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Stephanie Erickson
The Blackout
The world is thrust into darkness and silence, but no one knows why.
Molly is an English professor at a local liberal arts college when the world suddenly goes dark. Her husband, Gary, is a corporate pilot on the other side of the country. Grounded by what appears to be a catastrophic power outage, he has no way to communicate with his wife, let alone get home to her.
Not knowing whether her husband is alive or dead, Molly struggles to adapt to her new environment: without power, running water, transportation, a stable food supply, or any long-distance means of communication. Without knowing the cause of the outage, Gary must decide whether to wait for things to go back to normal, or to make the long and dangerous journey home on foot. Both must learn to survive after the Blackout.
Molly is an English professor at a local liberal arts college when the world suddenly goes dark. Her husband, Gary, is a corporate pilot on the other side of the country. Grounded by what appears to be a catastrophic power outage, he has no way to communicate with his wife, let alone get home to her.
Not knowing whether her husband is alive or dead, Molly struggles to adapt to her new environment: without power, running water, transportation, a stable food supply, or any long-distance means of communication. Without knowing the cause of the outage, Gary must decide whether to wait for things to go back to normal, or to make the long and dangerous journey home on foot. Both must learn to survive after the Blackout.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2012
369 people are currently reading
1323 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Erickson
33 books304 followersI really hate writing these in third person. So hey! I'm Stephanie. I have all kinds of books including post-apocalyptic, dystopian, and paranormal romance. This is my first venture into clean rom-com, and I gotta tell ya, I loved it. I have 12 books planned for the Calendar Girls standalone series, so buckle up, buttercups! It's gonna be a fun ride, and I do hope you'll join me!
What else do you want to know? My husband can usually be found sailing the skies as an airline captain, and my daughter is TEN now (::commence sobbing at the cruel passage of time::)!
I love to connect with readers, so please reach out any time! With nice things of course. Please don't troll me LOL. I have kindof a sharp tongue and little restraint when provoked. It's not cute.
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What else do you want to know? My husband can usually be found sailing the skies as an airline captain, and my daughter is TEN now (::commence sobbing at the cruel passage of time::)!
I love to connect with readers, so please reach out any time! With nice things of course. Please don't troll me LOL. I have kindof a sharp tongue and little restraint when provoked. It's not cute.
www.facebook.com/stephmerickson
www.instagram.com/authorsmerickson
www.stephanieericksonbooks.com
And, I have a newsletter! Sign up for exclusive access to giveaways, updates on new books, and sales!
https://mailchi.mp/stephanieericksonb...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
May 30, 2014
I feel a little guilty writing this, as if in a million years the author might stumble across this, but this might have been the worst book I’ve ever actually completed. There were typos, editorial errors, shifting perspectives, violations of omniscience. Really it served to make me appreciate how well written some of the other books I’ve read over the last year were.
I love these apocalyptic themes, though. They're popular these days. I guess we all feel like things have been going too well - progressing too quickly. Disasters like Katrina remind us how fragile civilization can be.
Stephanie Erickson had some cool ideas, and she thought of some elements that I wouldn’t have. Still, the central catastrophe was pretty implausible. The characters were thin, and she failed to capture the suspense she was going for. This one wasn’t for me.
I love these apocalyptic themes, though. They're popular these days. I guess we all feel like things have been going too well - progressing too quickly. Disasters like Katrina remind us how fragile civilization can be.
Stephanie Erickson had some cool ideas, and she thought of some elements that I wouldn’t have. Still, the central catastrophe was pretty implausible. The characters were thin, and she failed to capture the suspense she was going for. This one wasn’t for me.
June 2, 2014
3.5 stars really. I'm not sure why but I was a bit annoyed with her writing in the beginning. It wasn't meshing with me well. Although the story was good and kept me reading.
Either her writing improved after the first third of the book or I got over it.
I love the story line and was invested in the characters.
