Sunday, January 28, 2018

The Day after Oblivion

The Day after Oblivion by Tim Washburn
Kensington: 1/30/18
eBook review copy; 560 pages
paperback ISBN-13: 9780786042500

The Day after Oblivion by Tim Washburn is a recommended, highly for the right reader, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it survival thriller.

The power grid, all communications links, and, well anything run by a computer have all been hacked. This includes the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency. It also includes a nuclear-armed CIA drone. When the remotely controlled drone is sent over Russian airspace and detonated, all hell breaks loose and the world is involved in a global nuclear exchange.

After the exchange, the action shifts and novel follows five different groups of people: the computer experts from Washington D.C.; the teachers and group of young teens from Texas stranded in Minneapolis; the small town Oklahoma family; the father and son in a sailboat; the crew on a submarine. The computer experts are trying to cross the country and get to a family in Oklahoma. The teachers and teens are trying to get back to Texas. The family in Oklahoma is trying to get a wind turbine working and is expecting a baby. The father and son are trying to sail to someplace safe. The submarine crew is looking for a safe area to dock. They needs supplies but are also still at war.

There is no doubt that this is an action packed thriller as the various groups try to make their way home. They all encounter a lot of the worst humanity has to offer along with a very few good souls. Everyone is armed or immediately gets armed. Rule #1 for the end of the world after a nuclear attack is to arm yourself and get enough ammo for your weapon. Shot anyone who looks at you funny or gives you a funny feeling. Rule #2 is get water and food. A codicil might be to look for an old vehicle that will start after an EMP and immediately find a hose or tubing to siphon gas (as 2 groups do here).

Now, please indulge me and allow me to address all young women in the event of this or a similar scenario. For goodness sakes, remember rule #1. Do not allow some jackwagon to capture you and then make you a sex slave. This happened to more than one woman in this version of the end, so be prepared. Apparently, those who believe in a rape culture will survive, will be traveling, and will try to get you. Fight back. Get them first. Training in self-defense beforehand would be wise, along with your gun and ammo.

The Day after Oblivion is entertaining. It provides action, gun play, narrow escapes, insidious bad guys, and ultimately a satisfying ending. The chapters are short and quickly move from one group to another.  Is it a realistic look at the aftermath of a global nuclear war, uh, probably not likely. The focus here is on the journey the various groups are making and the difficulties they encounter along the way. There isn't a lot of room for much character development either, but that really isn't the focus of the novel.

As I said, this is an entertaining novel. It's a thriller that won't require much beyond just following the groups.  Set disbelief aside and go with the story and you will enjoy it. The Day after Oblivion is a perfect airplane book. It is engaging and will hold your attention. 4 stars for the reader who can set aside disbelief; 3.5 for me due to a few issues I had with it.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington via Netgalley.

1 comment:

sarahk said...

The issues you had with it, were they grammar mistakes by chance? This is the second Tim Washburn book I have read and I am disappointed by the grammatical errors in it. Just wondering if anyone else noticed. I can't recall seeing any in Powerless.