Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Blackout #2

Zero Hour

Rate this book
WOULD YOU HAVE THE MINDSET TO SURVIVE?
to provide for, and defend the ones you love . . .
at all costs . . .
willing to confront . . .
the depravity of man?

This is a true story, it just hasn't happened yet.

A new dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction series from six-time best-selling author Bobby Akart (The Boston Brahmin series and the Prepping for Tomorrow series).


36 Hours, book one in The Blackout Series, is an Amazon #1 Best Seller in three genres after day one!
_______________________________________________
The characters depicted in The Blackout Series are fictional. The events, however, are based upon fact.

Book one of this new post-apocalyptic survival fiction series, 36 HOURS, provided the reader a glimpse into the rapid decline of society once word of the catastrophic solar flare racing towards Earth began to spread.

Book two, ZERO HOUR, continues to follows the obstacles faced by Colton Ryman, his wife, Madison, and their teenage daughter, Alex. The Ryman family and the rest of the world are thrust into the blackout of a post-apocalyptic world. A catastrophic solar flare brought with it a blast of solar matter in the form of an EMP, leaving America in darkness.

The Rymans weren't preppers and had no concept of what prepping entails. They applied common sense, logic, and a will to survive to their decision-making as they prepared for the post-apocalyptic world created by the EMP.

The dangers they face are not from the solar flare itself, but from their fellow man. Who can they count on? Who is a threat? The words of Colton Ryman's grandfather repeated in his mind ...

Never underestimate the depravity of man!


BOOKS IN THE BLACKOUT SERIES

Book One: 36 HOURS Now Available
Book Two: ZERO HOUR Preorder now for August 28 Delivery
Book Three: TURNING POINT Preorder now for October 23 Delivery

_________________________________________
Note: This book does not contain strong language. It is intended to entertain and inform audiences of all ages, including teen and young adults. Although some scenes depict the realistic threat our nation faces from a devastating EMP, and the societal collapse which will result in the aftermath, it does not contain graphic scenes typical of other books in the post-apocalyptic genre.

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2016

812 people are currently reading
189 people want to read

About the author

Bobby Akart

99 books405 followers
International bestselling author, Bobby Akart, one of America's favorite storytellers, delivers up-all-night thrillers to readers in 245 countries and territories worldwide. He's achieved Amazon Top 5 Author status in both fiction and non-fiction genres, Amazon Kindle All Star and Top 50 Amazon Author (#35) and Top 25 Best Selling Book on Amazon Charts (Yellowstone #25).

"He's right up there with James Patterson, David Baldacci, Brad Thor and others that write thrillers. To me he actually surpasses them.”

He has written more than 80 novels in the disaster, survival, medical and political thriller genres.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
574 (50%)
4 stars
379 (33%)
3 stars
147 (12%)
2 stars
22 (1%)
1 star
18 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
Profile Image for Olivia "So many books--so little time."".
94 reviews95 followers
June 17, 2017
This book tells the story of the Ryman family right after the EMP has brought about a power blackout. The reader witnesses the family as they cope with life without power and how they relate with their neighbors. It is a superb read--if I could give it more than five stars, I would.
Profile Image for Landpomeranze (Life happens. Coffee helps.).
703 reviews15 followers
May 1, 2017
Another rip-off. The "novel" ended at 57%. Was followed were several appendixes (History of the EMP, Space Weather, Summary from the EMP comission) and, especially annoying, the very same 700-item prepper list as in the first "book". As far as the story goes: the deserters are mexican, the "evil gang" consists of racist blacks, the "hero" can see in the dark (after a week of practice), the 15-year old daugher would have been an "alpha male (like her dad is of course, if she'd been a boy) and her "cleverness" is "ingrained in her DNA". Although she's never handled a gun before she shoots like a pro. Of course the female President is stupid (wants to tell everyone to turn on the TVs although there's no power) and and top of everything else the "hero" keeps calling his wife and daughter his "girls". Of course they find (or have already) everything they need to survive and the "hero" is the only smart one. No need to keep reading...
Profile Image for Katie_Living_in_Bookland.
139 reviews39 followers
May 27, 2017
It was enjoyable, but quite slow. I probably won't be reading the next book in the series.
Review to come.
Profile Image for Shereece.
Author 7 books5 followers
January 1, 2023
While I like the premise of a survival story, this book crams religious, political, and racist views down your throat. I don’t read to be manipulated and it didn’t go unnoticed how the cobras were murdered as they tried to retreat by the self-righteous thugs painted as heroes. This book is a load of crap. I’m done with this series.
Profile Image for BookLoversLife.
1,838 reviews9 followers
March 28, 2017
This starts right from the ending of book 1, so we are thrown into it from the start!! It's Zero hour and the Solar storm has hit. The Ryman family were lucky enough to heed the warnings and prepare some bit. Colton got home in time to see that his wife and daughter had managed to get an impressive amount of things in a short space of time. Now that it's Zero Hour, can the community come together to help each other, or is it a case of every man for himself?

