# One Second After



## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I just finished reading this & all I can say is, WOW!! That was a very good book & gave me a lot to think about. I am pretty well prepared except the weapons department. I had a hard time putting this book down. I am going to pass it on to several friends. A real eye opener as to what could actually happen.


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## oth47 (Jan 11, 2008)

I've read it a couple of times,made me think of things I hadn't thought of.Son and daughter also read it,wife too.I had to do some re-evaluating.


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## cybergranny (Jun 23, 2012)

Awesome, plausible book. I teared up frequently as it was so real.


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## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

One Second After is my second favorite book of this genre. Deep Winter is my first and Alas, Babylon comes in third for me. 

All these books have given us a lot to think about.


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## steadfree (Mar 10, 2010)

Hard part for me was putting the dog down for supper...teared up!!


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## BoldViolet (Feb 5, 2009)

THIS was the book that got me prepping. It scared the heck out of me and lit the fire under my hiney to start really thinking about things.


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

My favorite is Deep Winter but One Second After is really good, too. I had read it a while back and then I found it in audio books a couple weeks ago. I like to listen to books or watch movies when I sew. It was great!


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

Great book, read it last May and still have dreams about it!


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## majic99 (Sep 7, 2004)

I agree, deep winter first, then one second after


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## Bobby61 (Jul 16, 2012)

Hello, I used to be on here as Marine's Mom, but somehow my account got messed up and I started over. I have seen the recommendation for this book several times and decided last night to buy it and start reading it. It is so hard for me to put it down! Thanks!


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

Who is the author of "Deep Winter"? That's a book that I haven't heard about.

_One Second After _will get you right where you live. I took a closer look at my situation, have changed and added some things that I never would have thought about before.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

I have been meaning to read both of those books....I have heard they are great.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Deep Winter

you'd have to got to the beginning here,

but buy the books - you'll read them more than once.

Amazon.com: Deep Winter (9780615154411): Thomas Sherry: Books

it's not so expensive if you have a kindle app on your tablet, kindle, or PC (the app is free).

That's how I have the series of the 3 books. I'm thinking of reading them again.


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

One Second After is what got me to rethinking the direction of my preps and what I needed to do


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

NELSELGNE said:


> FREE .PDF @
> copy of link to pdf was here. f


Does the author know about this free .pdf and approve of it?


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## NELSELGNE (Nov 13, 2006)

Feel free to delete the FREE .PDF posting.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

lathermaker said:


> Who is the author of "Deep Winter"? That's a book that I haven't heard about.
> 
> ...


Tom Sherry wrote Deep Winter and he has 2 sequels out now. Part 2 is called Shattered, and I forget the name of the third one. 

He used to post his writings on a survival site I'm a member of. I read them over there and downloaded the originals. I haven't read the final copy after it was edited and published. I keep thinking I need to get them, but just never have the extra $$$ for it.

Tom wrote about his home territory so I would assume many of the places in his books actually exist, unless the names and descriptions were changed in the published versions.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

the third is "Remnant".


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## backwoods (Sep 12, 2004)

I've read "One Second After," "Lights Out" and "Patriots" and I most enjoyed "One Second After." Really wished I could've gone to the "Renegade" @ Black Mountain in May. It's a beautiful part of the Smoky's. "Deep Winter" will be on my list now.


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## fishinshawn (Nov 8, 2010)

I bought the book in the kindle app. Very good book, I gotta admit I teared up towards the end, I wont say where because I don't want to spoil it for anyone.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

AngieM2 said:


> the third is "Remnant".


Thanks Angie. That's the one Tom emailed to me. I got side tracked and still haven't finished reading it. But the parts I read are super good.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Spinner - I liked "Remnant" so well, especially the ending, that the day after I finished reading it, I started it again and re-read the whole thing.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Ok is anyone willing tO sell me their copy of one second after? I have a lot of dr ordered down time and theses walls are getting very small and this phone is hurting my eyes. Would love a change of pace. any takers?


