Author William R. Forstchen's bestselling novel "One Second After" – which imagines the devastating effects of an EMP strike on the United States – is being adapted into a feature film.

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

That book is what really lit the fire for my personal prepping journey. Is it Tolkien-levels of writing? Absolutely not. It's pretty standard at best. I've had the chance to drive around Black Mountain (a prepper pilgrimage, if you will), and converse with the late leader of the EMP Commission. It's a topic I'm very, very well versed in.

But over 15 years and a Master's degree, I've learned little, if anything that disproves the core premise of the disaster. I.e. 90% of the U.S would be dead within a year due to a grid collapse.

I wish I had found something that could be the smoking gun of why an EMP wouldn't work. But now we know Russia is actively pursuing putting a nuclear device into space. Only one reason for a nation to do that.

[-]

Huntergatherer7@reddit

This is the only book in my life that I’ve actually destroyed in anger. I refuse to donate it or try to resell it, because it would be a disservice to humanity to force this atrocity on one more human being.

This book is a work of fan fiction that the author wrote for and about himself, so he could pretend he’s the hero. No really, the forward is basically a love letter to himself about how fabulous he is. If you took all the ego of every narcissistic, misogynist man on this planet and put it into one person, you still wouldn’t get as big of a jerk as the main character. Every interaction he has with the (very rare) female characters is overtly sexual. He lost his wife and all he can think about when sees a woman is getting in her pants. He even talks about his older daughter’s boyfriend only wanting to screw her. Multiple times. No really, I lost count about how many times he talked about boning and his daughter in the same paragraph. So not only is he gross, but he’s a creeper too. Then, his younger teenage daughter (who is a type 1 diabetic which becomes important later) is written like a 5 year old who is constantly whining, crying and calling him “daddy”. If you’re going to write younger characters, go spend time with real humans that same age. Geez, is it that hard?

He meets a nurse who ends up saving his life, and arm from amputation, after getting an infection. What does he do when he wakes up after she’s been taking care of him, a stranger, for over a week? Does he thank her? Does he ask about his kids? Nope. HE TALKS ABOUT HIS ERECTIONS. Then, THEN, she responds. She speaks to him in vernacular that NO WOMAN would ever use with a man. Seriously, it was so cringey and vomit inducing that I thought the pages got swapped with the script from a 90s p0rn0.

The premise for this story is so fascinating, but now, every time I hear about an EMP, I’m going to think about how this author just used it as a backdrop for his wet dreams.

I only made it about a 1/3 of the way through this book before giving up. Honestly I don’t remember, because I tore it up. A few weeks into the EMP disaster and the main character was already murdering teenage boys, firing squad style, after maybe half a page of deliberation when they stole medication from a retirement home. Not sure how I even made it past that part for the erection conversations. After reading other reviews, it sounds like only 2 months after the EMP, they’re already cannibals. So…..

If you‘re a man who loves guns, military spending, stereotyping minorities, pushing your holier-than-thou religious beliefs any chance you get, and most importantly, like to talk about yourself and the needs of your own p3nis, you’ll probably be completely baffled at all the negative reviews and live vicariously through every minute of the poorly written, one dimensional main character’s life with bated breath.

If this is what the post-apocalyptic world is going to look like, I’m going to stop any “prepping” that I’ve started and pray to every God out there that I’m at ground zero when any type of “bomb” is detonated

[-]

WidePaleontologist97@reddit

🤣🤣🤣🤣 hummm I didn’t get any of that from the book. I think you allowed your own narrative to override the narrative of the book

[-]

Future_Point_4570@reddit

Agree completely

[-]

user_uno@reddit

Wow. Tell us what really think. Sheesh. But to each of their own.

I caught none of the 'penis' fixations and p0rn-like writing described. Sure it was the same book? Sounds like mixed with something else bordering on erotica. "Erection conversations"? Wow. Sounds like a psychological fixation seeing what is not there or over emphasizing such.

And I'll have you know many women call their father "daddy". Take that suggestion and spend time not just with girls that age but also from other parts of the country. My own family that was very common up until the day their father died. So even through adulthood. I've seen grown men do the same. And no, not just in the Deep South stereotype. It is not incestuous. It is not sexual. It is not even out-of-touch uncommon. Different parts of the country can have different vernacular. The world - even not the entire US - is not homogeneous.

I do not recall how long it had been since the MC lost his wife. If it had been a while, yeah he might be prone to falling for someone. The nurse the MC fell for was in situation not the greatest part of writing.

Will things go sideways with killing, theft, summary executions and the like in a TEOTWAWTI situation? Will there be cannibals and 'warlords' with groups sweeping through like murderous locusts? Maybe. Hopefully we never find out.

I am not defending this book as classic literature. Nor is it a "how to" manual. It is fictional for entertainment. Same for most movies and TV shows. Entertainment - not real world. I read the book in full. Still have it along with the series. I view it as I do other fictional material in this genre. All contain stretches of unrealistic luck. But that is just my own opinion.

[-]

dachjaw@reddit

Then you had better not read Patriots by John Wesley Rawles. It has everything you mentioned except for the erections, and adds rape-loving Belgian UN officers, moving from Chicago to the country and instantly growing all the food they need, “well-our-buddy-is-dead-so-how-do-we-fix-the-jeep?”, and casually shooting cannibalistic Marxist hippies (carrying Mao’s Little Red Book!) while on their way to church.

[-]

JRHLowdown3@reddit

Who doesn't shoot Marxist hippies on the way to church? We call that Sunday Funday in the South.

[-]

dachjaw@reddit

Yes, but these were cannabalistic Marxist hippies. It makes all the difference!

[-]

JRHLowdown3@reddit

Never thought I would agree with what is definitely a hard core feminist... LOL, but yeah that book was definitely of the "male fantasy" genre. It smacked of old "Out of the Ashes" series where "Ben Raines" an older guy transverses the country after nuclear war banging young hotties and getting into impossible gunfights with impossible to find guns and lives through every one of them.

Fan note for new preppers- the "Out of the Ashes" book started the "Tri States Philosophy" which involved moving to Idaho, parts of Washington and Oregon, which became the survivors safe space from the remaining fed gubmint. Rawles "American redoubt" idea came directly from this. As Soloman said, nothing new under the sun... but if your new, you wouldn't know this wasn't a new idea he came with.

One Cigarette After was hot garbage, and I've read and listened to hundreds of $hitty SHTF fiction stories over 39 years of preparing.

Didn't catch all of the odd sex references you obviously were looking for :) but damn if it didn't get old hearing about cigarettes frickin constantly. I believe Reynolds Company or Phillip Marlboro company probably bankrolled the book!

[-]

ForgiveandRemember76@reddit

Your background is enviable. You have BEEN to Black Mountain and completed a MSc in Disaster Management? Well done! I cordially invite you to join our team in Canada. I would like to know more about the Masters and its value. I'm a psychologist who worked with epidemiologists: we prepared for biological events like airborne ebola. Covid was just a warmup.

The premise is certainly believeable. It's not a nuclear war. No one saw it coming. It was as if it happened today, in the state of readiness, or lack thereof, we are in, on a typical afternoon. Years later, the survivors still don't know what happened.

Enemy states don't want the devastation that comes from nuclear or other wars where assets are destroyed. They want everything but the people. Bio weapons and chemical weapons could have implications for the settlers who will come after most humans in the impacted countries are dead. EMPs make sense, particularly since North America has done little to nothing to harden itself against such an attack.

