One Second After

One Second After

by William R. Forstchen

audiobook: 13.3 hours

narrated by Joe Barrett

About the Book

In a small mountain town in North Carolina, the electricity suddenly goes out.  Soon enough the town realizes that America has been attacked by EMP weapons - the kind that permanently knock out all electrical equipment.  Over the first few days the people come together to support each other and share their food and supplies.  But as time goes by and things become more scarce, will kindness prevail in this small town or will harsh reality force people to make unpleasant decisions?  What happens when strangers come to town?  And will the power ever come back on?


My Thoughts

When I read the description of this book it immediately reminded me of the short-lived-but-well-loved TV series, Jericho.  That was enough to convince me to pick it up. And ok, the premise is basically the same - people coming together to survive and defend themselves.

Although I did like most of the characters in this book, I didn't feel all that connected to them.  One character did strike a chord though: a little girl who relied on insulin to survive reminded me of Kiddo and his reliance on his medications and feeding tube.  That one definitely kept me thinking about what I'd do in a similar situation!

My biggest problem with this book is that so much of it was exposition.  There needed to be much more "show" and a lot less "tell."  Also, so many times the exciting parts of the story were told in retrospect rather than as they happened. This slowed the pace of the story and, combined with the extensive info dumps, made the book drag.

Another thing to note is that the book is told from a conservative standpoint.  Not to the extreme, but it is clear that the author is solidly in the politically conservative camp.

I'm not sorry that I listened to this one; it made me think about the "what if" scenarios and how I'd handle them, and that is definitely a plus. But at the same time it could have been SO MUCH better.