Molly and her husband is separated when the blackout happens. You get sucked in with their struggles with surviving and with Gary trying to get back to Molly.
I'm not sure how I liked the ending though. It seemed abrupt and incomplete. You wanted just a little bit more to wrap things up. Maybe she will write a sequel?
Over all it was a nice read that I surprisingly couldn't put down.
Either her writing improved after the first third of the book or I got over it.
I love the story line and was invested in the characters.
Molly and her husband is separated when the blackout happens. You get sucked in with their struggles with surviving and with Gary trying to get back to Molly.
I'm not sure how I liked the ending though. It seemed abrupt and incomplete. You wanted just a little bit more to wrap things up. Maybe she will write a sequel?
Over all it was a nice read that I surprisingly couldn't put down.
December 5, 2012
I'm a bit biased, but Stephanie's book is really well put together. It gives plenty of food for thought about what people would face with none of the luxuries we take for granted today. One of Stephanie's strengths is in how she has her characters relate to each other. They are portrayed seamlessly, and the dialogue is especially realistic, sometimes funny, and totally believable. This book flows easily and is a relatively quick read. I highly recommend it!
January 9, 2013
I thought this was an excellent first book. Interesting premise, likeable characters, realistic events, etc. It captured my interest and kept me reading. I liked that there were events that did not always turn out well. Real life does not always go smoothly, especially in a situation like a widespread blackout. I expect great things from this author and look forward to the next book.
August 12, 2015
Okay, this book isn't that good. The writing is terrible, the perspective keeps shifting, the dialogue is unrealistic, the characters are one note, the plot is predictable, and someone needs to teach the writer how to "show not tell".. Oh, and for the most part the human characters don't seem to really represent the human race (who starts building a wall around their town after only 10 days of a blackout? Why not go for help or to find out if anyone else knows anything? And in 4 months they never had anyone stop by to start trade or just looking for answers or something? Really?). And don't get me started on the whole romance part, which felt so shoehorned in, it was ridiculous (she can't go a few months without her husband before lusting after a guy 10 years her junior? Really?).
But, even with all the flaws, the book was strangely compelling. For one thing, even though it kind of hit you over the head with them, some of the ideas and analysis of how humankind would react if it were to lose all power were interesting and even thought-provoking. Mixing the plot with discussions about literature was a nice touch (who would have thought a discussion of Pride and Prejudice would be so apt in a post-apocalyptic world?). And even though the characters are all one note and Molly (one of the two the main characters) was something of an idiot, you cared about them.
In many ways, this book deserves to receive a lower rating, but it had so many redeeming qualities that I consider it a 3.5. It's bad while somehow being surprising and driving you forward. I was compelled to finish because I really wanted to know how it ended. And while the ending won't win any awards for daring or originality (or even believability), it was both effective and satisfying.
So do I recommend this book? Probably not, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it either. It's a mixed bag as a whole, but individual parts are surprisingly good.
But, even with all the flaws, the book was strangely compelling. For one thing, even though it kind of hit you over the head with them, some of the ideas and analysis of how humankind would react if it were to lose all power were interesting and even thought-provoking. Mixing the plot with discussions about literature was a nice touch (who would have thought a discussion of Pride and Prejudice would be so apt in a post-apocalyptic world?). And even though the characters are all one note and Molly (one of the two the main characters) was something of an idiot, you cared about them.
In many ways, this book deserves to receive a lower rating, but it had so many redeeming qualities that I consider it a 3.5. It's bad while somehow being surprising and driving you forward. I was compelled to finish because I really wanted to know how it ended. And while the ending won't win any awards for daring or originality (or even believability), it was both effective and satisfying.
So do I recommend this book? Probably not, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it either. It's a mixed bag as a whole, but individual parts are surprisingly good.
