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Solar Storm: Season One #1-3

Solar Storm: Book 1

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Jay Cantrell will find his family…or die trying.He had the perfect life as a small-town married just over a year to his second wife, an airline pilot, he also has a daughter in college studying to be an astrophysicist. He's ready to celebrate the first year of his new marriage as he adjusts to an empty nest and a new stage in life. But the sun had other plans and sent a coronal mass ejection as an anniversary present.Awakened before dawn one morning in mid-December by northern lights that blanket the sky—in central Illinois—Jay's world changes in the blink of an eye. Flying a planeload of passengers to Hawaii, his wife Kate experiences the CME in a whole other light and must fight to stay alive every step of the way. Leah, Jay's daughter, witnesses the impact through the eyes of a student far from home. Jay must decide to stay and wait for news of his wife or leave before things get worse to find his daughter.The problem is, with no electricity, he doesn't know how bad it is...anywhere. Will he set out to rescue his daughter and make a harrowing journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland only to find the power is still on, two states away? In a world where electricity is a thing of the past, can there be any hope for the future?After all, it's not a matter of if a CME will strike the earth, but when.

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2018

934 people are currently reading
533 people want to read

About the author

Marcus Richardson

78 books53 followers

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5 stars
284 (40%)
4 stars
236 (33%)
3 stars
135 (19%)
2 stars
43 (6%)
1 star
11 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
Profile Image for Matt.
1,052 reviews
April 5, 2020
I
The writing was good but the lead character Jay really grated my nerves. He was nothing but a sissy pantywaist. His wife Kate and his daughter Leah are warriors and heroic characters. But Jay? His pacifist male persona really pissed me off... enough to not make me want to continue the saga. He started off a pansy and only got worse as the story went on. His character arc was working in retrograde and totally turned me off. I can’t believe the author thought writing him as such a wimp would enhance the novel. I kept wanting him to step up and become a man but he never did... he just kept doing stupider and stupider things and acted wimpier and wimpier. Two stars for an interesting plot and the heroics of both Leah and Kate. The missing three stars are because Jay was such a bitter disappointment.
430 reviews
November 10, 2019
Sorry

I read the beginning this book just didn’t grab my attention I can’t say if it’s good or bad its just not my style
Profile Image for Maria Fledgling Author  Park.
1,008 reviews52 followers
April 13, 2020
IHeart pounding Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

Holy cow! Marcus Richardson knows how to grab your attention and keep you leaning forward for the entire story. This is NOT just your typical Post-Apocalyptic book! I was emotionally involved from the start, virtually living in my characters bodies. I'm not going to reveal much about the plot, or I should say plots, because this book is only the first three parts. Tee Haw! Can't wait to read the rest!
Profile Image for Bob.
72 reviews
June 19, 2022
I'm stopping the series here. Too many stupid people for me. It could have been good.
Profile Image for Sherry.
283 reviews
January 1, 2020
didn't actually finish the book. I found the writing style not to my liking.
Profile Image for Linda.
399 reviews2 followers
July 13, 2018
Fast-paced end of the world series, book 1

One family, wife Kate is a jumbo-jet co-pilot off the coast of California, husband/father Jay is a librarian in Illinois is trying to get to his daughter and emotionally struggling with the likely loss of his wife, and his daughter is a college freshman in Indiana. Solar storm hits. Lights go out across America and all electronics stop working; chaos quickly takes hold. No one is in charge anywhere. No one wants to believe the end of civilization may have come.
Intriguing plot line with wife Kate as the strong-willed battle-savvy ex-armed forces character and husband Jay as a terrified, self-doubting pacifist.
Book 1 ends with all 3 main characters in cliffhanger situations.
Good writing style, no editing/typo errors, decent character development and interesting factual science-based story base. This should be a great series, if the author can maintain the initial pace.
17 reviews1 follower
October 9, 2019
I skimmed through this book, wildly. Not the best writing and plot and development of characters. Some good action scenes and information about survival. I knew it was a serial work but was disappointed anyway with the unresolved ending.
The only good thing about this was the author's point about Coronal Mass Ejections. A giant one can ruin our electricity grid and anything that was plugged in at the time would be toast. Transformers and other pieces of electric gear, fired in a Giant CME, would take months or years to replace. In the meantime chaos (starvation, freezing homes) could become the norm in ones household, neighborhood, town, city, and nation.
Ask your congressperson to address this. He or she will probably say this is being considered but it has been under consideration for thirty years and nothing has been done to strengthen the grid.
Beware. People should have survival plans and supplies ready just in case, for any emergency.
Profile Image for Dad Bowers.
104 reviews1 follower
December 4, 2019
Dystopian nonsense

