through in the worse of times. I think we don’t get to see this kind of narrative in dystopians a lot. Whether that be mental/physical disabilities, neurodivergence, or really anything considered different from a “normal” person or “normal” human.

I think individuals that have a basic understanding or experience of autism will emotionally connect with the story more, but anyone could really enjoy this beautiful story. Beautiful, emotional, raw, thoughtful, but also with plenty of action and suspense sprinkled in.

Please read the synopsis and if any bit of it sounds like something you could get into, go for it!

💚

[✩｡°⋆ Lala ⋆｡°✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ Dead Batteries by Kate Maupin ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

➝ • 4/5 ☆ •

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦..◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆
This story takes the apocalypse and twists it into something smaller, stranger, and more personal. The world is ending, but somehow the emotional fallout hits harder than the apocalypse itself. May is the kind of character who makes you want to step into the book, hand her a snack, and tell her she deserves a nap and a break from literally everything. Her situation is awful, and I felt for her immediately.

What really got me was the way she handles Davis. It is a responsibility that would flatten most people, and she still manages to carry it with a grace that made me respect her even more. She is overwhelmed, scared, and doing her best, and the book never makes a joke out of that. It lets her be human, and that softness is what got to me most.

This is a great pick for readers who want an apocalypse story with heart, tension, and a main character who feels painfully real. It is bleak, tender, and a little chaotic in all the right ways.
☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦..◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
If you like:
✔️ emotion driven apocalypse
✔️ quiet character resilience
✔️ caretaker tension
✔️ soft survival stories
✔️ found strength arcs
✔️ end of the world with heart
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

📅 Pub Day: Oct 27, 2026 📚
💌 ARC gifted via NetGalley from Crown Publishing. All opinions are my own.

[Jen Juenke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting take on the post apocalyptic genre. A single mother survives the White Lung with her severely autistic child.
Davis needs routines, familiar items, and his mom May to navigate the world.
What happens when the world ends and they need to leave their shelter?

The book was a fresh look at the difficulties navigating a world with an autistic child, but add in the end of the world and those problems become mountains.

I liked the premise of the book. I did not like the writing. Some of it was very odd. For instance why did the mom, May, call the peoples homes she raided Cathy? Further, there was so many points in the book where things were implied but NOT explained, leaving me wondering what had happened. Often I would re-read the same passage to understand what is going on and still not getting it.
A prime example of this is the first night with Bird and May attacks (?) him? I have no idea.

Overall this is an interesting read but one that needs a bit more polish to fully understand what is going on.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

Dead Batteries is a unique entry into the post-apocalyptic survival genre with the large focus on how a mother of a special needs child navigates this new world, but it falls a bit flat with both the genre and character development. The story of the struggles of managing an autistic child in this kind of harsh setting are tiring, which is probably part of the point that Maupin is trying to make. But it's largely tiring not because the characters are well defined and empathetic enough to let you feel their exhaustion. Instead, it's tiring because it the characters themselves are fairly one-dimensional. This struggle is their only defining characteristic, and it is repeated over and over again. The plot is evenly paced if a bit slow, and the final spurt of character development tucked into the end of the story comes as too little and too late.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a veritable sea of post-apocalyptic novels, Dead Batteries stands out for its unique premise and well drawn characters. Like most parents, I’ve spent time contemplating how I’d weather a disaster with my children in tow. Could we survive the zombie apocalypse? (Not if my four year old had to be quiet.) Maupin builds on this relatable parental anxiety by following May, whose son Davis is autistic with high support needs. Abandoned by her husband prior to the end of the world, she’s used to surviving on her own but attempting to find everyday necessities (the titular batteries) in a post-apocalyptic landscape proves more and more difficult the longer time wears on. An encounter with a stranger offers both opportunity and danger, and the joy of this book is rooting for May to not just survive but thrive. I loved this novel and would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of dystopian fiction or books featuring strong women.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Michelle Lott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found myself sobbing more than once. Kate Maupin absolutely delivered.

As a mother of a child with sensory processing disorder, this one hit close to home. Ironically, my child had a full meltdown over a toy car battery dying while I was in the middle of the first chapter. It was funny in the moment, but it also put a lot into perspective. I can’t even begin to imagine navigating motherhood in a true apocalyptic world-especially alone.

This story is layered with self-discovery, resilience, and the kind of unexpected friendship (and romance) that sneaks up on you in the best way. It felt raw, honest, and deeply human.

I would absolutely recommend this one.
Thank you to Kate Maupin, NetGalley, and Crown Publishing for the ARC.

[Caesar Murillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Batteries is a gripping, incredibly unique post-apocalyptic debut. Rather than focusing purely on survival mechanics, Kate Maupin centers the story on the fierce, realistic bond between May and her non-verbal/high-support-needs autistic son, Davis.

Searching for AA batteries in a viral wasteland just to keep her son’s comfort routine (his Game Boy) running brings a grounded, deeply human element to the genre. The tension ramps up significantly once the stranger named Bird enters the picture, creating a dark, unpredictable narrative about how far a mother will go to protect her child. Grounded, raw, and satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

Thanks to Kate Maupin, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel. I enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction, and in particular I liked that this novel had an original premise, with a mom surviving a pandemic with her neurodivergent son. Overall, this kept my attention and as the novel progressed I was invested in finding out how it would end. I think there were some weak spots — some things that were confusing, not sufficiently explained, or too off-stage to really understand — but still this kept me reading and so I am rounding it up.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I love post-apocalypse fiction and we don't get enough of this genre in the publishing world. This one didn't quite fully hit the mark for me for a couple of reasons. The pacing was too slow. It wasn't until the last 10-15% where it picked up. There was missed opportunity to explain more about the virus and survival which PA fiction readers crave. As a mother, I appreciate May's determination to protect her son, yet I could not really connect to her emotionally.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Dead Batteries, from the beginning to the end and all points in between. I don’t want to reveal anything; when the book is released in October, set aside at least one day for the reading of the book. It took me two days because of work, but this is a story you do not want to miss. A hard life is made even harder for a single mother with a neurodivergent child when world systems collapse. That’s all I can say to prepare you for a most amazing novel.

[Dan Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Batteries by Kate Maupin is a gripping, emotionally exhausting post-apocalyptic thriller that swaps out generic zombie action for an intimate, grounded look at special-needs parenting during the end of the world. Set to be officially released on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, this powerful debut novel follows a fierce single mother, May, fighting to keep her severely autistic, nonverbal son, Davis, stable after a brutal virus wipes out 99.9% of the population.

[Soledad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good post-apocalyptic read. With a mother who already lived an isolated world struggling to take care of her child's needs after the world is gone. What do you do when routine gets thrown out? Thank you to Netgalley and Crown publishing for the eARC!

[Chrissie]

DRC

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you thought surviving an apocalypse was hard, with a high support needs autistic child tagging along there's even more to consider. Not only do you scrounge for food and shelter, but you need to find spare batteries to power the one item that calms your son. This concept is a fresh take on an apocalypse story and it drew me in.

The narrative is similar to The Walking Dead. As the book went on I began to lose some interest though. I wasnt very invested in the side characters. It also leans action-adventure, which is not my preferred genre. I appreciate that the author clearly has experience with autism.