Feeling inundated by the plethoria of EMP distopia books on the market? Well, take a look at “The Darkness After,” Scott B. Williams’ latest novel. You might learn something.
by Leon Pantenburg
I’m all for escapist, easy-to-understand shallow novels. Reading one is my reward when working out on the recumbent bike or elliptical
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machine at the gym. The combination of hard, sweaty exercise, with easy-to-understand entertainment works well and distracts me from the hard work that should be going on.
But I’m getting trifle jaded on the whole distopia genre related to electromagnetic pulses. Since “One Second After” came out, it seems many of the EMP books have started to follow a familiar pattern. The path goes something like this: EMP, chaos, whatever shall we do??!!, person with some training steps up, organizes, fights final battle with bad guys, rebuilds the culture.
And I have a vivid imagination – I don’t need descriptions of what happens when a high velocity bullet impacts a body, or how blood spurts when an artery is cut. I won’t read graphic descriptions of torture or death.
What I’m looking for is knowledge: Can I learn something while being entertained?
The plot of “The Darkness After” starts out like most EMP novels do: A massive solar flare fries all the electric devices, essentially shutting down the world. Stranded in New Orleans, 16-year-old Mitch Henley has to escape into backwoods Mississippi, using the skills he has learned from his game-warden father. He sets out on foot, to make his way back to his family farm. Along the way, he meets April Gibbs, who, of course, is beautiful, smart, lethal and alone. The two combine their efforts to reunite with their families.
So far, this book is not noteworthy. But there is probably nobody more qualified to provide information in such a setting as Scott B. Williams. Williams, author of the Bug-Out Survival blog and the survival-themed books “Bug Out,” “Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters; Build and Outfit Your Life-Saving Escape” and “Getting Out Alive” and numerous other publications has been a survival writer for several years.
A superb writer, Williams can tell a fascinating story, and you will be entertained. But here is where the learning comes in: Williams takes proven techniques and shows how they could play out in this imaginary EMP situation. Here are a few very valid survival tips from “The Darkness After” based on William’s experience:
Have a plan: Even though Mitch was a kid, he still had an idea of what he had to do, and where he had to go. His destination in the event of an emergency has already been figured out. His dad trained him well.
Have a bug out bag ready to go. Even though Mitch couldn’t take a firearm into New Orleans, he was still able to function well in the chaos of the city because of the other items he had along
Take the right maps: In addition to road maps, Williams is a big proponent of including topographical maps of the whole area. In this case, the topos helped Mitch to figure out ways to go around potential trouble areas. It can also help in a real-life scenario by helping you avoid low-lying areas that may flood, or to find alternate river crossings.
Use unconventional travel routes: Most people leaving a disaster area will get out on the highway, run out of gas, and not get very far. In this gridlock situation, it is just a matter of time before anarchy and violence breaks out. Williams advocates finding alternate routes, such as creeks, drainage ditches and railroads, and using them for foot travel. This idea played out very well for Mitch as he traveled along a gasline and used a canoe in a creek to get where he needed to go.
Multiple weapons systems that don’t duplicate each other. Mitch relied on a variety of weapons, ranging from archery to Mini-14 to stay safe. Each weapon was familiar, and Mitch used them to best advantage.
Living off the land: Mitch and April were ready to harvest any small game animal that crossed their path with a .22 rifle or bow and arrow. The concept of living off the land in the book was realistic – they didn’t devote a lot of time to setting up snares or traps for small game, but were able to stay fed.
People looking for violent, zombie-oriented crap fiction won’t enjoy this book. And if you want the gristly details of distophic torture, mayhem, killing and rape, you won’t find it here.
Rather, this is a family-friendly fiction account, geared for young adults, of what could happen in the event of an EMP, and potential skills and survival techniques that could be learned and adapted to this situation.
This book is well-worth reading.
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