One of my great hopes is that as Canada goes on its NATION BUILDING spree, we address all issues at once. After reading the plan, I'm pretty sure the PM thinks the same. At last!

For example, PM Carney has committed specific promises on affordable housing. The plans for such housing should address environmental concerns (hardiboard exteriors, hail/fireproof roofs, no basements in flood zones) as well as other sustainability threats such as local food and water security, and EMP proof electronics, including those in Canadian made vehicles.

I keep the entire contents of Wikipedia and YouTube videos of how to do everything, on a 2 TB memory box. It's kept inside an EMP proof bag with chargers and laptops. I have power, food water, medicine, and trading stock stashed and on rotation. I have had for about a decade. It's only now that we are going into more active preparation. That means things like training our group on the critical skills and steps to get us gathered together and ready for whatever comes.

I'm one of the people that might be useful to keep around despite my illness. I'm physically frail but have a LOT of survival knowledge in my head and experience in my hands. Having strong female elders is critical if you want a life you desire rather than just survive.

In the boo, it only requires 2 or 3 nuclear weapons dispersed at 20 miles to take all of the USA offline. They never find out what actually happened in the book, but one possibility was that an enemy nation joined forces with another in order to launch the weapons far enough to work. Two were launched from what Donny would now call the Gulf of America, the other off California. That is just speculation between the main character and the leader of what remains of THE USA military near the very end of book 1.

I'm old. I did back to the land in the 70s, supposedly because of the coming ice age and nuclear winter, but mostly because it was fun. That was all done by the 80s.

I think the book is believeable. It raises a lot of issues that people will not discuss today but that become unavoidable in an extended crisis. The death rate is what I would expect. Ditto for the suffering.

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

In the book, it only requires 2 or 3 nuclear weapons dispersed at 20 miles to take all of the USA offline. They never find out what actually happened in the book

This is actually completely unbelievable.

There is literally no way you can launch and detonate even one nuclear warhead over the continental United States without the US military and intelligence organizations knowing precisely who did it. They have entire programs to track missile launches and satellites. I mean, that's pretty much Space Force's *JOB*.

Even if you manage to put a handful of nuclear devices in orbit under the guise of normal satellites, the launches are tracked so we know the origin and the satellites themselves are continuously tracked, so even if they change orbit, we know where they are from. When those satellites detonate over the continental US, we'll know exactly who was responsible.

Similarly, we keep track of the comings and goings of ballistic missile submarines. Only 6 nations have nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines: The US, Russia, China, India, France, and the UK. Both the UK and France are allies of the US, and India needs her four Arihant class boats to maintain strategic deterrent against Pakistan.

So it would either be Russia or China. We'd likely know which based on where the launch was from: Countries tend to set up patrol "boxes" where their SSBN's operate (and which are closely guarded secrets obviously), and while there's no guarantee you'll track every single SSBN, or even most of them, you will have the ability to track at least some of them some of the time, and from you that can tell you where they generally operate. So you can figure out which country launched based upon that.

North Korea does have a conventionally powered ballistic missile submarine, so that's vaguely possible, but we'd see (and hear) it coming from a long way off.

So yeah, we'll know who did it. I mean, you and I might not know, but the important people will know.

If a country attacks the US in such a way as to shut off all the (civilian) infrastructure*, putting hundreds of millions of lives at risk, well, that's a legitimate casus belli. That's the kind of thing you launch a retaliatory nuclear strike for, and because of their nature and ironically their age at least two legs of the US's nuclear triad, the Minuteman III ICBMs in their silos and the Poseidon SLBM's in our SSBN fleet at sea will be unaffected.

Also, the orders to launch will be sent to those forces through multiple, redundant EMP resistant communication methods.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TACAMO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_Essential_Emergency_Communications_Network

So it's just not credible to me that we wouldn't know.

[-]

user_uno@reddit

All true. But that is known within the military by those with a need to know at the time. Post-event with all modern communications out, knowledge of such may be extremely slow trickling out. Like even a lifetime for some people depending on location. By then, rumors will have circulated by word-of-mouth.

Look at the covid pandemic. Five years later even with 24x7x365 instant on news coverage and social media, origins, prevention and other things still remain uncertain.

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

But that doesn't matter in terms of retaliation.

True, the vast majority of US citizens wouldn't know, at least initially. But the people who *NEED* to know would know.

Also, word would get out pretty quick. This isn't something the US government would keep secret, because you don't use nuclear weapons without a PFDGR (Pretty Fucking Damned Good Reason), and retaliating against someone who just basically condemned millions to die is a PFDGR, and they'd be eager to show both the domestic audience and the foreign one why they did what they did.

Which means, BTW, plenty of radio broadcasts. Most stations in the US would probably be toast, but not all, and there are foreign shortwave and AM stations that could be listened to inside the US by battery powered radios. The information would be distributed unevenly, sure, but most people I know have some kind of way to listen to a radio, and unless it's hooked to a big antenna or plugged into the wall, it's likely to survive an EMP event.

So not all modern communications will be out.

https://remm.hhs.gov/EMP.htm

Cell phones and handheld radios have relatively small antennas. If they are not connected to electrical power supplies during the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) they may not be affected, but they do rely on an intact infrastructure for communications.

Except not all require an intact infrastructure:

I'm using that Xiegu X5105 there as a transceiver, trying to make contacts over amateur radio frequencies, but I can listen to AM broadcast and shortwave broadcast radio transmissions with it, and I can listen to FM, AM, and shortwave broadcast stations with my EDC radio, a Yaesu VX-6R.

So once things all go out like that, I'd definitely turn the radio on to see what's going on (I did this during the 2003 Northeastern blackout). And I would definitely be telling my neighbors what is going on.

I'm not uniquely prepared for this kind of thing, even though I don't believe it will ever happen, but it's true that the majority of people wouldn't be. But I'm not the only one, there is something like licensed amateur radio operator for every 500 people in the US, and there are still other radio nerds out there.

Every Prepper with a Baofeng UV-5R has the ability to listen for FM broadcast stations, and the US would probably have their EC-130 Commando Solo aircraft transmitting on FM to inform the public. A transmitter up at, say, 10,000 feet high has a really significant footprint, with a radius of about 140 miles. That's an area of almost 62,000 square miles, or just a bit bigger than the state of Georgia. And of course, the aircraft can fly to different areas.

Also, there's another aspect to this: Because US retaliation will be swift, there is no scenario I can imagine where a country would hit the US with an EMP attack, and not immediately follow it up with a full nuclear strike.

Just doesn't make sense, unless the country in question honestly thinks they can get away with it without being discovered (which I showed is highly unlikely).

But even then, when the US launches, they have to launch, because it's a "use it or lose it" kind of scenario. They have to launch on warning or their nuclear capability will be decimated.

[-]

Remarkable-File-8676@reddit

A country like China would hire a few foreign flag commercial ships, mod their holds for some small, short range nuclear missile launchers and disguise them and have them close in to the Gulf coast , the West coast, and the East coast and launch simultaneously with no warning and then have the ships sink or blow up. There would be little warning and it would be a long time before knowing for sure who was responsible in order to retaliate.

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

Yeah, no.

You don't release nuclear weapons to foreigners, and you don't generally send people on known suicide missions.

