After the EMP Series by Harley Tate

The After the EMP series by Harley Tate is divided into three trilogies.  The first trilogy features Madison and her parents, who are all three in different locations when the EMP strikes. 

The summaries included in this post were taken from Amazon's product pages.

If the power grid fails, how far will you go to survive?

Madison spends her days tending plants as an agriculture student at the University of California, Davis.  She plans to graduate and put those skills to work only a few hours from home in the Central Valley.  The sun has always been her friend, until now.

When catastrophe strikes, how prepared will you be?

Tracy starts her morning like any other, kissing her husband, Walter, goodbye before heading off to work at the local public library.  She never expects it to end fleeing for her life in a Suburban full of food and water.  Tackling life’s daily struggles is one thing, preparing to survive when it all crashes down is another.

The end of the world brings out the best and worst in all of us.

With no communication and no word from the government, the Sloanes find themselves grappling with the end of the modern world all on their own.  Will Madison and her friends have what it takes to make it back to Sacramento and her family?  Can Tracy fend off looters and thieves and help her friends and neighbors survive?

This trilogy has a slow start with a lengthy description of the types of EMPs and how each type affects the world.  While I understand the reason that the description was included, most people reading the book probably have already read many others and know the premise quite well.  A shorter explanation would have sufficed. 

The first two books in this trilogy are very good.  The third book gets bogged down with Walter worrying about his daughter Madison a bit too much, which I found boring.  Walter's concern is certainly realistic, but in a book, it is just too much.

The second trilogy switches to a second group of characters.  

Two weeks into the apocalypse, would your switch be flipped?

Colt Potter's a no-nonsense air marshal who doesn't hesitate to use his skills.  When he sets off on his own, leaving the comfort of a warm bed, a good looking woman, and the University of Oregon behind, he's ready to be a solitary man.  Rescuing a fifteen-year-old girl is the last thing he needs.

When you have nothing left, can you find the will to survive?

Dani may be young, but she's no stranger to hardship.  When the pangs of hunger drive her to the brink, Dani makes the difficult choice to steal.  She knows she might get caught. She never expects a stranger to save her.

The end of the world brings out the best and worst in all of us.

Joining forces isn't part of the plan, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  With danger around every corner, will Colt and Dani find the strength to trust each other?  Or will the past ruin any chance of seeing the future?

I really like Colt and Dani and the gradual father-daughter relationship that develops between them.  The second trilogy is my favorite part of the set.

In the third trilogy, the Sloane family's group and the group containing Colt and Dani join together.  I will not include the summary of this trilogy, since it is the final part of the set and has some spoilers in it.  The final trilogy is a bit weak.  Some parts are hard to believe and are just very uninteresting.  

Even though I didn't enjoy the final trilogy nearly as much as the first two, I overall greatly enjoyed the set of nine books.