A book review by Elliot Jackman
BY GAVIN SHOEBRIDGE
ASIN: B083XJHSBC – Print Length: 213 pages
This is a great story about an average couple, Kelly and David, that realize that the reason electronics and cars stopped working is that it was likely an EMP attack on the United States. The pair are preppers, but would probably be considered midrange, as they do not live on a farm on a mountaintop with extremist views about the government etc.
The story revolves around their intimate thought process regarding every detail of what is happening around them. It highlights how hard it is to make even simple decisions on what to do when the only information you can get is from the person standing next to you. There is no way to verify any information that you hear, so every decision comes down to following your gut feelings.
With no way to tell how widespread the issue is, they manage to get back to their home from where they were driving. Since they have enough supplies to last a while, they decide to stick it out there to see if there are any rescue operations that come eventually.
During this time, they hook up with a family that is several houses down from them. They work together to both survive, and relieve the stress, danger and boredom that is resultant from this event. During this time, they do venture from their enclave a couple of times to get supplies. During the first venture, they are almost killed and realize that they have no choice but to adopt a shoot first and ask questions later approach.
After several months, it becomes obvious that there is no rescue coming. Kelly and David decide to plan to make a break and get out. They hope they can figure out a way to get far enough away that they will eventually reach an area that is not devastated by the EMP attack. I won’t detail their adventure here as it would be a spoiler. Overall, the story is professionally written and feels realistic. While the couple do have some insights that might not be obvious to the average Joe, it does feel plausible since they are the type to prepare for an event like this. One thing I dislike in stories is when the protagonist(s) suddenly go from average to pure genius or superhero and the author does not do that in this story.