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One Second After  By  cover art

One Second After

By: William R. Forstchen
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2009 William R. Forstchen (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[An] entertaining apocalyptic thriller....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." ( Publishers Weekly)

Featured Article: The 20 Best Survival Audiobooks for the Prepper in All of Us


Whether we’re focused on the apocalypse or just an ill-timed breakdown on the side of a particularly remote road, there’s something about imagining survival scenarios that can be addictive. On some level, we all wonder if we would have what it takes to pit ourselves against the worst the world can possibly offer and make it out alive. That’s why it’s no surprise that survival literature is so popular, and that the stories in the genre are so diverse.

What listeners say about One Second After

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An alarming, great read

A Captivating and thought provoking read about the degradation of society following an EMP event.

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loved it!

living in the Asheville area made me feel more connected to it. the narrator was good, I was surprised it was written in 09 , feel like it was written for us now .
the description of the scenes were just enough to get the point across , without being gross. this was the first audio book to make me feel sad for the people in the story.
it was easy to see this happening in Asheville and around the country, with what's going on in the world now.

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Read it 3 times! Now Audible listening and performance is amazing!

I loved the Audible performance. I had previously read the whole series several times and loved it. Now I am listening the series while sculpturing.

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Great book

This is definitely one of my favorites. It truly is a scary picture of what might be.

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Anytime

It’s so true we just don’t know when. Being prepared spiritually is just as big a must as physically. Nothing here and now as we know it will ever be again.

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Required reading

Should be required reading in schools. Enjoyed hear this book always waiting to hear what’s next.

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Wow.

What a great book. Very in depth story and characters. Very intense. Very real.

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  • 06-02-23

Wow! This a horrific nightmare must read scenario book!

I wish that every single American would read this book as it would open the eyes of so many people that there’s so much that needs to be done to prepare, and just to understand how to take care of one another in simple disasters all the way to something as horrific is this. So many times we take so much for granted, and if we didn’t prepare just a little things, like this could be avoided great job on the book!

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Wake up America

A stunning account of what will happen if Americans do nothing to prepare and prevent the total destruction of our America the Beautiful!

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What a reminder

In the end. This could really happen. I’m not a prepped but I would like to think I should prepare some.

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