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Title details for One Second After by William R. Forstchen - Wait list

One Second After

#1 in series

by William R. Forstchen
Newt Gingrich
Audiobook
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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.

  • Creators

  • Series

    John Matherson

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    March 17, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483057729
      • File size: 383269 KB
      • Duration: 13:18:28

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 8-12

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      What would happen in the U.S. in the event of an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack? The answer: Everything electronic--EVERYTHING--would be fried. That's exactly what happens in this story, which centers on Colonel John Matherson, U.S. Army, Retired, now a professor of history in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The characters' powers of ingenuity are challenged to the limit as they realize just how fragile the barrier between civilization and barbarism is. Joe Barrett's baritone is steady and sometimes a bit gravelly, and his serious tone suits these events well. His vocal characterizations are not as good as his narrative, but they do not distract from the story overall. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 12, 2009
      In this entertaining apocalyptic thriller from Forstchen (We Look Like Men of War
      ), a high-altitude nuclear bomb of uncertain origin explodes, unleashing a deadly electromagnetic pulse that instantly disables almost every electrical device in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Airplanes, most cars, cellphones, refrigerators—all are fried as the country plunges into literal and metaphoric darkness. History professor John Matherson, who lives with his two daughters in a small North Carolina town, soon figures out what has happened. Aided by local officials, Matherson begins to deal with such long-term effects of the disaster as starvation, disease and roving gangs of barbarians. While the material sometimes threatens to veer into jingoism, and heartstrings are tugged a little too vigorously, fans of such classics as Alas, Babylon
      and On the Beach
      will have a good time as Forstchen tackles the obvious and some not-so-obvious questions the apocalypse tends to raise. Newt Gingrich provides a foreword.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from October 1, 2009
      The explosion of nuclear bombs in space by an unknown adversary emits electromagnetic pulses (EMP) that instantly and permanently disable electronic devices throughout the United States, wreaking havoc. Forstchen's ("We Look Like Men of War") well-crafted and compelling story, which focuses on one man's struggle to protect his family in an isolated North Carolina town, reminds us of how helpless we'd be without modern technologya chilling thought, as EMP is a real threat to the industrialized world. Elegantly narrated by Joe Barrett ("The Lay of the Land"); a haunting, essential listen.R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA

      Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:8-12

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