One Second After - A Book of Surviving an EMP

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One second after is a book by William R. Forstchen about the aftermath of a nuclear bomb being detonated over the United States causing a massive EMP that takes out the power grid.

It all starts with the main character John Matherson after all power goes out in a small town. John realizes rather quickly that this isn't an ordinary power outage but the effects of an EMP as not only is power out but electrical devices no longer work, nor do most new cars.

One John realizes this many things begin to happen in the small town they live in. Hundreds of travelers are stranded on the freeway and everyone is wondering what is going on. Almost immediately some of the more negative side of our nature comes out and it's clear there are going to be problems.

John is a professor of history as well as a well seasoned military man and through the book he puts both of these skills to use trying to save as many people as possible as people face a variety of perils caused by the lack of water.

They have to contend with sickness, lack of medicine, food shortages as well as those that try to take by force. They are themselves forced to make tough decisions as a town to keep as many people alive as they can and secure their town from being overrun.

This book is so compelling you will not only read it, but once you have you will share it with others. Whether you are someone who believes the government is here to help you or you think the government doesn't do well when a major crisis happens this book is a good read.

It is very thought provoking with very believable scenarios about how life in America will be if we were to go backwards 100+ years to a time without all the moder conveniences we all come to value in our daily lives. We go about our day to day lives without a though in the world about how life would be if we didn't have our iPads, cell phones and computers.

I hope that if you get this book you will like it as much as I have and share it with others. I believe every person that reads this will think about at least having a 3 day survival kit if not a month so that we don't have quite so much reliance on the government and more accountability for our own security.

At http://www.doomsday-preppers.com/ you will find a wide variety of survival products for everyone from urban survivalist to the hard core emergency prepper. We have Gas Masks, Survival food and much more available. You can find this book HERE.

Book Review: Reckless Perfection

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Fiction/Young Adult
Reckless Perfection
Laura Francois
2009
Legacy Book Publishing
235 pages

Reckless Perfection is the debut novel of Laura Francois. It is the story of four high school girls from Roctown High in New Jersey who are involved in complicated, adult-like relationships with the opposite sex. All four of the girls also deal with volatile family relationships. Francois' story offers a window of insight into the lives of teens that is both entertaining and intriguing.

Fifteen-year-old Mercedez lives with her father and pregnant stepmother. While adjusting to her new family life, and dealing with her mother's chronic illness, Mercedez ends her relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Julio. When seventeen-year-old Robbie comes into her life, Mercedez experiences the dark side of an intimate relationship.

Julia and her twin brother, Julio, live with their mother in a two bedroom house while their musician father focuses on his career. Julia is an exemplary student and a musician in her own right, but she still struggles with the feelings she has for her ex-boyfriend.

Angela is a bad girl trying to go straight. She has a history of drug and alcohol abuse and promiscuity. A violent incident with her only friend leads to a change in perspective for Angela that puts her back on the right track.

Amanda is from a wealthy family, but transfers to Roctown High after being expelled from her private high school. She becomes involved with Julio, but the friendship that continues to connect him to Mercedez causes Amanda to become jealous and insecure.

The portrait of modern teen life that Francois paints in this tale of multicultural characters is filled with the adult themes of sex, drugs, and domestic violence. Some of the characters in this story are so independent, that it is easy to forget that this is a novel for young adults. There are many positive interactions between the teens and their friends and families; however the most memorable incidents are those in which the girls find themselves in situations that even adults have a hard time navigating. This book is best suited for older teens (fifteen-years-old and up) due to the adult themes.

Francois shows promise as a storyteller. She manages the cast of characters well, keeping the plot of each girl's story moving forward with unexpected twists that hold the reader's attention. Her writing technique needs refinement; hopefully the sequel to Reckless Perfection will show that the author has matured in her craft.

Reckless Perfectiondoes what good fiction should do: it entertains and educates.

Melissa Brown Levine
for
Independent Professional Book Reviewers

Melissa Brown Levine is a writer, book reviewer and manuscript consultant. She is the author of "I Need to Make Promises: A Novella and Stories." Read an excerpt at http://www.melissabrownlevine.com/.

Soviet Plot to Kill John Wayne Is Focus of Moffie's New Hollywood Novel

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Sam Moffie's "To Kill the Duke" may well be the funniest and most entertaining novel ever written about Hollywood and movie history. And Moffie is not afraid of casting some of Hollywood's biggest legends-both in terms of movie stars, directors, producers, and films-for his plot and characters. This time Moffie has penned a hilarious re-creation of the filming of "The Conqueror."