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## WV Farm girl (Nov 26, 2011)

Bought the Kindle edition of One Second After last night for $10. Used the amazon gift cards I earned through swagbucks, so it cost me nothing out of pocket. I will take my kindle to work tomorrow so I can download it.

I also saw the Deep Winter kindle edition for $5.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

One Second After was a hard one for me to like because I am from that area.
Too much obvious (to me) stuff that would have greatly improved life was omitted.
Like the college a few miles up from Montreat (the college in the book)
It is a very large working farm with cattle and hogs, a butcher set up, greenhouses, working solar etc.. my alma mater.

But using that college too would have not driven the plot, I guess...


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

chickenista said:


> One Second After was a hard one for me to like because I am from that area............But using that college too would have not driven the plot, I guess...


That's the reason I now use fictional towns for my stories. Its just easier for an author to 'build' a fictional town they way the story needs it to be than have to work with a real one and possibly have readers from the area, I'd rather have the town fit the story than force the story to fit a real town.


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

chickenista said:


> One Second After was a hard one for me to like because I am from that area.
> Too much obvious (to me) stuff that would have greatly improved life was omitted.
> Like the college a few miles up from Montreat (the college in the book)
> It is a very large working farm with cattle and hogs, a butcher set up, greenhouses, working solar etc.. my alma mater.
> ...


I felt the same way as you, as I have been to a music camp at the college you are referring to. When I went, I was dreading the 'college food' but found it to be wonderful as they grow the majority of their own food, and recycle, compost or reuse everything. But using that would have taken away from the story, and the college is a rare one.

Dawn


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

I just finished the book. It gave me lots of food for thought. 

Where were the preppers in the story? Mentioned early on, if people had stockpiles, they would be allowed to keep them, unless they asked for food from the community. Then their houses would be searched, and if they had food, it would be taken for the community. I think there are more preppers than were portrayed in the story. But if the book encourages people to prep, it is a good thing.

Home canners weren't mentioned until much later, and they weren't canning until called into action later in the story. Even if I hadn't canned for years and years, I would have still had the knowledge and equipment. And I would have been canning everything I could early on.

Nobody knew how to dehydrate food, or smoke or cure meat? Nobody knew how to root cellar? Even in an area of the country where people actually have cellars? We usually don't have them in California.

There was mention that at the college, one old professor had a subscription to Mother Earth News and left all of his old magazines to the college, but no mention of anyone applying what they learned from those magazines.

Still, it was a good book, and very well written.


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

I just finished reading One Second After. It was a good story but I agree unrealistic in ways. No big surprises in general though, guess I have a good imagination. It did reinforce to me again that in situations where there isn't an immediate big die off of people that banding together will be important for survival. I tend to lean towards independence and providing for my own but in some situations would have no choice even though we'd probably end up carrying people as far as foraging, hunting and growing food goes. They'd better learn quick and not be lazy is all I have to say. I can't even imagine the unpleasantness of dealing with a couple of my neighbors in that situation. One group of them would be the type to come with their guns to try and steal our food even though they turn their noses up at us growing food now, I have no doubt of that. 

Even though it's an unpleasant subject I think the book was unrealistic as far as cannibalism goes. The only time it was mentioned was in connection to the group of bad guys killing others to eat them. Honestly, if your children are dying of starvation and there are people dying around you I guarantee you will keep your children alive until you can figure out another way to feed them. The people in the story acted like they'd rather die than eat human flesh. I agree it isn't a pleasant thought but I think it's preferable to dying. And also most dogs would be eaten a lot earlier in the situation than those in the story were. There just is no room for irrationality in a survival situation. Or maybe there is, and that's where survival of the fittest kicks in... idk.

I had considered the possibility of disease before reading this, but not the types of diseases that the group got exposed to when the bad guys tried to take the town. That was a nightmare scenario for sure with all the blood involved.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

A sweet person sent me the book. I started to read it but my dh finds it interesting so I may have to wait tocread it lol. No big deal. I know My dh is loving his prepped porn. He just got Into prepping and loves senerio books.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

I sent my copy of One Second After (after we'd all read and reread it multiple times) to DD in Alabama. I really need to get another copy. I just got a Kindle reader for my laptop, so guess I need to check and see if it's available there?!