Having loved book 1, I couldn't wait to dive into this and am so happy to say that it's even better than the first. 36 Hours sees them having to scramble to prepare but this one sees the fallout and what they have to do now. This time the family have to try to protect themselves and their home from not only raiders, but neighbours.

I loved that this also gave us POVs from all the Rymans. We get to see how and what each of them do in any given situation and it really adds to the overall feel of the story. The tension and worry is palpable and makes for such an exciting read. You literally can't put the book down because you need to see what will happen next.

In all, a brilliant second book and one that will leave you wanting the next one ASAP. It's fast paced, gripping and entertaining. It really makes you think of "what if?" and how quickly things could escalate if something like this did happen!! It's scary. Well written and researched, it's a must read for everyone, whether you like these types of books or not :)

Kevin Pierce has narrated a lot of Post Apocalyptic books and I do think he does it well. He has a clear, crisp voice and knows how to read the story perfectly. He doesn't change his voice much for a female but more often than not that works better than if he tried to do a falsetto voice! He is easy to listen to and makes the story pop.

I was voluntarily provided this free copy by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
128 reviews9 followers
January 12, 2020
Terrible. I'm giving myself '1 star' in the 'intelligence and making sensible decisions' category as well. I know Akart is a hack that writes garbage nonstop. I knew the first book in this series was so truly awful I vowed never to so much as read a synopsis from Akart again. He is one of the self-published authors that relentlessly fills Kindle Unlimited with drivel.
This book is boring. The teenage girl with special ops skills is utterly ridiculous. Akart has to be a racist. I just don't see any other explanation for the way he portrays everyone except his hero white people. They're always defending themselves from people of other races or heaving long-suffering sighs at the inadequacy of other humans that are't exactly like them, especially the *gasp!* liberals.

. I read this because I actually enjoy this genre, but I'm giving up. There are too many authors like Akart, Mile Klaus, TW Piperbrook, A.R.Shaw, and many others recycling the same terrible material over and over as fast as they can hit the publish button. They've saturated the genre and made it impossible to find anything decent. Reviews are worthless. Every one of these terrible 'authors' has glowing 5-star reviews so I guess I'm just avoiding all self-published authors in this genre now. Its a shame because I have found some treasures that were self-published, but I'm done sifting through mountains of drek to find a few decent authors here and there.
22 reviews
September 6, 2021
Eeehhh.. Seriously?

Normally I enjoy this author's books, and I know it's an older book, but wtaf. It started off strong with a great disaster concept, but the blatant racism by the main characters brought the enjoyment to a screeching halt.

I could have dealt with the typical whiny suburbanites if they had some growth and depth, but just no. Half of this reads like a dry, overly explanatory book report on prepping and the rest reads like every cliche stereotype that the liberals throw at the maga people brought to life in these characters.

It's so bad that half of the time I could hear the smug voice of Don Lemon narrating past the 4th wall like Deadpool with all of the confidence of confirmation bias he can muster. Also, what's up with all of the name dropping? I half expected the bug out location to be at Mar a lago with a crusty orange footsie chilling in the pool, drink in tiny hand. Maybe I'm not the typical reader, but I find real world celebs dropped off in a novel to be slightly jarring and distracting. After a while it feels like that one guy at the party who just *knows* everyone, but in all reality is just a social climber without a ladder.

Sorry, I know this review isn't the nicest, but I kind of hated this one.
Profile Image for judith ann marano.
135 reviews
January 28, 2021
Great read

Following along with the family and what has happened in just 14 days after the solar flare. Amazing writing once again Bobby A
Profile Image for Bob Platypire.
240 reviews7 followers
November 3, 2016
*I received a copy of this audiobook for an HONEST review*

The story of the family continues, going into neighbor turning on neighbor. They have to do what it takes to protect themselves and their own, while still doing why they feel safe doing for friends. Again, I really loved the flow and feel of the story, and have grown quite attached to this family.

