One Second After

William R. Forstchen

Apr 2011 · A John Matherson Novel Book 1 · Sold by Forge Books

About this ebook

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

New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen now brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real...a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages...A war based upon a weapon, an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP). A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies.

Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States, literally within one second. It is a weapon that the Wall Street Journal warns could shatter America. 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.

The John Matherson Series
#1 One Second After
#2 One Year After
#3 The Final Day

Other Books
Pillar to the Sky
48 Hours

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

Far to many tangents to be a good read, so few were of value to the progression of the plot. I have read this entire book and reports that it is based off of. The concept is frightfully flawed. What this book, and the reports it is based off of, fail to account for is the ever increasing number of people trained to support the electricity and electronics that we rely upon. Any electrician or electronics technician worth their salt can prove to be invaluable in that situation. Man power trumps adversity.

This is a book that tries to convince you that anyone in the world today has the EMP technology to hit all of the continental U.S., and that we are too incompetent to do anything. Take away all this so-called "realism", and you are left with nothing more than a mediocre action story, the likes of which we've seen time and time again in recent years. In conclusion, it's an action book that tries to be smart and meaningful, but just comes off pretentious and bland.

This was a great read, and the story seemed quite realistic. I did not expect the ending, with respect the what happened to the country. Wish there was a sequel to explain how the country recovers, or does not recover. What scares me is that so many people need drugs to keep them going and since the power goes out, those drugs can't be manufactured or shipped to patients. Makes me think about how ibtreat my body, and that I should be treating it a little better...

About the author

William R. Forstchen is the author of We Look Like Men of War, among numerous other books in diverse subjects ranging from history to science fiction. He has co-authored several books with Newt Gingrich, including Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War, Pearl Harbor, Days of Infamy, To Try Men's Souls and Valley Forge. Forstchen holds a Ph.D. in History from Purdue University, with specializations in military history and the history of technology. He is currently a Faculty Fellow and Professor of History at Montreat College, near Asheville North Carolina. He is a pilot and flies an original WWII recon "warbird." He resides near Asheville with his daughter Meghan.