I'm ambivalent about Forstchen's new novel "48 Hours". I guess I was expecting something along the lines of his classic "One Second After." I read a lot of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, but this book doesn't fit in either category, as it's mostly pre-apocalyptic since the cataclysm doesn't occur until the last few pages of the book. I found the characterization of the people in the novel to be two dimensional and the dialog felt wooden and contrived. Even though the events in the novel supposedly occur during a 48 hour window, the pacing of the novel felt slow. It was easy to anticipate many of the events that do occur. Forstchen's novel spends an inordinate amount of time examining morality, and what parents/people would do when faced with an extinction level event. The author also examines the impact of human civilization upon the universe, and let's just say that the universe isn't impressed. However, the book has intrigued me enough to do some additional reading regarding CME's. I sincerely hope that humanity never has to face the possibility outlined in "48 Hours."
I've re-read "One Second After" probably three or four times; I won't be re-reading this novel. Forstchen's lengthy afterword was interesting and elucidating, as it gives some of the background behind "One Second After". I give this novel a rating of 2-3 stars out of five.
