One Second After
by William R. Forstchen
|
List Price: Our Price: $13.97 You Save: $12.02 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.33 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of One Second After
Book Review: "Alas, Babylon" meets "Lucifer's Hammer"
Summary: 5 Stars
Like the two classics listed in the review title, "One Second After" shows the inexorable consequences of a cataclysmic event from the viewpoint of a rural American setting. "Alas, Babylon" (Pat Frank, 1959) posited a nuclear exchange between the USSR and the USA, while "Lucifer's Hammer" (Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, 1977) dealt with multiple impacts from a fragmented comet. "One Second After", as noted above, illustrates the consequences of a few very-high-altitude nuclear blasts over the continental United States and the resulting massive electromagnetic pulses (EMPs).
Of the three, "One Second After" may be the most terrifying.
In the 50 years since "Alas, Babylon" and even in the 30+ years since "Lucifer's Hammer", we in the US have become vastly more dependent upon information technology, global supply chains, near-universal communications, rapid transportation, and distributed manufacturing. The horror of an EMP attack on the US -- vs. the nuclear war and comet impact scenarios -- is that it would leave virtually the entire population of the US alive and healthy while in a few seconds destroying or degrading the infrastructure to a level that could support maybe 10% of that population. The result is a relatively quick death for those dependent upon medical care, and a slow death by starvation for most of the rest.
This isn't great English literature, though the writing is above 90% of the novels out there (the flip side of Sturgeon's law), and the overall plot is a bit predictable, particularly for anyone who's read "Lucifer's Hammer" (which this novel echoes in places, especially towards the end, though one could argue that both novels are simply dealing with similar developments and consequences). But it is unflinching in its portrayal of how steep the costs of such an event would be, even in a relatively isolated, rural community; the utter hell that any large urban center would quickly descend into is largely left to indirect reports and the imagination.
The entire novel also made me rethink my own approach to emergency preparedness, something I firmly believe in and have made use of in the past, having gone through a few natural disasters of my own (Tropical Storm Claudette in southeast Houston in 1979, the Loma Prieta Quake in the Bay Area in 1989, Hurricane Isabel in Washington DC in 2003). But my preparations assume some level of infrastructure recovery over time, typically days or, at most weeks or months. "One Second After" underlines the uncomfortable truth that an EMP attack on the US would cause infrastructure damage that was near-universal and that would take years or decades to restore.
Food for thought, so to speak. ..bruce..
Book Review: One Second After
Summary: 1 Stars
I was so disappointed with the written quality of this book. It is just plain poor! Considering the writer is a College Professor,I had expected the novel to be a Marvel of Perfection but instead found it floundering with mistakes.
The storyline is so very Unrealistic. EMP's I am very aware of, yet the writer gives off that people in the small upscale college town in North Carolina have no idea what it is. Properly educated people are well versed in many subjects-unless he is insinuating the people are wealthy but dumb?
He goes on to create a character which I assume is his fantasy pseudo self and heroine in the Story-a College Professor,prior Military yet has No actual field experience in Military so he is like a Dumb ex Colonel?
This is where I found it so unbelievable. I know to many military personal and no matter what their station they are trained in survival. Yet, the Colonel in the story has no experience in this area. I guess he was just a pretty boy playing military games with a hand held Game boy when he was active!
The story takes you day by day after an EMT strike- Chapter after Chapter I got more and more frustrated with the book as the writer makes the people in this story and small town seem like a bunch of dumb hicks who have never experienced a day without electricity.
I found that so unrealistic as the South does get hit hard with Hurricanes and Tornadoes so living without electricity should be a no brainier.
Here in the Northeast we have gone many a weeks without electricity in the freezing winter months. One preps for these events and keeps pantries filled and makes sure there is back up sources for heating, water and basic living supplies.
Yet, the writer has the town in a Looting panic on day one and Local County Officials long gone-as in All Men for themselves.
Sorry, that would not happen here- maybe in slow as molasses North Carolina but not here in the Northeast.County Officials would indeed do their job and not run away when the going gets tough.
I also found it so unrealistic that the heroin in the story is driving the vintage Edsel for days and not running out of gas???? That issue is not addressed until 160 pages or so in and not pertaining to the Edsel driving Colonel who has been driving all over town and nearby county seat and never running out of gas??? That was no better than the endless packs of cigarettes he smokes throughout the novel and endless references to various movies throughout the novel- just to irritating to absorb after a while.
Sorry I bought the book as I expected much better.
Book Review: U.S. Disaster Strips Away Thin Veneer Of Civilization
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished William R. Forstchen's "One Second After" and it is an eye opener. Like "Into the Forest" or "Gift Upon the Shore", it paints a picture of the U.S. after a disaster strips away the thin veneer we call civilization over the whole of America. "Into the Forest" is written mostly from an individual perspective about coping with the loss of civilization and "Gift Upon the Shore" from a small group's ability to cope with disaster. "One Second After" is about a small town just outside of Ashville, North Carolina and how it deals with the aftermath of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack on the U.S.
An EMP is generated by the exploding of a nuclear weapon 250 to 300 miles over the U.S. The electric pulse that is generated fries the computer innards that run our society. The electronics in our modern cars is fried, our financial system, that is primarily electronic, is fried along with anything in the way of energy production, food production, and hospital care. We suddenly living in a country as it was 400 to 500 years ago.
Forstchen writes a page turner that pulls at your heart. His city must confront ways to handle the sick and their medical needs. It must confront lawlessness and summary justice, food shortages with no help from the outside. In fact with all communications cut off, thwere isnooutside any longer.
In an EMP attack we may lose 10% of our population in the first week. Just imagine the plight of commercial aircraft. On an average day there are 3,000 planes flying over the U.S. and an average of 200 people on each plane. With no way to steer, six hundred thousand people would be lost in an instant as the planes fall from the sky.
Forstchen thinks that in the farm belt we could lose up to 60% of the citizens. In the big cities after a year only 10% would be left.
In 2004, a reprt was issued called the Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack. The report is 62 pages long and outlines the threat we face and seems to focus on stopping an attack rather than hardening our electronics to withstand such an attack. It is dry reading. I recommend "One Second After" and when you are done, I ask you to contact Congress about protecting the nation.
Or you can start accumulating arms and ammo to protect yourself and to forage for food. You can start setting up a food larder. You can acquire knowledge to make your self useful in the new society, like how to generate electricity, steam engine technology, animal husbandry and horticulture.
Book Review: It Could Really Happen
Summary: 3 Stars
The author brings to the surface a fact that has, unfortunately, been known for some time, but has been largely ignored by our government. America is profoundly vulnerable to a nuclear EMP attack that will set us back to the Stone Age. This was vividly brought home in an article published in the Wall Street Journal on November 24, 2008, by Brian T. Kennedy entitled "What A Single Nuclear Warhead Could Do." Here is a quote from the article:
"Think about this scenario: An ordinary-looking freighter ship heading toward New York or Los Angeles launches a missile from its hull or from a canister lowered into the sea. It hits a densely populated area. A million people are incinerated. The ship is then sunk. No one claims responsibility. There is no firm evidence as to who sponsored the attack, and thus no one against whom to launch a counterstrike.
But as terrible as that scenario sounds, there is one that is worse. Let us say the freighter ship launches a nuclear-armed Shahab-3 missile off the coast of the U.S. and the missile explodes 300 miles over Chicago. The nuclear detonation in space creates an electromagnetic pulse (EMP).
Gamma rays from the explosion, through the Compton Effect, generate three classes of disruptive electromagnetic pulses, which permanently destroy consumer electronics, the electronics in some automobiles and, most importantly, the hundreds of large transformers that distribute power throughout the U.S. All of our lights, refrigerators, water-pumping stations, TVs and radios stop running. We have no communication and no ability to provide food and water to 300 million Americans."
If this article doesn't get your attention, the book "One Second After" should. It outlines the chaos and brutality that will beset America as viewed through the prism of one tiny community located in the North Carolina mountains.
Doomsday plots have always been fairly popular. Indeed, some dark demon in many people secretly hope for such an event. The reality is that this "reality" may be closer than we think. Consider for the moment Iran's nuclear progress and its declared intent to wipe all "infidels" off the face of the earth. Throw in North Korea's nuclear program into the mix. It does not take much imagination to see where things may end up.
The book is interesting, albeit not particularly well written. Still, a "good summer read" and, sadly, a probable preview of coming attractions for our country unless bold and decisive action is taken by those in control of our government and military.
Book Review: Underdeveloped and repetitive
Summary: 2 Stars
I wanted to like this book. I really tried to like it. I read through the first third of it quickly, intrigued, but then, much like the automobiles on the highways of America described in this book, it came to a sudden, screeching halt.
First of all, there was too much swearing. I am not offended by swearing, and I don't mind swearing in a book if it is part of realistic dialogue, but this was ridiculous. Every character used "damn" over and over and over again- it was so distracting! The druggies and gang members and other unsavory characters had their speech peppered with obscenities.It did not sound natural, it sounded...absurd!
And then there was the overuse of adverbs in the dialogue. I know this was mentioned by quite a few people, but I'm sorry- it was so annoying!! Everyone replied sharply, coldly, quietly- or else they "quickly interjected," that was a good one, too.
Another thing that bothered me was the repetitiveness of the "We were Americans once," theme. I can't even count how many times he went to that well. "I never thought this could happen in America!" "This is America, damn you," he said coldly. "This isn't even America anymore!" Ok, ok, we get it. For crying out loud, stop saying it over and over again! Same thing with comparing the situation to something out of the Dark Ages. The last 20 pages or so kept on saying that the world had gone backwards, that it was like medieval times, on and on and on- WE GET IT! Can you please just assume that your readers have a little intelligence and can figure this out instead of telling us over and over again?
The characters in this book were either extremely unlikeable (John, Tom), or woefully underdeveloped (Jen, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Washington, Makala, everyone else in the book LOL) or both. Even though John was in every scene of the book, he was a very wooden character. All I know is that he smokes a lot of cigarettes, responds coldly to everything, vomits or feels like vomiting on a regular basis and checks out and has fantasies about pretty much every female character that crosses his path, including the wives of his colleagues. Nice.
I could go on and on. This book had the potential to be wonderful but it fell completely flat. It feels like this writer was in a big hurry to get this book written and sacrificed plot, consistency, character developement and just plain old grammar in order to get it out on the market. I wish someone else would take this same subject and write a good book about it!!