Blog · 8 min read
Best EMP Survival Fiction Series to Read in Order
If you're looking for EMP survival fiction that goes beyond the single-novel premise, this guide covers the series that do it best — including one that's become a modern genre classic.
What Makes a Great EMP Series?
Most EMP novels stop at "the lights go out." The best series go further — they show the cascade of failures, the community dynamics, the impossible choices that come when the grid doesn't come back on. They answer the question: what happens next week? Next month? Next year?
The difference between a good EMP novel and a great EMP series is the same difference between a disaster and a survival story. One is about the event. The other is about what you build after.
#1: Neighborhood Watch: After the EMP
10 Books · Reading Time: 3–4 weeks for the full series
This is the series that put EE Isherwood on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. It follows a neighborhood — not a prepper compound, not a military unit, just regular neighbors — as they go from suburban life to survival mode. No martial law. No military rescue. Just people figuring it out.
The EMP is just the catalyst. What the series really explores is community — who steps up, who falls apart, and what people owe each other when everything falls apart. At 11 books, it's one of the most complete EMP series in the genre.
How it compares to One Second After
One Second After is the gold standard for the single-novel EMP experience — tight, focused, intense. Neighborhood Watch is that story plus everything that comes after. Where Forstchen's book ends with the EMP hitting, Isherwood's series picks up the pieces and asks: then what?
#2: EMP Empire
Standalone Novel · Perfect for trying the genre
Not ready to commit to a 10-book series? EMP Empire delivers the same pulse-pounding EMP survival content in a single complete story. It's the right place to start if you're new to the genre or want to test whether the premise works for you.
Learn More About EMP Empire →How to Read the Neighborhood Watch Series
The series is designed to be read in order. Each book continues the story, but every book is a complete narrative arc — some cliffhangers between books. You can start at book 1 and go straight through to the end without hitting a weak entry.
Start with the free novella World of Zombies if you want the full context before committing to book 1.
Get the Free Novella →Start Reading Today
The first book in the Neighborhood Watch series is available on Amazon. If you want to test the water first, there's a free novella waiting for you.