Promises to Keep: After the EMP

Disruption Trilogy Book 3

By: R.E. McDermott

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In this thrilling final chapter of The Disruption Trilogy, R. E. McDermott once again transports us to a frighteningly realistic post-apocalyptic world of chaos and uncommon courage, and of both hope and despair.

When a massive solar storm takes down the power grid, all order collapses with civilization kept alive only by scattered pockets of survivors who find themselves not only short of critical resources, but facing an unexpected enemy - what's left of their own government.

Survivor resistance stiffens as an increasingly corrupt and tyrannical president clamps down on dissent and seeks to eliminate anyone who might expose his perfidy. With both the defenders of Fort Box in what's left of Wilmington, North Carolina, and the people of the ship Pecos Trader in southeast Texas facing uncertain futures, a resourceful and elusive George Anderson leads government forces on a wild goose chase along the Appalachian Trail, but the future looks grim. Only one man has the credibility and the stature to turn the situation around and fulfill a promise to himself - and the nation.

Simon Tremble, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the last lawmaker not under control of the corrupt president, climbs out of his hidden hollow and starts south along the Appalachian Trail. He has promises to keep.

©2017 R.E. McDermott (P)2017 R.E. McDermott

What a great story

I wanted more but you ended it which was good. I am looking forward to listening to more of your work

A very enjoyable conclusion to the series

McDermott is a fine story teller, and the series is very compelling about the danger of an EMP event. His understanding of things nautical really inform the story and the elements I enjoy most.

The elements I have a harder time with are McDermott's conclusions about how things are better with 90% of the population gone and the survivors back on the gold standard. An evil government hoarding resources for itself, propped up by evil mercenaries working for FEMA, while the good military has it's hands tied by Constitutional restrictions until a knight in shining armor (former Speaker of the House) surfaces to reclaim his rightful place as President and set things straight, seems simplistic at best, but in McDermott's hands it makes for an exciting story.

You will not be disappointed

This was a great series from start to finish. I might be a little bias with my review considering I live in the Wilmington area of fort box but I highly recommend this series.

Great Trilogy with good closure at the end

I read the first two books in rapid succession and waited impatiently for this third installment to comeout. Mr. McDermott (He asked me to call him Bob on facebook but I think he is entitled to more respect then that) weaves a wonderful piece of post-apocolyptic adventure. There are: Noble heros to root for, ignomious scum to hiss at, and sufficient scene description to make you think you are there. The plot is credible and the people interact and act in a very believable way. Put this in your lineup!!!!!

A shout out to Kevin Pierce - He has a narrators voice that I could (and did) listen to all day. I'll be looking for more works that he has voiced.

Terrific series

this is very much worth your time. I enjoyed the entire three-book series. And I also appreciate that it wasn't a 10 book series.

Good Old Boy Story

I listen to the whole series, but will only write a review for this one. I purchased this series to listen to Kevin Pierce's country bumpkin way of reading books. Very soothing and entertaining. That said, when he is the master of EMP and preppers story telling for some reason. It really speaks to how popular this mindset is in rural and southern states. That being said the author is a new prepper that must live in a Southern state. He drops lots of civil war references and all of the story takes place in Southern states. People down south seem to be obsessed with the civil war, I guess it is a defeat they just can't get over. People don't talk about that up North or do reenactments like they do down South. The story is kept simple for the most part, no complexity or explanations on why only those two location had nation relevance. He says that 90% of the US population was lost, but even with that, there would still be 30 - 40 million and that is a lot of people. Those two locations would not be the focus of the US. Like most preppers he is fearful of the government and never explains what happened to all the U.S population. There would be people or bodies of people everywhere, and resources would not be that limited. The dialog between characters is simple and repetitively. Subordinates are talked down to, somewhat comically, even in different organizations. Very black and white, the criminals are criminals and the good guys are clearly the good guys. In real life, things are rarely that simple and few people have pure evil or altruistic ideas. That author also seems to be an old baby boomer by the way he always identify his characters by race, like that is the primary characteristic that defines them in his mind. Overall, it lacks the complexity to keep my interest, but Kevin was very good.

How would you respond to these challenges?

We are all capable of surviving as if we were animals in a jungle. But holding on to the values that we believe is a monumental feat even in “normal” times. McDermott has done a masterful job of maintaining a suspense-filled pace in a plausible circumstance. I would like to believe I would behave like Captain Hughes, but I’m eager not to find out.

good read, good ending.

this was a great Final Chapter to a excellent book series. well worth the time.

Grand Finale to a Awesome Trilogy

The Disruption Trilogy is a MUST HAVE series for any Post-Apocalyptic library. Unlike many books in this genre, there are no zombies, no Mad Max like cults, nor fantastical situations. What these books provide is the age-old struggle between good and evil brought to head by a believable collapse to our otherwise orderly society. We all agree that desperate times make desperate people, and I think Bob McDermott endeavors to manifest these outcomes as realistic as possible. Bob also likes American Heroes, and he creates some awesome ones throughout the three books. None are superman; rather they are men and women who do not let their desperation corrupt their values. They are smart people who use their wits and down-to-earth skills to overcome difficult situations, and that is where the entertainment lies throughout his stories.

By writing these three books, Bob McDermott has become the Tom Clancy of the Post-Apocalyptic genre. His knowledge of the military, merchant marine, outdoorsman skills, weapons, and small unit tactics is superb. If you think about it, these are definitely the skills needed in the early days of a societal collapse. Whether it be converting a shipping container port into a fort or the understanding that every river bridge has the potential to be a deadly trap, Bob get’s it right, and that’s the strength behind the Disruption Trilogy.

Promises to Keep is well named as it succeeds in delivering the promise of the entire Disruption Trilogy. I understand that Kevin Pierce also overcame some Hurricane Irma obstacles of his own to get the narration completed so those of us on Audible could get the books shortly after its release. Kevin’s narration style totally complements Bob’s writing style, which makes these books so enjoyable to listen to. Because these are the most realistic Post-Apocalyptic accounts I’ve read to date, and they contain non-stop action by authentic characters, it’s easy for me to give Promises and the overall Disruption Trilogy a 5 star rating.

A gripping, emotional, story

I have listened to a half a dozen authors of end of the world, apoplectic books, always searching for that really good one, the one that leads you to another book, then another, a new character,maybe a new series . Eureka, I’ve found R. E. McDermott. By far the most well written book of the genre. A great ending to a great series , bringing readers a sense of closure to the characters, a few surprises along the way. And it must be fun for a pro like Kevin Pierce to perform so many different , well developed characters