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Aurora
From the author of Cold Storage comes a riveting, eerily plausible thriller, told with the menace and flair of Under the Dome or Project Hail Mary, in which a worldwide cataclysm plays out in the lives of one complicated Midwestern family.
In Aurora, Illinois, Aubrey Wheeler is just trying to get by after her semi-criminal ex-husband split, leaving behind his unruly teenage son.
Then the lights go out--not just in Aurora but across the globe. A solar storm has knocked out power almost everywhere. Suddenly, all problems are local, very local, and Aubrey must assume the mantle of fierce protector of her suburban neighborhood.
Across the country lives Aubrey's estranged brother, Thom. A fantastically wealthy, neurotically over-prepared Silicon Valley CEO, he plans to ride out the crisis in a gilded desert bunker he built for maximum comfort and security.
But the complicated history between the siblings is far from over, and what feels like the end of the world is just the beginning of several long-overdue reckonings--which not everyone will survive . . .
Aurora is suspenseful storytelling--both large scale and small--at its finest.
In Aurora, Illinois, Aubrey Wheeler is just trying to get by after her semi-criminal ex-husband split, leaving behind his unruly teenage son.
Then the lights go out--not just in Aurora but across the globe. A solar storm has knocked out power almost everywhere. Suddenly, all problems are local, very local, and Aubrey must assume the mantle of fierce protector of her suburban neighborhood.
Across the country lives Aubrey's estranged brother, Thom. A fantastically wealthy, neurotically over-prepared Silicon Valley CEO, he plans to ride out the crisis in a gilded desert bunker he built for maximum comfort and security.
But the complicated history between the siblings is far from over, and what feels like the end of the world is just the beginning of several long-overdue reckonings--which not everyone will survive . . .
Aurora is suspenseful storytelling--both large scale and small--at its finest.
289 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2022
About the author
David Koepp
22 books566 followersDavid Koepp is a celebrated American screenwriter and director best known for his work on Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Panic Room, War of the Worlds and Mission: Impossible. His work on screen has grossed over $6 billion worldwide.
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June 8, 2023
When nothing works anything goes.--------------------------------------
Be Prepared! - Boy Scout MottoEver since the Neolithic and the introduction of sedentary farming, we have been a species that has evolved to rely on external supports to keep us going, an infrastructure that provides water, transportation routes and means, manufacturing, either by hand or machine, of things we need that we do not or cannot make for ourselves, and means of communication that do not require direct line of sight, or being within proximate hearing distance. So, what happens when one of the absolute necessities undergirding all our infrastructures vanishes? It’s not like the K-Pg asteroid that obliterated vast numbers of species across the planet in a day, 66 million years ago. How might people react when there is a sudden, if not immediately lethal, change in our way of living? Will we devolve to warring tribes? Will we come together for the common good? Some combination? Something else entirely?
David Koepp - image from his site
This time it is a major solar flare, aka a CME or Coronal Mass Ejection. Which I prefer to think of, because I am twelve, as massive projectile solar vomiting. (Probably had too much to drink at that intergalactic frat party. It likes beer!) We have not seen the likes of such a mass ejection since 1859. (If we do not count the Braves-Padres game of August 12, 1984, when 17 players and coaches were asked to leave, but I digress). When it arrived back then it did not really make that much difference. We were a pre-electrical civilization. Telegraphy had a bad day. A few wires got fried. This and that went wrong. But no big whup, really. This time the solar storm is the same, but the results will be dramatically different. These days we are a species that is reliant on electricity for almost everything. Very big whup this time. The power spike of power spikes. Everything shuts down, or close enough to it.
There are a few scientists who see what is about to happen. They warn the people who need to be warned, or try. Think the film Don’t Look Up, or almost any disaster film. Of course, the reaction of world leaders is not what Koepp is looking at here.
The notion of extraordinary global events that deprive us of power—in ways both literal and figurative—is something I’ve explored in the past. But it was fascinating to shift my focus from the global to the hyperlocal, and the ways in which tiny communities might come together or split apart during hardship. - from the acknowledgmentsThere was a wonderful series of ads on in 2020 and 2021, for a shingles vaccine. A person would be shown doing something healthful, or telling how they take care of themselves. The sonorous voice-over would interrupt with “Shingles Doesn’t Care,” which was pretty funny, and memorable, getting the advertiser’s message across that people over 50 should get vaccinated. I thought of that while reading this book. No, no one in the book is suffering from that virus-based ailment, but we are reminded over and over that the best laid plans of mice and men…(Actually the original, from the poem To a Mouse by Robert Burns, goes The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley), which we will translate here into the modern patois of Doomsday Doesn’t Care!
There are the usual suspects who insist that the bad thing is never gonna happen, deniers at full volume. (Sadly, these are all too much a mindless, know-nothing, demagogic trope in real life, so no reaching is required.) Why waste precious government resources (which reminds me of precious bodily fluids from another era) on things like girding for a known, expected emergency, when it can be redirected to building walls, jails, ethnic hatred, religious intolerance, and paranoia, or cutting taxes for the richest. Doomsday Doesn’t Care!
Ok, so a very hard rain is gonna fall, and we need some folks to be our eyes and ears through the experience. Aubrey Wheeler is our primary POV. She is 38 and the default parent of her step-son, Scott, 16. Her ex, Rusty, is a disaster, enough so that when he left, Scott opted to remain with Aubrey.
The guy who impressed Aubrey when they met has taken a nose-dive straight to the bottom, drugs, crime, amorality, and a willingness to use anyone to get what he wants. Rusty was a “shit,” used in the classical sense of “waste matter expelled from the body,” because he had been an enormous misuse of her time, resources, and love.They reside in Aurora, Illinois, a city of nearly 200,000. But within that, a much tinier slice. Cayuga Lane fit the model of what Aubrey had been trying to build since she was little. Ten minutes from downtown, it was a short cul-de-sac with six houses, most of them old builds from the 1920s or ‘30s. Small community number one.
How about if you set up a safe house, a place where you can weather the storm, whether it is months or years, lots of supplies on hand, expertise being shipped there as we speak, lots of nice insulating earth between y’all and the incoming energy burst? Someplace out of the way, say, outside Jericho, Utah. Small community number two.
Thom Banning is an obnoxious billionaire tech sort, brilliant in his way, but maybe not the most gifted person on Earth with people skills. He has reconfigured an old missile site as his personal bug-out retreat in the event of a catastrophe like this one. He even figured in all the professional sorts he might like to have at hand for a long time away from everything. Security, power, comms, food, food-prep, transportation, living space, lots of cash. Excellent Boy Scout work. But then there is that people-person chink. He aspires to reconcile with his wife there. Thom is Aubrey’s big brother. I was in NYC when superstorm Sandy set Con Ed’s Manhattan transformers sparking and popping like slow-sequence firecrackers. Prep all you like. Doomsday Doesn’t Care!
