# This book should be read by everyone.



## kb7uen Gene (Mar 13, 2009)

One Second After by William R. Forstchen is about what happens to a small North Carolina town after an Electromagnetic Pulse is set off over the United States.











Gene


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I've added a book link, Gene.  You obviously think this is a great read!

Betsy


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Interesting. I believe luvmy4brats was reading that last month for the Quasi-Official Reading game and gave up at the 76% point...

L


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I did. I cannot recommend this book for anything, not even a door-stop.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

luvmy4brats said:


> I did. I cannot recommend this book for anything, not even a door-stop.


Well, a Kindle book wouldn't work very well as a door-stop. LOL!

I guess this is another case of "different strokes". I don't much care for apocalyptic books. . . . read Nevil Chute's _On the Beach_ in HS and just thought, "how depressing" so I'd not likely try this one regardless of pans or raves. . . . .


----------



## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

luvmy4brats said:


> I did. I cannot recommend this book for anything, not even a door-stop.


Thanks


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I didn't get past the sample.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Gene--

tell us more on what struck you about this book.  Sounds like it's one of those you'll either love or hate!

Betsy


----------



## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

Wow, interesting to hear such vastly different opinions about the same book! I'll have to at least check out the sample, just to see which end of the spectrum I fall on!

Do other people have their own thoughts of ONE book that they think everyone "should" read? That book for me is:










I recommend it so often, I feel like an "evangelist" for it! (And I always say, if I ever won the lottery, I'd buy up thousands of copies of this book just to hand out to random people! )


----------



## jaspertyler (Feb 13, 2009)

I really liked this book!  

I did listen to it in audio though so maybe that is the difference??


----------



## imon32red (Jun 15, 2009)

kb7uen Gene said:


> One Second After by William R. Forstchen is about what happens to a small North Carolina town after an Electromagnetic Pulse is set off over the United States.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm interested. As far as terrorists attacks go this might be the worst way to go. Most terrorists attacks its over in a heartbeat. An electromagnetic pulse would send us back to the dark ages overnight.

One of my favorite book series was about a similar event.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

jaspertyler said:


> I really liked this book!
> 
> I did listen to it in audio though so maybe that is the difference??


Nope. I tried that. I bought the audio version for my husband thinking he might enjoy it. He's very knowledgeable about the subject (more than the author apparently). I wouldn't go so far as to call him a subject matter expert, but I'd say it's pretty darn close. I bombarded him with questions while I was reading to the point of waking him up at 12 AM asking "would this REALLY happen?" While many times his answer was yes, more often than not is was either a resounding no or "well, not quite like that".

I'm going to put my review in spoiler text in case somebody doesn't want to know



Spoiler



While the threat of EMP is real, and the results would be catastrophic, I'd like to think our society as a whole would not disintegrate into the type of people the author depicts in this book. In addition, there are more factual errors in this book that I can list, the editing is almost nonexistent and the main character is a pompous jerk, obsessed with cigarettes, that thinks rules and laws apply to everybody but him. He's the mild mannered teacher with no respect for women, that suddenly becomes the most influential person in all of town. Um, no.

Even in this day and age where technology runs our lives, there are ways to overcome the loss of it that don't resort to 5 minute trials that end in a town square execution, rations consisting of watered down broth and dandelions in less than 2 months time, and the kids at the local Christian college training to be militia.


----------



## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

luvmy4brats said:


> I did. I cannot recommend this book for anything, not even a door-stop.


Really? I loved it... even though it needed better editing. The story was great.


----------



## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't get past the Introduction!


----------



## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

luvmy4brats said:


> Nope. I tried that. I bought the audio version for my husband thinking he might enjoy it. He's very knowledgeable about the subject (more than the author apparently). I wouldn't go so far as to call him a subject matter expert, but I'd say it's pretty darn close. I bombarded him with questions while I was reading to the point of waking him up at 12 AM asking "would this REALLY happen?" While many times his answer was yes, more often than not is was either a resounding no or "well, not quite like that".
> 
> I'm going to put my review in spoiler text in case somebody doesn't want to know
> 
> ...


Thanks after reading your spoiler .I know for sure the book is not for me.


----------



## r0b0d0c (Feb 16, 2009)

luvmy4brats said:


> Nope. I tried that. I bought the audio version for my husband thinking he might enjoy it. He's very knowledgeable about the subject (more than the author apparently). I wouldn't go so far as to call him a subject matter expert, but I'd say it's pretty darn close. I bombarded him with questions while I was reading to the point of waking him up at 12 AM asking "would this REALLY happen?" While many times his answer was yes, more often than not is was either a resounding no or "well, not quite like that".
> 
> I'm going to put my review in spoiler text in case somebody doesn't want to know
> 
> ...


