The first chapters recount The Carrington Event - an actual historical happening that caused a solar flare in 1859. And what would happen in our day and age you ask? "A geomagnetic storm of this magnitude occurring today would cause widespread electrical disruptions, blackouts, and damage due to extended outages of the electrical power grid"
Yup, the power grid goes down - worldwide. Oh, this premise leaves so many ways for Koepp's story to unfold!
Koepp drops us into Aurora, Illinois at the end of Cayuga Lane. Aubrey is our lead character. I quite liked her. She's real, smart (except when it comes to picking husbands), forthright and determined. Aubrey, her stepson Scott and their neighbors decide to tough out the crisis out in their homes. No one knows when the power will come back on, but they'll make the best of things. After all, it can't go on very long - can it? Thom is Aubrey's estranged billionaire brother. He's riding out the crisis in his desert bunker. The bunker has everything he and his family will need. More actually. Thom's reasoning, decision making and self assured entitlement is almost comical.
You just know there's gonna be some bad apples in the barrel. Chaos, looting and more. Koepp has created some truly awful antagonists.
Aurora is driven by the characters - their choices, actions, thoughts and deeds. And Koppe is not afraid to sacrifice players along the way. (Seriously, I was not happy about that!) Action is the name of the game. Koepp knows how to capture the reader's attention and hold it. The tension is palpable and I absolutely couldn't put the book down. And I admit - I peeked ahead a few times. Just to relieve the tension! That being said, there are some poignant moments as well.
Koepp's books read like movies. Which makes perfect sense as he is a very successful screenwriter, with some best selling movies to his name. And on that note - Aurora is being made into a film.
Who else enjoyed Aurora? Stephen King did -"Fantastic story, a real page-turner. Impossible to put down." See for yourself - read an excerpt of Aurora.
2 comments:
I loved the concept of Cold Storage, but I felt a bit let down by the character development. Still, I'm excited to give this one a read!
I agree with you Ethan - Cold Storage was all about the action. There's a bit more character development in this latest.
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