A Desperate Journey In a World Gone Insane

When an EMP produced by a massive solar flare fries the electrical grid, Captain Jordan Hughes’ problems are just starting. Stranded far from home with a now-priceless cargo of fuel and a restless crew, Hughes weighs his options as violence worsens ashore and the world crumbles around the secure haven of his ship, the Pecos Trader.

‘Wait and see,’ isn't an option. Hughes must get his ship and crew home -- but FEMA arrives with other plans.

Resisting an increasingly corrupt and self-serving federal bureaucracy, Hughes leads a hastily formed and ragtag little band of sailors, preppers, and dissident military personnel on a desperate voyage to reunite them all with home and family – only to find their real journey is just beginning.


A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

I’m a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction. As a kid I devoured classics like The Earth Abides and Alas, Babylon, and still enjoy a convincing, post-apocalyptic yarn. However, I never attempted to write one, because the key word is ‘convincing,’ and I doubted my ability to convince readers to take that journey.

You see, my previous work is set in environments I know well and didn’t have to research much, but when research was needed, I was obsessive. Before I can convince you, I have to convince myself the scenarios I plot out are possible, and that requires a good command of the facts. Skeptic that I am, I wasn't sure research would get me to that point in regard to 'collapse' scenarios. Boy, was I wrong!

I found credible source after credible source addressing the vulnerability of our aging power grid. National Geographic produced multiple articles and documentaries on solar storms’ potential to do lasting damage. Government agencies have also issued reports, all with the similar conclusions, and companies such as the venerable British insurer Lloyd’s support that view. In fact, one recent Lloyd’s report states:

“As the electric infrastructure ages and we become more and more dependent on it, risk of a catastrophic outage increases with each peak of the solar cycle. Our society is increasingly dependent on electricity. The potential for long-term, widespread power outages, makes the hazard posed by geomagnetic storms one of the most significant.”

So having convinced myself, I knew I could convince my readers.

But that wasn’t all there was to it, because I didn’t want to write just another post-apocalyptic tale. I therefore focused on characters caught unprepared by the ‘event,’ and forced to survive by their wits. While there is an experienced ‘prepper’ family in the tale, you won’t find overly-specific details of weaponry or long lists of needed supplies. What you will find are believable characters, acting and reacting, sometimes cowardly, sometimes heroically, but always I hope, realistically.


Excerpts From Amazon Reviews (See full text in Reviews section)

One of the better post-apocalyptic books of late. The author’s credible knowledge of military and maritime ops and prepper scenarios combine to create a believable tale. In the bleak and believable future of a post-apocalyptic world created by the EMP from a coronal mass ejection (CME), the reader cheers on the protagonists, and wishes the worst on a bevy of villains. I would suggest this book to any fans of the post-apocalyptic genre. – Boscowashisnamo

Post-apocalyptic fiction done well is a true pleasure, and McDermott is firmly in the upper echelon of post-apocalyptic writers. The possibility of an EMP spawned by a solar event wreaking havoc in technology-heavy environments is well-documented, and McDermott tells a story of believable people doing their best in a terrible situation. -- Finback