Because the internal controls on nuclear weapons are very tight for *ALL* nations, you can't release them in any sense of the word without it becoming known, at least in hindsight when looking back over the data.

Also, you can't modify ships to launch medium range ballistic missiles without it being seen on satellite. You can attempt to hide it, but then you'll have the analysts in the Washington area asking why you are covering up work on a clapped-out foreign flagged container ship with tarps.

Plus, China would have to signal whether to launch or not. That means they've got to send some kind of a signal, specifically over HF or satellite because ship at sea so no fiber. And that signal is going to be intercepted.

So yeah, still unbelievable.

[-]

user_uno@reddit

Thank you for the thoughtful and thorough response.

I too am a ham (interest long before the prep bug got around to me) and sure some of my stuff would be ok. But even not all hams are equipped for no power (and batteries run out). I may hear something. But I do question even all neighbors would believe that I that weird radio guy would believe what I hear and pass along. But nevertheless, I would turn on my radios to see what's going on until I find out as much as I can.

Also a member of my county Emergency Management Agency. We've discussed on the side would people believe us let alone follow our directions just because we are wearing a hi viz vest.

Mainstream AM/FM stations would be toast. I've spent time in some and those were held together with duct tape. But that big ol' antenna is going to be a lightning rod soaking up energy. Even if some equipment makes it ok inside the station, that big antenna is needed to reach anyone beyond the parking lot or fence. Plus people have been ditching AM radios and some with FM even. Everything is streaming to them. Look at the recent power outages in Spain/Portugal. People had to find and huddle around working radios.

I agree with all of the detection and retaliation by a military. Countries that FAFO playing with EMP attacks will face consequences. Doesn't even need to be attacking the US. Imagine if NK hits SK or Japan. Or Iran does it with Israel. It will detected and known. Retaliation will be swift and total. Use of WMD is only for the insane or those that see no way out of their current predicament. They are basically signing their own death warrant.

[-]

ForgiveandRemember76@reddit

Thank you.

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

Oh, and one other thing: I used to be in the signals intelligence world.

That's another possible way to divine who did it. If a country goes on alert just before the attack, you'd see that reflected in their communications even if you couldn't read the communications.

So if Russian forces don't get notified to go on alert until well after the attack but we detected increased communications in the PRC immediately before the attack, that kind of gives the game away.

So can abnormal behavior detectable from satellite. If all of a sudden you see abnormally high activity at nuclear weapons sites in Russia in the days prior to the EMP attack, but not in China, that could be an indication that Russia is dispersing their stored nuclear warheads in anticipation of a US retaliatory strike. The purpose won't be obvious up-front, but it will make us nervous, and it will be plain as day in hindsight what was happening.

[-]

user_uno@reddit

Why would orbital weapons be advantageous for an EMP attack? There is a reason keeping missiles/rockets on the ground advantageous - unpredictability in some, easier to maintain, easier to upgrade, far less expensive, etc. An orbiting platform is predictable and readily tracked. No one can get to it without likely noticing such as well.

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Thank you! And it sounds like you're quite set on your end.

For my Masters, it's very much in regards to the existing Disaster Response structure. FEMA procedures, existing ways to organize emergency response, plans for localities, etc. The degree is designed to utilize the existing structure. When that structure fails...well, that's a bigger issue, because the usual procedures fall flat on their face. (You can't call for Federal help when the Federal system is destroyed.)

I also specialized in radiation hazards & pandemics (gotta love the timing.) The degree was mainly preparing someone to be an Emergency Manager (or the equivalent) within the existing system. Learning about the failures of the past was certainly eye opening of how fragile the system is. (Katrina, etc.) And it certainly helped me in knowing how to organize to prepare and respond for a crisis.

Unfortunately, the current EM field is in flux due to budget cuts to FEMA and such. So, it's a bit up the air at the moment.

I certainly agree with you that EMP is a looming threat. Ultimately, the easiest way to destroy a nation is to cut the power and ensure it can't come back on. Cyber/physical attacks, and EMP are the primary vectors for that.

[-]

ForgiveandRemember76@reddit

What is the "current EM field?" Are you talking about the academic discipline or a physical thing? Did I miss a breakthrough?

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Academic discipline & field of Emergency Management within the U.S. Directly relates to FEMA and their operations in response to disasters.

[-]

ryleg@reddit

My problem witht he 90% of the US dying scenario is that it is such "worst case scenario" thinking. It assumes the rest of the world will just let North American citizens die, even though there is a tremendous amount of wealth in NA and people in NA that have loved one abroad.

Europe, Asia, Australia, SA, I believe, would band together and do airdrops for food and get some fuel over here to so that we could get farming and food distribution back on track. They would take temporary refugees if needed. Now there are scenarios where this isn't possible, but again those are the absolute worst case scenarios.

[-]

itsnot218@reddit

Europe, Asia, Australia, SA, I believe, would band together and do airdrops for food and get some fuel over here to so that we could get farming and food distribution back on track. They would take temporary refugees if needed.

Six months ago I would have agreed, now I'm not so sure of that.

[-]

stephenph@reddit

They still would, even with our differences it would be seen as a humanitarian necessity in addition it would be in their best interest to see the US back on its feet, we provide a significant amount of food and other aid. Some of that would depend on the US reaction as well, if we start tossing nukes around (a real possibility) that would influence any aid

In addition, if they identify the country that I Did the deed (wasn't it N Korea?) NATO obligations would kick in so I could even see a country get taken out and possibly the world be shook into WWII.

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

Would it matter anyway?

They don't have the capability to do that kind of thing. The US by itself provides something like 50% of the World's emergency food aid despite only having about 4.2% of the World's population. We have that kind of capacity, but if we are hosed, the rest of the World can't maintain what's given out now, *AND* step up to help the United States.

The United States has been exceptionally generous over the 80 years or so since the end of WWII.

We have consistently been the highest donor of aid in the World by a very large margin.

If we get screwed, it basically also screws the rest of the World. The Third World countries won't get the food they need anymore because the other nations that provide aid won't be able to make up the difference. And many of the First and Second World nations depend at least somewhat on our agricultural exports.

So really, even if they had the very best of intentions to help the United States, the amount of help they could realistically supply would likely be very minimal at best.

[-]

itsnot218@reddit

Good point. So the only countries that might have capacity to provide any meaningful help, if they were so inclined, would be China and Russia? Not sure how far down that path I want to go on a Monday morning...

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

Agricultural products are the one area where we have a significant trade surplus with China, they import far more food from us than we do from them. Don't expect much from them.

Russia has historically had problems feeding itself, but due to sanctions in place since their invasion of Crimea which led to more investment in domestic production, it has become increasingly self-reliant, but I don't think they are in a place yet where they can ship significantly more food as foreign aid.

[-]

itsnot218@reddit

That makes sense, thanks!

[-]

UncleIrohsTeaPot@reddit

That does happen in the book, but it takes a long time for aid to reach all of America. That, and there are competing foreign interests that use the opportunity to claim American territory, which complicates aid efforts from our allies. China ends up gobbling up most of the West coast.

[-]

stephenph@reddit

I Need to reread the book. I think even in that scenario America would be a tough nut to crack.

A couple reasons, the EMP was just NA, that leaves a huge amount of our military still intact, in addition, the core of our military bases are shielded which, while still would be hit hard, would help with recovery. Satellite ops, while impacted would switch to overseas command and control.