While I have never seen this 1956 film, as a movie buff, of course, I've heard about it. It's reputedly one of the worst films ever made, although it had everything going for it that should have made it a hit-an all star cast, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Agnes Moorehead; being directed by Dick Powell, himself a screen legend; and being produced by Howard Hughes. Moffie creates a fictionalized-but not too fictionalized-version of the film's production, which is truly stranger than fiction and had some notable flaws. John Wayne as Genghis Khan just wasn't believable, especially when he refused to take voice lessons to pull off the role. And then there was the location-Hughes purchased land in Utah from the U.S. government for $1 to film the movie. How could he get it so cheap? Because it was the victim of nuclear fallout from nearby government weapon testing. In fact, most of the crew and cast would end up dying from cancer in future years, presumably from the nuclear fallout, and Moffie provides an extensive list at the book's end of all the cast and crew (and fictional characters), detailing their careers and deaths. I was impressed that Moffie even corresponded with one of the stuntmen while researching the book-of course, most of the cast and crew are long dead.

As if a novel about "The Conqueror" were not enough to please fans of The Duke and old movie buffs, Moffie mixes the Cold War into the story. The plot begins in the U.S.S.R. with Ivan, who is hired to work as projectionist to Joseph Stalin; not only does Stalin enjoy watching American films, but he likes to dress up like the characters in Westerns, and he has a desire to have John Wayne assassinated. Before long, Ivan and some of his fellow Soviets find themselves in Hollywood, making their own films while they try to figure out how they can get close enough to John Wayne to carry out Stalin's plan.

Moffie offers many surprising twists and turns along the way. I found myself checking online to find out what was true and what fiction, and I was surprised by how much was true, since as I said, the story behind "The Conqueror" is stranger than fiction.

I laughed out loud numerous times while reading this book. Some of Moffie's humor borders on the crude, but most of it is just plain funny and slightly exaggerated. The crude includes Howard Hughes' sexual efforts to find stress relief, and a Jew named Trotsky 7 whom Stalin keeps around with the job of holding his penis when he pees. But even this humor is very funny; I only point it out in case it would turn off some potential readers. Other hilarious comical scenes include Susan Hayward's obsession with raspberry lime rickeys that make her demand Hughes find out the exact recipe for her favorite drink before she agrees to be in the film. Throughout the book the dialogue sparkles to the point of Moffie obviously enjoying himself so much that the plot slows down a bit, but I doubt most of his readers will care because it's so funny.

My only real criticism of "To Kill the Duke" really has to do with the plot being a bit slow. Moffie has a lot of breaks between scenes, but he only has six chapters in a 355-page novel, and the chapters alternate between the Soviet characters and the Hollywood characters. I think if Moffie had divided his chapters up more and alternated them more it would have made the book's pace a bit stronger. There were also more typos than there should be, but these issues did very little to affect my enjoyment of the novel.

I think "No Mad" remains my favorite of Moffie's novels, but the concept and storyline of "To Kill the Duke" is really original, and while I haven't read a lot of novels about Hollywood, this one is the best I've read.

Tyler R. Tichelaar holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from Northern Michigan University and a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. His family's long relationship with Upper Michigan and his avid interest in genealogy inspired Dr. Tichelaar to write his Marquette Trilogy: Iron Pioneers, The Queen City, and Superior Heritage. Dr. Tichelaar is also a professional book reviewer and editor. For more information about Tyler R. Tichelaar, his writing, and his author services, visit:

http://www.marquettefiction.com/

Catching Fire-The Hunger Games Book 2

After rising out of the poorest District, 12, to win The Hunger Games, Everdeen Katness and her co-tribute Peeta, should have been able to expect lives of safety and contentment, but that is just not the case for the winner of The games. President Snow, leader of Bread and organizer of The games, makes an unscheduled visit to Katniss and Peeta. He is troubled by vague rumors of insurrection brewing in the background and he is also troubled by the apparent linkage of winners with the revolutionary rumors.

This is the world that Katniss and Peeta find themselves as they make a grand tour of all of the losing wealthy Districts, including the Capital. The intrigues continue as Katniss is drawn into planning the 75th Anniversary Hunger Games.

As the planning and story of the move is Katniss ' life reveals itself as she becomes a more rounded individual. Her characterization is becoming broader and she is more than just a remix to be winning tribute. Behind the mask of the competitor, there beats the heart and mind of a developing growing character. That Katniss is growing is due to the carefully planned and well executed, the writing of author Suzanne Collins. Katniss is coming to life as a person-a person that the Capital of the District may have good reason to fear.

Beneath the apparently calm surface of Bread-a country that corresponds roughly to the Old USA and to which the outer Districts owe tribute in the form of warriors for the yearly games-there's an undercurrent of revolution. Katniss and Peeta Are part of this movement or are they just being used by the revolutionaries who hope to overthrow Bread and bring themselves to power?

It's an Celine question that President Snow is trying to answer with his visit. It is during this visit that bread and also becomes a fuller and richer place with traditions that one could have only guessed at during the Hunger Games (Book 1). In Book 1, Katniss and Peeta are fighting for their lives, while Book 2 brings more calm but also shows that there may be a fire in the background that President Snow and Bread have to deal with.

As all of this is happening, Katniss discovers herself and finds a relationship with an equal, one which helps to define her as an individual and round her character.

The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins trilogy's author deftly handles these in the background changes as Katniss matures and bread and wonders. It is well done and shows that Katniss is more than just a warrior. It also shows that, as the saying goes: "uneasy lies the power" as bread and tries to halt the revolution.

With the help of the 75th Anniversary and planning Katniss Hunger Games will truly be something and are something special. Katniss gains humanity as she battles to stay alive in Book 2. The author handles this deftly and builds a nuanced storyline that Hunger Games fans love.

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommUS-Books

Love in the Times of War

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Book Title: Song for Night

Author: Chris Abani

Publisher: Akashic Books, USA

Year: 2008

Song for Night is a story of civil war in Nigeria. It is set firmly against the backdrop of Christian and Muslim hostilities. Song for Night is an impressive and fast paced description and observation of war narrated by one of its active participant, a boy soldier (15 years) named My Luck.

In the nutshell, it's a story of human triumph over insurmountable odds. A story of courage. A story of fear. A story of hope. The book has been described as an illumination of the body's capacity for both ecstasy and pain with honesty rarely encountered. Its narration is faced-paced. Its prose, beautiful beyond measure. Its description and observation as clear as a blue sky.

My Luck was trained as a human mine detector, and joined a platoon whose job was to disable clandestine enemy explosives. This is how they were trained: first their eyes were made keen so they could notice any change in the terrain no matter how subtle: a blade of grass out of place, scuffed turf, a small bump in the ground, the sharp cut of a metal tool into earth - any sign of human disturbance to the ground. They also received feet exercises to make their feet sensitive - because as part of detecting bombs their toes had to work like fingers - always exposed no boots. As part of the training, his vocal cords and that of his comrades were cut off to prevent them from screaming and giving away (their) his platoon's presence in case of an explosion, and, or if one is blown up.

Despite an absence of his voice, My Luck tells the story of the senseless war with clarity, and maturity of a retired soldier. He seems to agree that the war is necessary, and he is committed to fighting until he is told to stop. Yet, he hardly remembers the hate that led them to the bush in the first place. "We are simply fighting to survive the war..." he admits.

The story begins with My Luck getting separated from his platoon after an explosion. He woke up and found himself alone in the bush. My Luck's journey to find his missing platoon takes him through abandoned villages, and rotting corpses. He sees first-hand the destruction caused and the futility of war. He remains single minded nonetheless - he must be united with this comrades and continue to fight until there is an order to stop. During his search, he talks openly about his own part in the war including how he enjoyed killing. He once sprayed a group of women with an AK 47, raped, and murdered his own commander.

Song for Night is a devastating book in its lucid description of the effects of war, yet it is a story with a happy ending. Although, the author Chris Abani never tells us about the end of the war, but My Luck does get reunited with his family. He also regained his voice.

Bhekisisa Mncube is a specialist web-content writer, media relations specialist and managing director of B74 Media Lab. He is also a columnist at the Witness Newspaper as well as a Media/Political Commentator at the Gagasi99.5 FM. He is a member of the Book Review Panel at the New Agenda academic journal in South Africa. Mncube has been a writer for 12 years. He is a widely published in newspapers, magazines, websites and academic journals. You can network with Bhekisisa through LinkedIn, Facebook or by writing to info@b74.co.za

Book Review: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

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The year is 1861. America is on the brink of a civil war. In the South everyone seems to be talking about nothing else, which is not to the liking of the sixteen-year-old Scarlett O'Hara, a feisty daughter of a plantation owner who finds all this talk about war and politics boring -- especially when she has more important things to worry about, such as how to profess her undying love to Ashley Wilkes, the handsome heir to the neighboring plantation. The opportunity presents itself at a barbecue held on a warm April Sunday at Wilkes' place, but as Scarlett finally manages to steal some alone time with Ashley and charges through with her plan, fully certain that she'll be a married lady by the end of the day (elopement is an integral part of her scheme), the actual outcome comes to her as a shock: although Ashley is not immune to Scarlett's charms, he turns her down as he is already engaged to Melanie, his cousin from Atlanta. And as if the humiliation of being rejected were not enough, it turns out that there is an involuntary witness to the whole scene in the shape of one Rhett Butler, a ruggedly handsome Charlestonian with dubious reputation. Thus one of the most fabled love triangles of all times comes into existence.

Out of spite, Scarlett marries the first boy that crosses her path -- purely by accident this happens to be Melanie's brother -- and as the war erupts and her young husband falls victim early on she is left a widow and a mother of an infant at the age of seventeen: not a very bright perspective for a young girl who was just a few short months ago the belle of the county with a surplus of beaux lavishing her with attention. To snap her out of the depression she has fallen into the family sends her to Atlanta to stay with Melanie, and Scarlett spends the better part of the war there playing the role of a bereaved widow -- albeit not very successfully. Bound by the promise she has made to Ashley, Scarlett is forced to stay in Atlanta (taking care of Melanie who is pregnant and cannot be moved) until it is almost too late; the two young women manage to escape the Sherman's advancing army in the nick of time.

Back home at the O'Hara plantation, however, they find nothing but devastation and despair: Scarlett's mother had succumbed to an illness and her father, unable to cope with it all, has turned into a broken old man. Instead of finding refuge and comfort as she hoped, Scarlett is forced to take charge of the situation herself -- and she is not one to choose the means or balk at anyone or anything when it comes to bringing her birthplace out of ruin and ensuring survival for herself and the few remaining residents of the plantation.

Gone with the Wind has been widely hailed as one of the finest achievements in American literature. First published in 1936, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1937, the novel is set in the period of Civil War and Reconstruction, depicting those turbulent times in American history from the point of view of the defeated side -- which, given that history is always written by the victors, makes it that much more intriguing. The book is a portrayal of the collapsing of the Old South and its values -- some good, some bad -- and gives a remarkable account of the once ruling class and its former members as they struggle to conform to the harsh new reality: some adapt and survive, others perish...

Read full review at JustGoodFiction.com.

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Destiny Comes On The Wind - The Legend Of Opechancanough by James A Wright

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Every once in a while a writing talent comes along that demands the reading public sit up and take notice. Such is the case with the new debut Novel; Destiny Comes On The Wind - The Legend Of Opechancanough, by James A. Wright.

Beginning in the year 1561, it is the story of a real Powhatan Indian chief who lived in the time of the earliest Jamestown settlers. Opechancanough is abducted at an early age and educated in Spain by Spanish Monks. Adopting six different identities and persona throughout the scope of his long life, his story is a testament to a courageous and adaptable human spirit immersed in a totally alien culture and landscape. Spanning both the Old World and the New, Opechancanough must re-invent himself many times to fit in with each change in circumstance, environment and the expectations of others. The numerous locales include early colonial Virginia, Massachusetts, Cuba, Mexico, Spain and England, to name a few.

While it is a work of fiction, it is based largely on factual research and actual historical events, as well as myth and legend. As a sidebar, it is interesting to note that the Author conceived the idea for the book while researching his own genealogical roots, after discovering that he was a direct-descendent of the title character some twelve generations ago.

The story starts at a lively pace as the main character, (just on the cusp of manhood) and his grandfather, go on a bear hunt. The author does a great job in providing the details and the rational for the actions of the hunters and is able to draw the reader in to the hunt and the real sense of danger involved. The author's ability to convey the suspense and adventure permeates the entire novel.

The author generally strikes a good balance between the use of narrative and dialogue, but sometimes goes a bit overboard in providing too much back story information that I thought could be a bit excessive and contributed little to carrying the story forward. If your tastes run to historical fiction based on real people and actual events this book will not disappoint! While the actual events and the thoughts of those involved at that time can not be known for sure, the author dramatically brings the characters to life with great appeal and realism.

The book has finely developed and memorable characters, a great plot/storyline and qualifies as an epic tale of adventure, political intrigue and personal journey. One of the aspects that I appreciated most was the unpredictability of the story. With so many books that I have read, I often find myself guessing the outcomes and endings far before I come to them. The reader should have very little chance of that happening with this Novel as the unexpected is the norm.

To say that I couldn't put it down, would be an understatement. I finished it in six unbroken nights. No easy feat at 216,000 words! I actually cursed my need for the occasional bathroom break, such was my desire to keep reading.

While it is obviously a book for adults, younger readers should also enjoy this title. It is written in an easy style, and what sexual references there are, would be considered mild by today's standards. It may, in fact, enjoy equal popularity among teens. It is available in most popular e-reader formats, (Kindle, PDF, Nook), from Amazon and Smashwords.