Book Review: One Second After

A few weeks ago a friend of mine recommended I read the book One Second After. I am not big into Armageddon type books so I said I would read it but with some hesitation. I prefer my reading to be a bit more upbeat. But, I am interested in generally being prepared (in fact I have a Hub about building a Bug Out Bag) and so I thought I would give the book a try.  The book is 352 pages in a paperback edition and reads smooth and fast. 

The book is a surprisingly good read. Never having read anything by William Forstchen, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. He has done a ton of research into what could cause a major breakdown in our society--and it shows in the book. The book is based on the premise that there is an unknown attack on our infrastructure here in the US that basically wipes out everything electronic in one shot. The story is based around a retired army colonel that teaches college and raises his two daughters. In the small NC town where he resides, things go from bad to really bad in a short amount of time. John Matherson, the college professor with some military background, is one of the first to realize what is happening and quickly begins to organize his family and then his small town into a group that supports each other rather than destroying each other. But nearly everyone suffers. Imagine a world with no electronics--that means no hospitals, no modern medicine, no cars, no TVs, no radios, pretty much nothing our society is based on. Nearby larger cities quickly degrade into battlefields between the strong and the weak. In essence, the book is a cautionary story about getting prepared for what could possibly happen. But the book stands on its own aside from the moral point--the plot moves smoothly and the characters and actions are completely believable. I read quickly and stayed up for nights thinking about the possibilities. This book definitely got me thinking more about being prepared.

The book deals with some mature subjects--so it isn't a book for the fainthearted or the young. Think of what a total breakdown in society would bring--no prisons, no law, no justice. Things that are ugly happen in this book but the author does a fairly good job of not dwelling too much on them.

Some of the characters take a while to develop into believable people. At first, a few of them seem somewhat stiff--but give it a few more chapters and the book really will start to pull you in.

 I would and I have.  I got mine for my Kindle and it was quick and easy. But whatever way you read it, if you are interested in being prepared for what could happen this is a book worth reading.  I give it a solid 8.5 out of 10.