简介：AftertravellingtoNewYorkCityonabusinesstrip,RussellShoemakerwakestofindallelectronictechnologydeadandmorethan99%ofthehumanracemissing.Drivenbyaneedtodiscoverthetruthanddeterminedtoreturntohisfamily,heembarksonajourneytohishomeinSeattle,whilerecordingandtellingalloftheeventsinhisjournal.AfterworldisthestoryofRussell's3,000-mile(4,800km)trekacrossapost-apocalypticAmericaasheencountersthestrangenewsocietiesrebuildingthemselves.Alongtheway,healsoattemptstosolvethemysteryofwhatcausedthisglobalevent,whichsurvivorsrefertoas"theFall." Inadditiontonewformsofgovernment,Russelldiscoversthattechnologyhasfailedduetoapersistentelectromagneticpulse,aproductofacollectionofsatellitesthatwasactivatedalmostsimultaneouslytotheFall.AnadditionalsideeffectoftheEMPistherapidmutationofmanyformsoflife,includingShoemakerhimself.Hedescribesthathisnight-visionhasimproveddramatically,alongwithhisendurance.OtherexamplesareseenincattleRussellhappensacross,who'redyingofapreviouslyunheardofflesh-eatingdisease. Russell'sjourneyeventuallybringshimtoanearlydesertedSanFrancisco,andtheheadquartersofanorganizationknownastheParthiaGroup,whohaddevelopedaformofnano-technology,whichidentifiedhumanswithaparticulargeneticmakeup.…