June 2, 2014
"Vapid" is the best word I can use to describe this book. Predictable, dull, and way too similar to Pat Frank's Alas Babylon to be considered anything but a poor copy of that much superior and landmark novel. The modern world shuts down, but this two little communities don't run out of food at any time? Just a few vagabonds and thieves besetting the community. Mere months to build a four-mile wall around the community, with no heavy equipment? And, months after the event, enough of the power grid remains in perfect shape so someone flicks a switch and the power comes back on? No maintenance and everything just works again? Yeah, sure.
It's too bad. The threat of an EMP is actually quite real, but this fanciful portrayal of life after one is just far too unbelievable. The characters don't help matters by being cardboard cutouts, and the writing style is so leaden that a reader looks upon the advancing chapter numbers with the hope the next one will be the last. And then to have the whole thing wrapped up in a very unsatisfactory coda ... well, I probably won't be looking out for The Blackout II: Electric Boogaloo anytime soon.
It's too bad. The threat of an EMP is actually quite real, but this fanciful portrayal of life after one is just far too unbelievable. The characters don't help matters by being cardboard cutouts, and the writing style is so leaden that a reader looks upon the advancing chapter numbers with the hope the next one will be the last. And then to have the whole thing wrapped up in a very unsatisfactory coda ... well, I probably won't be looking out for The Blackout II: Electric Boogaloo anytime soon.
March 9, 2013
I was anxious to read this after reading what it was about, I haven't read many books like this. The beginning didn't hold my attention, I had to push myself through. But then I got really into it and couldn't put it down! I really like that it was based on a little community coming together to do the best they could to survive and either ride it out or start up a new way of life. I enjoyed all the twists and turns Gary went through and even though I was expecting the end to happen like it did, I still enjoyed the way it came together. It was definitely a great read!
June 7, 2014
fairly stupid. Not much to the plot, very predictable.
July 6, 2017
I don't like writing bad reviews but some books demand it. The Blackout by Stephanie Erickson is one of those books. I got this book for free on Amazon a couple of years ago and since I was running low on things to read while waiting for NetGalley to approve me for some new ARCs, I decided to go ahead and read this book. It started off bad and didn't get any better along the way but since it's less than three hundred pages, I decided to finish reading to find out how the story ended. Spoiler: it was as predictable as the rest of this book.
The characters, even the main characters Molly and Gary, have no personality and do not show emotion. A book that's about a man and a wife being separated, the man battling mother nature and anarchy trying to make it back home to his wife that doesn't know if he is dead or alive should be a bit emotional. It should make me care. I really didn't care. There's never any justification or motives for the actions of the characters. At times, things that Molly did or said was completely off the wall.
Stephanie Erickson has a simple writing style, the book was easy enough to read but the author never learned to show and not tell. This is a case of another book that tells me what's happening instead of writing about what is actually happening. Things happen and characters talk about what happens. Important plot points are completely glossed over.
Descriptions are people are quite lackluster: one minor character was described as bulky four times in the two pages of which he was written. It was a bit ridiculous.
I'd recommend you pass on this book.
The characters, even the main characters Molly and Gary, have no personality and do not show emotion. A book that's about a man and a wife being separated, the man battling mother nature and anarchy trying to make it back home to his wife that doesn't know if he is dead or alive should be a bit emotional. It should make me care. I really didn't care. There's never any justification or motives for the actions of the characters. At times, things that Molly did or said was completely off the wall.
Stephanie Erickson has a simple writing style, the book was easy enough to read but the author never learned to show and not tell. This is a case of another book that tells me what's happening instead of writing about what is actually happening. Things happen and characters talk about what happens. Important plot points are completely glossed over.
Descriptions are people are quite lackluster: one minor character was described as bulky four times in the two pages of which he was written. It was a bit ridiculous.
I'd recommend you pass on this book.
January 5, 2013
The Blackout is a poignant illustration of what our lives would be without technology, shown through the lives of ordinary people.
