The Final Day Lib/E

After #3

by William R. Forstchen

The highly-anticipated follow-up to William R. Forstchen’s New York Times bestsellers, One Second After and One Year After, The Final Day immerses readers once more in the story of our nation’s struggle to rebuild itself after an electromagnetic pulse wipes out all electricity and plunges the country into darkness, starvation, and terror.

After defeating the designs of the alleged federal government, John Matherson and his community have returned their attention to restoring the technologies and social order that existed prior to the EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) attack. Then the government announces that it’s ceding large portions of the country to China and Mexico. The Constitution is no longer in effect, and what’s left of the U.S. Army has been deployed to suppress rebellion in the remaining states.

The man sent to confront John is General Bob Scales, John’s old commanding officer and closest friend from prewar days. Will General Scales follow orders, or might he be the crucial turning point in the quest for an America that is again united? As the dubious Federal government increasingly curtails liberty and trades away sovereignty, it might just get exactly what it fears: revolution.

Genres: Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Survival

Audio CD

First published January 3, 2017

About the author

William R. Forstchen (born 1950) is an American author who began publishing in 1983 with the novel Ice Prophet. He is a Professor of History and Faculty Fellow at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. He received his doctorate from Purdue University with specializations in Military History, the American Civil War and the History of Technology.

Forstchen is the author of more than forty books, including the award winning We Look Like Men of War, a young adult novel about an African-American regiment that fought at the Battle of the Crater, which is based upon his doctoral dissertation, The 28th USCTs: Indiana’s African-Americans go to War, 1863-1865 and the "Lost Regiment" series which has been optioned by both Tom Cruise and M. Night Shyamalan.

Forstchen’s writing efforts have, in recent years, shifted towards historical fiction and non fiction. In 2002 he started the “Gettysburg” trilogy with Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; the trilogy consists of Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War, Grant Comes East, and Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant - The Final Victory. More recently, they have have published two works on the events leading up to Pearl Harbor and immediately after that attack Pearl Harbor, and Days of Infamy.

In March 2009, Forstchen’s latest work, One Second After, (Forge/St. Martin’s books) was released. Based upon several years of intensive research and interviews, it examines what might happen in a “typical” American town in the wake of an attack on the United States with “electro-magnetic pulse” (EMP) weapons. Similar in plotting to books such as On the Beach and Alas Babylon, One Second After, is set in a small college town in western North Carolina and is a cautionary tale of the collapse of social order in the wake of an EMP strike. The book has been optioned by Warner Bros. and currently is in development as a feature film. The book was cited on the floor of Congress and before the House Armed Services Committee by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R.-MD), chair of the House Committee tasked to evaluate EMP weapons, as a realistical portrayal of the potential damage rendered by an EMP attack on the continental United States.

Forstchen resides near Asheville, North Carolina with his daughter Meghan. His other interests include archaeology, and he has participated in several expeditions to Mongolia and Russia. He is a pilot and co owns an original 1943 Aeronca L-3B recon plane used in World War II.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/willia...

Reviews

[Tiffany Greene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this series only because I wanted to know who set off the EMP. The first book was interesting, not well written, but interesting to someone like myself who reads about the apocalypse frequently. The second book was dreadful and this is only marginally better. This entire trilogy would appeal to a certain type of person and I am not the intended audience. The vocabulary used is elementary, frequently repeating itself, and resorting to overused euphemisms one would expect in military "novel." The main character is the vigilante type, stereotypically white male with an undecorated military background that plays the hero at every corner. The references to the "hoax of climate change", "damn idiots using private servers to send classified intel", and that "traitor in office when it happened" were not lost on me---as I said, this trilogy appeals to a demographic that I don't fall into. I wonder how the author feels about the current state of affairs, as this was published in January 2017. The current administration is using a private email server and cabinet members are beginning to fall because of their shady dealings with Russia. Really, I don't wonder. It's evident who this author cast his vote for, and history will judge his type fiercely. The only thing worse than an undecorated and narcissistic military member writing a novel is one written by someone who never served and instead, spent time in "liberal universities" becoming an "expert in military and foreign affairs" without truly contributing anything to the American society. An EMP attack is unlikely, yet not impossible--but the breakdown of our republic and democracy is an acute possibility, if the first 3 weeks of this administration is just the beginning of the next four years.

