One Second After (After, #1) in Apocalypse Whenever

Sep 29, 2009 Jeannie rated it it was amazing

I'm so haunted by this book that I'm not even sure I can write a review of it. While reading it I couldn't get it out of my mind and after finishing it last night I couldn't sleep for worrying.

I will say EVERYONE needs to read this book and know that this can happen right now!
As the book says "it's not a question of if but of when." That said, the writing style threw me off a bit, a lot of sentences seemed to just run together and as another reviewer stated "a bit preachy" also, but I do believ ...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Bonnie rated it liked it

Shelves: post-apocalyptic

I enjoyed the concept of the book and the story kept me engaged. I wish the characters had been more fully realized and there had been less 'preachiness'. ...more

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Oct 12, 2010 Bob rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalyptic-distopic

I loves me some apocalypse, but this book, my God. That's a quote from the book by the way. Several characters say it and some more than once. The author lets the reader know something is really horrible by having a character say "my God". I would probably give any apocalypse story at least one star, and this gets another 1/2 star for some interesting info about EMPs and things to think about if the infrastructure falls apart. Other than that, nothing to recommend this over other books in the ge I loves me some apocalypse, but this book, my God. That's a quote from the book by the way. Several characters say it and some more than once. The author lets the reader know something is really horrible by having a character say "my God". I would probably give any apocalypse story at least one star, and this gets another 1/2 star for some interesting info about EMPs and things to think about if the infrastructure falls apart. Other than that, nothing to recommend this over other books in the genre, especially much better written stories like "Alas, Babylon."

I skipped the forward, so I didn't realize that the author was a history professor, which explains a lot. The main character is a sensitive tough guy, retired military officer who is now a history professor at a small college. This individual becomes the reluctant savior of a small town filled with well meaning, but generally clueless folks who would be lost without the hero's expert guidance in this time of crisis. Finally the main character is, improbably, a chick magnet.

Think "Military history professors GONE WILD!...with GUNS!"....and the added bonus that every situation seems to bring to the main character's mind some arcane nugget of military history/painting/journalism/movie/etc. that the author tries to tie into the story.

The book clearly has an agenda. The only characters in the story that "get it" are folks with military experience (including spouses and relatives of military members). These characters spend much of the fist half of the book railing against "the Government" for not being prepared for an EMP event, and for not DOING SOMETHING about the situation. The women in the story come in three varieties: clueless/whiny, motherly/nurturing, or hot/sexy (complete with form fitting outfit). Anyone without a VERY conservative worldview seems to be generally looked down upon. The author has one character even patronize a group of stereotypical liberals as just not understanding how reliant they are on the very Government they complain about. The poor, clueless liberals.

The writing style favors tell rather than show, one-dimensional characters, several "as you know, Bob" type speeches from the main character, and a handful of other tropes.

I had high hopes for this book given the premise, but found it difficult to finish.

Bob
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Jan 18, 2018 LeisureSuitLarry rated it really liked it

Shelves: 100-in-2018

Absolutely terrifying. With most disaster stories, like the Walking Dead or Dies the Fire, you can sit back almost like a sports commentator and think things like "oh, that's going to hurt" or "how are they going to get out of that?" But with this one, if you can believe the forward, it's all precipitated by an actual military tactic that has been researched and gamed out. And if that ever comes to pass, we're all fucked. Social order breakdown, rampant disease, starvation, cannibalism, and pret ...more

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Oct 18, 2009 Jessica rated it really liked it

An unsettling and probably relatively accurate fictional portrayal of what could happen to the US in the face of a large scale attack: technology wipeout, communication breakdown, and a rapid descent into hysteria, lawlessness and uncivilized behavior.

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Apr 20, 2011 Nicole Bettis rated it liked it

Preachy. Period.

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May 13, 2015 Ariel rated it really liked it

Listened to this on audio. Heard it was THE read for preppers and fans of prepping, so I gave it a go. It was a pretty good read. Engaging, decent characters.

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