While the strong bond between the main characters, husband and wife Gary and Molly, drives the plot, some of the most moving moments come from the supporting cast. I loved Molly’s interaction with the children in her class, for example. Their adaptability and insight gave hope to the daunting circumstances. Jimmy Jean was another of my favorite characters. He acted as a support and a sort of father-figure to Molly, and I realized by the end of the book that I had come to depend on him in much the same way.
Gary’s journey through the U.S. on his way back to his wife gives other examples of how humanity might deal with such an extreme situation. In his travels, Gary encounters savagery, military reactionism, and, in a few bright places, unexpected kindness. Molly’s community shows the same diversity in microcosm, although they find a balance surprisingly well. I can only hope that my community would show the same spirit in similar circumstances!
Overall I found this a surprisingly hopeful and inspiring example of the “post-apocalyptic” genre. If you’re looking for bleak, you won’t find it here, but you will find a strong testimony to both the best and worst parts of human nature.
While the strong bond between the main characters, husband and wife Gary and Molly, drives the plot, some of the most moving moments come from the supporting cast. I loved Molly’s interaction with the children in her class, for example. Their adaptability and insight gave hope to the daunting circumstances. Jimmy Jean was another of my favorite characters. He acted as a support and a sort of father-figure to Molly, and I realized by the end of the book that I had come to depend on him in much the same way.
Gary’s journey through the U.S. on his way back to his wife gives other examples of how humanity might deal with such an extreme situation. In his travels, Gary encounters savagery, military reactionism, and, in a few bright places, unexpected kindness. Molly’s community shows the same diversity in microcosm, although they find a balance surprisingly well. I can only hope that my community would show the same spirit in similar circumstances!
Overall I found this a surprisingly hopeful and inspiring example of the “post-apocalyptic” genre. If you’re looking for bleak, you won’t find it here, but you will find a strong testimony to both the best and worst parts of human nature.
March 5, 2021
While the story line was intriguing, there is so much implausibility and lack of research that it was painful to read. People have lived without electricity for thousands of years and living with a sudden loss of power would be very difficult, and even fatal for some, the timeline presented in this story is unrealistic. The geography is not well researched either. The clumsy trope of having the kids talk about the Scarlet Woman for "school" to introduce the idea of the main characters attraction to another character was irritating. Her husband had been gone for 3 months. Where were all the people? The blackout killed engines and computers, not people, yet there are no people in this barren wasteland of the US? Why isn't the policeman in the town carrying a Gun?? Why isn't anyone carrying a gun? Only one person in town has a dog? So much wrong with this book.
December 25, 2012
Fun read--3.5 stars. Imagine our world if everything electric, including batteries and cars-everything just stopped. That's the story here with main character Molly and her pilot hubby, Gary, who is stuck hundreds of miles away when The blackout occurs. How does civilization survive or does it? Kinda slow in the middle but enjoyed the writing style and dialogue. Wonder if there will be a sequel? I'd definitely read it. 3.5 stars.
February 12, 2017
This book had so many problems I don't even know where to start. I feel guilty writing harsh reviews because I understand how difficult it is to put your work out there but honestly this was like reading a very rough first draft. Flat, boring characters. Boring, slow plot. Even when bad stuff was happening it was sort of like 'meh'. Also had a serious problem with telling, not showing. Could have been alright with lots and lots of work.
December 30, 2012
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, but wow. I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic books, and this one took a entirely new view on the genre. It was fresh and new. And the best part was that the way everything played out was all totally realistic. Highly recommend this story!
June 11, 2014
Meh. Cute story, and seems realistic enough as far as what might happen in this sort of quasi-apocalyptic situation. But it's very simplistically written, and uses an annoying amnesia trope.
I found that it read line a first draft. Needs a bit more polishing up and filling out.
I found that it read line a first draft. Needs a bit more polishing up and filling out.
May 24, 2017
I got about a third of the way through and couldn't read it anymore. uninteresting one dimensional characters and minimal descriptive wording. I love post apocalyptic books but this was just not good writing.
