I finished this book …and then took it to bed with me … in my head. The message of the book stayed for the next few days and I wondered what could happen to me and my community if we lost our power source. In the book, the drama unfolds because an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is purposely detonated as a way to destroy the USA.

As the story begins, the loss of electricity caused by the EMP goes from an inconvenience to a way of life. The main character is John Matherson, a military history professor at the nearby Montreat College, and an ex-military veteran of Desert Storm. His role as father, professor, Colonel and citizen merge into one as the situation deteriorates.  In the small town of Black Mountain, NC the town learns how ill-equipped they are to survive on their own.

As time moved on, food supplies dwindled, medicine was depleted, people pulled together or communities fell apart and many people died. The towns that thrived and survived were those who were able to grow their own food, create and build, fix and repair, mend and sew.

The book itself was not well written and there were many basic grammar errors that annoyed me but the story kept me coming back for more.  It made me take a look around to see how I would fare if I were without power for a long period of time. How do you think you would do?

Other Reviews and Links:

One Second After
Shallow Thoughts/One Second After
Arm Chair General/ One Second After