One Second After

William R. Forstchen

Jul 2009 · A John Matherson Novel Book 1 · Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by Joe Barrett

About this audiobook

A post-apocalyptic thriller of the after effects in the United States after a terrifying terrorist attack using electromagnetic pulse weapons.

In a small North Carolina town, one man struggles to save his family after America loses a war that will send it back to the Dark Ages.

Already cited on the floor of Congress and discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a book all Americans should read, One Second After is the story of a war scenario that could become all too terrifyingly real. Based on a real weapon—the electromagnetic pulse (EMP)—which may already be in the hands of our enemies, it is a truly realistic look at the awesome power of a weapon that can destroy the entire United States, literally within one second.

In the tradition of On the Beach, Fail Safe, and Testament, this book, set in a typical American town, is a dire warning of what might be our future and our end.

Ratings and reviews

An absolute must read/listen, especially for anyone with a prepared mindset. William R Forstchen is without a doubt my favorite author after listening to this book, the first of his books that I've listened to. Joe Barrett is a wonderful narrator, and provided great distinction between the characters, something that I really appreciate. I'm very excited to listen to the next two books in this series, and the fourth when it comes out.

I stopped listening after the town's doctor referred to the influx of urban refugees as carriers of every version of hepatitis, cholera, and perhaps ebola "based on the countries they originally came from". Additionally the Town Manager Kate sounded like an idiot who was unable to grasp what was going on and continually asked John for reassurance that this crisis couldn't possibly go on for weeks. And I never quit an audiobook.

I loved this book! Living close to the town this story takes place in was extra disturbing, but also helped me understand the geographic outline of the story. Understanding the worries and the hope this part of the country might give to a person. If you like dystopian books you will enjoy this one. The author had good character development and story development. The author gives Tons of details, stats, and facts without being over bearing.

About the author

William R. Forstchen, author of several dozen books in the fields of science fiction, history, and historical fiction, resides in western North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Purdue University and is a professor of history at Montreat College. His works include the coauthored, New York Times bestselling series Gettysburg, written with Newt Gingrich, the Lost Regiment series, and the award-winning We Look Like Men of War, a novel based on his doctoral dissertation about an African American regiment in the Civil War. He spends most summers in Mongolia, doing archaeological and historical research, and his current hobby is the restoration and flying of a replica P-51 Mustang fighter plane.

Newt Gingrich is a former Speaker of the House, a Fox News contributor, and a New York Times bestselling author. He is the author of thirty-seven books, including the recent New York Times bestseller Trump vs. China. Listen to Newt's podcast Newt's World at www.newtsworld.com or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Joe Barrett began his acting career at the age of five in the basement of his family's home in upstate New York. He has gone on to play many stage roles, both on and off-Broadway, and in regional theaters from Los Angeles, Houston, and St. Louis to Washington DC, San Francisco, and Portland, Maine. He has appeared in films and television, both prime time and late night, and in hundreds of television and radio commercials. Joe has narrated over two hundred audiobooks. He has been an Audie Award finalist eight times, and his narration of Gun Church by Reed Farrel Coleman won the 2013 Audie Award for Original Work. AudioFile magazine has granted Joe fourteen Earphones Awards, including for James Salter's All That Is and Donald Katz's Home Fires. Regarding Joe's narration of John Irving's A Prayer For Owen Meany, AudioFile said, "This moving book comes across like a concerto... with a soloist-Owen's voice-rising from the background of an orchestral narration." Joe is married to actor Andrea Wright, and together they have four very grown children.