Category: Book Review]

Late last night I finished One Second After by William R. Forstchen.

What a scary read. It is a real page turner. The novel revolves around three nuclear devices being set off above North America high in the atmosphere. They cause an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that wipes out almost everything electronic in the United States. There is a nation wide power outage. Cars are stalled on the highway. Every single commercial jet in the air crashes (including Air Force One).

The novel is set near Asheville, NC. The protagonist, John, is ex-military. He is a man who retires after his wife got breast cancer. The events in the book take place 4 years after the wife's death.

What really makes this book a scary read is you really think after the EMPs go off that it won't be a big deal. At first people just think it is a major power outage and that the power will be on in no time. John knows better. He studied EMPs in the military and understands the implications. Just after the incident he tells the town leaders that help may not be coming for years if at all. It really makes you question how much we depend on electronics.

I am not sure if it was just because Patrick Swayze died this week, but the book really made me think of Red Dawn. I remember having the same kind of fear after seeing that movie all of those years ago. And like Red Dawn, this book doesn't have a happy ending.

I give it 4 out of 4 stars. It is one of those books I forsee reading again.