China still would not be able to logistically mount any serious amphibious landings, the overseas US Navy and Air Force would return to the US to protect the homeland, and in the face of a military amphib force threatening us, might even resort to nukes to take out that threat. Fortress America is a real concept and does not just rely on our military .

China would be the only force that could consider such a plan, but I don't think they would. They would focus on consolidating the South China sea, Taiwan, possibly the Philippines or the other nations in the region. Without US support (we would be quite busy just restoring the US) it would not be too difficult. In the best case scenario the dollar would be dead 30 seconds after.

Any invading force would still need to contend with the civilian population, which, while in survival mode would see any small military force as a threat and act accordingly.

Any invasion plan would need to kick off simultaneously with the EMP attack to make maximum use of the initial shock, once our military shook off the initial effects we would be out for blood. The only way I could see the invasion threat play out is if the country that set it off was ready to go with an invasion, and preps like that would have been picked up weeks if not months before the EMP.

[-]

Eredani@reddit

Not anymore. If America got hit with an EMP today the rest of the world would break out the popcorn and watch the show.

[-]

Teardownstrongholds@reddit

An EMP attack is a nuclear attack. The response will be proportional to a nuclear attack that kills 90% of the US population.

[-]

PoliticalSpaceHermP2@reddit

The sun can also create an EMP: https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/february/emp-or-solar-incident-could-result-blackout-warfare

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

Except that:

We have mitigation strategies in place for that.
We watch the Sun like a hawk, 24/7/365, and not just from Earth but also from space. There are something like 40 professional solar telescopes around the world and 37 operational solar observing spacecraft.
It takes time for a CME to hit Earth. At a bare minimum, at least 12 or 13 hours, but usually more like 18 to 24 hours, some as long as 2 or 3 days. That, combined with the warning in #2, gives time for the grid operators to shut things down.
Unlike an EMP, the GIC (Ground Induced Currents) of a CME really only effect very long electrical lines. So there is less of a threat to "last mile" type circuits and zero risk to your personal electronics, your car, etc.
This isn't 1859, 1921, 1972, or even 1989. We've learned a lot from these events, and the grid operators have mitigation strategies in place. Maybe not 100% protective yet, but we're far better prepared than the Chicken Little types would have you believe.

[-]

MattMose@reddit

Yup, we burnt just about every bridge we would hope for support over the past few years - and dumped gasoline on the fires in the past few months.

At this point, our best hope for aid would be coming from the country most likely to launch the EMP.

[-]

Geckomoe1002@reddit

Correction. Over the past few months.

[-]

WSBpeon69420@reddit

Who in Asia really has the capability to do that? China would let us go because it would be easier for them in the long run, korea is worried about the koreas, Japan is broke and barely comes over this way for military exercises. NATO might under normal situations but if it was an EMP they would be more worried about the fighting probably coming to them behind taking the US out. South America doesn’t have the capability and honestly would probably try to turn the tables on American refugees coming to them. Canada would normally help if they weren’t effected, Mexico has its own problems

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

I agree that help would likely come from abroad- but the problem is the amount needed, and the speed. All infrastructure would be paralyzed in the U.S- including shipping. Those living on the coast/near coastal ports would absolutely be in the best position to receive foreign aid.

Unfortunately, there's just no way to get the amount of supplies needed INTO the U.S. after such a disaster. Not fast enough to prevent a massive die-off. There's just no way to move that many supplies fast enough and in the quantity to prevent that 90% casualty figure.

[-]

Wayson@reddit

I would say that One Second After, Lucifer's Hammer, and Dies The Fire are probably my three top literary influences. All of them focus narratively on the very fortunate but all three also do a good job portraying how awful it is for everyone outside the protected narrative bubble. In all cases most people die unless their enclave is very lucky.

But even so. COVID demonstrated that it does not require an apocalyptic event like an asteroid strike, EMP, or massively fatal pandemic to still cause severe problems. Much of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas got wrecked by Helene. Black Mountain did not do so well there. Milton was almost a direct hit on Tampa and while it missed still was devastating. Texas almost went dark a few years ago during that freeze and Spain did go dark for a day last week. In all cases both fictional and real the people who did the best were the ones who were already prepared with stored food and water and power generation capabilities.

I have my doubts as to the long term viability of civilization today should the grid go down. It has been a long time since I began my prepping journey and while I am now able to function off grid for up to six months, I do not think that most of us have a real chance if things break and stay broken for a year. I hope that it never happens.

[-]

DA1928@reddit

Black Mountain actually did okay during Helene, especially given the level of damage to the surrounding communities. It was basically in the bullseye and came out of it relatively fine. They also had some of the best spontaneous community organization of any of the towns in the heart of the disaster area.

[-]

PoliticalSpaceHermP2@reddit

Its been a while since I read One Second After, but the Spain power outage, and the pictures and videos of everyone enjoying themselves outside, reminded me of that book because at the beginning I believe they had a big barbecue the first day, like it was a picnic.

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Lucifer's hammer is a fantastic one- I'll check out Dies the Fire.

And you're correct. It doesn't take a full-blown EMP to collapse the grid. As the examples you just gave- an entire country can go dark due to a glitch, let alone a malevolent actor. Our grid is frighteningly fragile, far more than anyone really wants to admit (and there's a fair bit of denial present.)

Ultimately, it's only after the initial die-off period (6ish months,) where you'd start to see things being re-established. It wouldn't be on a national scale, but local groups forming communities. But it'd be a long, painful process to say the least.

[-]

WSBpeon69420@reddit

After seeing how bad they fucked away Homestead (the Black Autumn series) I’d be surprised if this is any good. Really enjoyed both series but they don’t have a good track record of decent book to movie adaptations

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Oh gosh. Yeah...that...was a doozy. I need to read the books- but even so, that was a chore to get through. First 30-45 min? Pretty decent! Then it became clear it was just a movie made about preppers, by individuals who have absolutely no idea what preparedness entails.

[-]

WSBpeon69420@reddit

I hate being one of the “the book is better than the movie” types but the movie just randomly adapted silly inconsequential and incomplete parts threw them together with an over emphasis bias on the Bible and then tried to pretend it was a good adaptation. They are no Borrowed World Series but fun nonetheless plus I like how all the other books in the series tie in or happen from different perspectives at the same time

[-]

Many-Health-1673@reddit

Borrowed World books 1-4 was really good.

[-]

WSBpeon69420@reddit

I really liked them all- mostly because it wasn’t just some cop out “I’m a navy seal and I’m already prepared for this” type book. But even the Mad Mick series was really good and filled in stuff during the same time frame as borrowed world

[-]

Many-Health-1673@reddit

I'll have to check out the Mad Mick series.

What I liked most about the Borrowed World series was the main character and his family were prepared, so they could help their small community of friends and family members get through the worst of the hard times. Gary was prepared as well. But these guys were just average Joe's not SOF.

[-]

WSBpeon69420@reddit

That’s exactly what I liked as well. Average joes for the most part knowing they should have some preparation and doing what they needed to. Really relatable! Mad Mick is a little different than that but still fun because the stories converge but he’s doing his own thing

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Yeah, it was just a mess. As for suggestions, Lights Out by Ted Koppel is more of a documentary with interviews about how vulnerable the U.S is to a cyber attack- that's one I'd definitely endorse. It has interviews with NATO officials, industry professionals, and so forth.

