One Second After - Tor/Forge Blog

9 Blood-Pumping Thrillers for the Cold Winter Months

January 12, 2018May 2, 2024torforge

Blood pumping, heart racing, mind busy — these fast-paced thrillers will keep you warm (and distracted) during the freezing weather of winter! But we can’t promise you won’t get goosebumps…

A Shattered Circle by Kevin Egan

A Shattered Circle is a legal thriller that’s anything but boring. NYC judge William Lonergan becomes mentally-impaired after an accident. His wife, who doubles as his secretary, preserves Lonergan’s career by covering up his condition — but she can only do it for so long. After Lonergan gets attacked, he and his wife move to their summer house for safety… a big mistake.

American Drifter by Heather Graham and Chad Michael Murray

Young vet River Roulet tries to escape his PTSD by moving to Brazil. He falls in love with journalist Natal who lives with the top drug lord of Rio, Tio Amato. River and Natal try to escape to the interior of Brazil, but Tio is after them. A psychological thriller as much as an action-packed one, American Drifter is an expected delight from bestselling author Heather Graham and famous celeb Chad Michael Murray!

And Into the Fire by Robert Gleason

Terrifyingly plausible, And Into the Fire follows journalist Jules Meredith and head of the CIA’s Pakistan desk Elena Moreno as they fight the clock to stop ISIS from dropping three Pakistani nukes on U.S. soil. This is no easy feat when the corrupt American president and a Saudi ambassador both want the two women killed. Realistic, character-driven, and fine-tuned, And Into the Fire is sure to get your heart racing!

Book of Judas by Linda Stasi

The breathtaking sequel to The Sixth Station, Book of Judas is original and a serious must-read. Stasi intertwines religion and history to create a suspenseful, high-stakes thriller. NYC reporter Alessandra Russo must save her kidnapped son by finding the last missing pages of the Book of Judas — pages that contain a secret that could upend Christianity in its entirety.

One Second After by William R. Forstchen

Based on the premise that a dangerous weapon has the power to destroy the United States in a single moment, One Second After looks at a small town’s response to an electromagnetic pulse attack on America. The country is thrown back to a time of chaos and the darkness of the past (literally – no electricity), forcing retired U.S. Army Colonel John Matherson to mobilize. This novel is so legit that Congress praised it for its realism and called it a book that all Americans should read (!).

Cutting Edge by Ward Larsen

Coast Guard rescue swimmer Trey DeBolt is in a tragic helicopter accident off the coast of Alaska. When he wakes up, he finds himself in Maine, cared for by a lone nurse. The world thinks Trey is dead… and someone wants to keep it that way. When his nurse is assassinated, Trey is forced to run for his life. Along the way, he discovers that he is deeply entrenched in a top-secret government project that has left him with a tremendous super power. Cutting Edge is a suspenseful mystery thriller that will keep you on your toes!

The Fallen by Eric Van Lustbader

Eric Van Lustbader is the bestselling author of the Bourne series, and The Fallen does not disappoint: it’s a pulse-pounding thriller that explores religion, politics, and good and evil. The Testament of Lucifer has been discovered in a remote cave — and has the possibility to unleash chaos and evil all over the world. Can it be stopped? We know the answer, but you’ll have to read to find out!

End Game by David Hagberg

Part of the Kirk McGarvey series, End Game throws you right into the heart of a serial killer case… occurring in the CIA headquarters. McGarvey, former CIA assassin, must find the killer — but first he must understand the motive, which traces back to something buried in the foothills of Iraq: something that could unleash an apocalyptic war in the Middle East. Oozing with action and suspense, you’ll love this thriller.

Say No More by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Boston reporter Jane Ryland reports a hit-and-run, destroying someone’s alibi. Her homicide detective fiancee Jake Brogan is searching for the killer of a famous Hollywood screenwriter. Meanwhile, Jane helps a date-rape victim tell her story, causing her to receive a threatening message: SAY NO MORE. The multiple plot lines seamlessly stream together in this unpredictable, complex, and relevant thriller.

New Releases / What's New

New eBook Bundles: 6/13/17

June 13, 2017May 10, 2024torforge

Here’s the new ebook bundles that went on sale today!

Brandon Sanderson’s Fantasy Firsts by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn: The Final Empire begins the Mistborn Saga, The Way of Kings the Stormlight Archive, Rithmatist is the second book in the duology, and Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians starts a series by the same name. Prepare yourself to be whisked away to the fantastical worlds of Brandon Sanderson.

The John Matherson Series by William Forstchen

From New York Times bestselling author, William R. Forstchen: In the span of a single second, the United States is plunged into darkness as an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) wipes out all electricity. Trains, planes, cars, phones, computers, power plants, electronics and electrical equipment—all comes to a screeching halt. The country is in chaos, and everyone wants to know why. Whatever the cause, looting, food riots, and global insurrection are the order of the day. The New Dark Ages are suddenly upon us in this series exploring the potential aftermath of a very real threat. This discounted ebundle includes: One Second After, One Year After, and The Final Day.

The Zones of Thought by Vernor Vinge

Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where a mind’s potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures, and technology, can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these “regions of thought,” but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence. This discounted ebundle includes: A Fire Upon the Deep, The Children of the Sky, and A Deepness in the Sky.

The Mither Mages Trilogy by Orson Scott Card

The mage-families of Westil are in exile on Earth. The magical gates have been closed, and for good reason. Unfortunately, Danny North’s magically-inclined family has been keeping secrets from him, secrets that may lead to disaster for them all. This discounted ebundle includes: The Lost Gate, The Gate Thief, and Gatefather.