What more is their to say about this narrator? Love him!

Bob says: 4.5 Platypires
Profile Image for Louise Feagans.
228 reviews7 followers
August 4, 2020
Zero Hour

I know I must sound like I am repeating myself about Bobby Akart 's books but it is not my fault that he is an excellent author! I don't know why I haven't read this series before, I am loving the Ryman family and the fact that they protecting each other.
Profile Image for Brandon.
556 reviews37 followers
November 28, 2016
Continuing from the leadup to the massive solar storm in the first book, Akart describes with as much accuracy as could be imagined for an event that has yet to have happened. Thanks to his daughter's accurate reading of the situation and his and his wife's trust enough to react quickly Colton's family is set up better than most in his suburban neighborhood. Once things continue to escalate, it becomes more clear that the power isn't coming back on any time soon, and people finally realize that the government isn't going to come and save the day tensions on their block reach a crescendo. Despite wanting to remain independent of the rest of his neighbors Colton eventually finds himself as a defacto leader after people finally come to realize that he's not the terrible person he was made out to be.

I especially like Akart's novels for his believable characters, rather than many authors who tend to over-dramatize their characters and dialogue, to the point of sounding corny and unrealistic.
Profile Image for Jenny.
616 reviews4 followers
April 23, 2023
This is the second installment in Bobby Akart's dystopian Blackout Series. I have been a fan of this author for some time now. I've read many of his series and enjoyed each one for different reasons. One of the things I enjoy most about this author is that they aren't completely fiction series. They are fiction in the fact that they haven't occurred yet, yet being the keyword. He creates well thought out and researched scenarios that could happen. He adds in some events that have occurred. There is always plenty of action and this book does not disappoint. The author set the dystopian event in the first book, now in the second there is much more action. We have learned enough about the main characters to form emotional attachments that add a new level to the action packed scenes. I am anxious to begin the next book in this series. I chose to listen to the audio version of this book and the narrator does an exceptional job of adding emotions to the authors words.
51 reviews5 followers
February 20, 2018
Wow, Bobby Akart continues the story of Colton and his family's treacherous journey of survival. I'm amazed how well this book integrates everything I've been reading lately. This book should be in everybody's Prepper 101 class.
Colton and his family are struggling through the first few weeks of the solar flare - life has changed drastically. The neighborhood is trying to unite, food and fresh water is scarce for most, gangs are knocking on their door. "Never underestimate the depravity of man." Colton states. Big decisions must be made for their future. "Having somewhere to live is home. Having someone to love is family."
Bobby Akart explains in a fun and exciting story the what to do's and the what not to do's in a survival situation. And how important the will to survive can be.
It reinforced everything he taught me and what I have read in the other books.
Profile Image for S’s Reading World .
304 reviews12 followers
October 29, 2016
The second installment of Akart's Blackout series did not disappoint!! Finished in a day!

We continue to follow the struggles of one family and their community as they adjust to life without electricity, working cars, transportation, food and water limitations and internet.

Akart vividly shows the quick depravity of man once creature comforts are taken away, and the ineptitude of government to "save" us.

As someone who doesn't believe government is the answer to all of our problems, I really liked how the story showed that the government is incapable of saving us from daily problems like food and water.

I'm times of crisis, mankind needs to figure out how to work together to save themselves, and not wait for handouts. Excellent excellent read I highly recommend the Blackout series.
Profile Image for Joan.
1,134 reviews7 followers
August 1, 2023
The Rymans live in Nashville where the Harding Place Association is there to answer concerns among the neighbours living in the area and of course when really needed, the power of the position isn't always what it should be. Colton and the HPA are butting heads because the Rymans aren't giving up their supplies but when the other neighbours find out that some members of the HPA have been looting homes and not sharing more come to see Colton's point of view. People in other cities realize the government has failed them, riots erupt, looting is rampant and population centers have become war zones. The Rymans realize it's coming their way so they decide to pack up all their supplies and leave. Did they wait too long and just how bad will their journey become as people fend for themselves?
Profile Image for Ann237.
427 reviews5 followers
August 12, 2018
Another interesting and educational book from Mr Akar. I love the fact that he does not need to fill the book with vulgarity

Another interesting and educational book by Mr. Akart, I always learn something new about what may be needed in a disaster preparation. If it’s not what to replace antibiotics with, and even different weapons. I enjoy the fact that even during a situation that can turn mankind into monsters the author does not have to put such things as vulgarity. It would be a series I believe teenagers would enjoy reading.
Profile Image for Nancy Silk.
Author 5 books82 followers
November 23, 2018
"Difficulties In Survival"