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## nostawmama (Dec 29, 2011)

julieq said:


> I sent my copy of One Second After (after we'd all read and reread it multiple times) to DD in Alabama. I really need to get another copy. I just got a Kindle reader for my laptop, so guess I need to check and see if it's available there?!


It is on kindle- that is what I have. Good read for sure.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

nostawmama said:


> It is on kindle- that is what I have. Good read for sure.


Yep, I checked and it is on Kindle. For the same exact price as a paperback on Amazon.com. So I'll get another paperback instead and that way I can share it with others.


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## jessepona (Sep 7, 2005)

I liked it too, and admit that I teared up a few times too. 

WARNING- SPOILERS AHEAD!

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One thing I didn't get was why the main character didn't so SOMETHING at least to prepare for EMP himself. In the meeting with the town council he said something to the effect that the government should have known about EMP (due to the report that the MC delivered to them) and done more to harden equipment and prepare. I found myself agreeing but also wondering where the MC's personal responsibility for preparing was. Shouldn't HE have known that something like that was possible, after all he was an author on the report. Why didn't he stockpile anything or do more to get the word out? I guess he isn't supposed to be perfectly likable, but this niggled at me.

Also, when the daughter was dying of diabetes I kept thinking "No, seriously go talk to one of the biology proffs in your college. They may be able to extract insulin from the pancereatic tissue of the cows, pigs, bears, dogs etc... And there are so many chemicals in the biology and chemistry departments that could be useful- for instance one of the stains we use in the bio department at the college where I work is also used as an antifungal for treating thrush and other fungal infections. They may have also been able to manufacture penicillin. But, I guess with things breaking down, it might have been difficult to keep staff around and get people focused. Still, it would have added an interesting dimension to the book. Someday, maybe I'll write a SHTF book with a more medical bent to satisfy this desire LOL

Still, these are small points and I did really like it and would recommend it to others.


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## DryHeat (Nov 11, 2010)

One particular topic keeps niggling at me as something that could have been expanded ... that of the "survivalist" (=prepper) group with a farm a bit up in the hills outside of town. In particular, I'd think it would have been quite realistic if early on one of those folks had quietly walked into the doc's office and plopped a daypack filled with antibiotics, antifungals, anti-parasitics like flagyl, blood pressure meds, other basic supplies, saying his group had taken an inventory and voted to donate everything excess they'd stockpiled to the town.
Some of the stuff could have been shown as saving, at least temporarily, some characters who played key roles later on and I really don't think would have been an unrealistic possibility in real life. ("Hey, we have 1000 flippin' fishmycin erythromycin pills, etc etc ... really, isn't this exactly why we bought so much extra?") Well, maybe the book could only be a certain length and so on, but my suspicion is that the author simply never had such a possibility occur to him, either.


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## WV Farm girl (Nov 26, 2011)

Just finished reading the book last night. Drove home just how fragile "civilization" is. People starving to death within 2 months?! Wow! Some of what was brought up I hadn't thought about, like the antipsychotic meds, confiscation of farm livestock, order to kill pets, etc. I'm making a list to begin beefing up my preps immediately.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

chickenista said:


> One Second After was a hard one for me to like because I am from that area.
> Too much obvious (to me) stuff that would have greatly improved life was omitted.
> Like the college a few miles up from Montreat (the college in the book)
> It is a very large working farm with cattle and hogs, a butcher set up, greenhouses, working solar etc.. my alma mater.
> ...


It's a basic tenet (albeit a hard one) that those well prepared would be in the same boat as the unprepared, if they 'shared'. If they had shared, they could have eased the suffering of the townfolk... but if the townsies hadn't suffered harshly, they might have let in the hordes too, to 'share' even more... and quickly all would've been in the same boat.


Common Tator said:


> I just finished the book. It gave me lots of food for thought.
> 
> Where were the preppers in the story? Mentioned early on, if people had stockpiles, they would be allowed to keep them, unless they asked for food from the community. Then their houses would be searched, and if they had food, it would be taken for the community. I think there are more preppers than were portrayed in the story. But if the book encourages people to prep, it is a good thing.
> 
> ...


I know we area a jaundiced bunch, and all of us know how to can, salt, smoke, etc. our excess, in preparation for the hard months of winter... but, look outside into your larger community, and how many of them even "can"? I think I've seen exactly one person with canning jars in their grocery store buggies in the last year... even when they had them on sale for 30% off. I think MEN resources would help....... BUT, learning skills, while starving, is a lose-lose game, except for the few who absorb knowledge/skills quickly. It took me days to get my draw-knife skills down... trial and error and learning the correct way to do something isn't kind to one, if they're stressed already. I'd not want to learn how to ride a bike for the first time, if a grizzly bear was sniffing my backside.



myheaven said:


> A sweet person sent me the book. I started to read it but my dh finds it interesting so I may have to wait tocread it lol. No big deal. I know My dh is loving his prepped porn. He just got Into prepping and loves senerio books.


Was that prepper porn? or prepped porn? This is where the grammar police come in and 'break things up'... I'd got a few thumb drives full of prepper porn... but I'd not go to jail for it. Well, I'm sure some LE agencies, DHS??? would frown and call me a terrorist for having a lot of patriotic books (guaranteed by the 1st Amendment!!!)

I think anyone with chronic diseases, that require daily medicines for survival, are doomed.... and they will live exactly as long as they have medicines stockpiled. IF I had to take med's, I'd do my dangest to have a decade of them on hand, even if the supposed shelf life would expire before then... Legal if possible, black market if necessary. I'd rather have ten years on hand, knowing I had a 'chance' of living a decade.... knowing full well one boo-boo in a post apocalyptic world would probably spell my end... than to have just a year on hand, knowing I had a death sentence within 13 months... I 'find' laws on medicine storage to be evil insidious entrapments meant to only enrichen the medical profession. If hundreds of thousands die from mis-use, so be it, freedom isn't pretty.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I have allergies/asthma. I have albuterol and use a nebulizer. I don't use them every day but get the scripts refilled every month. I have enough benadryl to put a whale to sleep and have a pretty good stock of sudafed, zyrtec, claritin, allergra and ranitidine. I can survive with out any meds but I get really grumpy when I'm congested. I learned how to deal with the asthma without drugs when I was younger and broke so I know I can do it of I have to.


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

Something to think about is some chronic disease will actually improve over time in an eotwawki situation, providing the people can survive the worst of it in the beginning. People will lose weight, be forced to be active, and won't have access to the crap food that causes so much chronic disease in western civilizations. Even advanced heart disease has been proven to be reversible, although that takes a vegan very low fat diet. Food (or lack of certain foods) is truly the best medicine.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

Yesterday I was thinking about the book. I was at my ranch int he mountains during a thunder storm. The power went out twice. I was canning rattlesnake chili and corned beef hash in my pressure canner. If I was using an electric stove I could have lost everything I was canning. 

Instead, I was using my propane stove and was able to adjust the flame and keep the pressure exactly where it should have been. A little forethought saved me from a canning disaster.

Then, I learned that a lightning strike on my own property caused a fire, that COULD have proven disastrous for me and for my preps. A tree caught fire right next to my only escape. There are other ways I could have hiked out, but if I wanted to take my car I could have been blocked in. Even if I could have gotten out (presuming the fire was MUCH worse than it really was) I could have lost my BOL and my preps. so much to think about. I don't think any place or any plan is fool proof. 

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/ge...families/453424-fire-our-ranch-yesterday.html


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

My dh just finished the one second after. At one point he lost sleep over all the events in the book. Its nice to know im not alone with being a prepper. He will bring up an idea and I will give him the idea I have already came up with. He told me he wants me to sit down and read it today.
I need to get him more prepper porn. I know you guys were talking about a few others. Its nice when we both have the same goal.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Next you need the Tom Sherry "Deep Winter" triology.


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