It’s been 14 years since military historian and prolific author William R. Forstchen, Ph.D., introduced readers to the realistic devastation of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack in his New York Times bestseller, One Second After. Public interest in the topic prompted Forstchen to write three sequels, the latest of which is Five Years After, and Forstchen attributes the continuing fascination with his concept to the universal fear of living without electric power.

“When those weapons [EMPs] detonate above the atmosphere, they set off something called the Compton effect … In short, it’s a giant electrostatic discharge that hits the earth’s surface, feeds into our power grid, and literally one second after … we’re in the dark,” Forstchen explained during a recent interview. “Electricity is the fundamental block of our society. Everything is predicated on electrification.”

Widely considered one of the foremost experts on EMP attacks, Forstchen’s fictional explorations in his One Second After series are rooted in the cold, solid facts of how an EMP strike above U.S. soil would impact society. That there are now four books in the series, featuring some of the same characters, should give people hope that survival is possible, with the right measures and mindset in place.

“The component of my [first] book that was so important … is the realization that the only way we’re going to get through this as a community is by working together as a community, helping those who need help … and then planning realistically for how we’re going to get through the next six months, the next year, and still have food on hand, water supply, medication, etc.,” Forstchen added.

Five Years After continues the saga of protagonist John Matherson, as he contends with new threats to the fragile civilization that he helped rebuild. The Republic of New America has all but collapsed into regional powers, and the world at large is struggling to remain stable as regional conflicts ravage the post-EMP landscape. After several years attempting to lead a quiet life, John receives word that the President is terminal with cancer, and John is asked to take over the reins of government.

Pulled back into the fray, John struggles to hold the tottering Republic together. Facing threats on multiple fronts, he races against time to stop another EMP attack on the former United States and China, putting years of progress at risk. With so much of his work under threat, John must find the strength within to start over, so that he can save the country and the people that he holds dear from even greater calamity.

Forstchen’s depiction of a post-EMP society throughout his One Second After series is rooted in years of extensive research, and he has long been advocating for greater awareness and preparation against an EMP strike, which he considers a very real threat. His goal is not to alarm, but to prompt proactive measures to protect the American public.

“We’ve got to live our lives; we’ve got to enjoy ourselves … don’t make this the obsession,” Forstchen said of the topic of EMPs. “But it should be out there. You should be thinking about this and doing some basic planning.”

For more information about the One Second After series, please visit https://www.onesecondafter.com/.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Years-After-Matherson-Novel/dp/1250854563/