Another good one is War Day by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka. It's a story about 2 journalists traveling across the once U.S and putting together the stories from people who survived, and the current state of things. A fascinating read.

[-]

WSBpeon69420@reddit

Oh nice! I read lights out but not the other! Thank you!

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Most welcome! It's a solid read.

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

All that experience, let's see...

What effect will an EMP have on electronics other than the power grid?

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Short answer? It depends on the location of the burst and strength.

Long answer: Assuming multiple weapons for complete coverage of the U.S, many devices would fry. While smaller devices have smaller antenna/ways for the E1 pulse to propagate, they also are much, much more sensitive. It's a grey area that we honestly aren't 100% sure the impact.

So within a certain radius, small devices such as phones/radios/computers would likely be turned into paperweights. On the outer limits of the pulse, devices might be fine.
Or they might not.

A recent test by Sempre apparently says smartphones may survive. I take that with a heaping pile of salt, since I can't find any information on how they were tested and to what levels. Surviving 10 kv/m is technically surviving an EMP pulse, but a weapon-level pulse would be easily in the 100 kv/m range (Super EMP Weapon.) The devil is in the details.

I mention it in the reference doc, https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/comments/l00cz5/emp_reference_document/ but the tests the EMP commission did on cars, for example, was incomplete. People use that example to say "look, cars survived!" Well, yes and now. They couldn't afford to brick a dozen vehicles...but they could have.

So, the safest assumption is to operate that an EMP would fry all small devices and vehicles, and be pleasantly surprised when the coin flips and that's not the case in your area.

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

Oof, I mean that's close, but still a giant pile of fear mongering. I get it, that's what gets engagement.

Physics has the answer though, and the answer is that EM coupling simply isn't a factor in small devices.

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

It's not about engagement- I don't care about that. I'd rather portray accurate information rather than sensationalist. I've found nothing that implies small devices will be perfectly safe. There's certainly evidence they might be unharmed- which also plays into if they're connected to the grid.

As per the EMP Commission report: "Mobile radio communications equipment can

be expected to experience disruption and failure at EMP threat levels that are likely to be

experienced."

So again, operating under the assumption small devices will fry is the safest. Because yes, there's a chance they'll be fine. But you don't know. And considering the consequences of a successful EMP strike, it's far safer to be safe than sorry.

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

I've found nothing that implies small devices will be perfectly safe

Kinda highlighting that bias there, pretty hard to prove a negative haha.

But keeping everyone afraid of EMPs helps the grifters keep on a-griftin. You're adding to that with these posts as someone with "experience".

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

Bruh I can't even point my ham radio antenna towards my house without anything that has a capacitive touch button bugging and this is with much less field strength than 100Kv/m. The touchscreen heater in the bathroom turns on and off with the modulation of my voice and you think things will survive 100x that power?

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

Bruh, yes lol.

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

Considering I've had friends that have blown thermostats and other small electric devices in their houses from running their radios, I think you're misled. Unless you'd like to explain where you're reasoning comes from

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

That's like saying my microwave interfering with my digital scale is evidence nuclear EM waves will couple with all electronic devices.

Doesn't make much sense, does it?

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

EM waves are EM waves. CFR47 part 15 pretty explicitly states that consumer devices must accept interference even that which causes undesired operation, what makes you think your electronic devices are somehow different and makes them immune to EM interference?

Second, everything including traces on a board have a resonant frequency, at which point that will become efficient conductors of rf energy from said EM waves.

So yeah, if your microwave is broadbanded and unshielded (EMP) and that digital scale has traces on it that resonate at any frequency that your EM waves are on, and the FCC doesn't allow the manufacturers to add in protection or suppression for interference, it makes sense.

why do you think it doesnt?

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

EM waves are EM waves.

Sorry but this right here demonstrates you lack some pretty fundamental underlying knowledge.

Research electromagnetic wave coupling even just a tiny bit and it should be cleared up for you.

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

I'm aware of plenty in regards to EM waves and coupling, I'm still waiting for you to give a hint of evidence as to your beliefs.

But at this point with your lack of support you're probably just a troll.

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

You've come here and told everyone they're wrong without the slightest bit of explanation, as to the science or sources and you say we're the ones that lack knowledge

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Not entirely sure your angle here. I'm simply stating that I'd welcome any sources that state small devices are immune to the effects of an EMP pulse. And that is, as per your statement "EM coupling isn't a factor in small devices," what you're insinuating.

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

Physics says it's not an issue. You need to be looking for evidence that it is an issue, but that's not sensational enough for most folks...

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

If you don't mind brainstorming with me for a moment- Is there a way possible to provide power to a Faraday cage while also protecting it from an emp? Like a trickle charger. I'm considering something like a pretty low value MOV resistor that'll shunt everything to ground, as the cage will be tied to low potential ground. I can't find much in the way of the idea online

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

I honestly am not sure. I haven't found anything that would be trusted on my end. I know there are devices which can react fast enough to shut off in response to a pulse, I just haven't seen them in action in regards to a faraday cage. Part of the makeup of the faraday cage is that it's all-encompassing. Putting a cable or shunt in that allows current into the cage would have to be perfectly shielded and have a way to shut off for excess current.

Mission darkness has a shielded USB port- but I don't believe it's designed for EMP protection, but rather, forensics and data extraction. So during an EMP, I'm not sure how effective it would be vs a totally-enclosed cage. I personally wouldn't chance it.

https://mosequipment.com/products/mission-darkness-blockbox-touch-usb?variant=39502550204518

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

Gotcha, just wanted to pick your brain. I want to run a trickle charge into the cage I have but didn't think there was much viable options to do it so just thought I'd ask

[-]

TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit

Sure thing! I personally don't know of a viable option, but there certainly could be one out there. However, I imagine it'd be fairly pricey.

[-]

fullchooch@reddit

This is important, but other than the grid, the actual internet infrastructure (data centers) and telco are what will spell disaster. Of course, they are reliant on the grid (powergen and T&D), but even if the grid survives, we're still in the stone age if the data centers and carrier hotels are lost (and they likely will be).

[-]

Educational_Meal2572@reddit

Little to none is the actual answer, fyi.

[-]

fullchooch@reddit

Little to none what? Sorry. Confused on your reply.

[-]

Background_Change359@reddit

You, personally, should hold forth, here, more on this. The other huge risk vector is virus.

Prep for tuesday, etc. Fine, but tuesday doesn't worry me, I've seen many, many tuesdays. I've been in the state emergency center. They have a few cans of coffee for reserves, and not much else. And there is less attention now than ever, even after a series of large incidents.

[-]

Background_Change359@reddit

Chat, by the way, says EMP might happen; a Carrington event will happen.

[-]

Creepy_Session6786@reddit

Oh I love his books hopefully they do it justice!

[-]

ratcuisine@reddit

Hopefully doesn’t get the world war Z treatment, where the source material is entirely ignored in favor of making yet another generic Brad Pitt action movie.

[-]

IdealDesperate2732@reddit

Have you listened to the audio book version of World War Z? It's honestly it's the best version of the book. It has a full cast but it feels more immersive because each character is telling their own story in their own voice.

[-]

PublickHouse@reddit

Thanks for the tip, will be listening.

[-]

Backsight-Foreskin@reddit

It would make a great mini-series.

[-]

IdealDesperate2732@reddit

In any case I want Alan Alda to reprise his role as US Secretery of Strategic Resources.

