What do you think?
Rate this book
Small Town EMP #1-6
Small Town EMP: Books 1-6
When the world goes dark, how far would you go to protect the ones you love?
After a sudden EMP attack cripples the country, Austin Merryman is separated from his 14-year-old daughter. With no power, no phones, and no help coming, he sets out across a lawless landscape to find her—armed with only his wits, his will, and a few survival skills.
Along the way, he teams up with Amanda, a tough stranger with her own painful past. Together, they form an unlikely bond—fighting harsh terrain, dwindling resources, and the constant threat of desperate people willing to kill for a can of food.
But survival is only the beginning.
As they push deeper into the ruins of America, they uncover signs of something darker behind the blackout—something that could keep the world in chaos forever. To protect his daughter and his new-found family, Austin will have to face enemies far more dangerous than he ever imagined.
In a world without rules, the fight for family—and freedom—has just begun.
After a sudden EMP attack cripples the country, Austin Merryman is separated from his 14-year-old daughter. With no power, no phones, and no help coming, he sets out across a lawless landscape to find her—armed with only his wits, his will, and a few survival skills.
Along the way, he teams up with Amanda, a tough stranger with her own painful past. Together, they form an unlikely bond—fighting harsh terrain, dwindling resources, and the constant threat of desperate people willing to kill for a can of food.
But survival is only the beginning.
As they push deeper into the ruins of America, they uncover signs of something darker behind the blackout—something that could keep the world in chaos forever. To protect his daughter and his new-found family, Austin will have to face enemies far more dangerous than he ever imagined.
In a world without rules, the fight for family—and freedom—has just begun.
2332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2025
About the author
Grace Hamilton
155 books315 followersGrace Hamilton is the prepper pen-name for a bad-ass, survivalist momma-bear of four kids, and wife to a wonderful husband. After being stuck in a mountain cabin for six days following a flash flood, she decided she never wanted to feel so powerless or have to send her kids to bed hungry again. Now she lives the prepper lifestyle and knows that if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens, she’ll be ready to help protect and provide for her family.
Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"
It’s her wish that through her characters, you will get to experience what life will be like and essentially learn from their mistakes and experiences.
Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"
It’s her wish that through her characters, you will get to experience what life will be like and essentially learn from their mistakes and experiences.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 30, 2025
Small Town EMP is an excellent 6 book series by apocalyptic master Grace Hamilton. The series starts in the hours immediately preceding the EMP and covers its immediate aftermath and the full year following it. Time and again, our protagonists Austin and Amanda, along with a full cast of characters are faced with seemingly impossible odds, but rise to the challenge.
The characters are remarkable, especially as we get the privilege of seeing them go from a ragtag group thrown together by circumstances to a family willing to fight and die for each other. Somewhere between books 2 and 3, the group starts to realize that safety is just as much a matter of "Who" as "Where", a big change from the begining. This is the point at which Tonya, another standout character, starts allowing Malachi, her son, start going with the main group, spending less time with the Preacher's group he was with for most of his life and become a leader, even at 16 years old. Even after being forced to rekocate over great distances, repeatedly, the group manages to maintain their cohesion. Book 4 again demonstrates the group's comittment when an unexpected arrival throws everyone for a loop. That is also the point around which Savannah, Austin's teenage daughter, really comes into her own as a leader.The same goes for when the group is forced to split up, they remain comitted to each other. Another thing that makes the characters so exceptional is that they never turn on each other, even in the case of devastating betrayals.
The pace is relentless, with near constant action. Between roving gangs, psychotic strangers and the wider conspiracy, there is rarely a dull moment, and even those few and far between moments of peace, the storyline is still taut with tension in the background. Somehow, the plot is perfectly matched by the pace. The pace might be fast, but at no point does it overtake he plot.
The dialog is excellent, with each character, realistically, has their own speaking (that matches their thought patterns when chapters are written from the first person) patterns! That aside, the dialogue always syncs up with the specific characters speaking and the situation in which the conversation is occurring.
Description of events and environments is another area in which Hamilton really stands out, with a clarity that some post-apocalyptic authors can struggle. The vivid clarity paints a very clear mental image for the reader. Hamilton does a good job of describing violence without excessive focus on gore or carnage, making this series a great choice for teens and up looking for a big reading challenge!
Overall, I loved my time with these characters, watching them grow from bewildered survivors into a finely tuned fighting force while never losing touch with their humanity. I'm actually kind of sad its over, and there is no higher praise I can give out than that! 5/5 hard earned and well deserved stars. I can confidently recommend The Small Town EMP series to not just fans of pepper style and post-apocalyptic thrillers, but o any reader who enjoys reading about good people who are thrust into impossible circumstances and rise in the best possible way!
The characters are remarkable, especially as we get the privilege of seeing them go from a ragtag group thrown together by circumstances to a family willing to fight and die for each other. Somewhere between books 2 and 3, the group starts to realize that safety is just as much a matter of "Who" as "Where", a big change from the begining. This is the point at which Tonya, another standout character, starts allowing Malachi, her son, start going with the main group, spending less time with the Preacher's group he was with for most of his life and become a leader, even at 16 years old. Even after being forced to rekocate over great distances, repeatedly, the group manages to maintain their cohesion. Book 4 again demonstrates the group's comittment when an unexpected arrival throws everyone for a loop. That is also the point around which Savannah, Austin's teenage daughter, really comes into her own as a leader.The same goes for when the group is forced to split up, they remain comitted to each other. Another thing that makes the characters so exceptional is that they never turn on each other, even in the case of devastating betrayals.
The pace is relentless, with near constant action. Between roving gangs, psychotic strangers and the wider conspiracy, there is rarely a dull moment, and even those few and far between moments of peace, the storyline is still taut with tension in the background. Somehow, the plot is perfectly matched by the pace. The pace might be fast, but at no point does it overtake he plot.
The dialog is excellent, with each character, realistically, has their own speaking (that matches their thought patterns when chapters are written from the first person) patterns! That aside, the dialogue always syncs up with the specific characters speaking and the situation in which the conversation is occurring.
Description of events and environments is another area in which Hamilton really stands out, with a clarity that some post-apocalyptic authors can struggle. The vivid clarity paints a very clear mental image for the reader. Hamilton does a good job of describing violence without excessive focus on gore or carnage, making this series a great choice for teens and up looking for a big reading challenge!
Overall, I loved my time with these characters, watching them grow from bewildered survivors into a finely tuned fighting force while never losing touch with their humanity. I'm actually kind of sad its over, and there is no higher praise I can give out than that! 5/5 hard earned and well deserved stars. I can confidently recommend The Small Town EMP series to not just fans of pepper style and post-apocalyptic thrillers, but o any reader who enjoys reading about good people who are thrust into impossible circumstances and rise in the best possible way!
September 29, 2025
I received the set as ARC books. I love the dystopian genre and thought these would be great books to read. I loved that I received the entire set.
I thought the characters were great, the storyline was amazing. I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and learn.
The series begins with a few of the characters just doing daily things. Austin, a journalist, is meeting an old friend while his daughter, Savannah, is meeting a friend to spend the day with. Everything changes when an EMP knocks out the power and disables all electronics and machines. Vehicles won't start, computers and cell phones are worthless. Even pacemakers go on the blitz. Austin's friend gives him a computer memory stick and tells him he needs to get the information out, but doesn't tell him what is on it. Then, someone shows up and starts shooting at them. Austin's friend doesn't make it out alive, but Austin jumps into the raging river near them hoping to make it out and get back to his daughter.
The series follows the characters as they try to navigate the new world. They learn to find supplies, and try to figure out why/who is behind the EMP and how to stop them and bring order back to their lives.
I thought the characters were great, the storyline was amazing. I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and learn.
The series begins with a few of the characters just doing daily things. Austin, a journalist, is meeting an old friend while his daughter, Savannah, is meeting a friend to spend the day with. Everything changes when an EMP knocks out the power and disables all electronics and machines. Vehicles won't start, computers and cell phones are worthless. Even pacemakers go on the blitz. Austin's friend gives him a computer memory stick and tells him he needs to get the information out, but doesn't tell him what is on it. Then, someone shows up and starts shooting at them. Austin's friend doesn't make it out alive, but Austin jumps into the raging river near them hoping to make it out and get back to his daughter.
The series follows the characters as they try to navigate the new world. They learn to find supplies, and try to figure out why/who is behind the EMP and how to stop them and bring order back to their lives.
September 13, 2025
This is an absolutely riveting post-apocalyptic survival series. The characters are utterly fascinating and realistic in their actions and reactions in my opinion. Fast-paced and engaging character dialog made it hard to stop reading any of these books. I can honestly say that I loved how well all of these characters are portrayed, even the “bad guys”. There is however a lot of violence and bloodshed in this series of books so if that isn’t something you like to read about these probably won’t be books you will enjoy. I think this is a must-read series of action-packed and exciting books about surviving in a world that has turned upside down after a devastating EMP attack from a completely unexpected source. I highly recommend this series of books to fans of this genre.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC provided by Hidden Gems.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC provided by Hidden Gems.
August 2, 2025
Small Town EMP, Books 1-6, is a well written and believable EMP dystopian saga focusing on the fight for survival by Austin, Amanda, and Savannah as society breaks down in the event of a technological failure. These amazing characters struggle to find food, housing, and safety in a dangerous world without the benefit of modern conveniences and necessities. This six book series is well written with great world building, and amazing characters challenged with drama, suspense, resourcefulness, and mystery. I highly recommend this excellent series.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 13, 2026
WOW! FANTASTIC EMP STORY! 🌟🌟🌟
This is an earlier Grace Hamilton story I hadn't read but without question one of her best! Dynamic fast moving plot with great characters. Loved the way she slowly built the relationship between Austin and Amanda and the ever present focus on the importance of family in surviving in the challenges they faced! Can't say enough about how much I enjoyed it!
😀💥💯
This is an earlier Grace Hamilton story I hadn't read but without question one of her best! Dynamic fast moving plot with great characters. Loved the way she slowly built the relationship between Austin and Amanda and the ever present focus on the importance of family in surviving in the challenges they faced! Can't say enough about how much I enjoyed it!
😀💥💯
August 13, 2025
Engrossing and engaging. It has characters that you can relate to facing the unimaginable a world without power or food. One man has to fight for his family and his new found family. Trying to survive seems impossible but it is more than that. I love survival books and this one is tough and gritty with danger.
July 28, 2026
Small Town EMP
I thoroughly this series. There was no part I thought I would skip through a few pages. It wasn't possible. I might of missed an important detail or few. Characters and scenarios were true to form with no exaggeration. I would definitely recommend this series.
I thoroughly this series. There was no part I thought I would skip through a few pages. It wasn't possible. I might of missed an important detail or few. Characters and scenarios were true to form with no exaggeration. I would definitely recommend this series.
August 4, 2026
what a fantastic series
Just finished the Small Town EMP series of books, what a fantastic read, if you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic series that will grip you from page one, then Small Town EMP won’t disappoint you. Grace Hamilton is a new author for me and these were the first books or hers I have read, but they definitely won’t be the last, Well Done Grace 👏👏👏
Just finished the Small Town EMP series of books, what a fantastic read, if you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic series that will grip you from page one, then Small Town EMP won’t disappoint you. Grace Hamilton is a new author for me and these were the first books or hers I have read, but they definitely won’t be the last, Well Done Grace 👏👏👏
July 30, 2025
Small Town EMP is a great series…engrossing and full of adventure and survival. Grace Hamilton is a great writer with characters you can relate with. Highly recommend these books and her other series.
August 6, 2025
This series was excellent. One of my favourite authors. It was hard to put these books down. I would forget sometimes that I was reading and not there in person. Austen Amanda and family are part of my family now. At least that’s how I look at them.
July 16, 2026
Good series, a little slow in places. Good ending.
September 11, 2025
Get ready to be pulled into an adventure which will leave you wondering how you would cope if in the same situation. Full of adventure and danger, so see where they will take you
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I loved it
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I loved it
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews