One second after
by William R. Forstchen · first published 2009
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Novel about an EMP attack on the US, told through one small North Carolina town as society breaks down. Valued as a chilling, thought-provoking look at survival and preparedness, with plausible science behind it.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen now brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real...a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages... A war based upon a weapon, an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies. Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corrid
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A very good fiction book on this topic is One Second After, by William Forstchen. Thought provoking with pretty good science behind it.
on “The U.S. set off a nuclear bomb in space in 1962” ↗…when Internet logistics fail. However, I'm more worried about an EMP attack than a devastating Internet attack. A couple of well-placed EMPs could take the US back to the Victorian period very quickly. One Second After is a great read on the subject.
on “The Internet Might Kill Us All” ↗http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/... One Second After (nearly done with it) is focused on a small town in the midst of something described here. Pretty good read on the topic.
on “A new book compiles knowledge necessary for society to recover after disaster” ↗…few other things that would be spoilers to mention. That said, it has some points that are weirdly racist when viewed decades after publication--if you can look past those, though, it's a solid read. One Second After by William Forstchen talks about the aftermath of an EMP first-strike on the US. Perhaps the one of the more interesting things is that he does specifically pay attention to both the food and medicine…
on “Why a Post-Nuclear World Would Look Nothing Like “Mad Max”” ↗One book that examines this scenario is "One Second After" by William Forstchen [0]. It involves a coordinated EMP attack over America and the effects on a small town in North Carolina. In the same vein as The Road but more detailed in how society devolves i.e.…
on “If America Lost Its Electricity: An Electromagnetic Shock” ↗…country I would assume, but yes, if enough went off the country would grind to a halt. Cell phones, ATMs, etc would not work, at least for a time. There are tons of books about this. http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/... was a good one. Fiction, but still.
on “Ask HN: What would happen if an EMP were detonated over the United States?” ↗If you want a good read on the effect of a massive EMP attack, read "One Second After"[1]. William R. Forstchen wrote it after presenting to the US Congress on the dangers of EMP, and having the presentation be largely ignored. 1. http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/...
on “Non-lethal microwave-blasting missile knocks out electronics” ↗One Second After is a novel describing the possible outcome of such an event [1]. It's a pretty good read. Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans…
on “Earth dodged a massive magnetic eruption from Sun that could have wreaked havoc” ↗…experience. Extremely realistic and you get the sense that many of these events really happened and are fictionalized to bypass censorship. I've re-read his book series at least 7 times. Easy reads. - One Second After by William R. Forstchen. Although I have some minor issues with things in it, it's a fun post-apoc book. - Anything by Derek Sivers. His writing is concise. - The Terminal List by Jack Carr. Pretty…
on “Ask HN: Have you stopped reading books?” ↗The Postman by David Brin The Dog Stars by Peter Heller I Am Legend by Richard Matheson Anything by Dalton Fury (RIP) One Second After by William Forstchen Black Autumn by Jeff Kirkham
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗I highly recommend reading One Second After by William R. Forstchen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Second_After I used to teach and consult on various preparedness topics and people used to ask me what my favorite "survival manual" was.…
on “How long would society last during a total grid collapse?” ↗Yep. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4922079-one-second-after I used to consult and teach various preparedness and emergency topics, and people always asked me what my favorite "survival manual" was. One Second After is.
on “U.S. military shoots down suspected Chinese surveillance balloon” ↗…happen. More plausible is a NEMP, in which an adversarial foreign state uses a nuclear explosion in the upper layers of the atmosphere to create a similar effect. A good fiction book in this regard is "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen. All governments of note have taken some precautionary measures; hardening critical machinery/infrastructure, but you can't plausibly do that for every bit of hardware in your…
on “The Geomagnetic Storm Continues” ↗Book recommendation (a novel that plays out your thought experiment): One Second After is a 2009 novel by American writer William R. Forstchen. The novel deals with an unexpected electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States as it affects the people living in and around the small American…
on “'Sunspot archipelago' 15 times wider than Earth could soon bombard us” ↗> Actually, what’s the most useful way you’d prepare for a worldwide grid outage? Read One Second After by William R. Forstchen. It's probably the most accurate description of what may happen. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4922079-one-second-after
on “Coronal mass ejection impact imminent, two more earth-directed CMEs” ↗