There are smaller looks elsewhere. A city area does not fare well. Reports come in from other places, generally not in a very hopeful way. But the how-are-they-faring focus is primarily on Aurora, and Thom’s redoubt. Koepp wanted to write a ground-level, personal perspective to a disastrous global event, while contrasting someone who was uber-prepared with someone who was not prepared at all.
The story alternates between Aubrey, in Aurora, and Thom, et al, in his tricked-out missile silo, living La Dolce Vita relative to most of humanity, with a few breaks, to see through other eyes.
The supporting cast is a mixed lot. Rusty is a baddie from the build-a-loser shop. We have to wonder, even though Koepp offers us a paragraph of explanation, how Aubrey did not see through his act way sooner. He is a powerful presence, but pretty much pure id. There is more going on with Scott, the stepson. A young scientist photobombs the story then vanishes until called on for a cameo later on. An elderly scientist offers a nice touch of deep, zen-like appreciation for the wonders of nature, while shedding bits of goodness and optimism like a seed-stage dandelion on a windy day.
The idea of how different communities might respond to disaster certainly offers us the chance to consider how things might develop in our communities. Would our neighbors come together to forge a way forward, or form armed bands to take whatever they wanted?
The relationship between Aubrey and Thom is a connective thread that sustains a tension level throughout. What is the big secret, often hinted at, which binds them? What level of crazy will Rusty reach? How far will he go?
I would have preferred a bit more on the science and details of how a newly power-free world slows to a stop, with discussion about what would be needed to crank things back up. But that’s just me. The story in no way requires this.
Aurora does not break new ground with its local-eyed view of global phenomena, but it works that approach effectively enough. Aubrey is an appealing lead, disorganized, very human, flawed, but very decent at heart, thus someone we can easily root for. Characters do grow (some better, some worse) over the duration, which is what we look for in good writing. You will want to know what happens next, and next, and next, so should keep flipping the pages. There is not a lot of humor here, but still, I caught a few LOLs sprinkled in. It seems to have been written very much for the screen, with a minimum of internal dialogue, and an absence of florid description. Plot is uber alles here, driving the engine forward.
Movie rights have been sold, which is not at all surprising, given the author’s impressive career as a screenwriter and director Kathryn Bigelow has been signed to direct it for Netflix.
This is a wonderful Summer read, mostly a thriller to keep the juices flowing. Hopefully, it prompts you to give at least some thought to how your community might react when faced with a comparable crisis. High art it ain’t, but it does not intend to be. No Sleeping Beauty here, this Aurora is a page-turner of a thriller and will keep you wide awake while you read.
…last year, things made sense. Last year, you walked into the grocery store, you paid a fair price, and you came out with your dinner. This year, you beg somebody to sell you a week’s worth of groceries for a thousand dollars. ‘if you’re lucky, they say yes, and you eat. If you’re not. They beat you to death, take your money, and they eat.
Review first posted – June 24, 2022
Publication date
----------Hardcover - June 7, 2022
----------Trade paperback - June 6, 2023
This review is cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, and Instagram pages
From his site
David Koepp has written or co-written the screenplays for more than thirty films, including Apartment Zero (1989), Bad Influence (1990), Death Becomes Her (1992), Carlito’s Way (1993), Jurassic Park (1993), The Paper (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Snake Eyes (1998), Panic Room (2002), Spider-Man (2002), War of the Worlds (2005), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), and Inferno (2016).
As a director, his work includes the films The Trigger Effect (1996), Stir of Echoes (1999), Secret Window (2004), Ghost Town (2007), Premium Rush (2012), and You Should Have Left (2020). Ghost Town and Premium Rush were co-written with the enigmatic John Kamps.
Koepp’s first novel, Cold Storage, was published by Ecco in 2019, and his new story Yard Work is coming from Audible Originals in July.
Interviews
-----Author Stories - David Koepp - a lot on his experience of writing novels and screenplays rather than about this book in particular. But they do get to Aurora in the final third – audio – 43:20
-----The Nerd Daily - Q&A: David Koepp, Author of ‘Aurora’ by Elise Dumpleton
Items of Interest
-----FEMA - Catastrophic Earthquake Planning – New Madrid Seismic Zone
----- Mid-America Earthquake Center - Civil and Environmental Engineering Department University of Illinois - Impact of Earthquakes on the Central USA
-----Deadline - Kathryn Bigelow To Direct Adaptation Of David Koepp Novel ‘Aurora’ For Netflix
-----Doctor Strangelove - Precious Bodily Fluids
June 14, 2022
When a major CME (coronal mass ejection) is projected to knock out all power grids and cause a worldwide blackout, people scramble to “prepare" for the worst. This is a world that has survived the COVID pandemic but when the solar storm hits and results in a black sky event that could last months, maybe even years until power can be restored, it calls for a different level of preparedness.
While the affluent, like tech entrepreneur Thom Banning, pack their bags and proceed to a well-equipped bunker with a full staff, a “community” of carefully chosen people- cooks, yoga instructors, dentists, teachers and so on, his sister Aubrey gears up with her sullen stepson to stock food and other necessities in their fixer-upper in a cul-de-sac on Cayuga Lane in Aurora, Illinois. Her ex-husband Rusty is not making things easy for her, with his criminal connections to whom he owes money and his addiction issues, and his efforts to squeeze as much as he can from her. As the country (and the world) witnesses gradual infrastructural collapse, we see how people from different walks of life deal with a disaster that forces everyone to live off the grid. With the world in chaos , there is an overall rise in crime, vandalism and substance abuse. Aubrey's neighborhood bands together to develop community gardens to grow fruit and vegetables to combat dwindling food supplies and supplement whatever they are receiving through government- controlled food distribution systems also combining efforts to conserve and share water , standing by each other. Thom, self-assured on account of his wealth and confident in his foresight and survival strategy, learns that money cannot buy him loyalty and cooperation from the people around him. Aubrey’s neighbor, a retired renowned solar researcher who had been tracking the CME , uses his old school radio to keep track of what is happening throughout the world and his advice proves to be very helpful to their community.
