One Second After by William R. Forstchen

Our local grade school has a fantastic 5th grade teacher who dedicates each month of the school year to one particular genre, i.e. biography, poetry, mystery, etc. Each month the kids choose a book from that month's genre and do some variation of a book report. Three of my four kids have been in her class so far, and every time there is one genre that leaves me scratching my head. Realistic Fiction. Somehow the things that happen in the books they read during this month just don't seem all that realistic to me. I suppose white rats could take over a classroom, and a group of children on a field trip to a farm may arrive to find the farmer murdered, but honestly - what are the odds?

One Second After, however, is All-Too-Realistic fiction. This would be a good book to read during "Things You're Not Worrying About But Should Be" month or "Ways In Which Our Government is Inept" month. If you're a believer in the Mayan calendar, you might choose to celebrate December 2012 by reading this book, but frankly, then it's probably too late and you'll just wish you'd read it during "Maybe There's Still Time to Prepare" month.

Forstchen's End of Days story doesn't include any of the stereotypical alien invasions, natural disasters, or World War III scenarios that Hollywood has reincarnated more times than the soul of a heathen Buddhist. Think it's hype from the over-active imagination of a doomsayer? The book's foreword is written by former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, who stated, "Though this book is a work of fiction, it is also a work of fact, perhaps a 'future history,' . . . I know this from personal study, across decades, of the very real threat to American security that is posed by this particular weapon."

The weapon in question is know as "EMP" - short for electromagnetic pulse. By strategically detonating nuclear weapons above the atmosphere, it is possible to fry all electronic gadgets within a wide radius. Though none of the fallout would reach the surface, only a few detonations would cause planes, automobiles, phones, Kindles (the horror!) - everything remotely gadget-y across the country would cease to function immediately. One Second After shows how the silent moment when everything goes black could be more disastrous than any attack this country has ever seen, including 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.

Even better, this informed and intelligent novel is well-written. The hero is believable: at once noble and flawed, exhibiting a thoughtfulness and insight most of us would not have, but igniting into irrationality and unabashed self-centeredness when his child's life is on the line. Centuries of military and sociological history are beautifully woven into the plot, showing that what is to come can be predicted and prepared for by looking at what has come before. Clearly this knowledge also informed Forstchen as he wrote a plot that is so utterly believable it seems inevitable. Forstchen pulls no punches and the reader can shelve the idea that "everything will be ok; it's just a novel."

Lest readers be tempted to throw up their hands in despair and choose a sand face-plant rather than read an uncomfortable story, there are lessons offered by Forstchen in the course of the novel about preparing for disaster of any kind. Lessons learned by his characters that are not heavy-handed and don't overshadow the storyline, that is. Forstchen understands what Dean Koontz meant when he said, "First and foremost, I am an entertainer." Forstchen entertains, while also sounding an alarm that any voter, any parent, any person who likes to eat on a regular basis, and in particular--any decision-maker in a government position--should read, enjoy, and take heed.

Five Stars