September 15, 2017
I liked the story line. There were some interesting ideas of what may happen in a apocalyptic world, but the book lacked depth, the characters were shallow, too "nice". Shame as I think it had potential
September 19, 2017
Disappointed
I expected more, a different world and society not the same suburban patriarchal tedium, she also never explains where everyone goes to as they don't die in the Apocalypse. Sorry this is tedious.
I expected more, a different world and society not the same suburban patriarchal tedium, she also never explains where everyone goes to as they don't die in the Apocalypse. Sorry this is tedious.
July 30, 2016
Ugh what rating to give? Writing was awful, kept switching tenses. The ending was far too abrupt... Seriously, that's it? Intriguing premise though.
January 22, 2013
Review coming soon...
April 2, 2018
A massive solar flare knocks out ALL power to the whole world (? or at least a large part, it's never established, but the assumption I had as that it was everywhere.
The book follows college professor Molly who is at home in Florida after the blackout and studies how her community comes together and fights one another in an effort to survive. Her husband Gary is an airline pilot who is stranded at an airport, and he slowly walks home, observing how communities have reacted to this sudden return to the 18th century (hint, not well!)
The book was interesting to a point, but drug on. I finally gave up because Molly drove me crazy. She was like a teenager in hating that Gary wasn't home and needing to talk to him nightly (even though she seems to be in her late 20's early 30's) and she is so wishy washy over the town. A man was expelled for not helping the community build a protective wall, then he broke in and tried to burn a family alive in their homes and Molly freaks out over him being executed. Plus after 90 days she's starting to think about hooking up with some other younger guy since she hasn't heard from her husband, which doesn't work withe the woman who was so attached to him in the begining.
If the story moved a bit quicker I think I would have finished it even with Molly irritating me. I only have about a quarter of the book to go, so maybe I'll finish it later.
The book follows college professor Molly who is at home in Florida after the blackout and studies how her community comes together and fights one another in an effort to survive. Her husband Gary is an airline pilot who is stranded at an airport, and he slowly walks home, observing how communities have reacted to this sudden return to the 18th century (hint, not well!)
The book was interesting to a point, but drug on. I finally gave up because Molly drove me crazy. She was like a teenager in hating that Gary wasn't home and needing to talk to him nightly (even though she seems to be in her late 20's early 30's) and she is so wishy washy over the town. A man was expelled for not helping the community build a protective wall, then he broke in and tried to burn a family alive in their homes and Molly freaks out over him being executed. Plus after 90 days she's starting to think about hooking up with some other younger guy since she hasn't heard from her husband, which doesn't work withe the woman who was so attached to him in the begining.
If the story moved a bit quicker I think I would have finished it even with Molly irritating me. I only have about a quarter of the book to go, so maybe I'll finish it later.
May 31, 2017
I can't say that I liked the book.
The idea of the book was great, but the book itself was bad. I think, the end was especially disappointing.
This is the second book I read by this author and it still sucks.
I really hate giving bad reviews, because I have not yet written even a short story myself. I appreciate all the effort the writer has put to complete the story, and that's the only reason I am giving it two stars. That, and the fact that I got the book free on Amazon. Nevertheless, if I had payed any amount of money for it, I would have been honestly mad and critical to the writing and the development of the story.
I am sad to say that this would provably be the last I read by this author.
The idea of the book was great, but the book itself was bad. I think, the end was especially disappointing.
This is the second book I read by this author and it still sucks.
I really hate giving bad reviews, because I have not yet written even a short story myself. I appreciate all the effort the writer has put to complete the story, and that's the only reason I am giving it two stars. That, and the fact that I got the book free on Amazon. Nevertheless, if I had payed any amount of money for it, I would have been honestly mad and critical to the writing and the development of the story.
I am sad to say that this would provably be the last I read by this author.