What's New

William Forstchen Discusses EMP on The Blaze

February 17, 2016May 10, 2024torforge

William Forstchen, renowned EMP expert and author of the New York Times bestseller One Second After, detailed the risk of an Electro-Magnetic Pulse attack on the U.S. in an op-ed on The Blaze:

“A quick definition: a high energy EMP is generated by detonating a relatively low-yield nuclear weapon above the earth’s atmosphere. The gamma ray burst at the instant of detonation creates a cascading electrical disturbance in the atmosphere which races down to the earth’s surface. Every wire that crisscrosses our nation – be it the line from the power pole to your house, up to the large high tension lines radiating out from generating plants – will act like antennas, pick up this electrical overload and take out the transmission and generating systems connect to those wires. In many cases the wires themselves will melt down due to the energy overload, while a significant percentage of vehicles will short circuit as well.” [Full article on The Blaze.]

The article, written in preparation for a Glenn Beck documentary on EMP premiering February 17 on The Blaze’s “For the Record” TV program, references evidence he used to write his acclaimed novel, which focuses on an EMP-powered war in the U.S.

Author Features

What Is an EMP And Are We Prepared?

June 17, 2015May 10, 2024torforge

Written by William Forstchen

EMP is shorthand for Electromagnetic pulse. It is a rather unusual and frightening by-product caused by a nuclear bomb detonation above the earth’s atmosphere. We all know that our atmosphere and the magnetic field that surrounds our planet is a thin layer that not only keeps us alive, but also protects us from dangerous radiation from the sun. On a fairly regular basis there are huge solar storms on the sun’s surface, which emit powerful jets of deadly radiation. If not for the protective layer of our atmosphere and magnetic field, those storms would fry us. At times though, a storm is so powerful that enough disruptive energy reaches the earth’s surface to drown out radio waves and even short electrical power grid. This happened several years back in Canada.

The detonation of a nuclear bomb, two hundred miles straight up is almost the same thing as a solar storm, but infinitely more powerful since it is so close by.

As the bomb explodes it emits a powerful wave of gamma rays. As this energy release hits the upper atmosphere it creates an electrical disturbance known as the Compton Effect. The intensity is magnified, like a small pebble rolling down a slope, hitting a larger one, and setting that one in motion until finally you have an avalanche.

At the speed of light this disturbance races to the earth surface. It is not something you can see or hear; in the same way you don’t feel the electrical disturbance in the atmosphere during a large solar storm.

For all electrical systems though, it is deadly.

What Happens When This “Pulse” Hits the Surface?

Those who remember ham radio operators, or even the old CB radios of the 1970s, can recall that if you ran out a wire as an antenna you could send and receive a better signal. The wire was capable of not only transmitting signals from your radio with very little power, but receiving even faint signals in return as well. As an electromagnetic pulse strikes the earth’s surface, with a power that could reach up to hundreds of volts per square yard, it will not affect you directly. At most you’ll feel a slight tingling, the same as when lightning is about to strike close by, and nearly all the energy will be absorbed into the ground and dissipate. The bad news, however, is wherever it strikes wires, metal surfaces, antennas, or power lines it will travel along those metal surfaces (in the same way lightning will always follow the metal of a lightning rod, or the power line into your house). The longer the wire, the more energy is absorbed. A high tension wire miles long will absorb tens of thousands of volts, causing destruction as the energy slams into any delicate electronic circuits meaning computer chips, relays, and so on. In that instant, the circuits will be overloaded by the massive energy surge, causing them to short circuit and fry. The energy surge will destroy all delicate electronics in your home, even as it destroys all the major components in the power company’s generators and the phone company’s main relays. In far less than a millisecond the entire power grid of the United States, and all that it supports, will be destroyed.

After Years of Awareness Are We Now Prepared?

As of today, at least in the civilian sector, next to nothing has been done to “harden” our national infrastructure against such an event, be it from a military strike using one to three small nuclear weapons detonated above the continental United States, or from a major solar flare. Former Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, who for more than a decade was the leading voice on the floor of Congress regarding this issue, called for preparedness and infrastructure upgrades and explained why nothing has been done, saying that, “Until there is a national constituency of citizens demanding action, EMP will continue to be a ‘non-issue’ while far less important causes hold center stage and media attention.”

…………………………………………………

William Forstchen is the author of the New York Times bestseller One Second After and We Look Like Men of War, among numerous other books in diverse subjects ranging from history to science fiction. His next book, One Year After, releases on September 15th.

Excerpts

Excerpt: One Second After by William Forstchen

June 16, 2015May 10, 2024torforge

In One Second After, New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real…a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages…A war based upon a weapon, an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP). A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies. We hope you enjoy this excerpt.

Chapter One

BLACK MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA, 2:30 EDT

John Matherson lifted the plastic bag off the counter.

“You sure I have the right ones?” he asked.

Nancy, the owner of the shop, Ivy Corner, smiled. “Don’t worry, John; she already had them picked out weeks ago. Give her a big hug and kiss for me. Hard to believe she’s twelve today.”

John sighed and nodded, looking down at the bag, stuffed with a dozen Beanie Babies, one for each year of Jennifer’s life, which started twelve years ago this day.

“Hope she still wants these at thirteen,” he said. “God save me when that first boy shows up at the door wanting to take her out.”

The two laughed, Nancy nodding in agreement. He was already enduring that with Elizabeth, his sixteen- year- old, and perhaps for that, and so many other reasons as well, he just wished that he could preserve, could drag out, just for a few more days, weeks, or months the precious time all fathers remember fondly, when they still had their “little girl.”

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