After the EMPs Books in Order

After the EMPs follows people trying to get through a suddenly disabled America, with Joey's long road home at its center. E. E. Isherwood's five-book sequence is also known as 1000 Miles of Bad Road. A journey that should be straightforward becomes a struggle through stalled traffic, failing communications, and deliberate threats. The series uses the road as a way to explore how quickly freedom of movement can disappear when the systems supporting ordinary travel stop working.

Joey begins with reasons to feel optimistic. After years of work and study, he has inherited a trucking company from his retiring uncle. Driving his classic Mustang offers a moment to enjoy what he has achieved. Then vehicles stop, phones fail, and planes fall. His car still works, which ought to be an advantage, but being the one driver able to move also attracts attention. He understands enough about the disaster to know that his immediate problem is getting out of the traffic before the people around him become more dangerous.

A working engine can't guarantee a safe route.

The story also follows survivors in other parts of the country. Teenagers Kamino, Liam, and Garth try to find shelter, while Herb and Mildred face the problem of leaving New York City. Their different ages and circumstances make the same national event produce very different decisions. A school can look like a refuge until someone else claims it. An island can offer familiar surroundings while making escape depend on a small number of dark routes. The geography turns planning into a practical problem rather than a general wish to get somewhere safer.

As the series develops, Joey must contend with people who are much better prepared for the collapse than ordinary travelers. Surveillance, military resources, and hostile networks make the danger more organized than random looting. His conspicuous Mustang offers mobility without discretion. The other survivors likewise have to judge whether strangers represent help, competition, or a direct threat. The books combine immediate concerns about transport and shelter with a larger conflict over the people who caused the catastrophe and what they intend to do next.

Begin with 1000 Miles of Bad Road and continue through its four numbered sequels. The series takes place in the Neighborhood Watch universe alongside events in that sequence, while following characters in other locations. It can be read as its own journey, with connections available for readers who know the wider setting. Expect post-apocalyptic suspense driven by distance, limited information, and the need to keep moving when the road that once promised independence has become a chain of dangerous choices.