[-]

naking@reddit

I've always thought that, especially after I saw the movie

[-]

aieeevampire@reddit

That was enfuriating

[-]

GettinReadyForIt@reddit

I want to say Yahoo! But I'm going to wait until I see it and hope it's not made by the folks who brought us the cinematic travesty known as "Homestead"

[-]

WangusRex@reddit

Hopefully with less military worship and sexism.

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

I'll probably get flamed for this here, but this was legitimately the worst book I've ever read.

[-]

whoibehmmm@reddit

I don't even care, I'll get flamed right alongside you. It was utter trash.

[-]

klutzosaurus-sex@reddit

It became a book I read out loud to my boyfriend on long drives and make stupid voices for everyone. So cheesy.

[-]

CleanHead_@reddit

. And he loves every second of it, and the sequel, and the third, and the fourth. And he loves you

[-]

klutzosaurus-sex@reddit

Aw shnookie 🥰

[-]

AdjacentPrepper@reddit

Most "prepper fiction" is horrible.

On the other hand, as long as you don't get the ebook version, it can be used to as tinder the next time you need to start a camp fire.

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

Generally, I'm not a proponent of book burning. But I could make an exception...

[-]

Unique-Sock3366@reddit

I enjoyed the basic plot very much but felt that the writing itself was juvenile.

[-]

Apophylita@reddit

I found the book insightful, but the sexism a little much. When his daughter dies, and his other almost grown daughter and mother in law are in the house, and he says, get the girls! I was legitimately horrified for a second, because I couldn't determine who were the 'girls', there was one legitimate 'girl' and she was dead and buried. Naturally my mind thought he'd lost it and was going for his daughter's bones. No, he was just infantilizing his older daughter and older second mom, because he can't sexualize them. (That opinion is of course based off the whole of the book, and that passage as an example.) That's frustrating when you're just trying to identify the characters with the scene.

[-]

dachjaw@reddit

Maybe it’s generational, but lots of people use “girl” as the female equivalent of “guy”.

“Hey, guys and girls, let’s get going.”

[-]

Apophylita@reddit

Yes, but he has two daughters under 18, one of which he had just buried in the ground. I'm arguing less about verbiage, and more about the confusion of the passage, with that verbiage, where one of the two actual girls had just died.

[-]

jj3904@reddit

As a piece of literature, it is awful. I barely made it through when I read it (I read a ton of books so it isn’t like I lack the focus or something). I was talking to a guy once and he brought the book up and I said I thought it sucked ass. he said I must be confusing it with something else since it is his favorite book and he and his wife will listen to the audiobook of it on car trips…done it numerous times. I couldn’t believe it.

[-]

FrancoManiac@reddit

Check out r/print_scifi — there's been some heated discussions of it over there!

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

"Sucked ass" is being generous!

[-]

OtisPan@reddit

Far right fantasy tripe

[-]

WangusRex@reddit

It has a few interesting concepts and plot lines but… overall it’s a pretty objectively terrible book. It’s not surprising Newt Gingrich loved it so much.

[-]

MrLongWalk@reddit

Overhyped, underthought, just a bad book.

[-]

Arlo1878@reddit

Montreat College (home of Forstchen) is not far from Asheville. How about a book or movie about a hurricane wiping out that area vs a low chance EMP? I find it ironic the obvious (Asheville has been a flood risk for years ) was effectively ignored . EMP story sells , I reckon.

[-]

Practical_Water_7989@reddit

EMP really isn’t that unrealistic. And it’s terrifying

[-]

mbelcher@reddit

Between montreat and asheville is warren wilson college, where every student spends time working on the farm. You know, building skills and farmland that would be super helpful after an EMP goes off.

But warren wilson is much more liberal than montreat college, so the author pretends they don't exist five miles down the road so he can live out his right wing power fantasy.

[-]

Arlo1878@reddit

Very interesting tidbit. Thanks for sharing.

[-]

Practical_Water_7989@reddit

YES!!! I recently finished the series and can’t wait for movie 🍿

[-]

flortny@reddit

Are they going to film it in Montreat?

[-]

mbelcher@reddit

god I hope not. They'll fuck up the arch.

[-]

flortny@reddit

Your right, my friend from Montreat pointed out how terrible an idea it is to film there

[-]

Xboarder844@reddit

I read it but I hope it is not adapted as the GOP wet dream it reads as. The reality of the EMP is very well captured, but the story delves into a lot of rather ridiculous story lines that read like a GOP fantasy.

[-]

theoffgridvet@reddit

This is awesome news! My favorite book series by far.

[-]

Gustomaximus@reddit

Can we get some spoiler tags in here - there is no reason to discuss what seems like some key plot points if people want to read the book or see the movie later.

[-]

NohPhD@reddit

Hopefully the movie adaptation has the MMC discovering propane refrigerator from an RV, so he can preserve his diabetic daughters insulin until the Calvary arrives

[-]

FollowingVast1503@reddit

Where is he getting the insulin from?

[-]

NohPhD@reddit

At the beginning of the collapse a pharmacist friend gives him his inventory

[-]

FollowingVast1503@reddit

Eventually the supply is used up. I listened to the book on YouTube. I enjoyed the narration.

[-]

NohPhD@reddit

The supply is used but as time passes becomes less and less potent until she dies. A few days later, the government arrives with medical aid.

[-]

Gustomaximus@reddit

Maybe remove this or add a spoiler tag in case people want to read the book.

[-]

rankhornjp@reddit

It was months after she died.

[-]

NohPhD@reddit

A helicopter arrived with medical supplies on the next town over including insulin. The people who had the insulin triaged his daughter and refused to issue any to her. She died shortly after.

Try reading the book…

[-]

rankhornjp@reddit

First, you say she died first, and then medical came. Now you are saying that medical came, and then she died. Which is it?

[-]

picklesuitpauly@reddit

But had no insulin if I recall. She was never going to make it.

[-]

FollowingVast1503@reddit

I forgot that part.

[-]

nobody4456@reddit

Bronson Pinchot is seriously underrated

[-]

jkpirat@reddit

He’s a great narrator, didn’t care for his acting.

[-]

nonnativetexan@reddit

Surprisingly, it was also in the RV.

[-]

Backsight-Foreskin@reddit

Calvary is the name of the hill on which Christ was crucified.

[-]

cjenkins14@reddit

Considering how we pronounce colonel, it's not that much of a stretch

[-]

Darrlicious@reddit

I’d safely say 85% of the US population that can even use the word asterisk properly will pronounce it wrong.

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

Well, listen, if you want to learn how to fly a wingsuit, well, I don't recommend it, but it's your asterisk, not mine.

[-]

Darrlicious@reddit

I bow to your cleverity. Well done. Top shelf.

[-]

06210311200805012006@reddit

That's what's going to arrive.

[-]

NohPhD@reddit

Yeah, on a phone and autocorrect is my enema…

[-]

DustyKnives@reddit

This is a great response 🤣

[-]

Eukelek@reddit

Enema lol

[-]

TexFarmer@reddit

That book changed my life, forever changing the way I look at every moment, I hope they do the book justice!

[-]

Legitimate-Article50@reddit

I read that book. There’s a whole series. It was very entertaining but also informative and inspired me to continue to prepare.

[-]

MayIShowUSomething@reddit

The movie will be filmed in Bulgaria. The US is too expensive I guess. Kinda takes away some of the magic for me.

