First published 2009
The lights go out across America in one second. An electromagnetic pulse weapon has destroyed the electrical grid, sending the nation back to the Dark Ages. In a small North Carolina town, one man faces an impossible task: keeping his family alive as civilization collapses around them. Cars won't start. Phones are dead. Hospitals shut down. Food runs out. Without power, modern life stops completely. This father must navigate a world where neighbors turn desperate, resources become scarce, and violence erupts as order breaks down. He struggles against time and chaos to save the people he loves most. The story reveals how quickly society can crumble when the technology we depend on vanishes. It explores what happens when ordinary Americans must suddenly survive without electricity, medicine, or government. This tale shows both the fragility of our modern world and the strength people find when everything familiar disappears.
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, adventure, contemporary, action, apocalyptic
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, survival
Setting: North Carolina
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Hardcover · Forge Books