The Final Day: A Novel (A John Matherson Novel)

The Final Day is the conclusion to William Forstchen’s John Matherson trilogy. The trilogy focuses on the devastating electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that occurred after nuclear weapons were detonated over the United States. As a result of the EMP, every single electrical and electronic device stopped functioning, and humanity stepped back into the Dark Ages. In the third novel, it has been two years since the EMP occurred, and John and the residents of his small North Carolina town are slowly starting to rebuild and bring civilization to where it was before the attack. However, they soon find out that the government ripped up the Constitution and wants to give a large part of the United States to China and Mexico, and it wants to use the Army to suppress dissent. Now as the prospect of a new civil war looms on the horizon, the survival of the nation is at stake.

William Forstchen has done it again. His two previous novels were brilliant, and this one is no exception. Just like the first books in the trilogy, this final part is very strong on character development and plot fluidity. However, this book is different from the first two as it focuses on the macrocosm, which is the United States as a whole as a whole, not on the microcosm, John’s small North Carolina town. Nevertheless, The Final Day has all the hallmarks of a suspenseful post-apocalyptic novel that examines humanity’s struggle and resilience in the aftermath.