ZDM Series by Brian Wood

Set in a near future where a second American civil war rages, a lone journalist is stranded in the middle of New York City, now a brutal no-man's-land. Mirroring current events, DMZ is an unforgiving look at what a 'war on terror' can do to a civilian population.

America's worst nightmare has come true. Having neglected the threat of anti-establishment militias, the U.S. government is in danger of losing control. Middle America has violently risen up, coming to a standstill at Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ. Matty Roth, a naive, aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war journalist into the heart of the DMZ... moreAmerica's worst nightmare has come true. Having neglected the threat of anti-establishment militias, the U.S. government is in danger of losing control. Middle America has violently risen up, coming to a standstill at Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ. Matty Roth, a naive, aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war journalist into the heart of the DMZ. Things soon go terribly wrong, and Matty finds himself lost and alone in a world he's only seen on television. In this volume, Roth's star power as a wartime reporter rises both within and outside the DMZ and the embedded journalist lands the break of a lifetime: an interview with the infamous leaders of the Free Armies. less

Matty severs his ties to Liberty News and becomes a free agent. He soon finds himself in over his head as he goes undercover and infiltrates a terrorist cell determined to disrupt any and all construction sites trying to rebuild the city.