I get asked pretty regular what I read when I finally sit down in the evening with my boots kicked off and Darlene watching one of those British baking shows.
Truth is, most nights I am too tired to read anything heavier than a seed catalog. But every once in a while a series comes along that grabs me by the collar and will not let go. That happened to me this month with a set of books written by my friend Jack Braddock, an Oregon native who knows Wendy and Steve from out east of the Cascades. Jack has spent plenty of time around folks who understand hard living and uncertain weather, and it shows on every page.
These books are called the Cole Vandermeer series, and I tore through all three faster than Jasper goes after a tennis ball. They are set after an EMP attack, which is a scenario I have written about plenty over the years, but Jack takes it somewhere personal and gritty. The pace is fast and rigid in a way that feels honest, like events are not waiting around for you to catch your breath. What really caught me off guard was a mystical sci fi edge woven into the story. It was unexpected but handled with a steady hand, and instead of pulling me out of the story it made me lean in closer.
Cole Vandermeer Series Reading Notes
The opening chapters nail the confusion and silence after the grid goes down, and it reminded me of the ice storm we had here in Missouri years back when everything just stopped
Cole is not some perfect hero, he makes mistakes under pressure that feel painfully real
The betrayals come early and often, which keeps you from getting comfortable with any one character
This one digs deeper into how communities fracture when resources thin out, something every prepper should think about beyond beans and bullets
Jack captures the exhaustion of long term survival, the mental wear and tear, better than almost anything I have read
The sci fi elements step forward a bit more here and add a strange sense of wonder without getting silly
The stakes ramp up and the action barely slows down, I found myself reading just one more chapter until midnight more than once
Loyalty and trust get tested hard, and it made me think about who I would really count on if things went sideways
The ending arcs feel earned through struggle, not handed out, which I respect as a reader and as someone who plans for worst case scenarios
I love these books not just because Jack is a friend, but because they hit close to home for anyone who believes preparedness is about people as much as gear. They are entertaining, yes, but they also quietly teach lessons about adaptability, leadership, and the cost of bad decisions. If you want a story that moves fast, feels grounded, and still dares to surprise you, the Cole Vandermeer series deserves a spot on your shelf right next to the manuals and maps.