David Koepp’s Aurora is a compelling novel with a cast of interesting characters and a plot that kept me engaged. The author combines dystopian elements with family drama, crime and suspense. Initially, the first few pages made me think that this would be a very heavy sci-fi read but after the initial explanation of the CME phenomenon, the story flows easily and doesn’t use too much technical jargon. I’m glad the author did not go into graphic descriptions of crime and despair which are common to dystopian novels and has limited the focus to family, siblings and community. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would not hesitate to recommend it.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
While the affluent, like tech entrepreneur Thom Banning, pack their bags and proceed to a well-equipped bunker with a full staff, a “community” of carefully chosen people- cooks, yoga instructors, dentists, teachers and so on, his sister Aubrey gears up with her sullen stepson to stock food and other necessities in their fixer-upper in a cul-de-sac on Cayuga Lane in Aurora, Illinois. Her ex-husband Rusty is not making things easy for her, with his criminal connections to whom he owes money and his addiction issues, and his efforts to squeeze as much as he can from her. As the country (and the world) witnesses gradual infrastructural collapse, we see how people from different walks of life deal with a disaster that forces everyone to live off the grid. With the world in chaos , there is an overall rise in crime, vandalism and substance abuse. Aubrey's neighborhood bands together to develop community gardens to grow fruit and vegetables to combat dwindling food supplies and supplement whatever they are receiving through government- controlled food distribution systems also combining efforts to conserve and share water , standing by each other. Thom, self-assured on account of his wealth and confident in his foresight and survival strategy, learns that money cannot buy him loyalty and cooperation from the people around him. Aubrey’s neighbor, a retired renowned solar researcher who had been tracking the CME , uses his old school radio to keep track of what is happening throughout the world and his advice proves to be very helpful to their community.
David Koepp’s Aurora is a compelling novel with a cast of interesting characters and a plot that kept me engaged. The author combines dystopian elements with family drama, crime and suspense. Initially, the first few pages made me think that this would be a very heavy sci-fi read but after the initial explanation of the CME phenomenon, the story flows easily and doesn’t use too much technical jargon. I’m glad the author did not go into graphic descriptions of crime and despair which are common to dystopian novels and has limited the focus to family, siblings and community. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would not hesitate to recommend it.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
July 13, 2022
Aurora July 12, 2022
First let me say I am a huge post-apocalyptic fan and I immediately scooped this one up. I really enjoyed the set-up and premise that is well-drawn and creative. This is a quick-read and is engaging all the way through. The characters are motivated for the amount of conflict. And therein lies the rub. Because the idea and set-up, is so well done, the result (or the “action” in MAR--motivation, action, reaction) fell a little short, at least for me. I personally wanted more of the disaster instead of a microcosm focused in one area. This story focuses the conflict on the individuals involved in the disaster which is fine, but I also prefer the disaster to carry the same weight as a main character. If not more. I couldn’t fully visualize the full picture of the effect. There should’ve been planes falling from the sky and disaster scenes viewed through the character’s eyes instead of being told about them in a general way. I wanted to see and feel the fear, almost be able to taste it like in some of the greats: The Passage, The Earth Abides, The Stand.
What really worked was the way all the plot points came together at the end. It was violent and at the same time tender. Well done and difficult to do. It takes a skilled author to pull it off. I loved the book and will most definitely pick up the next one.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
P.S. Glocks do not have a safety switch.
First let me say I am a huge post-apocalyptic fan and I immediately scooped this one up. I really enjoyed the set-up and premise that is well-drawn and creative. This is a quick-read and is engaging all the way through. The characters are motivated for the amount of conflict. And therein lies the rub. Because the idea and set-up, is so well done, the result (or the “action” in MAR--motivation, action, reaction) fell a little short, at least for me. I personally wanted more of the disaster instead of a microcosm focused in one area. This story focuses the conflict on the individuals involved in the disaster which is fine, but I also prefer the disaster to carry the same weight as a main character. If not more. I couldn’t fully visualize the full picture of the effect. There should’ve been planes falling from the sky and disaster scenes viewed through the character’s eyes instead of being told about them in a general way. I wanted to see and feel the fear, almost be able to taste it like in some of the greats: The Passage, The Earth Abides, The Stand.
What really worked was the way all the plot points came together at the end. It was violent and at the same time tender. Well done and difficult to do. It takes a skilled author to pull it off. I loved the book and will most definitely pick up the next one.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
P.S. Glocks do not have a safety switch.
October 29, 2022
A major CME hits the earth full force, on average, every hundred and fifty years. We are overdue.
4.5⭐
I kept Aurora for October's spooky season since it's under "horror" on GR. Let me tell you, it is NOT a horror story. Despite a minor disappointment, I enjoyed the storyline for what it is. This starts as sci-fi then becomes a suspenseful survival thriller that focuses on estranged siblings, Aubrey and Thom relationship, and was the best part!
What happens when most of the world goes dark after a major solar storm? Ten thousand billion metric tons of charged electronic particles reach earth in a matter of hours causing a massive power surge. It happened before in 1859 when a coronal mass ejection (CME) fried the telegraph network systems. They were repaired in a matter of days. That wouldn't be the case in 2022, would it take months or years to get things running again?
This book is brilliant and the characters truly shine. The fallout after a disaster event is similar to other apocalyptic novels but many books don't delve deep into the characters like how Koepp does it.
Aubrey and Thom although siblings are polar opposites. Aubrey from Aurora, IL is probably like most of us. She's unprepared for a long-term disaster. What food she has is what's in the pantry. She and her stepson go out to buy supplies after the news breaks.
Aubrey's older brother Thom is an App developer in Silicon Valley. After 9-11, Thom is prepared with 14 floor underground bunker in Utah. It helps that he's a multi-millionaire and could fly there with his wife, daughter, and staff. Despite their differences and rocky relationship which is revealed later in the story, he is a caring man in his own strange ways.
There are some really REALLY awful characters, but very believable. You can say this is a post-apocalyptic dysfunctional family thriller and I loved the ending!! The audiobook is read by Rupert Friend and he has a unique inflection, enjoyable. 🤩❤️
July 1, 2022
Wow I feel like this took me seven years to finish. & it was fine, I guess? I’m (slowly) learning that character driven stories aren’t always a win for me.
June 13, 2022
3.5 Compelling but ultimately underwhelming story establishes a tense scenario but ends up really as more of a drama than a thriller. After the surprise success of the former screenwriter’s monster-movie-in-book-form Cold Storage, Koepp returns with a story more ambitious and thought-provoking but lacking the action-driven energy which made the other so entertaining. This is not to say Aurora isn’t a good story, it’s just that the pacing is a little weird and sets up expectations that it doesn’t deliver on.
The story revolves around a pair of adult siblings: a pushy, self-absorbed tech billionaire and his obstinate charity-refusing suburban sister. The first act has the news of a potential world-altering event hitting the news. Because of a cosmic storm, power grids across the world are likely to become overloaded and shut down for a potential period of six months to a year. The book is initially very much reflective of the early days of the Covid pandemic and shows a general anxiety and growing panic. The billionaire sets himself up in a bunker with a handful of employees, whose allegiance will be put to the test once money no longer has value. And the sister, a single mother with a dirtbag ex-husband, finds herself with a sullen teenage son and few realistic plans on where food is going to come from in the near future.