November 20, 2016
I really loved this book! Solar flare causes power to go out all over. Molly lives in Florida and is a teacher at college. Her husband is a pilot and is away a lot. When the blackout happens she is in the middle of class and he is waiting at the airport in Pennsylvania. She has to walk home as her scooter will not start. For her its only a few miles. For her husband Gary however the walk is much much longer. He faces many challenges along the way as people are wandering around robbing and killing others. Molly faces challenges of her own and her community learns to protect itself from the robbers and to survive in this new world. I recommend this book!
February 8, 2017
I think although the story was quite interesting, the book itself lacked the development of characters or much of a substantial back story. "Solar flare causing EMP surge to blackout" was all there was. I felt because the story was so centred around Molly and Gary it had a sort of soap opera feel to it but I guess that added to the feeling of isolation for the main characters. Despite all of this I still was anticipating when I could read a bit more but it feels like I just had a sample of my main course and left the restaurant hungry.
March 31, 2018
I like a good disaster film or book, so I decided to check out the Blackout.
The gist of the book is there is a black out where nothing work at all. Molly lives in Florida while her husband Gary, a pilot is trapped in Pennsylvania.
It's not a bad book, the main character Molly and Gary are likable and the book is easy to read. I felt that I wanted to see more of trying to survive when there is no power at all rather than Molly waiting for Gary. Also society seems to breakdown rather quickly even though it turns out power isn't out in other countries.
The gist of the book is there is a black out where nothing work at all. Molly lives in Florida while her husband Gary, a pilot is trapped in Pennsylvania.
It's not a bad book, the main character Molly and Gary are likable and the book is easy to read. I felt that I wanted to see more of trying to survive when there is no power at all rather than Molly waiting for Gary. Also society seems to breakdown rather quickly even though it turns out power isn't out in other countries.
June 16, 2022
Too many things that didn't make sense. Gary walks through several states, worrying about his shoes falling apart. None of those states had any stores he could go into, to find a new pair of shoes? He walks through cities, where there are no people. What happened to the people? Where did they go? If they died, where are the bodies? Where are the rats that would start multiplying? Where are the feral dogs and cats?
I did manage to finish it, but barely. Way too simplistic for me. Sorry.
I did manage to finish it, but barely. Way too simplistic for me. Sorry.
January 26, 2018
*spoiler*
one of my favorite genres. nothing super wild & crazy, but i liked the happy ending!!! It's not often one sees separated loved ones finding one another after a catastrophe. I would have been interested to hear about the other minor characters that were part of the first part of the story that interacted with the 2 main characters.
one of my favorite genres. nothing super wild & crazy, but i liked the happy ending!!! It's not often one sees separated loved ones finding one another after a catastrophe. I would have been interested to hear about the other minor characters that were part of the first part of the story that interacted with the 2 main characters.
October 21, 2018
Good debut venture
Having read Erickson's catalogue somewhat backward, it's easy to see that this was her debut novel. It doesn't have the polish and ease of some of her later works, but it's easy to see where it came from here. And for all the apocalyptic work out there, this one hits hard as a very real possibility. Definitely worth the read.
Having read Erickson's catalogue somewhat backward, it's easy to see that this was her debut novel. It doesn't have the polish and ease of some of her later works, but it's easy to see where it came from here. And for all the apocalyptic work out there, this one hits hard as a very real possibility. Definitely worth the read.
August 4, 2017
Engrossing
I liked this book from the very beginning. It's a quick read which usually means to me that the book is not sophisticated enough or not well written but is was neither. The book hit the exact right tone. I'd really like a follow up book.
I liked this book from the very beginning. It's a quick read which usually means to me that the book is not sophisticated enough or not well written but is was neither. The book hit the exact right tone. I'd really like a follow up book.
January 7, 2018
Wonderful book! This was a fast read, mostly because I didn't want to stop reading. Every minute I could spare from busy days was spent reading this book. Romance meets scary sci-fi. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews