This is by far the best nuclear war fiction I have ever read, especially since it goes to many lengths to depict a realistic scenario involving the broad effects of a limited nuclear strike on the US and how the world adapts to the sudden loss of the superpowers. It’s gripping, informative, and surprisingly human. It’s honestly a far more interesting take on the genre than the typical, depression-laden stories concerning nuclear holocausts and the resultant societal collapse. I’m Warday, society does not collapse, but instead changes and adapts to the new status quo.
The USA is basically reduced a shattered, third-world state that’s dependent on foreign aid (mainly from the UK and Japan) and faces an uncertain future as the government is powerless, with the southwest and California seceding and creating socialist and authoritarian regimes. The USSR simply ceases to exist. Western Europe is spared due to double-dealing. It’s wild.
Definitely read or listen to Warday.