Written by: William R. Forstchen
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
Originally Reviewed: 08-15-18 on audible.com
Rating: 1, must read for everyone
Wishing This Book Was As Long As The Stand
Almost immediately – knowing the book was only 13 hours – I found myself wanting it to never end. Yes, it is that good. I’ve read several “post-apocalyptic stories” with Stephen King’s, The Stand, as my favorite. However, One Second After, hits closer to home; it’s more real, more daunting, more… everything, except King’s mastery of story telling and character development. That is not to say that this one lacks. One hopes for miracles in tales such as these, but the cold-hard reality of survival trump all such desires. Death makes no exception for your good deeds or intentions… you’re just statistically going to die. Just like, Nevil Shute’s, On The Beach, it’ll be an un-glamorous, inexorably slow, miserable demise – unremarkable in anyway because most of your loved ones are already dead, and those still living are just anticipating their own mediocre passing. My only criticism of the book is that it bills itself (in the forward) as a survival tale in the event of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), but other than being the cataclysmic event and a few working older vehicles that aren’t affected by an EMP, there’s not much to differentiate this book from another scenario without electricity. I would’ve liked to hear more about how the survivors managed and found other ways to manage without this modern lifeblood. The narration was excellent and I feel Mr. Barrett was an exceptional voice for the protagonist, but not necessarily for all the characters’ voices. I usually listen at 3x speed and had no issues with this version.
Project 19 