I would give this book one star if not for the initial plot line of an EMP attack, which is terribly frightening but not far fetched to me. However, the thinly veiled disdain for HRC, 44, and "liberals in colleges shoving their political opinions down my throat" was gag-inducing. Overall, the entire trilogy was poorly written with ridiculously overused stale phrases such as "damn you", "like hell" and near constant references to a civil war that was lost by true traitors to the American people. The author's obsession with the American Civil War and the outcome of such was on full display throughout the trilogy. Further, as many in the South conveniently choose to ignore, what happened near two centuries ago was not a southern win, but instead a crushing defeat. General Robert Lee and Confederate "President" Davis were treasonous and the pillar on which they are held by this author is remarkably telling about his mindset and moral compass.

But what do I know? I'm just a snowflake.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting finish to a great series. I am so impressed with how well researched and presented this story is presented. Forstchen is great at presenting facts in the middle of his fiction so that you learn as you go but it is not dry and boring. Also, the subject matter of the series is all too possible and very scary.

If you are a fan of survival, dystopian, and/or military fiction, you must read this series. I cannot stress enough how good this is. I just hope if you check it out, you don’t start having nightmares from the chilling possibilities.

[Charles Haywood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not have high hopes for this book. But I was wrong—this is an outstanding book. It’s way better than the middle book of the trilogy (“One Year After”), which was overly talky and seemed like filler. Sure, it’s not as awesome as Fortschen’s first book, “One Second After”—but it’s hard to capture lightning in a bottle once, much less twice. So you should read this book, because unlike most “prepper” literature, which tends to be, um, not “literature,” this book both engrosses the reader and makes the reader think.

The plot here turns around the hero of the series, John Matherson (an obvious stand-in for the author, but hey, it’s his book). I won’t let slip any spoilers, but the action centers primarily not around the small towns in North Carolina that took the focus of the earlier books, but around strategic considerations and larger-scale military action. All this is well-drawn, although it does mean that the emotional impact on the reader is lessened, because much of the force of “One Second After” came from that each of us could see ourselves, overnight and unexpectedly, in the same situations as the characters, facing the same hard choices. We thought: that could be us. It feels less like it could be us in this book, but the reader is still drawn in.

Sure, the book isn’t perfect. It does have what I regard as a major plot hole. Without giving too much away, the plot revolves around the possible detonation of another EMP. This is treated by all as the true End, that would utterly destroy everything and make societal recovery in the United States impossible. But that makes no sense. Any electronics that survived the initial EMP because they were hardened or well-placed would survive. Anything that was destroyed would still be destroyed, not more destroyed. The tentative steps made by the characters toward new electricity generation from hydropower and so forth would similarly not be affected. So it’s just a plot device to add urgency to the characters’ actions. Other than that, though, the plot hangs together very well.

“The Final Day” is a very realistic book. That is, were there to be an apocalypse of the EMP type, this book (and the trilogy) is a plausible interpretation of the longer-term aftermath, reconstruction and resulting conflicts. Fortschen understands what many apocalypse writers do not—that a vacuum in social order is abhorrent and will for certain be filled by something, because people will give up nearly anything to avoid anarchy; and that the new order is not likely to be filled by the second coming of George Washington and the Founding Fathers. Too much apocalyptic fiction (e.g., Rawles) believes that a decentralized, spontaneous, virtuous society would spring from the ashes, if we merely prioritize our guns, our Bibles, and our Madison. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those three, or prioritizing them. But it makes the mistake of believing ingredients lead to results. It’s just like those 1950s experiments with running electricity through a cocktail of chemicals duplicating the atmosphere early Earth to see if life results. It doesn’t.

Another way in which “The Final Day” is realistic is that is emphasizes a frequently missed point—that in any disaster, those with power will mostly do anything to help themselves, whether on a small scale or a national scale, the little people be damned. As one character notes, “Don’t we, the ordinary citizens of our country who are aware of the [EMP] threat, realize the elites will take care of their own no matter what happens?” The same would be true, in many cases, of local elites. Or, using Milton’s words several times, Fortschen notes that many would rather reign in hell that serve in heaven. Oftentimes, in this Age of Trump, average, workaday people are bitterly criticized by the elites for not trusting those elites. But why should they, given what history, human nature, and recent events show about the utter corruption of those elites? This book merely logically extends what we already know, to show what would result.


