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Eli: A Town at War
HE WASN'T A SOLDIER. HE WASN'T A PREPPER. HE WAS JUST A GUY TRYING TO GET BY... UNTIL THE WORLD ENDED.
Eli Cooper’s life revolved around fixing houses and visiting his ailing father. He wasn’t ready when the EMP blast silenced the modern world, plunging St. Marys into darkness and unleashing the wolves among men. As a brutal warlord, Vorn, seizes control with his vicious militia, turning neighbor against neighbor, Eli realizes the rules have changed—permanently.
Forced to flee the escalating violence with Sandra, a girl from his past seeking refuge, Eli retreats to his family's land. But the quiet countryside offers no escape. A ruthless militia is expanding its territory, resources are dwindling, and the coming winter promises only frozen hell.
Pushed to the brink, Eli must confront the brutal realities of a world without law. Can an ordinary man protect the innocent? Can he fight back against overwhelming force? And how much of his own humanity must he sacrifice just to see another sunrise?
A Town at War is the gripping first book in the Dark Warlord Territories series by Bestselling Author Joseph Sackett. Perfect for fans of character-driven survival thrillers like One Second After and The Road, this novel plunges you into the heart of the collapse, exploring the human cost of survival with unflinching realism and heart-stopping action.
Discover the series readers are calling "raw," "intense," and "impossible to put down." Click 'Buy Now' and step into Eli's world... if you dare.
Dark Warlord Territories
A Town at War (Book 1)
Into the Fray (Book 2)
Dark A Kerrigan Survival Saga
ECHOES OF THE DARK A Kerrigan's Quest (Book 1)
DARK A Kerrigan's Journey (Book 2)
VEILED Kerrigan's Redemption (Book 3)
FADING Kerrigan's Legacy (Book 4)
TIDES OF Kerrigan's War
ECHOES OF THE Matt Groover’s Tale (New Release) *Ties into Dark Horizon.
Eli Cooper’s life revolved around fixing houses and visiting his ailing father. He wasn’t ready when the EMP blast silenced the modern world, plunging St. Marys into darkness and unleashing the wolves among men. As a brutal warlord, Vorn, seizes control with his vicious militia, turning neighbor against neighbor, Eli realizes the rules have changed—permanently.
Forced to flee the escalating violence with Sandra, a girl from his past seeking refuge, Eli retreats to his family's land. But the quiet countryside offers no escape. A ruthless militia is expanding its territory, resources are dwindling, and the coming winter promises only frozen hell.
Pushed to the brink, Eli must confront the brutal realities of a world without law. Can an ordinary man protect the innocent? Can he fight back against overwhelming force? And how much of his own humanity must he sacrifice just to see another sunrise?
A Town at War is the gripping first book in the Dark Warlord Territories series by Bestselling Author Joseph Sackett. Perfect for fans of character-driven survival thrillers like One Second After and The Road, this novel plunges you into the heart of the collapse, exploring the human cost of survival with unflinching realism and heart-stopping action.
Discover the series readers are calling "raw," "intense," and "impossible to put down." Click 'Buy Now' and step into Eli's world... if you dare.
Dark Warlord Territories
A Town at War (Book 1)
Into the Fray (Book 2)
Dark A Kerrigan Survival Saga
ECHOES OF THE DARK A Kerrigan's Quest (Book 1)
DARK A Kerrigan's Journey (Book 2)
VEILED Kerrigan's Redemption (Book 3)
FADING Kerrigan's Legacy (Book 4)
TIDES OF Kerrigan's War
ECHOES OF THE Matt Groover’s Tale (New Release) *Ties into Dark Horizon.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 29, 2024
65 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Joseph A. Sackett
14 books36 followersJoseph A. Sackett, a Minnesota native, spent over 20 years serving as an intelligence analyst in the military and later for the Joint Special Operations Command. He holds advanced degrees in Intelligence Studies and Geospatial Intelligence. His research focuses on the vulnerabilities of the U.S. power grid. Inspired by a conversation about the potential repercussions of an EMP attack, Joseph penned his first book to raise public awareness about this critical issue. When he's not writing or studying history, Joseph enjoys reading about combat veterans, supporting the veteran community, and spending time with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 14, 2025
The lack of written reviews on this book considering how many 5 stars there are is strange.
Anyway, solid enough storyline which is the only thing that kept me going. The amount of typos in this really bugged me and continuously pulled me out of the story, they seemed to get worse the further into the book I went. Coyotes is already plural, ‘coyotes’ve’ nearly made me have an aneurysm. I really thought maybe this book was self published by the author seems to be under a small publishing house, who’s doing the proofreading?
When the protagonist is in a hardware store gathering supplies we get a list of what each item could be useful for - PLEASE I KNOW WHAT DUCT TAPE, PARACORD AND TARPAULIN can be used for. I don’t need a sentence after each find explaining their everyday mundane uses. Find me some tampons and talk to me about using it to stem blood flow or something, turn the everyday into something cool during an apocalyptic setting.
There’s a solid story here + I really like Eli & I feel Sandra has the potential to be a kick ass female lead but it took most of the book to get anywhere and then it ended so I’m still on shaky ground getting to know them both. The explanation for how Vorn cane to be is really vague and loose & I didn’t buy that he would pit brother against brother when his entire issue stemmed from being ‘abandoned’ by his own brother, seemed odd to me. I’m committed now and will read on but if Ted dies I may just riot, he’s my favourite.
Anyway, solid enough storyline which is the only thing that kept me going. The amount of typos in this really bugged me and continuously pulled me out of the story, they seemed to get worse the further into the book I went. Coyotes is already plural, ‘coyotes’ve’ nearly made me have an aneurysm. I really thought maybe this book was self published by the author seems to be under a small publishing house, who’s doing the proofreading?
When the protagonist is in a hardware store gathering supplies we get a list of what each item could be useful for - PLEASE I KNOW WHAT DUCT TAPE, PARACORD AND TARPAULIN can be used for. I don’t need a sentence after each find explaining their everyday mundane uses. Find me some tampons and talk to me about using it to stem blood flow or something, turn the everyday into something cool during an apocalyptic setting.
There’s a solid story here + I really like Eli & I feel Sandra has the potential to be a kick ass female lead but it took most of the book to get anywhere and then it ended so I’m still on shaky ground getting to know them both. The explanation for how Vorn cane to be is really vague and loose & I didn’t buy that he would pit brother against brother when his entire issue stemmed from being ‘abandoned’ by his own brother, seemed odd to me. I’m committed now and will read on but if Ted dies I may just riot, he’s my favourite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Intense, Brutal, and Unforgettable
Eli: A Town at War by Joseph Sackett is a post-apocalyptic masterpiece that delivers both emotional depth and unflinching brutality. Sackett paints a world on the edge of collapse with stunning clarity—every shattered street, every desperate choice, every flicker of humanity feels painfully real.
Eli’s journey through this fractured landscape is gripping from start to finish. He’s a protagonist you root for not because he’s perfect, but because Sackett makes his vulnerability, determination, and quiet strength shine through even in the harshest moments. The brutality of the world around him is never gratuitous—it serves the story, heightens the stakes, and makes every small victory feel monumental.
What sets this novel apart is how it balances bleakness with hope. Amid the ruins, Sackett finds space for connection, loyalty, and the stubborn belief that people can still choose to do what’s right.
A beautifully written, fiercely intense, and emotionally resonant read. I couldn’t put it down.
Intense, Brutal, and Unforgettable
Eli: A Town at War by Joseph Sackett is a post-apocalyptic masterpiece that delivers both emotional depth and unflinching brutality. Sackett paints a world on the edge of collapse with stunning clarity—every shattered street, every desperate choice, every flicker of humanity feels painfully real.
Eli’s journey through this fractured landscape is gripping from start to finish. He’s a protagonist you root for not because he’s perfect, but because Sackett makes his vulnerability, determination, and quiet strength shine through even in the harshest moments. The brutality of the world around him is never gratuitous—it serves the story, heightens the stakes, and makes every small victory feel monumental.
What sets this novel apart is how it balances bleakness with hope. Amid the ruins, Sackett finds space for connection, loyalty, and the stubborn belief that people can still choose to do what’s right.
A beautifully written, fiercely intense, and emotionally resonant read. I couldn’t put it down.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews