You have less than twelve hours before electricity and all forms of technology are gone.
I’ll just start by saying that I had no idea who the author was before this book. None.
But now that I do know.. the writing makes a little (a lot) more sense.
David Koepp, an American screenwriter, has been instrumental in the creation of some pretty incredible movies.
Recognize The Secret Window (2004, starring Johnny Depp), War of the Worlds , or one of my personal favorites.. Jurassic Park?
I was shocked. There I was thinking I had found a great new author when, really, I already loved his work.
Finally.
A book I can honestly say that I will look forward to seeing on screen.
Aurora’ will be available on June 7, 2022!
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM NETFLIX AND ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR KATHRYN BIGELOW
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Aurora by David Koepp
Publication date: June 7, 2022
Genre: Science fiction, Suspense, Dystopian fiction
Pages: 299 (Kindle)
Standalone
First line: The thing about Norman Levy was that everyone knew Norman Levy.
What the scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are seeing is unbelievable..
Hidden behind two unremarkable solar flares is a third, bigger and meaner CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) and it’s headed straight for us.
There is no defense against what is coming and in less than twelve hours.. the world as we know it will change irrevocably.
Recently divorced and struggling financially is Aubrey, who may finally be free of her soul-sucking ex, but his young teenage son has determined that she’s his best bet at a half decent life and has decided to stick around.. Now she’s responsible for a back-talking, angsty teen and keeping him from flushing his life down the drain becomes a goal she plans to succeed at it.
Too bad their happy little family predicament is made more complicated by the imminent collapse of.. Everything.
Meanwhile, her brilliant narcissist of a brother, Thom, is across the country, smug in the knowledge that his wealth and obsessive need to be prepared for potential disaster has him mostly unconcerned with the state of things. Retreating to a chateau that he’s created for just such occasions, Thom’s family and a select group of specialists he’s deemed necessary will ride out the disaster on 300 acres of private land.. Land that sits on a secret underground, extensively refurbished, fourteen floor reinforced missile silo.
How will these two siblings and their charges fare at the end of the world?
Four Stars!
Characters: Interesting. Fully developed.
Storyline: Thought provoking and loaded with untapped potential.
Writing: I feel like the author kind of shot himself in the foot here because the writing is descriptive and clearly intelligent but the readability and pace suffered for it.
Pace: Steady.
Cover: 3.5/5
POVs: Multiple.
While we mainly follow the two siblings, Aubrey and Thom, we do see quite a few POVs from other characters as well. The author slides between the many voices with surprising skill, the transitions flowing smoothly from one to the next, somehow managing to prevent the storyline from suffering under the number of perspectives. It’s impressive.
This book begins with a brief history lesson:
The Carrington Event, named after the British astronomer who first witnessed it, was due to a coronal mass ejection (CME) that, in 1859, enveloped the planet in an extensive electromagnetic current. Thankfully, telegraph systems were the only significant “electrical” networks in use at the time and suffered few setbacks but later, in September 1882, Thomas Edison would activate America’s first power grid assuring that, should we be faced with another similar situation.. the consequences would be far more wide-spread and immensely damaging to our normal way of life.
With all the solar activity on the sun lately.. This is a terrifying thing to consider.
How close are we, how close have we been, to this being our future reality?
My thoughts:
I like Aubrey. She’s blunt, softhearted, and smart enough to know she’s the only real option for her ex’s teen son, Scott, to have a shot at a real life. She doesn’t have to take his crap but she does and she does it like a champ.. Which I often found irresponsible and a disservice to the boy. I think boundaries with kids are extremely important and seeing how she allowed him to talk to her was frustrating. It’s hard not to feel sorry for the kid, being ditched by both of his parents like that.. then he would open his mouth and any sympathy I had was momentarily forgotten.
Thom is arrogant. Intelligent? Yes. But obnoxiously full of himself.
He’s been planning for a situation like this, an end of the world event, for years. With almost unlimited funds, he’s meticulously thought out every detail of what he will need to survive under such circumstances, from the people who will be necessary, to the land he’s carefully designed to house them all.
He’s accounted for everything. Everything but the one thing that may just dismantle his plans entirely.. the human element.
Thom is a love/hate kind of character for me. He’s unlikeable as all get out. Pretentious. Condescending. Childish.
But you have to give him props for gumption.. He knows what he wants and goes for it.
The relationship between Thom and Aubrey is fascinating.. I was intrigued by them and the thinly veiled contention that makes up most of their interactions. Still.. their sibling bond is unmistakable. Born of blood and cemented through loss, these two may have their issues, but they’re family.
The many side characters, and there are many, were each interesting in their own ways. Some will entertain you, like Norman, while others prove to be a nuisance (and perhaps, a danger) to the more likeable personalities. Either way, you will find yourself drawn into their stories
While I did enjoy this book, for what was supposed to be an edge-of-my-seat thriller, I expected more.
More chaos, more danger, more suspense.
Instead.. we kind of end up with a rather tense, but tame, dystopian fiction.
Would I recommend this book? Heck yes.
Will I most likely enjoy it more as a movie? (gasp!) Also yes. (double gasp!)
Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out this post!
I hope it was helpful and enjoyable.
Have a lovely weekend, my friends, and happy reading!
What do you think?
Is this something you would read?
So when they mean no electricity, we can still use batteries right?!?!!!
RIGHT?!
Unless what you’re wanting the batteries to power was fried..?
Let’s hope we never find out. 😳😅