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Eli: A Town at War
The power goes out. Fear rules the streets. Survival is earned in blood.
Eli is an ordinary man pushed to his breaking point. Living on the outskirts of St. Marys, Pennsylvania, he spends his days fixing up houses with a crew and caring for his ailing father, who’s hospitalized in the city. Life is a delicate balance, but when an EMP strike destroys the power grid, everything unravels.
St. Marys descends into chaos as a ruthless warlord takes control, ruling through fear and brutality. Eli, struggling to protect what little he has left, reconnects with Sandra, a woman from his past desperate to escape the city's growing violence. Together, they retreat to Eli's home in the countryside, leaving behind a city spiraling into madness.
But the countryside is not as safe as it appears. Winter is closing in, and a savage militia spreads like wildfire, swallowing small towns in its bloody conquest. With supplies dwindling and every step fraught with danger, Eli must dig deep to survive—a fight that will test his resolve and his humanity in ways he never imagined.
From Bestselling Author Joseph Sackett comes A Town at War, the gripping first book in the Dark Warlord Territories series. Perfect for fans of One Second After, The Road, and Mad Max, this brutal, heart-stopping survival thriller lays bare the relentless fight to stay alive while grappling with the cost of keeping your humanity in a world where survival demands blood.
Eli is an ordinary man pushed to his breaking point. Living on the outskirts of St. Marys, Pennsylvania, he spends his days fixing up houses with a crew and caring for his ailing father, who’s hospitalized in the city. Life is a delicate balance, but when an EMP strike destroys the power grid, everything unravels.
St. Marys descends into chaos as a ruthless warlord takes control, ruling through fear and brutality. Eli, struggling to protect what little he has left, reconnects with Sandra, a woman from his past desperate to escape the city's growing violence. Together, they retreat to Eli's home in the countryside, leaving behind a city spiraling into madness.
But the countryside is not as safe as it appears. Winter is closing in, and a savage militia spreads like wildfire, swallowing small towns in its bloody conquest. With supplies dwindling and every step fraught with danger, Eli must dig deep to survive—a fight that will test his resolve and his humanity in ways he never imagined.
From Bestselling Author Joseph Sackett comes A Town at War, the gripping first book in the Dark Warlord Territories series. Perfect for fans of One Second After, The Road, and Mad Max, this brutal, heart-stopping survival thriller lays bare the relentless fight to stay alive while grappling with the cost of keeping your humanity in a world where survival demands blood.
381 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 2024
68 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 30, 2025
I went into this book blind and was pleasantly surprised! I had not read this authors work before and now I cannot wait to read more from this author. This book definitely makes you think and consider a lot of things on what could happen. I was hooked from the beginning.
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 - 3 of 3 reviews