“The Final Day” is, fortunately, not realistic in the other sense that so much prepper fiction is—as a how-to guide. It does not describe how, why, and from what online store Joe Blow purchased his phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range, how he cared for it, and how well it shot enemies, under the guise of plot. The reader is thankful, or at least this reader is thankful.

There are only a few jarring notes, typos and so forth, and Fortschen’s addiction to the word “indeed.” The most jarring note is actually not in the book itself, but at the very beginning, in the Acknowledgements. In the third sentence, Fortschen thanks his daughter, who he says has now graduated from college. In the next sentence, he thanks his “true love”—whom he “recently married.” He is divorced from his first wife. Now, I don’t know any of these people, nor do I know the circumstances or who initiated Fortschen’s divorce. But given that one of the major themes of the entire trilogy is the love the central character has for his (dead) first wife, and simultaneously for his new wife, as well as constant invocations of religion and character, this jars the reader. Not that people don’t get divorced, often for good reason—but why insult his first wife and mother of his daughter, by implying that he never loved her the way he loves now, in a way that John Matherson would never do over a drink to a friend, much less to an audience of millions of strangers?

In any case, this is a minor problem. Not only is the plot good and the writing excellent, Fortschen shows a nuanced grasp of history and uses it expertly to serve his book, rather than to lecture the reader (though he comes close at times, but never over the line). He does not push a political angle—I’m sure he’s conservative, but that doesn’t come through explicitly. The only political issue that does come through is Fortschen’s self-declared role as an EMP evangelist—like John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness to make ready. He is clearly unhappy, and says as much in his Acknowledgements, that America has not taken action against the EMP threat, even though it’s more recognized today (in large part due to Fortschen himself). He probably fears that he’s Cassandra—doomed to know the future but unable to convince others. He probably hopes he’s Jonah, to whom the doomed ultimately listened, and changed their ways. I certainly hope it’s the latter, and we should thank Fortschen both for his books and for his efforts to ensure the collective good.

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book of a series which must be read in order. I believe this series was to be originally a trilogy but there is a fourth book. In this one we visit our little town as they try to survive in the United States after it was attacked. Our little town is moving forward but there is a bigger threat looming.

I really liked this book even though it did have some minor flaws. Out of the three books this one probably tugged at my emotions the most. What I enjoy about this series is the realism. It isn't fantastical with the fight for survival. Some will not make it and little steps seem like a huge triumph. This book points that out as our cast of characters continue to struggle through harsh winters and getting electricity flowing is huge. This book goes down a road I did not expect. While entertaining and though provoking I did think it was a little too political. This is one of the flaws. I could see it happening. It just seemed like the author's political views came into play here. What it does show that nature abhors a vacuum and not everyone is going to do the right thing in a time of a crisis. Some people will look out for themselves. There is one more flaw for me. The beginning of this novel was slow. Too much time of waxing poetical and remembering of how it use to be. Readers this far into the journey already know this and it was not needed.

I would not have minded at all if this was the finale to this series. It could have ended here. It shows determination to get things back on track while showcasing it is not ever going to be easy. Like I said the realism jumps off the pages and made me wonder "what if". I love it when a book does that. I believe this is one of the better series that displays the end of the world but humans struggling to survive.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific ending to this trilogy. It is rare that the final book is as good, if not better, than the first. Forstchen is a military and technology historian, and he displays his knowledge admirably in this novel, weaving actual facts into the fictional narrative to make it more interesting and believable.

[Tyrone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a fan of WRFs alternative history science fiction Lost Regiment series and I've enjoyed the previous two installments One Second After and One Year After in this trilogy despite the somewhat right wing flavour so i was excited when this was released. The fact that this was called 'The Final Day' made me excited hoping that we would find out more regarding the actual event. In that i wasn't disappointed.

And this was a mostly enjoyable read, despite the authors strongly held political beliefs poking through more and more as the story progressed - certainly his yearning for some kind of previous era where Military men were nobel and heroic. It seems the right are constantly preoccupied with getting us back to some kind of previous time when they mis-remember things being perfect.

The tension built nicely and hints of a reveal/twist but anticipation for a cracking ending. The addition of some new characters overshadows some of the ones we had come to know. In particular, pregnancy seems to relegate Mathersons wife to supporting player.

It is with the conclusion i have a problem. In that conclusion the author reveals his complete contempt for most of the political classes and the yearning for a previous, more simple time where only a nobel military man harking back to some imagined time of military heroes, can save us from our own worst instincts. I found the ending trite and uncomfortable and his worldview overly simplistic.

It appears that WRF started this series by trying to educate us regarding the real world danger of an EMP attack but finished the series in some kind of uber nostalgic right wing fantasy world.

[Tom Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you didn’t know the author was a professor of history, you would find it out fast – in the first few pages. The author uses history to make comparisons, to establish concepts, and to make a point. Those that love history will immediately be drawn into the thousands of references scattered throughout the book.

But even if you do not like history, you will find this a fascinating read. As you struggle along with the main characters in the book to eke out sustenance for survival against overwhelming odds. The author uses the college where he teaches as the backdrop for the story and brings it alive as you walk the campus and move around the surrounding mountainsides.

Survival, after all of the comforts of modernity have been extinguished, plays itself out on each page. The difficulties of primitive life for those who grew up with more are poignantly described. The struggles to beat off those who would take even what little you have away, make the story even more gruesome and realistic.

The pain of loss played out as the story unfolds add pathos to the developing characters. Just as you learn to enjoy their company tragedy strikes. Pain and suffering are part and parcel of survival under these hostile conditions and the author pulls no punches. And just as everything seems to be progressing in its inevitable march toward the future the author drops a bombshell of unparalleled proportions keeping you engaged until the very end.

[Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I originally gave this three stars because the writing is generally good, but I reduced my rating after I thought about it some more.

When I read One Second After, the first book in this series, I was very interested in the prepper movement, “lights out” scenarios, etc. In this series, the catastrophic event is man-made: EMPs take out the power grid. (I also read Terri Blackstock’s Restoration series at that time. In those novels, the “lights out” event occurs naturally. To me, the difference matters.)

I found the first book of Forstchen’s series to be pretty interesting because we have lost so many skills that used to be taken for granted, skills that were needed for tasks that were considered drudgery. Everyone was thankful for the modern conveniences that made those chores so much easier. The first book dealt with basic survival and learning how to accomplish routine tasks again, and the action sequences primarily involved dealing with people who had become lawless as a result of the catastrophic event.

The second book, One Year After, was more political and not as interesting to me. A new government has been established, and there are clashes between various groups.

I wasn’t really sure I even cared about this final entry in the series, but I decided to give the audiobook a try when I had some long drive time to fill. At first, it was interesting to see how the characters were working together to creep back toward a semblance of civilization and modern technology. About two-thirds of the way through, though, the pace really slowed down, and it seemed to take forever to reach a resolution. And I didn’t like the resolution.

So here are my gripes/spoilers:

The author’s style is somewhat repetitive, and he frequently has the main character giving history lessons which I often didn’t think actually applied to the situation.

There was some narrative of BBC broadcasts that included coded messages. We never found out what those were about.

The main character was repeatedly warned that there was a spy in his inner circle, but we never found out who that was.

The author ended up ascribing a lot of power to a mysterious “they” who “really” run the U.S. government instead of the elected officials. We don’t know for sure whether “they” were responsible for the original EMP, but “they” knew about it a few hours in advance, which was long enough to get themselves and their families to safety in a special facility (while leaving the President and his family to die). Even if “they” were not responsible for the EMP, “they” were at least willing to take advantage of the situation to place themselves in power for the reconstruction and to use the event as a “re-set” so that the country could be re-shaped according to their values. Finally, “they” were preparing to set off an EMP to stop those who either opposed or ignored their claim to be the official US government.

I just have no interest in this kind of conspiracy theory tripe. Neither of the previous books hinted that the disaster was caused by anything other than aggression by one of the enemies of the U.S. I’m willing to allow that evil men would try to take advantage of the situation after the fact, but if I had any clue this was where the series would end up, I certainly wouldn’t have wasted so much time on it.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books in the post-apocalyptic survivalist sub-genre. These books, with a heavy emphasis on preppers, guns, and how soft Democrat-voting city folks all gonna die in a SHTF event, tend to be written by right-leaning authors. Their heroes are usually ex-military and own lots of guns. As compared to post-apocalyptic novels written by liberal authors, in which guns are a necessary tool but the heroes, who are more likely to be college kids, journalists, or ex-academics, were never into guns and clearly would prefer a world without them.

Right-wing authors usually make the left-wing government the bad guys. Left-wing authors usually make the right-wing government the bad guys. Of course it's the same government.

William Forstchen is of the first type, but he's not as glaringly political as some other writers of prepper-thriller fic. Still, the soapbox has gotten a bit higher with each book in this trilogy, so in The Final Day, in which we finally learn how the EMP that ended America's reign as global superpower happened, there is even more ranting about "elites," government bureaucrats, and finally, an unnamed but fairly obvious Hillary Clinton stand-in who fulfills every archetype of "shrill, cowardly, power-hungry shrew."

In the first book One Second After, John Matherson, a retired Army colonel and college professor in a small town in North Carolina, becomes the leader of his community after an EMP destroys the industrial infrastructure throughout North America and essentially triggers the apocalypse. In the sequel, One Year After, the inhabitants of Black Mountain had to fight off a local dictator who was actually a bureaucrat of the newly-formed "federal government."

In The Final Day, that federal government is now trying to secure its power, in a shaky world in which China has occupied the western half of North America, the BBC is now the voice of Radio Free Europe, and most major cities and many rural areas are still Mad Max hellholes. Black Mountain is slowly rebuilding; they are still always short on food and medicine, but they are starting to be self-sufficient, they have their own militia, and have even begun restoring basic electricity.

Matherson (who throughout the series has been written as a rather obvious author stand-in) is contacted by an old friend from the Pentagon, General Scales. Scales is now commander of the local region under the authority of the remaining federal government. He comes to Black Mountain under sketchy circumstances and warns Matherson that the government wants him arrested and put on trial and his community brought under control, by force if necessary.

Much of the book involves Matherson doubting Scales's motives and whether or not he is truly serving "the Constitution." The big question, in the climactic showdown, is which way the General will go. But it's pretty clear to the reader that the author has set up the feds-in-exile as the villains, which brings us to a few battle scenes, a confrontation in an underground bunker, and Hillary Clinton (not really Hillary Clinton, but obviously Hillary Clinton) screaming threats before getting taken down.

I enjoyed this trilogy for being a mostly realistic survivalist epic showing how fragile modern industrial civilization is, and what survival would be like for a world that grew up with highways, supermarkets, and social services to suddenly have all that taken away. However, if the first book was the author's warning about what he believes to be a genuine threat to American security (a high-yield EMP frying our entire infrastructure), the next two books mixed survivalist adventure with a lot of axe-grinding about FedGov (tm) and bureaucrats and elites and Hillary Clinton's email server. If you like these kinds of books, you will come to expect those sort of politics, and Forstchen isn't as bad as, say, John Wesley Rawles. But still, if you want nice lefty post-apocalyptic thrillers, stick to Stephen King.

[Banshee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a huge weakness for apocalyptic science fiction and One Second After had everything I love about the genre. The follow-up was a disappointment as the series turned from a tale of fascinating speculations and survival into a tedious military fiction. Unfortunately, the conclusion was closer to book 2 rather than book 1.

It was a mixed bag and left me feeling lukewarm about this book and the series as a whole.

While one could already see some more subtle signs read between the lines in the previous book, in here the indications that the author is a conservative were stronger as he let his views shine through the story. Or maybe I just have less patience now for people with political views on either extreme of the right-left spectrum. I was made uncomfortable and cringed at some comments on more than one occasion.

The main character continued to be rather obnoxious. It was clear he was supposed to be seen as this amazing role model that "the good guys" looked up to and "the bad guys" wanted to eliminate at all costs. But the more he was put on a pedestal, the more annoyed I became. Obedient to religious drivel, casually reflecting on how easily the society can go back to the times when women have expiry date at 21, and poking fun here and there at "political correctness". Blah, blah, blah…

While the first half was somewhat tedious, the second part of the novel picked up pace and at least the story got exciting. The mystery in focus was fairly interesting. I didn't like everything about the reveal, though. The woman in the bunker from whom the supposed good guys dragged the information from was such an unrealistic caricature that I went between sighing, groaning and rolling my eyes.

From a broader perspective, while the first book was really interesting and eye-opening, the series turned in the end too American for my taste. Glorification of the military, conspiration theories, shoving religion down people's throats, etc. That's just not my cup of tea.

The final book wasn't as tedious as the second one, but it didn't come close to how well the series began. So all in all, I ended up disappointed and I will definitely not reach for the works of this author again.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of this series was outstanding. The second, much less intense or interesting leaving me to wonder how it would all play out in the third. Happy to report that it was a well done, fitting conclusion to the trilogy and held my interest throughout. It is a bonus and a pleasure to have the author's love and knowledge of history add so much to the work.

[John (JC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow .......

[Aine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining enough, but overwhelming sentimentality and patriotism, with zero attempt at hiding political leanings.

[David Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the After series is a post-apocalypse story set in America, I did not expect it to be such a story about what it means to be an American. The author's background in teaching American History helps as a way to illuminate the meaning of the constitution, even in a world that struggles to move forward after such a tragic event. While I've read a lot of knowledgeable readers who may question the technical details of how some things would happen after an EMP detonation, what is more fascinating is how a community comes together to not only survive but thrive. All politics is local until you have outside interference and the unknown of what national government exists becomes more and more interesting as the series goes on. I do think this is the best book addressing the philosophical issues at hand and kept me gripped until the last page.

I would love to see this series made into a 10-part series or some sort of trilogy.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was 200+ pages too long. The story was good enough and I did want to see how the series ended, but this book just had way too many lengthy discussions by armchair historians and navel gazing. When the characters were actually doing something besides talking or thinking about the evils of politicians the pages turned quickly, but then I'd go back to skimming large passages.

[Faithe Arden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doesn't give me much confidence that our government has "we the people" in their best interests. No surprise here. Wonder why we are not doing more to shore up our electrical grid.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good ending to the story, but the first book was my favorite among the three.

[Nickole H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was really good!

[Ann L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that I've finished the whole trilogy, I have some notes... First to and too mean two (see what I did there?) different things... I can forgive typos on Facebook, fan fiction, and Goodreads reviews, but not in published works that have, presumably, been looked at by more than one person before being sent out into the world. Finally, while my memory is not perfect, you do not need to explain something and then explain it again a paragraph later. I get it.

I've given the books 3-4 stars for their apocalyptic content, despite references to climate change being a hoax (seriously? I guess history professors don't wander into the science building often enough...), the college liberals, "hippies", "the traitor in office when it happened" and other derogatory references to folks who believe differently than our protagonist. I ignored all of that with an eyeroll because the subject matter is intriguing and scary as hell in its simplistic horror. It could happen. It could happen at almost any time and 99% of Americans would have no idea what to do or how to survive.

In the end, I would recommend reading the first in the trilogy, "One Second After," and not worrying about the other two books. And, I highly recommend that you go get Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. Although a bit dated given its publication date, it's really the definitive post-apocalyptic survival novel. (And, yes, I realize that it has some huge issues with the way women and POC are written. It is far from perfect read through today's lens. However, it is still a relevant entry in the genre.)

[Smiley_Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it is a nice close to the trilogy, this book is admittedly my least favorite of the three. I felt it took surprisingly long to get to the plot of this book, especially considering we had all the background we needed from the prior two books. There is a lot of repetition that could have been cut to trim the book down a bit. The characters also felt a little less real to me in this part of the story. That said, I am still glad I read the book because I was eager to find out what happens. Readers are left with a thoughtful, but satisfying conclusion.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I tend to like the post apocalyptic stories but there are just stories, good stories and then there is this series. The first book was the first one of it's type to scare the hell out of me with the way it presented the world after it collapsed and the things it made me realize. The first book became a trilogy and just kept up the amazing pace. Excellent read from one of my favorite writers. Highly recommended

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book, good end to the series. I'm glad I heard about these books on Coast 2 Coast AM and that my library had them. Good for those concerned about EMP attacks or the need to prep. Here's a scenario where things hit the fan, and you get a good look at them which makes you think.

[Todd Condit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ended on a low, story telling wise, ending IMO. Wanted and expected more after 3 books.

[Russ · Rating 2 out of 5]

About twice the length it needed to be.

Overall I liked the series, but this was certainly my least favorite of the three. Overly repetitious dialog and events that take way too long to happen really hamper the progress of the storyline.

- The main character reminisces about the past on virtually every page, it seems. Look, if we're reading this book, it's the third in the series. By now, we KNOW that everything is different. We KNOW that life was great before and everybody misses it. Cut that stuff out and move the story along. Here's one of my favorite examples:

They're talking about satellite dishes and when the current small ones replaced the large ones.

"John nodded, remembering installing one himself when he and Mary moved here with two young girls. A hundred-plus channels to choose from, and he had visions of all the educational programs that could be offered, rather than what most stations had degenerated into with the advent of the nauseating reality-show craze."

What exactly does this paragraph add to the storyline? Nothing! It's merely the author using it as a means to get in his opinion about reality TV. I don't disagree, but it has nothing to do with the story. And it's but one small example. There are hundreds of this type of thing throughout the book.

- The endless history lessons, comparing events to the Civil War, or the Revolutionary War, etc. Okay, fine, but they go on for pages and pages and resulted in me jumping ahead looking for something to actually happen. Heck, in some of them, the two main characters are talking about history while in the middle of conducting a campaign!

- The way over-the-top right-wing, military, conservative, Christian religious tone of the whole book (and series, really, although it really comes out in this book). Every "good" main character quotes the bible, is former military, salutes, prays, weeps at the national anthem, etc. It grows quite tedious, regardless of your actual leanings in this regard.

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third and final book of the John Matherson series by Willam Forstchen. I enjoyed this series. I normally don't do series, but in this case, the dystopian theme called my attention. This book takes place after the demise of the overzealous Dale Fredericks. John gets word from an old friend, Bob and so begins the whirlwind of ups and down Forstchen is known for. Just when you think you have the plot rolled up in a neat little package, the story shifts and all that was up, was now down.

In this book, Matherson and Makala are expecting a child although she was not as prevalent in this book as the other two. John is on the run from the new government in Bluemont. John is put in situations where he needs to make choices that will affect his wife & unborn child, daughter, and fellow towns people. Obviously, you will want to read "One Minute After" and "One Year After" first or you would be lost.

**SPOILER**
The irony is that some of the government folks moved their families prior to the EMP. Fast forward to today when we had members of congress that divested themselves of their stock portfolio prior to the pandemic crash, makes you think this book series was used as a manual and not a novel. Matherson thwarts an attempt to attack our country and ensures that a new government be properly constituted.

I think this would make a great TV series. There is a lot of in-between content that could spread to multi-seasons.

[Christian D. D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bang-up conclusion to the EMP post-apocalyptic trilogy

A thrilling and worthwhile conclusion to Mr. Forstchen’s John Matherson/EMP trilogy, with many neat plot twists that keep the reader guessing (especially about whether or not Matherson’s ol’ Army buddy General Bob Scales is friend or foe—no spoilers here!) and in suspense.

—p. 30: “John could sense the inner sadness of this man who had been viewed as a crazy Jeremiah by some when he would publicly warn about the fragility of the nation’s infrastructure.” Hmmm, a wee bit of thinly-veiled semi-autobiographical reference on the author’s part there?

—p. 32: “an age where a computer aged faster than Detroit-built cars of the 1980s,” haha, good analogy there.

—p. 33: “That first war ending a hundred years of peace.” Um, well, there *was* the Crimean War and the Boer War in the meantime.

—p. 37: “‘I still want to get my hands on the damn idiots who allowed North Korea and Iran to get the bomb.’” Hear, hear, Ernie

—p. 43: “Those with foresight to stockpile some precious metals found they indeed had real worth again; in fact, by the standards of this terrible new world, they could be counted as wealthy, the silver and gold not just something to be locked away in a safe for ‘just in case’—‘ just in case’ had indeed arrived at last.” Word to the wise....

[Clarence Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

ReedIII Quick Review: Nice continuation of the characters in the first two novels and this should be the reason to read. The novels should be read in order. This is good action survival dystopian novel but with less the philosophical EMP warning of the first novel replaced with a new warning.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Started so S L O W, the first 150 pages were wasted rubbish. Ended alot better. I liked this series, important awareness but the second and third books were not as good as the first one. Still entertaining and informative but a complete yawner for the first half.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! Excellent trilogy and excellent finish to the story. Looking forward to some more Forstchen reads.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What a series. And this last book? Put on your seatbelt. Fro. Chapter 16 on it’s a doozy!!!!