Well what can I say.
I love post-apocolyptic novels. And this one was dark, not quite as dark as "On the Beach" but dark still the same.
I went in expecting a Alas Babylon type book, terrible event everyone draws together and while a few die they work on coming through.
But I have to say this was very realistic in portrayal of life without electricity.
Mortality rate is high in this book, with major characters not exempt from the grim reapers hand.
I would give this a higher rating but for two things.
As I saw on another review, action is sort of just alluded to then skipped over. Towards the end of the book it is obvious a battle is coming between the town and a group called the Posse. We see everyone getting ready for the fight then the book takes back up at the end of the fight with most of any action and consequences briefly explained in back-story.
Two, the right leaning of the book. Okay EMP's are dangerous, but we don't need to be told over and over how bad it is. How our government isn't working on it, how we are wasting money on global warming instead of preparing for an attack. It is a bit of an issue with one cause people. They see what they know as an issue and want everyone to focus on this issue first. Yes your issue may be valid, but there are other issues out there too, and if everyone of them got the time and resources they deserved then nothing would happen. Something the author could have learned from the characters in his book.