This book 2 continues the story of Colton Ryman's family trying to cope in a world without electricity which effects all sources of power, water, some automobiles, and cell phones. The family, hopefully, will make wise decisions of common sense, logic, and the will to survive. But will others be able to cope as well? Another great thought-provoking novel by great author Bobby Akart. Everyone needs to read his stories to perhaps help prepare for possible true catastrophic events, or floods and fires. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Tammy R. Blackwell.
Author 1 book6 followers
December 5, 2018
I have been listening to this series on audible. This is the second book in the series. It's the story of the Ryman family that live in Nashville and their journey of survival during a massive solar storm. I live in the Nashville area so it has been interesting knowing the places that he mentions in the book. Everyone should listen to this series to emphasize the necessities of being prepared for any possible catastrophes. I highly recommend this series. I have already purchased the 3rd book in this series.
18 reviews
January 12, 2020
Zero Your is about a families trials and tribulations when the first Firestorm happens from our sun.

Another excellent book! I'm kind of in Abuja of how you decide what to write about in each series. To those of you who have just started reading Bobbys books you know that they go fast. They keep you guessing what will come next. And he always leaves the book with a crisis starting so you want to run for the next book. I think I have purchased most of the books he has written but I know he is writing more as I read.
3,198 reviews26 followers
January 8, 2019
A BA. SYFY. Novel About EMP Survival (Blackout Series (2))

BA. has. penned the 2nd novel of the Blackout series. Reality sets in and the primary family of the storyline realize they are in for a long haul. They made defensive arrangements, acquired military grade weapons for self protection. Made plans with their neighbors, fought with two gangs and as FEMA failed they planned a move to a ranch in the country. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
Profile Image for Tom .
93 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2024
Another decent read from Bobby. This is book 2 of the CME series that causes an EMP taking out the electrical grid. The story paints a believable series of events that would most likely occur with this type of event. There would be violence and the gang description fits whats popular today with scaring the suburbs.

About one third of the book, at the end, provides information that would been a better fit as just a reference. This was just something that I considered wasted space.
Profile Image for Pamela Saylor.
77 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2018
A lot of luck for the family.

When can you prep with supplies in just one day? Get a pre-1980's vehicle that runs great in just the nick of time? Engage criminal bad guys who are out to rape, pillage and murder and win in a fire fight having never shot a weapon previously? All that said, it was still a good book by Mr. Akart.
949 reviews23 followers
January 1, 2019
Good Book!

This is kind of what the post apocalypse will be like, I think. A few people preparing to the best of their ability, and the rest thinking these few should forfeit their
lives by giving what they had prepared with to those who failed to prepare. Kind of like the ant a d the grasshopper.
295 reviews
July 6, 2020
Faith and Morality

Unlike some who have criticized the faith portrayed in this book, I offer kudos to Bobby Akart for including it! Most Americans believe in God and we are thrilled to read a book without cursing and sexual scenarios. I would recommend this series to anyone over the age of 14!
99 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2017
Good story

The action continues to be good. For people new to these kind of stories,the detail is educational. Seems like the timeline is a bit rushed, but who's to say how realistic it would be. Basing on Katrina, probably not too far off.
76 reviews
February 15, 2017
Great series so far

This is a great series without a lot of the graphic nature of some in this genre. Love the characters really down to earth god fearing people starting next book now
Profile Image for Stephen.
1,241 reviews9 followers
May 9, 2017
Solid story. Good plot development. Now that our hero has made it home, it is time to deal with looters, HOA's who think they are in charge, and local bullies. The author mixes a good section of action with a counterpoint of reality and sadness.
8 reviews
January 31, 2018
Very entertaining. Although there were some dull technical stuff about solar flares I just skipped. But overall, it had a believable storyline.
I also like how the author added prepping information into his story to help the reader see what prepping looked like in a emergency scenario.
Profile Image for Tracey Mccall.
355 reviews8 followers
February 10, 2018
Amazing

Another amazing book for Author Bobby Akart. I just finished book 2 in this series and I was blown away. So we'll written, the seamless flow from beginning to end. Action packed.
I urge you to get reading
17 reviews
December 2, 2018
Outstanding

The change up of the conventional story is amazing. Reading the trial and errors and the unprepared learning to be prepared on the go is an amazing take on this series. I can’t wait for the next one. Keep them coming!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.