Hard to believe that you and I read the same book!

I found it a fascinating read (but then, I enjoy apocalyptic stories and have read most of the popular ones already before this), with a VERY believable sequence of what COULD happen with an EMP attack. (I have several family members in the military working on electronics, including electronic-hardening for this very topic of concern) Since an EMP attack has never happened, there is much conjecture and reliance on computer simulation models, and the "experts" have quite different opinions on what would/could happen. (This author also collaborated with military "experts" in writing this story - pick your own "experts," YMMV.)

The sequence of multiple EMP detonations, with resultant failure of essentially all modern electronics over wide geographic areas, seemed very plausible in this story, with a breakdown of not just communication and transportation, but also storage and distribution of food, medicine, and supplies. (Crops in the midwest couldn't be harvested, and couldn't be transported around the country, regardless.) How long would a civilized society exist, without government, law enforcement, electricity, food, etc.? Anyone who watched the short-lived "Jericho" series on TV saw a similar societal disintegration, with roving bands of looters, rag-tag militia, and fights over food, medicine, etc. While the "solutions" found by the protagonist were troubling, they seemed quite plausible.

Overall, I found this to be one of the most thought-provoking and interesting end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it stories I've read in some time, and would also recommend it highly, particularly in this time of escalating threats of rogue nations developing nuclear capabilites.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

r0b0d0c,

I sent you a PM. I'd love to discuss the book with you, but I'm hesitant to do it in this thread because I don't want to spoil it for people who are interested in it.


----------



## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

kb7uen Gene said:


> One Second After by William R. Forstchen is about what happens to a small North Carolina town after an Electromagnetic Pulse is set off over the United States.


Have your read the Dies the Fire series? It has a similar premise, and EMP but it's got a little fantasy thrown in since they also lose the use of combustion engines and gun powder.


----------



## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

imon32red said:


> I'm interested. As far as terrorists attacks go this might be the worst way to go. Most terrorists attacks its over in a heartbeat. An electromagnetic pulse would send us back to the dark ages overnight.
> 
> One of my favorite book series was about a similar event.


Yep, a very good reason to not be solely dependent on electronic devices for vital information. And I'm not even a conspiracy theorist LOL I did watch Jericho though and enjoyed it. I noticed on Amazon there is a listing for a book that covers what would have been season 3. No release date known yet though.


----------



## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

Sounds interesting, my kind of book, however, 

"This title is not available for customers in your location: Africa"

so I can't even check the sample


----------



## StevenPajak (Apr 11, 2010)

If you're one who likes to read post-apocalyptic or end-of-the-world type novels in all of their wonderful forms, you'll probably enjoy this book. I certainly enjoyed reading it. It is definitely not a door-stop. There are others that are better -- i.e. Alas Babylon--but One Second After holds its own. I also liked the fact that it was not full of those militia types who are actually planning for the end of days getting all geared up and spending most of the book almost erotically describing their weapons and ammunition and tactics.


----------



## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

That sounds interesting to me. I've read S.M. Stirlings' Novel of the Change series, along with The _Postman_ by David Brin, along with a couple others. I also enjoy watching post apocalyptic movies, like 2012, Day After Tomorrow, Waterworld... all B movies really, but I enjoy seeing stuff like that. I even try to infuse my novels with some apocalyptic references.


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

My problem with the book was not its plausibility, but the writing: the main character was uninteresting to me, the plot elements predictable, and the actual writing bland at best and often grammatically poor. Having worked for many years in the defense industry, the EMP threat was not news to me, either. The fact that it had a forward by Newt Gingrich probably got me off on the wrong foot, too (regardless of his political views, I just cannot stand watching/listening to that guy -- sorry if you're a fan of his).


----------



## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

Reading is a completely subjective experience that we bring our own perceptions to, and no single book will ever have a universal audience. The stories that some people love and others hate are intriguing to me, and I often end up sampling them just to see what the fuss it about.
L.J.


----------



## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

I enjoyed it..there are some credibility stretches to be sure but no more than most fiction novels in this genre ..I had more "oh cmon!" moments reading Vince Flynn among others.
All in all I found it to be a good read.



luvmy4brats said:


> Nope. I tried that. I bought the audio version for my husband thinking he might enjoy it. He's very knowledgeable about the subject (more than the author apparently). I wouldn't go so far as to call him a subject matter expert, but I'd say it's pretty darn close. I bombarded him with questions while I was reading to the point of waking him up at 12 AM asking "would this REALLY happen?" While many times his answer was yes, more often than not is was either a resounding no or "well, not quite like that".
> 
> I'm going to put my review in spoiler text in case somebody doesn't want to know
> 
> ...


