McDermott is a fine story teller, and the series is very compelling about the danger of an EMP event. His understanding of things nautical really inform the story and the elements I enjoy most.
The elements I have a harder time with are McDermott’s conclusions about how things are better with 90% of the population gone and the survivors back on the gold standard. An evil government hoarding resources for itself, propped up by evil mercenaries working for FEMA, while the good military has it’s hands tied by Constitutional restrictions until a knight in shining armor (former Speaker of the House) surfaces to reclaim his rightful place as President and set things straight, seems simplistic at best, but in McDermott’s hands it makes for an exciting story.