I agree, it's often the aftermath that holds the greatest interest. The
Civil War tells one kind of interesting story; the Reconstruction that
followed, which endured for many years longer than the war, tells another,
just as interesting story.

There's a line one of the characters will say soon, "The duration's going
to be a lot longer than the war." It's a very true comment.

One of my favorite books is "Alas, Babylon," by Pat Frank, which is about
a nuclear war (written in the early 60s). But the war happens entirely
off-stage, way in the distance...and the book focuses on one small
township dealing with the after effects, and the day-to-day realities of
surviving in a changed world. I've always been partial to that kind of
storytelling.


jms