Dystopian nonsense. Maybe the solar flare/CMS idea could work by another author, not here. This one imagined total chaos in just one or three days. Is America that close to the edge to fall to violence and murder? Here's another author writing a book without a stand alone ending. We don't want to have to buy the next just to find out if the family ever gets together. The moral basics just crash out, and this supposedly good family find itself making violently bad choices of supposed necessity. The author seems to ignore God, only one scene was in a church doing well. another time he prayed to 'every God he could remember', in such a national crises churches and the Christian God are where this nation turns, remember 911? Seems the author needs to be more realistic and hopeful for this nation and humanity and God. Jim
Profile Image for J.A. Knight.
Author 8 books4 followers
September 27, 2020
I really liked this book! I will definitely be reading the rest of the story.
I feel for Jay in this situation, because I would be the person trying to hold onto their humanity during a time of chaos like this. But there is also a time to step up a be a man. I liked this character.
Leah and Kate are amazing strong female characters and I swear to god if anything happens to them, I will hunt the author down ;)
Mac is my dream neighbour. Yes, give me the crazy survivalist! I will be friends with him and he will save me in the apocalypse.
I would have liked to see a few more days before the world started to collapse, but with the way we're all stacked on top of each other in cities, I can see this happening. Especially without any news from the outside world and no way of knowing what is happening around us.
Thank you for the good read!
273 reviews2 followers
September 27, 2024
I’m feeling generous because this book is really 3 or 3.5 stars. I read a lot of books in this genre, and I am not a fan of the serial format. Tell me you hope for a tv streaming deal without telling me. My biggest problem with the writing is the poor character development. Jay as depicted is boring, dull and sluggish. His days are spent refilling the copier paper. The author tells us about Jay more than shows, because Jay doesn’t do much. The daughter is done a little better and the wife better still. BTW, no way an airline pilot, much less an AF fighter pilot would marry this guy.
One plot hole is bothersome. I don’t think an airline pilot can work a flight from Chicago to LA then get right on a long haul to HI.
I will not continue with this series, it’s not worth the time investment.
Profile Image for Jeanne  Brewer.
272 reviews1 follower
February 13, 2020
Realistic and frightening

Have you ever thought about what havoc the solar-generated equivalent of an EMP could wreak in your life? Well, this author has and he paints a scary picture of how all our lives might quickly be transformed into very basic struggles for food, water, and survival.

Follow a separated family as they struggle to reunite against all odds in the days following a catastrophic solar event. The electrical grid is down, electronic devices no longer function, and society crumbles as survival of the meanest and most ruthless kicks in, leaving "nice" folks to decide how far they are willing to go in order to live.

Recommended. Be aware the sequel (second set of episodes) is not available on Kindle Unlimited.
41 reviews
July 19, 2022
PPM solar https://powerproductionmanagement.com/ didn't waste any time and got right to it like they said they were going to do it. We got along well with them and we communicated back and forth. I watched them put the panels up and everything that was needed. They also explained to me what they were doing, how and why they were doing it. Any other questions that I had to ask were answered too. It was very cleanly done. Probably with the good weather that we've had, it has produced what they said they were supposed to produce. It has reversed usage and seems to be putting out everything that was expected of it so we're very satisfied. Probably the best solar roofs in Florida are installed by PPM.
Profile Image for S.J. McGarry.
Author 13 books349 followers
October 16, 2019
Makes you pause to stop and realize our dependency

A good and thought provoking read. At the beginning I wanted to knock some sense into Jay with his denial and ignorance with the current situation. We do learn of his character growth as we keep reading and see him get tough and start to make better choices. Markus has done extensive research and his series is worth following for an exciting read and at the same time get a better understanding of our need to prepare in the event of disruption of our current lifestyle we take for granite, it can all vanish in a blink of an eye.
2,613 reviews
Read
September 22, 2025
man daughter, first wife died. second wife pilot. solar flare northern light everwhere knocked out power

his prepper neighbor helped him and hes on his way to get his daughter at college but his car and supplies were stolen so hes on foot now

the wife was in the air when it happened but got the engines back on. they landed. she got a car and was on her way home when she picked up a woman walking and was hit over the head by the womans man friend

the wife trying to get home, the daughter defending her dorm and food, the dad car stolen trying to get to his daughter

book ends till next one
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
351 reviews5 followers
October 16, 2019
I've really enjoyed this, and have moved straight into reading book 2 which includes episodes 4 and 5. I picked it up as a free ebook and then added audible narration so I was able to have the best of both worlds.
At the end of this book the author asks for comment about whether short episodes are better, or whole books. For me, the bigger book version is better. I may not have continued after just one episode, but I am definitely reading to the end of this season (the end of book 2).
It isn't light subject matter, but it is a reasonably easy read. Enjoy.
5 reviews
October 23, 2019
Easy read, very interesting storyline. It's nice to find an end-of-the-world type book that doesn't devolve into zombies. However, the main character is so frustratingly thick headed that it ruins the story for me. How many times does this idiot have to get robbed, beaten, cut, jumped, or attacked before he finally gets it into his dumb skull that the world had changed and is violent and scary, and that he should probably take Mac's warnings more seriously? After he had his car stolen out from under him, I'm kind of just waiting for him to die of stupidity and the elements.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Paul Madsen.
525 reviews5 followers
December 23, 2019
Very probable outlook on life without power