----------



## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

I thought it was great!  It scared me more than any book has in a long time.  No one can know what is plausible and what isn't until it actually happens.


----------



## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

Maybe I'm pessimistic, but if the situation really happened, I wouldn't be surprised to see


Spoiler



society break down to the point where there were roving gangs of theives/plunderers/rapists.


----------



## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

dnagirl said:


> Maybe I'm pessimistic, but if the situation really happened, I wouldn't be surprised to see
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I agree..I guess im not that optimistic on human nature when it comes to survival..people will band togetehr to help in times of crisis but events to this degree I think wouldl bring out the worst in people ..


----------



## kb7uen Gene (Mar 13, 2009)

The concept of an EMP is definitely real, and that is what motivated me to say the book is a must read.  There is also a lot of truth in the fact that as a society we have lost much of the knowledge needed to service without the technology we have today.

But at the same time, I did find myself really questioning the whole cannibalism plot twist, and feel it is the weakest part of the entire book.

Finally, I did find it ironic that I was reading this book on one of the brand new digital talking book players just released by NLS or National Library Services.  If we got hit with an EMP, my Kindle 2 and NLS player would both be toast.

As far as the reader is concerned, he was quite good.

Gene


----------



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

NogDog said:


> the main character was uninteresting to me, the plot elements predictable, and the actual writing bland at best and often grammatically poor.


Ditto this. The author had a serious case of "tell don't show," which is the opposite of what he should have. I'm a fan of apocalyptic fiction (check out the big ol' thread of it here in the Book Corner), but this one was only meh.

I'd like to see a more compelling treatment of this subject, as it is an interesting scenario. Along the same lines, check this out:
http://www.cracked.com/article_18387_5-ways-world-could-end-youd-never-see-coming.html


----------



## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

Seems to be very polar reactions to the book. I'll have to check out a sample.


----------



## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

OK. I am technologically stupid. When something is in spoiler text how does one read it?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

vickir said:


> OK. I am technologically stupid. When something is in spoiler text how does one read it?


Hover your mouse over the black.



Spoiler



David Dalglish


----------



## mparish6 (Apr 14, 2010)

I will say that a foreword by Newt Gingrich didn't exactly predispose me to like this book, but I wasn't too crazy about the preview either...but hey, different strokes for different folks as the proverb goes.


----------



## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

r0b0d0c said:


> I found it a fascinating read (but then, I enjoy apocalyptic stories and have read most of the popular ones already before this), with a VERY believable sequence of what COULD happen with an EMP attack.
> 
> [snip]
> 
> Overall, I found this to be one of the most thought-provoking and interesting end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it stories I've read in some time, and would also recommend it highly, particularly in this time of escalating threats of rogue nations developing nuclear capabilites.


I agree wholeheartedly with your views.

After going through a lot of effort to get a non-pdf copy of this book, I was most impressed at how the author viewed the breakdown of society in an isolated area. To me the obsession with cigarettes was just part of something the main character wanted which was part of what was disappearing. The author showed two things to me: we are totally reliant on electronics and we are totally reliant on transport. If you think hard about it, if these two things fail, society will fail and resort to savagery pretty quickly.

And I'm not quite sure where Luv finds that the main character


Spoiler



has no respect for women


 .


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Half-Orc said:


> Hover your mouse over the black.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Or touch it if you're using a touchscreen device such as an iThingy. 

Betsy


----------



## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

I couldn't get through the sample. I'm not a big fan of apocalyptic books, anyway, but thought I'd try it. It turned out I didn't like the writing style, so I gave it up. In general, I prefer more upbeat stories and that's one reason I like cozy mysteries. Yes, someone gets murdered, but justice is done after the amateur sleuth steps in and then all ends well.


----------



## SerenityFL (Jun 15, 2009)

I actually liked this book, (One Second After).  I saw things a bit differently than luvmy4brats, though.  I don't know if I'm allowed to copy/paste my review I left on Amazon for this book over here so until I learn otherwise, I'll just say if you want to know my thoughts on it, you can find it there.  My Amazon name is the same as my name here.  I only have 14 reviews so it won't be hard to find.


----------



## bookoffers (Mar 2, 2010)

This book seems so interesting .. the title caught up my attention .. LOL !    
speaking of North Carolina , i remember my favorite author Nicolas Sparks  ..commonly , the settings of his 
novels are in North Carolina .. and i  love it !


----------