[-]

Neoliberal_Boogeyman@reddit

Good news! It will now earn taxes to come to the US!

[-]

MayIShowUSomething@reddit

Yes apparently there will be 100% tariffs on movies not filmed on US soil. What happens for movies about WW2?

[-]

Prestigious-Copy-494@reddit

Great book. It's about time they made it into a movie!!

[-]

SebWilms2002@reddit

The HANE/EMP narrative is severely lacking. In One Second After, it is a single nuclear explosion over North America. That's already a massive plot hole, and a reason why the nuclear EMP threat is highly unrealistic. First of all, Redundancy is Standard. There is 0% chance anyone will take a chance on a single warhead. It can fail to detonate, the missile could fail, it could be intercepted. Further, any nuclear armed country's ability to retaliate immediately and decisively is hardened and shielded against the effects of an EMP.

In reality, if there is ever a first use of a nuclear weapon, they would utilize as many as they can spare to ensure against failure and interception. And as mentioned, retaliation is hardened against EMP, meaning they'd be very unwise not to have secondary strikes specifically targeting a nation's ability to quickly respond.

As a thought exercise it's neat, but I'm 99.9% sure that there would never be a singular EMP attack against another nation. If a nation has the ability, and balls, to launch and detonate a nuclear first strike above another country they'd do everything they can to be damned sure it works and to prevent retaliation. So to me, the Nuclear EMP threat is moot, because what it would actually look like is total nuclear war including direct (not just high altitude) nuclear strikes.

[-]

JockoJohnson61@reddit

Anyone read “ nuclear war” by Amy something - forgot her last name. Came out last year depicting a nuclear strike on the US by….. North Korea. In depth analysis of what’s really going to happen…..

[-]

RockyRidge510@reddit

I liked the book for the most part, but all of the characters using each other's names prior to actually speaking to them really drove me insane after not very long. Nobody does that...the constant "John, the answer to your question is..." "Dan, the reason I said that is..." etc, etc, etc. It's all book long, everybody saying each other's names before spitting out what they wanted to say.

I realize it's a weird thing to get irritated about from a book, but every time it happened after like chapter two (and it happens in nearly every conversation) it just took me right out of what was going on with the characters.

[-]

mbelcher@reddit

Are they going to include Warren Wilson, the liberal arts college where almost everyone works on the school farm?

for a "realistic" book set in a real place the author sure had to bend reality to make it fit his right-wing world view.

[-]

_Pohaku_@reddit

I liked it, as TEOTWAWKI books go. It gets a lot of things right, like the impact of unavailability of food and medicine, and the resulting social behaviours. But some of the characters - especially the 'villains' are a little bit too much like caricatures, if I remember rightly.

[-]

JRHLowdown3@reddit

Hopefully they will make it more realistic than the book- NOT the scenario but the older loner man being immediately recognized as leader, loved by hot young women (male fantasy BS) and the community quietly starving together while everyone gets along unrealistic prepper kumbaya fiction nonsense.

[-]

ottermupps@reddit

It's a well written book with more than a few flaws - especially in the latter two books which get kind of into fantasyland - but I enjoy reading it. If it gets a faithful adaptation, should be a good movie.

[-]

harbourhunter@reddit

cool, but hopefully they edit out the corny “yes sir, my duty” and the teary flag crap

[-]

QuokkaNerd@reddit

So, something like S.M. Sterling's series, then?

[-]

joshak3@reddit

It's pretty different from S. M. Stirling's "Dies the Fire" because "One Second After" is set in our normal present-day world and aims to be a realistic depiction of a nationwide EMP attack, whereas Stirling's premise is that the laws of physics change so electricity, explosives (including gunpowder), and internal combustion engines can't ever function again.

[-]

dachjaw@reddit

I don’t mind the pseudo-science that keeps concentrated energy from working but allows diffuse energy (brains, fire, etc) to work. It’s the fact that the Sun manages to keep working but no other concentrated energy does.

[-]

QuokkaNerd@reddit

Oh? Ok, good to know, thanks! I'll go check it out.

[-]

beagleherder@reddit

No I am sure that will not be terrifying at all….

[-]

2A_in_CA@reddit

I have read the book and the whole series- looking forward to the movie!

[-]

curious0140@reddit

Great book. Worth reading before the movie.

[-]

Virtual-Feature-9747@reddit

I've read the books. I like the author but this series is not his best work. The story is not terribly accurate from a technical perspective.

My main gripe is the lack of realism when it comes to starving/desperate people. If this scenario ever actually happens everything is going to come off the rails very quickly.

But I hope it will make a good/entertaining movie that can raise awareness without panic. (Yeah, I know, not gonna happen.)

[-]

Odd_Cost_8495@reddit

Great book, I read all 4 in the series. Looking forward to the movie.

[-]

MintedMokoko@reddit

I’m genuinely trying to understand where people are getting the idea that a non-kinetic EMP strike is a realistic threat in modern warfare—outside of some lone wolf or terror scenario.

Nation-states aren’t going to use one. Why? Because the second a major power pops an EMP, it’s full-scale nuclear war. Mutually assured destruction kicks in, and we’re all done. There’s no “limited EMP exchange”—that’s not how escalation works between nuclear-armed countries.

People keep bringing up Russia’s supposed orbital EMP platform. Let’s be real: this is the same Russia that’s fielding 70-year-old tanks in Ukraine. Are we seriously supposed to believe they’re launching Star Wars-level satellite weapons? Even if they are, using them would be suicide. Every major power relies on global infrastructure—cripple that, and the whole system collapses, including theirs.

If an EMP ever gets used, it’s not a “prepper scenario”—it’s the end. Lights out, comms down, financial systems wrecked. And that’s before the nukes fly.

I say this all the time: world leaders aren’t going to destroy the planet—not out of compassion, but because they can’t exploit you from the ashes. No people, no labor, no wealth to extract.

So yeah, prep for grid failure, sure. But don’t pin it all on fantasy-tier EMP strikes from space.

[-]

cardiganqween@reddit

It’s a great book series. I hope they come out with a movie series to match it.

[-]

Kurtotall@reddit

I went trough a faze where I read tons in this genre. This series was outstanding.

[-]

Urantian6250@reddit

Looking forward to it! Really enjoyed the book.

Alas Babylon was a similar situation ( cut off from the rest of the world, barter, husbandry and natural medicine).

[-]

sfsp3@reddit

It's a three book series. A good read though it stretches the imagination a bit.

[-]

Maximum-Attempt-4845@reddit

Best novel i have ever read, regardless of genre. If you haven't picked it up you will not regret it. Audiobook has great narration too.

[-]

Angylisis@reddit

Ugh. I hope they take out the circle wank over the military and how shitty the main character is.

Out of all the dystopian books they choose this garbage? So disappointing

[-]

werferofflammen@reddit

Recommendations for better ones plz? I also found it lackluster

[-]

FrancoManiac@reddit

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, hands-down. I am still blown away that it was published in 1959!

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

If you want genuinely thought-provoking, post-collapse fiction, I'd recommend "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel, "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank, or "The Postman" by David Brin instead. These books manage to explore societal breakdown while still presenting complex characters and nuanced situations.

[-]

kooshballcalculator@reddit

There’s an odd set of books that I keep recommending in this same vein, called World Made By Hand by Howard James Kunstler. Definitely worth a read if you enjoyed Station Eleven and Alas Babylon.