Another saga of what man's inhumane treatment of their fellow citizens. With the electrical grid down, families that are delayed from one another and must rely on themselves in a world devolving into chaos where those with no morals take advantage of those who are weak. All of the main characters except Kate are so unprepared and naive as to the base intentions of those who would kill others because law and order has fallen. I would prefer one long story rather that installments.
12 reviews
February 2, 2020
I enjoyed the story and the characters Mac - the survivalist, Katie the ex-services wife and Leah the astrophysics student but Jay, the dad and a central character drove me nuts with his vaccilating. " can't do this", "must do this", "can't do this", "need to do this", "but it's bad" "but I have to" ... etc instead of getting down to it. Might be a reflection of an average law abiding citizen faced with an apocalypse and be intended to show a gradual transformation (still a wuss at the end of episode 3), but not facing up to reality is a great way to fall by the wayside.
Profile Image for Janis.
571 reviews12 followers
May 20, 2020
Scary because it could happen

I really enjoy this book- it was well researched and well thought out. The pacing is great and the characters reactions credible. We all want to believe that we will be heroes and protect the helpless but will we? Can we even protect our own? Having something go wrong with a kid away at school across the country is definitely something I can relate too! All my fears rolled into one book- now I need to buy the next one to see how they do
2,529 reviews13 followers
July 6, 2020
Overnight the world (or at least the US) is affected by a solar emission which means that everything electrical is fried (refrigerators, cell towers, lights, ...).

The story follows three people - Jay heading to find his daughter, Leah, at college; Leah organising her fellow students; and Kate, his second wife, who manages to land the commercial plane in LA but needs to drive cross-country to get back to Jay.

All having different struggles trying to survive.
205 reviews
October 12, 2020
Great Story, a possible future happening

Leah, Kate, and Jay, a family set apart from each other by today’s economy. Leah in a University in Indiana, Kate, the mother and wife flying for Bluewind airlines out of LAX, and Jay the father and husband working in a different state suffer different fates from the coronal mass ejection which plunders the Earth into darkness and hysteria.
Profile Image for Scott Shjefte.
2,354 reviews78 followers
May 13, 2021
Post-apocalypse novel, after the disruption of a solar flare, well-told action story, lots of bad guys, hero dad slowed down the tale unrealistically but otherwise some heart-rending characters rising to needed actions. 1st is series was free from Amazon, (390 pages?) 2nd and rest of 5 total in series are $3.99. Would read next if it was $0.99 but have many other reads in my stack of TBR BEFORE SPENDING THAT MUCH.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Chrystal Roe.
1,318 reviews15 followers
April 30, 2018
Excellent!

I really enjoyed this part of the story. This story shows the beginnings of a disaster caused by a CME event. With the grid down everywhere a man has to try to get his daughter home from college in another state. Society is devolving at an alarming rate which puts many obstacles in his path. I look forward to the next part of the story.
Profile Image for Charles Daniel.
591 reviews6 followers
December 16, 2019
This is a good Read for those who like the Post-Apocalypse Science Fiction genre.

Though, I feel the novel ends too early. Jay reuniting with Leah, or failing to do so at her College, seems the most natural ending point for the novel; as that reunion has been Jays defining goal from the moment he decides to take action in response to the CME crashing our modern technology.
105 reviews
February 12, 2020
How quickly would society collapse...

Government failure, no communication anywhere, no information
What if the modern world as we know it ended.
Good action scenes even if the EOW scenario isn't realistic.
Cliffhanger endings for 3 main characters does make for anticipation for sequel
Profile Image for Jessica Billups.
6 reviews
April 2, 2020
I love the plot and I love Leah and Kate but find Jay infuriating! I know certian events have to happen for a story to be present but some of his choices wouldnt even be made by someone with no survival knowledge! As a result I find it hard to take him as a credible character. But, I will duly read the other books as a did enjoy it on a whole!
19 reviews
September 24, 2020
Great post -apocaliptyc story

I enjoyed reading it. It was realistic and exciting. The people turn wild as excpecting in this situation and the violence was a result of difficult situation. It's a fight for survival. The caracters are brave and never surrender. I will raccomand this book and I am going to buy the next one now.
170 reviews
April 20, 2018
Good story

I liked the fact that the author has believable characters in this book. Also I like the fact that the female characters are one of the strongest portrayed. Ready to read the next book.
219 reviews3 followers
August 6, 2018
Rose

I have read many stories about the apocalypse. But Marcus Richardson's "Solar Storm" is the best one yet. While he describes his characters and how they react to circumstances beyond their control, you never lose interest in his book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews