One Second After

By: William R. Forstchen

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins

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)

Must Read

Very thought-provoking book. The scenario is all too real, it would be very easy for a rouge country to light off some nukes that resulted in an electromagnetic pulse. If our electrical grid was knocked out for 30 days country would be in chaos.

I enjoyed the narrator. This book is a very serious book with serious implications that should be read and paid attention to. It's not just fiction, it's a very real possibility.

Very well done to the author of this book for shining light on this very serious potential situation.

It is an eye opener

great book. great story. i think the author gives us Americans to much credit. i believe everything would collapse much faster then this. as far as prepping goes, I now have a catastrophe to prepare for. thanks for the heads up.

Something to think about.

All around a good story. You'll definitely be thinking about it later, especially given 70% you may have already thought about. It's the 30% you didn't consider.

The singular down grade is the narrator's female voice. He sounded just like Tina Belcher.

A MUST READ before it's the truth!

This could so terrifyingly easily become a tragically true storey! There is no excuse for knowledge of the threat of EMP being broadcast to the public.

Couldnt stop listening

If you could sum up One Second After in three words, what would they be?

Scared to death

Who was your favorite character and why?

John. Liked the way he thinks

Have you listened to any of Joe Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Havent, but would. Thought he was excellent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not much laughing, too real for our own good. Cried in several places but dont want to give it away.

Any additional comments?

I though this book and narrator were great. Had to force myself to stop listening. Would highly recommend, especially to anyone concerned about different catastrophic possible events in our time. Many problems I had not thought of before.

Would sneak into bathroom to listen to this!

What did you love best about One Second After?

Just a riveting story, so plausible (mostly, except for the 'execution' of criminals--didn't think that was totally going to happen. But maybe it would in Texas!)

It's a can't-put-it-down story.

What other book might you compare One Second After to and why?

Jakarta Pandemic. Alas Babylon. Same genre, same plausible story line.

Which character – as performed by Joe Barrett – was your favorite?

The father (can't remember his name). He had to take care of his girls, his mother, and be the voice of reason. Oh, and the African American ex-soldier at the college, he was a cool dude too.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

SPOILER ALERT: When his daughter died of diabetes because they ran out of insulin.

Any additional comments?

Not so thrilled with the young/child female voices the narrator did. But that was minor.

A sobering look at a potential reality

I have learned about self-reliance and emergency preparedness all of my life. However, I have never contemplated the possibility of a large scale EMP attack. This novel provides a very sobering look at how quickly civilization as we know it can break down.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a responsibility to care for their love ones.

An eye opener to preparedness

While this book is fiction, it creates a scenario that is possible. And, in doing so, it identifies many things necessary to prepare in advance that will help survival rates and comfort should we ever encounter this or other disasters that are possible.

Really makes you think.

Very interesting book and the thought that it could possibly happen makes it even more interesting. I could not stop listening to the book till I have completed it

Eye opening and emotional

I was very naive about the threat and impact of an EMP attack prior to reading this book. I think the emotional side of this book made it all more real to me. I hope and pray that our national leaders take this seriously, or they could go down in history as complacent, negligent and arrogant. I recommend this book to anyone that loves their family and their country. You will be changed.