[-]

UncleIrohsTeaPot@reddit

I also highly recommend "The Last Policeman" by Ben H. Winters. It is pre-apocalyptic, technically, but it's fantastic. I thought it did what "Don't Look Up" should have done in a much better, more subtle way.

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

Interesting! Have you read the whole trilogy? Sounds like this could be a good summer read.

[-]

jednaz@reddit

I’ve read the whole trilogy. It’s is one of my very favorite series. The last paragraph of the last book is incredibly moving.

[-]

jj3904@reddit

You’re spot on with these three recommendations. I’d also throw in “The Road” though that might have been overhyped a bit for what it was when it came out. And for “Station Eleven” the miniseries complements the novel really well and I loved both in different ways.

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

The Road is a fantastic novel. Cormac McCarthy's writing style is practically poetic.

[-]

ForgiveandRemember76@reddit

I don't understand what you are saying. This seems to be a topic you know something about. That knowledge does not express itself well in your writing.

You do not like the protagonist. You do not say why. He checks notes never has an issue with shit, so it remains a mystery.

You do not like the military. This may be the reason you don't like the protagonist. I don't understand why you don't like the military. Do you mean any military anywhere ever? The modern American military? Just in this book? A "circle wank over the military" means nothing to me. Except that you might be British. Masterbation might be involved. Possibly with other men. Possibly in uniform. The imagination runs wild at the possibilities.

You do not approve of this book being made into a movie because there are better dystopia books available. Despite this intoxicating whiff of expertise on an interesting topic, you just leave us there.

That is disappointing. You can do better.

PS I know your old English teacher.

[-]

Thriftstoreninja@reddit

The rampant boot licking is what us non boot lickers dislike. Just because someone served doesn’t mean they can run a military op, fire a weapon, organize people or have superior morality. Not all service members are good people. Try living near a military base: rates of crime, spousal abuse, alcoholism and sexual assault are higher than the general population. Everyone of them I met active duty or not wants you to think they were an army of one spec ops ninja. Even the mechanics, boiler operator, fireman, accountant, and computer tech. So there is lot of room for those of us that respect and appreciate those that served in harms way and those that rear echelon MFers that think I should lick bullshit from a boot.

[-]

ForgiveandRemember76@reddit

Wasn't that part of the storyline? The protagonist questions his own role and the roles and behaviors of others with military training. He struggles with the fact that he's put into his position mostly because of his military background, which he thinks is inadequate.

The development of the college kids to a militia was a bit much, but the author went out of his way to show distrust and bad behaviour came in a variety of packages, including the leaders in the horde (I can't recall the actual name).

The black man who did all the military training with the kids was doomed to die from the start. I thought that character was stuck in there to make a point.

That's what I took away from it. I don't see the bootlicking you are referring to in the book. It may be exactly as you say IRL. I have zero experience with military life.

[-]

Angylisis@reddit

I give this trolling shitpost a …..6 out of 10.

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

Probably just capitalizing on the current political climate. Gotta make a buck!

[-]

AlShockley@reddit

Oh man this is one of my favorite books. It put Black Mountain, NC on the map for me and I was finally able to visit for the first time several years ago. I visited Montreat and some of the other areas mentioned in the book. It's a beautiful place to call home if you're lucky enough to live there

[-]

whanaungatanga@reddit

Montreal is so peaceful

[-]

whanaungatanga@reddit

Yep. Great book. Fairly accurate portrait of what would happen, imo. Bought the sequel but have yet to read it. This was a good reminder.

[-]

MaowMaowChow@reddit

I read the first three books of the series. The plot was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the story- it really made me think about my own situation and what I would do. However, being a woman, the protagonist is a man who never fails, always does the right thing for the helpless women and older men alongside him. Daughters are essentially useless. By book three he gives a female character some credit for not being useless >!and then of course she dies!<. But overall I enjoyed the premise and would love to see this made into a movie! Book 1 was the best, don’t waste your time with the rest in the series. Book 3 is beyond ridiculous, but still a quick fun read.

[-]

FrancoManiac@reddit

The books are incredibly sexist and they're little more than the lovechild of the author's savior complex and delusions of grandeur.

[-]

k8ecat@reddit

Yeah he definitely has a hero complex and his multiple comments like, " I could tell by her clothing she wasn't wearing underwear" during the middle of a major disaster made me realize what kind of guy he is.

[-]

PoliticalSpaceHermP2@reddit

What?! Its been a while but I think I need to try to reread this book because I don't remember this part or a lot of stuff people are mentioning.

[-]

MattMose@reddit

I’m sorry, but this book is almost unreadable.

I was drawn in by the expectation of having some practical, realistic survival training in the consumable format of a narrative novel. While there are some useful tips and helpful scenario walk through, the writing style prevented me from getting more than half way through the book.

There’s not enough useful info to make up for the ham fisted, overly contrived, patriarchal writing.

[-]

pappyvanwinkle1111@reddit

I've read it several times. I have to keep buying a new copy because I give them away to spread the word.

[-]

datasquid@reddit

Push Back by R.E. McDermott is a favorite series of mine along the same lines.

[-]

seabirdsong@reddit

I tried to read it shortly after it came out and the spelling and grammar errors were so bad that I couldn't get through the first couple chapters. I hope he's hired a real editor and had it cleaned up since then.

[-]

JJ_Reads_Good@reddit

The fact that the writer doesn't know the difference between adverbs and adjectives, or "would of" and "would have" is bad enough, but then someone presumably edited and published it without making the corrections. And don't get me started on the dialogue... It's objectively a poorly written book.

[-]

seabirdsong@reddit

Yeah, exactly. It was the "would of"s that I just couldn't ignore and fully prevented me from getting immersed in the story. I'm pretty sure this was originally self published and it looked like he either tried to edit it himself or he got some shitty, cheap, get-what-you-pay-for "editor" before he slapped it up on Kindle Direct Publishing.

[-]

wanderingpeddlar@reddit

Lets hope they stick as close to the book as possible.

[-]

RedPandaActual@reddit

You think the road is depressing, this one felt even more awful in some parts.

[-]

myxoma1@reddit

I have this book on my shelf but never finished it, might pick it back up again but hope they do the movie justice

[-]

Senior_Green_3630@reddit

I'm building my Faradsy cage right now, for all my smart devices, even though the internet will be destroyed, rendering them useless.

[-]

ThetaBadger@reddit

Great series

[-]

djonesie@reddit

The audible audiobook version really shook me up and influenced my long term preparedness considerations. I recommend everyone read or listen to this book. Now if someone could start making some EMP rated surge protectors that’d be great…

[-]

Patient-War-4964@reddit

Oh thank God. I tried to read it but it is insanely dry. I don’t think I made it 50 pages in. The topic of course is super interesting but the author gets wayyy too detailed on dumb shit.

Example: instead of saying something simple like “he got in the car” this author would say something like “he hesitated before opening the door and when the handle clicked he swung the door open and gingerly lowered himself into the seat”

Like it’s just details for no reason, felt like in high school when you just add words to meet the essay length.

[-]

Jaxn99@reddit

Agree. Trying to read it now. The storyline appeals to me and I'm curious about the author's vision of societal breakdown and solutions, but it's a slog of a read. Probably will skim reading the other books in the series. Or find a cliffnotes summary...

[-]