It’s an interesting idea and the characters a well realized. But we get very little in view of the societal collapse. In fact, America takes it in a surprisingly civilized fashion. There’s a little bit of violence at the very end but for the most part, it is a drama about adapting to unimagined circumstances. The thing is, the book sets up a handful of conflicts that it just walks away from in favor of a sentimental portrayal of self-realization and camaraderie. It’s more about people in a world without the internet being forced to look inward and it isn’t bad really, but kind of misleading. I couldn’t help but imagine how someone like Stephen King or Graham Masterton might have handled it, with an orgy of chaos and violence; not so much this touchy-feely feelings stuff. Pretty mature for light sci-fi drama, but a little disappointing for a thriller.
The story revolves around a pair of adult siblings: a pushy, self-absorbed tech billionaire and his obstinate charity-refusing suburban sister. The first act has the news of a potential world-altering event hitting the news. Because of a cosmic storm, power grids across the world are likely to become overloaded and shut down for a potential period of six months to a year. The book is initially very much reflective of the early days of the Covid pandemic and shows a general anxiety and growing panic. The billionaire sets himself up in a bunker with a handful of employees, whose allegiance will be put to the test once money no longer has value. And the sister, a single mother with a dirtbag ex-husband, finds herself with a sullen teenage son and few realistic plans on where food is going to come from in the near future.
It’s an interesting idea and the characters a well realized. But we get very little in view of the societal collapse. In fact, America takes it in a surprisingly civilized fashion. There’s a little bit of violence at the very end but for the most part, it is a drama about adapting to unimagined circumstances. The thing is, the book sets up a handful of conflicts that it just walks away from in favor of a sentimental portrayal of self-realization and camaraderie. It’s more about people in a world without the internet being forced to look inward and it isn’t bad really, but kind of misleading. I couldn’t help but imagine how someone like Stephen King or Graham Masterton might have handled it, with an orgy of chaos and violence; not so much this touchy-feely feelings stuff. Pretty mature for light sci-fi drama, but a little disappointing for a thriller.
September 4, 2022
Like Station Eleven (another book I didn't enjoy), this ended up being a character driven story disguised as post-apocalyptic fiction. Since none of the view point characters were particularly likeable and the plot is non-existent, this becomes a pretty difficult read from early in the book. Some of the viewpoint characters serve no purpose in the story and it's difficult to figure out why they were included, other than to add diversity to a mostly white cast of characters.
I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction and that's the only reason I picked up this book. Unfortunately, the CME was just a plot device to explain why people couldn't easily get in contact with each other and 911 wasn't available. Half the book goes by without much of anything happening and then when the CME hits, it almost immediately jumps to four months later, skipping over anything interesting. There's one minor hiccup and then the book time jumps again to the power coming back on. The author seems to have a pretty optimistic view of humanity because several months without power ended up being less inconvenient than the COVID shutdown to most of our main characters. Anything bad happening outside the scope of the story is only hinted at with no details given. Most of the world seems to have gone into help your neighbor mode, instead of stab your neighbor and steal his shit mode. Even the looting of stores seems to be pretty minimal or just barely discussed. The whole disaster scenario seems to be mostly ignored other than when it is needed to justify why a character made a stupid decision.
Overall, this wound up being a fairly boring and hard to believe story. Knowing what I know now, I'd have passed on this one and read something else. This wasn't my cup of tea, but could be yours. I compared it to Station Eleven, which most people seem to love. If you liked that it, then you might like this and might want to ignore the rest of the review.
I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction and that's the only reason I picked up this book. Unfortunately, the CME was just a plot device to explain why people couldn't easily get in contact with each other and 911 wasn't available. Half the book goes by without much of anything happening and then when the CME hits, it almost immediately jumps to four months later, skipping over anything interesting. There's one minor hiccup and then the book time jumps again to the power coming back on. The author seems to have a pretty optimistic view of humanity because several months without power ended up being less inconvenient than the COVID shutdown to most of our main characters. Anything bad happening outside the scope of the story is only hinted at with no details given. Most of the world seems to have gone into help your neighbor mode, instead of stab your neighbor and steal his shit mode. Even the looting of stores seems to be pretty minimal or just barely discussed. The whole disaster scenario seems to be mostly ignored other than when it is needed to justify why a character made a stupid decision.
Overall, this wound up being a fairly boring and hard to believe story. Knowing what I know now, I'd have passed on this one and read something else. This wasn't my cup of tea, but could be yours. I compared it to Station Eleven, which most people seem to love. If you liked that it, then you might like this and might want to ignore the rest of the review.
February 14, 2023
He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what it all meant for the world, but it was impossible. The planet was too vast, its systems too complex, and his mind couldn’t hold it all. Everything, everything was about to become local. All that would matter in his life was what would happen on this block, what would become of these people and the ones they loved, what choices they would make, and the unpredictable skein of consequences that would be spun from them.
Aubrey Wheeler lives in Aurora, Illinois, with her 15-year-old stepson Scott, each of them happier every day that they are left alone by her ex-husband and his father Rusty. Out in California, Aubrey’s brother Thom Banning is a billionaire tech mogul who has prepared for every eventuality. And then one day in the not-too-distant future, the Earth is hit by a ginormous coronal mass ejection (CME) and most of the world loses power, with estimates of four to eighteen months before its return. While Aubrey scrambles with Scott to provide the basics for survival, while Thom takes his family and a platoon of support staff to his missile-silo-turned-14-story-bunker in the desert. But neither is truly prepared for what the next several months will bring ….
Aurora is a very openly post-pandemic novel. The characters, especially Scott, are still feeling the effects of quarantines and isolation when they are thrown into a different and potentially worse calamity. I don’t know how realistic the science behind this ‘black sky’ event is. CMEs are real, and a potential if temporary threat to satellites and cell phones, though I suspect one couldn’t really cause a year-long, nearly worldwide blackout. But it’s quite effective at creating this world where your focus and knowledge doesn’t extend far beyond the end of your street. Most of the story takes place on that small scale—much more about the characters than the science fiction event itself—with only occasional moments where the larger picture is shared. Many of the plot turns are somewhat predictable, but they were still satisfying. Perhaps the most interesting angle taken in the story was the contrast between the billionaire prepper whose decade of plans are slowly falling apart and his making-it-up-as-she-goes sister who seems to be going from surviving to thriving. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Recommended.
June 16, 2022
3.0 Stars
I loved the premise of this thriller because it has a light sci fi element. However, the story was more a character focused action story rather than a science fiction thriller. I never fully connected to the characters which held me back from loving this one. Honestly it's just not the kind of narrative that I personally tend to love.
If you tend to enjoy these kinds of stories that read like a movie, then you might want to try this one.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.
I loved the premise of this thriller because it has a light sci fi element. However, the story was more a character focused action story rather than a science fiction thriller. I never fully connected to the characters which held me back from loving this one. Honestly it's just not the kind of narrative that I personally tend to love.
If you tend to enjoy these kinds of stories that read like a movie, then you might want to try this one.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.
July 7, 2022
Primarily, this is the story of a brother and sister - both very different from each other - and their lives in the wake of a massive solar storm that leaves most of the world without power. When it will be restored, who knows, months possibly even years? This was not what I was expecting, if you're looking for dystopian shenanigans look elsewhere, this was more of a family drama with some interesting characters, set against the backdrop of a world changing event. It was surprisingly light, a quick, entertaining read that I enjoyed well enough, soon to be a Netflix production I believe. 3.5 stars rounded up
October 7, 2022
When the world loses power, a wealthy entrepreneur and a small-town family are left battling for their lives.
Aurora is a fast-paced suspense novel set in the not too distant future, a few years after the world has weathered through the COVID-19 epidemic and resulting in the (misguided) belief it now knows how to successfully manage calamity. Think again... A solar phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection will cause a cloud of solar plasma to be ejected - and Earth is in its direct path... Researchers working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have predicted its arrival and are aware that it will cause massive damage to electrical infrastructure all across the world. The anti-science politicians ignore all attempts to shut off systems to safeguard them, and as a result, the entire planet is plunged into darkness...
Koepp utilizes his superior writing talents to weave carefully timed discoveries about the characters' relationships and the violent outbursts in their increasingly unstable society into a narrative which is exceptionally engaging and gratifying.
Narrator Rupert Friend is truly remarkable with how seamlessly he brings every single character to life for the listener's imagination. Friend never misses a beat as he flawlessly performs each individual character in an autonomous voice all their own. Two thumbs up.
Aurora is a fast-paced suspense novel set in the not too distant future, a few years after the world has weathered through the COVID-19 epidemic and resulting in the (misguided) belief it now knows how to successfully manage calamity. Think again... A solar phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection will cause a cloud of solar plasma to be ejected - and Earth is in its direct path... Researchers working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have predicted its arrival and are aware that it will cause massive damage to electrical infrastructure all across the world. The anti-science politicians ignore all attempts to shut off systems to safeguard them, and as a result, the entire planet is plunged into darkness...
Koepp utilizes his superior writing talents to weave carefully timed discoveries about the characters' relationships and the violent outbursts in their increasingly unstable society into a narrative which is exceptionally engaging and gratifying.
Narrator Rupert Friend is truly remarkable with how seamlessly he brings every single character to life for the listener's imagination. Friend never misses a beat as he flawlessly performs each individual character in an autonomous voice all their own. Two thumbs up.
September 26, 2022
It has been a couple of years since I’ve picked up an “end of the world as we know it” type of story. You know, because of REASONS. You know that house cover was screaming my name from the new and notable shelf and eventually I couldn’t avoid its siren song.
The story here is about a solar flare or some crap - I’m telling you those first few pages were ….
The leading characters are siblings Thom and Aubrey. Thom is a gajillionaire who predicted this catastrophe and has all the resources in the world to get his family to a bunker. Aubrey doesn’t have a pot to piss in, but she’s got gumption and some common sense.
There was certainly room for character development here as you barely brush the surface of both Thom and Aubrey and hardly even get a glimpse of all of the others. That being said, the little I got to know about Aubrey I liked and Thom wasn’t meant to be likeable in the first place. The “supply chain” issues, however, did grate. We live in a country that literally has not been able to get its shit together in major metropolitan cities with water crises but somehow in the apocalypse that’s a system that doesn’t collapse??? And no one boils anything? Just continues to be A-okay coming straight out the tap???? Not to mention pharmacies still are open and there wasn’t an immediate run on dope. LMFAO - okurrrrrrrr. Again we live in a place that has to lock up Sudafed all the time and a-holes take every opportunity to loot - but sure that sounds super legit.
So it’s not realistic (even for a dumbbell who is allergic to science like me), but it is real readable. 3.5 Stars.
June 13, 2022
Honestly, I find it pretty impressive that you can write a 300 page book about basically nothing. So for that, kudos Koepp.
I was drawn to this book because I love the whole “the world is ending” trope and the aftermath that follows as humanity tries to establish a new equilibrium.
What I don’t love is painstakingly learning about bunch of characters that are loosely connected throughout a book that has barely any forward plot momentum.
I’m done with this book, and I’m literally left here like…and?! What a waste of a book.
I was drawn to this book because I love the whole “the world is ending” trope and the aftermath that follows as humanity tries to establish a new equilibrium.
What I don’t love is painstakingly learning about bunch of characters that are loosely connected throughout a book that has barely any forward plot momentum.
I’m done with this book, and I’m literally left here like…and?! What a waste of a book.
July 7, 2022
One of the BEST books I’ve read in awhile! 5 ⭐️ Such great characters who reacted in such human ways and still lots of surprises.
This near-future dystopian had just the right mix of science fiction and survival mode. It felt extremely real - a catastrophe immediately following a pandemic. My only complaint is that there weren’t another 500 pages! But it was also nice to read a compact story with all the loose ends wrapped up by the end.
I definitely recommend!! 😊
This near-future dystopian had just the right mix of science fiction and survival mode. It felt extremely real - a catastrophe immediately following a pandemic. My only complaint is that there weren’t another 500 pages! But it was also nice to read a compact story with all the loose ends wrapped up by the end.
I definitely recommend!! 😊
November 5, 2022
What a great surprise this book turned into. So glad I gave it a try. Fun mixed in with a possible end of the world as we know it scenario turned into such a worthwhile listen.
September 20, 2022
Another low-effort summer read.
The story is set following a major solar event that causes severe damage and collapse of much of the world's electrical grid and infrastructure. That said, the post-apocalyptic event setting really plays only a minor role.
This is essentially a family drama, with two adult siblings who live wildly different lives dealing with issues from their shared past. It was actually pretty readable, and I ended up enjoying it well enough, but I probably won't remember much about it.
Koepp is an experienced screenwriter, and his skill with setting scenes and pacing is reflected in his writing here. Aurora isn't a deep book, but it is a decently entertaining one that is perfect when you just want to read and not work too hard at it. It has a hopefulness imbued throughout, which perhaps isn't totally realistic, but definitely allows the reader to ultimately feel hopeful about people and their potential in a crisis situation rather than just depressed.
The story is set following a major solar event that causes severe damage and collapse of much of the world's electrical grid and infrastructure. That said, the post-apocalyptic event setting really plays only a minor role.
This is essentially a family drama, with two adult siblings who live wildly different lives dealing with issues from their shared past. It was actually pretty readable, and I ended up enjoying it well enough, but I probably won't remember much about it.
Koepp is an experienced screenwriter, and his skill with setting scenes and pacing is reflected in his writing here. Aurora isn't a deep book, but it is a decently entertaining one that is perfect when you just want to read and not work too hard at it. It has a hopefulness imbued throughout, which perhaps isn't totally realistic, but definitely allows the reader to ultimately feel hopeful about people and their potential in a crisis situation rather than just depressed.
June 16, 2022
David Koepp wrote the screenplay for Jurassic Park, Carlito's Way, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The last one was bad but that is an impressive resume.
This was a dud! A waste of time.
Not one likable character not too mention 40% in and NOTHING happened!
At 74% the book jumps to four months after the solar storm.
Maybe something interesting will happen? NO!
Not one strong character and a plot that was nonexistent.
The last one was bad but that is an impressive resume.
This was a dud! A waste of time.
Not one likable character not too mention 40% in and NOTHING happened!
At 74% the book jumps to four months after the solar storm.
Maybe something interesting will happen? NO!
Not one strong character and a plot that was nonexistent.
October 24, 2023
What a total bait & switch!!
Audible has this book tagged as:
Dystopian
Horror
Medical & Forensic
What!??
This was basically a screenplay for a night-time soap opera. I was excited by the “all the power is out after a solar storm”. We immediately meet a couple of scientists talking about the coming solar storm and how it will knock out power to everyone and make life extremely difficult. I was anticipating hearing more about the science and maybe some cool MacGyvering by characters in order to do things like cook or pump water etc. I dunno, stuff like that.
What I got was a woman, Aubrey, who had a terrible ex-husband, Rusty. Rusty’s teenage son, Scott, still lives with Aubrey. Aubrey has a super-rich prepper brother who had an underground bunker and wants her to go live there, but she won’t because of drama. Her neighbour/ friend is a scientist and after this solar storm, this guy is barely involved.
The purpose of the storm is actually to have a reason for:
- Rusty to bring a generator to Aubrey —> conflict
- Rusty to bring gas for the generator —> conflict
- Thom, Aubrey’s brother, to send her huge amounts of cash —> conflict (because she doesn’t want it
- Scott’s girlfriend to move in, so we get to hear all about his physical urges
- Thom’s temper tantrums due to no one wanting to live in his bunker
There were barely any consequences from the solar storm. Almost right away the main characters were talking on their satellite phones. Their freezers were kept cool by generators.
We heard a couple sentences about how Africa had power and some countries there were organizing relief missions. I got pretty excited but then that was the last we heard of that.
About 1 hour from the end of the 9 hour audiobook, people were growing food and dealing with the lack of electricity. Nothing interesting, though.
I don’t know what this book was supposed to be. I hate that it was heavily misrepresented. Horror? Medical & Forensic? How? For the first time, ever, I’m considering returning an audiobook.
The narration was great and for that, it gets 1 star.
Audible has this book tagged as:
Dystopian
Horror
Medical & Forensic
What!??
This was basically a screenplay for a night-time soap opera. I was excited by the “all the power is out after a solar storm”. We immediately meet a couple of scientists talking about the coming solar storm and how it will knock out power to everyone and make life extremely difficult. I was anticipating hearing more about the science and maybe some cool MacGyvering by characters in order to do things like cook or pump water etc. I dunno, stuff like that.
What I got was a woman, Aubrey, who had a terrible ex-husband, Rusty. Rusty’s teenage son, Scott, still lives with Aubrey. Aubrey has a super-rich prepper brother who had an underground bunker and wants her to go live there, but she won’t because of drama. Her neighbour/ friend is a scientist and after this solar storm, this guy is barely involved.
The purpose of the storm is actually to have a reason for:
- Rusty to bring a generator to Aubrey —> conflict
- Rusty to bring gas for the generator —> conflict
- Thom, Aubrey’s brother, to send her huge amounts of cash —> conflict (because she doesn’t want it
- Scott’s girlfriend to move in, so we get to hear all about his physical urges
- Thom’s temper tantrums due to no one wanting to live in his bunker
There were barely any consequences from the solar storm. Almost right away the main characters were talking on their satellite phones. Their freezers were kept cool by generators.
We heard a couple sentences about how Africa had power and some countries there were organizing relief missions. I got pretty excited but then that was the last we heard of that.
About 1 hour from the end of the 9 hour audiobook, people were growing food and dealing with the lack of electricity. Nothing interesting, though.
I don’t know what this book was supposed to be. I hate that it was heavily misrepresented. Horror? Medical & Forensic? How? For the first time, ever, I’m considering returning an audiobook.
The narration was great and for that, it gets 1 star.
December 27, 2022
What would happen if America's infrastructure became moot, and access to electricity was lost?
This is an interesting story with compelling (if extremely unlikable) characters about the months following a natural disaster. It has the vibe of a zombie apocalypse, except without the flesh-hungry monsters. The world is dystopian, but there’s hope that everything can eventually go back to the way it was before. Set shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, this book provides a lot of realism, both in the ways that politicians handle these types of emergencies, but also in the selfishness that you see in how people react in these types of crises.
While the characters were initially quite unlikable, the writing style is compelling, and everything that happens is laced with humour, making these ordinarily unpalatable decisions made by unpalatable people much more, well, palatable. That said, I loved how the characters evolve throughout the book. Some become even more unlikable, others redeem themselves.
All in all, this is a book worth reading, especially if you enjoy realistic dystopian suspense!
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2022: This book fulfills the "A book about a manmade disaster" category. - While it’s technically a natural disaster, if the governments had listened to the scientists, the societal collapse would never have happened!
This is an interesting story with compelling (if extremely unlikable) characters about the months following a natural disaster. It has the vibe of a zombie apocalypse, except without the flesh-hungry monsters. The world is dystopian, but there’s hope that everything can eventually go back to the way it was before. Set shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, this book provides a lot of realism, both in the ways that politicians handle these types of emergencies, but also in the selfishness that you see in how people react in these types of crises.
While the characters were initially quite unlikable, the writing style is compelling, and everything that happens is laced with humour, making these ordinarily unpalatable decisions made by unpalatable people much more, well, palatable. That said, I loved how the characters evolve throughout the book. Some become even more unlikable, others redeem themselves.
All in all, this is a book worth reading, especially if you enjoy realistic dystopian suspense!
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2022: This book fulfills the "A book about a manmade disaster" category. - While it’s technically a natural disaster, if the governments had listened to the scientists, the societal collapse would never have happened!
July 29, 2022
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Aurora by David Koepp. (2022).
**Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review; published 6 July 2022**
When a solar storm hits the earth, the lights go out across the planet. The blackout could last for years. Aubrey and her stepson Scott now face the biggest challenge of their lives. Soon there are rumours of riots, the struggle for food is real, and the rule of law is collapsing. Aubrey's estranged brother Thom is a self-made billionaire and retreats to his desert bunker to ride out the crisis in luxury. But the complicated history between the siblings is far from over and what feels like the end of the world is just the beginning of a personal reckoning long overdue...
I really enjoyed this novel. I suppose technically it's an apocalyptic thriller type story, however I think it has strong domestic drama vibes. I say this because the narrative concentrates more on the characters' relationships and dramas with each other in the context of the blackout rather than the blackout even itself. The beginning of the novel alternates between several different characters as we learn about the coming solar storm, and the narrative does continue to alternate between a few, but the storyline primarily concentrates on Aubrey and her brother Thom; they deal with the blackout in contrasting ways. This book is quite an engrossing and entertaining story, and would make a great media adaptation.
Overall: happily recommend this one for readers that enjoy apocalyptic fiction which focuses on character tension and drama.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
Aurora by David Koepp. (2022).
**Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review; published 6 July 2022**
When a solar storm hits the earth, the lights go out across the planet. The blackout could last for years. Aubrey and her stepson Scott now face the biggest challenge of their lives. Soon there are rumours of riots, the struggle for food is real, and the rule of law is collapsing. Aubrey's estranged brother Thom is a self-made billionaire and retreats to his desert bunker to ride out the crisis in luxury. But the complicated history between the siblings is far from over and what feels like the end of the world is just the beginning of a personal reckoning long overdue...
I really enjoyed this novel. I suppose technically it's an apocalyptic thriller type story, however I think it has strong domestic drama vibes. I say this because the narrative concentrates more on the characters' relationships and dramas with each other in the context of the blackout rather than the blackout even itself. The beginning of the novel alternates between several different characters as we learn about the coming solar storm, and the narrative does continue to alternate between a few, but the storyline primarily concentrates on Aubrey and her brother Thom; they deal with the blackout in contrasting ways. This book is quite an engrossing and entertaining story, and would make a great media adaptation.
Overall: happily recommend this one for readers that enjoy apocalyptic fiction which focuses on character tension and drama.
August 30, 2022
Listened to this on my latest trip and it was perfect for a fast, fun speculative fiction read. The story centers around a world wide loss of electricity and how that affects the lives of the small group of people we meet in these pages. I love a family drama and that is exactly what this story is with a background of world crisis. The sibling drama is the story much more so than the dystopia world crisis. It took a little while for me to actually understand where the author was heading and I think for readers looking for a good thriller type novel about: what would happen to the world and people in this type of event, it will disappoint. Yet I found as I got further into it that the personal drama is what carried the story.
If anything the crisis is glossed over and falls quietly into the background as people seem to adjust according to their usual personalities.
But at a certain point it tipped into a Can't stop listening book for me. Maybe a little contrived at times but still a good story about a brother and sister looking to find a way to put to bed old scores and be there for each other.
Not the fast paced thriller for some but just a good story for this reader.
P.S. The author, David Koepp is one of the screenwriters for the movie Jurassic Park so I would have guessed there would be more chaos in this story than there was. The narrator on the audio by Rupert Friend was good but his use of voice to differentiate characters needed some work, there were times I had trouble distinguishing which character was speaking. I'm not complaining. 3.5 stars rounded up for its enjoyment.
If anything the crisis is glossed over and falls quietly into the background as people seem to adjust according to their usual personalities.
But at a certain point it tipped into a Can't stop listening book for me. Maybe a little contrived at times but still a good story about a brother and sister looking to find a way to put to bed old scores and be there for each other.
Not the fast paced thriller for some but just a good story for this reader.
P.S. The author, David Koepp is one of the screenwriters for the movie Jurassic Park so I would have guessed there would be more chaos in this story than there was. The narrator on the audio by Rupert Friend was good but his use of voice to differentiate characters needed some work, there were times I had trouble distinguishing which character was speaking. I'm not complaining. 3.5 stars rounded up for its enjoyment.
May 20, 2024
Eh, the world's going to end. Let me just stock up on condoms for the teen kids...... This is the type of step-mom logic that abounds in this novel.
While this was meant to be a thriller, it is better classified as a family drama. So few of this novel focuses on the solar flare, which was the novel's strength. I was slightly intrigued by the drama, but it got old and tired rather quickly, and the pacing was all over the place.
David Koepp seems better at screenplays than novels (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds, etc.); I guess some of these movies had the same family drama and pacing issues.
Characters such as Aubrey, who could have been written to be likable, just couldn't pull it off. Thom was terrible, and then the whole Brad issue????
Just when you are getting ready for the solar flare fallout, BAM, it is now four months later, and the ending feels rushed and discombobulated. I kept going back to see if I missed something, but nope... This is it. Some of the book must have been missing, hahaha.
Great idea, but delivery is uneven. 2.5 to 3 stars for me.
While this was meant to be a thriller, it is better classified as a family drama. So few of this novel focuses on the solar flare, which was the novel's strength. I was slightly intrigued by the drama, but it got old and tired rather quickly, and the pacing was all over the place.
David Koepp seems better at screenplays than novels (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds, etc.); I guess some of these movies had the same family drama and pacing issues.
Characters such as Aubrey, who could have been written to be likable, just couldn't pull it off. Thom was terrible, and then the whole Brad issue????
Just when you are getting ready for the solar flare fallout, BAM, it is now four months later, and the ending feels rushed and discombobulated. I kept going back to see if I missed something, but nope... This is it. Some of the book must have been missing, hahaha.
Great idea, but delivery is uneven. 2.5 to 3 stars for me.
August 21, 2022
As a fan of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic tales, I scooped this book up! It wasn’t quite what I expected, but I think it was better because of it.
A solar caused blackout affects all electronics, lights, electricity, etc. This story gives the point of view of two different groups of people and how they fare.
A neighborhood comes together and takes care of each other in one of the groups, and in the other group, a billionaire takes off for his secret bunker full of supplies for himself and his family, but also brings along servants.
This was an interesting tale of a near future world just coming out of the COVID pandemic and then into the worst kind of disasterous event. It also had elements of a thriller and crime, and I could barely put it down.
I believe it’s being turned into a movie and I can’t wait!
A solar caused blackout affects all electronics, lights, electricity, etc. This story gives the point of view of two different groups of people and how they fare.
A neighborhood comes together and takes care of each other in one of the groups, and in the other group, a billionaire takes off for his secret bunker full of supplies for himself and his family, but also brings along servants.
This was an interesting tale of a near future world just coming out of the COVID pandemic and then into the worst kind of disasterous event. It also had elements of a thriller and crime, and I could barely put it down.
I believe it’s being turned into a movie and I can’t wait!
July 14, 2022
Quite a waste of time.
"The event" which drew me in is a mere backdrop for an utterly mediocre drama about characters you couldn't care less about.
"The event" which drew me in is a mere backdrop for an utterly mediocre drama about characters you couldn't care less about.
January 7, 2022
As we are living through the COVID pandemic, I often wonder, what else could catastrophically occur? In Aurora we find out, as a solar storm knocks most of the world into complete darkness, frying the electrical grids.
Though the premise sounds like a dystopian novel right out of the gate, I promise you that Aurora is anything but that. It's the story of two siblings, Aubrey and Thom, and they very different ways they prepare and struggle to survive the Black Sky.
Aurora is a novel filled with fear, action, reactions, history, science, technology and a sense of community. It's also about family dynamics and the struggles of not only brother and sister relationships, but of step-parents, teens and divorce. Koepp weaves all of this together to create a fantastic blend of suspense, joy and fear.
Though the premise sounds like a dystopian novel right out of the gate, I promise you that Aurora is anything but that. It's the story of two siblings, Aubrey and Thom, and they very different ways they prepare and struggle to survive the Black Sky.
Aurora is a novel filled with fear, action, reactions, history, science, technology and a sense of community. It's also about family dynamics and the struggles of not only brother and sister relationships, but of step-parents, teens and divorce. Koepp weaves all of this together to create a fantastic blend of suspense, joy and fear.
July 16, 2022
This is a well-written suspense novel populated by fascinating, believable characters. I've been thinking about the book ever since I finished and I have to confess that I've also done a mental inventory of my food pantry and freezer, wondering just how long my household would last in a similar situation and how we would cope. Good story, well done!
June 10, 2022
A solar storm that will wipe out all power, yeah I’m in. Except this was incredibly boring and you’re just following these awful people around. There is so little that kept me interested. I loved the very beginning. It showed promise, but then it all kept going downhill from there.
September 25, 2022
3¼⭐
Ɱ◎◎��Ⴝ…
◾ Solar Flare Storm/Coronal Mass Ejection ◾ Causing an EMP-like storm ◾ Semi Apocalyptic ◾ A look at one (extended) family’s survival tactics
The premise of this book is a scary one, and I was totally there for that. But the characters didn’t stir up any real emotion for me; therefore, I was never really invested in the outcome. I still wanted to know what would happen overall from a scientific/educational standpoint but even that was a bit of a disappointment.
◾Narrated by: 🎙️Rupert Friend 📣 This really should’ve had additional narrators...maybe then I could've liked this more. Especially since it has a prominent female POV.
Total Score 6.43/10 ◾ Opening-7 ◾ Characters-6 ◾ Plot-6 ◾ Atmosphere-6.5 ◾ Writing Style-6 ◾ Ending-7 ◾ Overall Enjoyment- 6.5 ◾
Ɱ◎◎��Ⴝ…
◾ Solar Flare Storm/Coronal Mass Ejection ◾ Causing an EMP-like storm ◾ Semi Apocalyptic ◾ A look at one (extended) family’s survival tactics
The premise of this book is a scary one, and I was totally there for that. But the characters didn’t stir up any real emotion for me; therefore, I was never really invested in the outcome. I still wanted to know what would happen overall from a scientific/educational standpoint but even that was a bit of a disappointment.
◾Narrated by: 🎙️Rupert Friend 📣 This really should’ve had additional narrators...maybe then I could've liked this more. Especially since it has a prominent female POV.
Total Score 6.43/10 ◾ Opening-7 ◾ Characters-6 ◾ Plot-6 ◾ Atmosphere-6.5 ◾ Writing Style-6 ◾ Ending-7 ◾ Overall Enjoyment- 6.5 ◾
May 14, 2022
4.5 --
I won an ARC of this book through a GoodReads giveaway and WOW!
I was invest from the very first pages. Such an eerily real idea for a book. As I turned page after page I just kept thinking this could happen. This could happen today or tomorrow and I think that was why I became so invested so quickly.
As if the COVID pandemic wasn't enough to deal with a CME blasts the world back to the bronze age, at least most of the globe. The trials and struggles people go through from crime lords, to meth heads. From the middle class to the filthy rich. Everyone is affect and everyone handles the possible end of times differently.
Everything is so real so expect to get down and dirty. I was anxious, annoyed, heartbroken and at peace all within the 289 pages of this book. I cant wait for it to come out so more people can and enjoy and read it. I will be recommending it.
I won an ARC of this book through a GoodReads giveaway and WOW!
I was invest from the very first pages. Such an eerily real idea for a book. As I turned page after page I just kept thinking this could happen. This could happen today or tomorrow and I think that was why I became so invested so quickly.
As if the COVID pandemic wasn't enough to deal with a CME blasts the world back to the bronze age, at least most of the globe. The trials and struggles people go through from crime lords, to meth heads. From the middle class to the filthy rich. Everyone is affect and everyone handles the possible end of times differently.
Everything is so real so expect to get down and dirty. I was anxious, annoyed, heartbroken and at peace all within the 289 pages of this book. I cant wait for it to come out so more people can and enjoy and read it. I will be recommending it.
March 24, 2023
Sun farts in our general direction.
Sooo ... the Sun lets rip with a big gas ejection in our direction. This means no power, no water (much), no mobile phones and most thankfully, no more bloody selfies, no more "influencers", no more Real Housewives, no more damn Kardashians and no more hearing about poor little Harry and Megan's woes. Ah, bliss! Of course, it's not all good, but there has to be a silver lining.
This author has an impressive writing CV; better even than some big-time authors. This might not be his best book, but it's pretty bloody good. It begins just like the script of a Roland Emmerich disaster movie, which is no surprise because he is primarily known for his scriptwriting of big-time Hollywood hits. That said, it doesn't have that "big disaster punch". The power goes out and some folks cope and some don't. Still, it has enough action and interest to keep me reading and the characters are memorable. The quality and style of writing is as good as you'd expect, and the ending nicely ties up all the loose ends. No suspension of disbelief is required since CMEs are not an uncommon phenomenon. Our vastly increased dependence on electricity makes us highly vulnerable. Even if just the cell phone towers were knocked out, there'd be chaos.
Well worth reading.
P.S. I REALLY liked that Mr Koepp makes a few references to my favourite inspirational book Man's Search for Meaning
Sooo ... the Sun lets rip with a big gas ejection in our direction. This means no power, no water (much), no mobile phones and most thankfully, no more bloody selfies, no more "influencers", no more Real Housewives, no more damn Kardashians and no more hearing about poor little Harry and Megan's woes. Ah, bliss! Of course, it's not all good, but there has to be a silver lining.
This author has an impressive writing CV; better even than some big-time authors. This might not be his best book, but it's pretty bloody good. It begins just like the script of a Roland Emmerich disaster movie, which is no surprise because he is primarily known for his scriptwriting of big-time Hollywood hits. That said, it doesn't have that "big disaster punch". The power goes out and some folks cope and some don't. Still, it has enough action and interest to keep me reading and the characters are memorable. The quality and style of writing is as good as you'd expect, and the ending nicely ties up all the loose ends. No suspension of disbelief is required since CMEs are not an uncommon phenomenon. Our vastly increased dependence on electricity makes us highly vulnerable. Even if just the cell phone towers were knocked out, there'd be chaos.
Well worth reading.
P.S. I REALLY liked that Mr Koepp makes a few references to my favourite inspirational book Man's Search for Meaning
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