When the power goes out across Europe, one-time hacker and activist Piero Manzano struggles to convince authorities that he has discovered a clue to how the blackout was engineered, and might be able to help halt the damage before society disintegrates beyond repair.

While the scenario was truly unnerving (and in my non-expert opinion reasonably credible), I can't give this top marks as a novel. I found the characters flat and unmemorable. Two thirds of the way through I began skimming to find out how it ended. I will, however, be reviewing the contents my home emergency kit in case life imitates art!

I struggled to get into this book. Premise is interesting, writing is descriptive and detailed. At the beginning of the book, however, there are many different people and locations that it took more concentration than I had to keep track of everyone. This is one that I will get back to, both because what I read had such potential and because other reviews promise that the potential is reached. Definitely shows that my life has moved me from detailed thrillers like this to lighter reads! I'll definitely return to this one when I can give it the attention it needs.

I tried. I did. I couldn't muster the motivation to finish this book

When power cuts start happening across Italy, Manzano an IT expert & sometime hacker, realises that it is not a freak accident. Before long power is going out all across Europe and eventually further afield, but it is not just light and heat involved. It becomes clear how much our modern world relies on a plentiful supply of power. Manzano, along with an American reporter race across Europe trying to persuade 'the powers that be' that he can be part of the solution.

This book powerfully brought home how close we are to chaos. It was well written but for me it was more event rather than character led. It is the characters that make an unforgettable book for me which is why I could only give it three stars, but that may not be the case for everyone. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chaace to read & review this thought provoking book.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
Hang on to your hats or your paws or whatever. This is a rip roaring high octane ride. It is tightly written with characters for whom you care put into untenable situations and it is all too real and totally plausible. That makes for a very scary read.
The power has gone out all over Europe and each step the authorities take seems to dig them deeper and deeper into disaster. The villains have been planning this for decades and using the connectivity of the global world, it is not long before the blackout rockets the world as we know it into total chaos. Nothing works and civilization begins a slow descent into anarchy as the terrorists had planned.
But wait. There is one lone, former hacker, who has discovered the causes and is working on the fixes. That is until the bad guys "frame" him by playing on the paranoia of the authorities. Can he stay out of jail or even alive long enough to solve the mystery.
Each section is almost staccato- short, sharp bits that build momentum and suspense. I had to put my paw down last night or Momma would have stayed up all night reading. The pace never let up. And did I mention it seemed all too real.
Do not read this is you are suffering from anxiety about the world. Everyone else, pick it up.
I give it five shivery purrs and two shaky paws up.

The idea of a blackout caused by hackers that affects millions of people is utterly terrifying. This book makes you think., and not just about the obvious; what would life be like without electricity, heat, water? I also found myself pausing between chapters to ponder the trickle-down factors of a blackout; how I and others around me would react in such a dire situation. The fear is real, the plot moves quickly, and the characters are diverse and likeable. A fantastic novel for fans of realistic thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley,Sourcebooks and Michael Elsberg for this ARC. It took me a while to get into this book because of all the countries and many characters involved, but once I did, I enjoyed the book. This is not a book I would normally pick up but I'm glad I got the chance to read it. The concept of a terrorist attack by causing a worldwide blackout is one that is a possibility. To see the extent of such an action and the consequences was very enlightening !
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Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Blackout. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Blackout is a hard book to read at a fast pace, as the multiple timelines constantly disrupt the continuity of the story. This cautionary tale follows a block of countries through a manmade catastrophe, as they struggle to regain control of their infrastructure.

I wish that the author had mainly chosen to focus the attention on main character Piero Manzano, instead of changing perspectives from moment to moment. That being said, I could definitely see Blackout making the transition to the motion picture industry, as the nonstop action and the thrilling pace would be ideal for a blockbuster film. Where the book gets bogged down in the technical details, a movie would be able to show visually in a matter of minutes. Readers who like thrillers will like the suspenseful moments and the realistic implications of Blackout.

I added this one to my DNF pile at 20%. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this one; sometimes, when a #cjsreads member suggests a title, I go into it blind and hope for the best! Don’t get my wrong, there were lots of things I did like about this book. I liked how Elsberg chose the setting to be in several different places and focusing on several different people. It reminded me a bit of the writing of Ezekiel Boone (who is one of my favourties!). However, as soon as this novel got to be a little political, I knew it wouldn’t be for me. Maybe if it dove right into the action or started out with some crazy flashback, I would have held on to see what would happen.

Oh well, not every book will be for every reader.

This novel will have you questioning your preparedness should a disaster such as the one described in this novel actually take place . What would you do and who would you trust in a world where nothing is as it should be? I am still thinking about this novel long after finished by it. I actually had a discussion with my husband regarding our family's preparedness should a disaster such as this occur. It was a haunting prospect to even think about. The only reservation I have about this novel was that I felt that it was a bit bogged down with technical details that a lay reader did not need to know. I also was a bit uneasy that the ideas expressed in this novel might become dangerous in the incorrect hands.

I just could not get into this book. I tried. I made it my airline book and I was trapped for two hours with it and nothing else to read. I got 30% through but when I got back to internet access I decided that was all I was giving it. In a word....boring. It was just boring....boring...boring....the end.

Summer Reading Roundup for culture vultures - in 24 Hours newspaper

Suspenseful and addictive. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and didn't want to put it down.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. The power goes out in Europe and it isn't coming back on anytime soon. No power also means no heat, no water, no gas, the list goes on. Food becomes scarce. Places like hospitals, that had back up power, start to have to shut down as the back up sources run out of fuel. But a hacker has figured out that this was an attack and that more are on the way. Can he make someone believe him? An interesting dooms day, end of the world as we know it type of story that runs a little slow when they talk about how the power plants work. An interesting concept that makes you want to do a little gardening and canning.

Thrillers are not my typical genre, but the blurb caught my eye. The premise of this is terrifying because it truly could happen, and I don't know that I ever really thought long and hard about everything that would be affected if the electric grid just ceased to exist. Hell, I was without power a couple weeks ago for several days and barely survived...but I had options. It was inconvenient, but didn't impact my survival. I found the story engaging and the writing was very well done, especially given the technical nature of trying to explain how power works and all the behind the scenes things that were impacted politically and financially, in addition to all these people just trying to survive. It was an uncomfortable read in many ways, but only because it is horrifying to think of what would happen in a prolonged global blackout.

I was really excited about reading this, the premise being about a total takeover of the electrical grid in Europe and the fallout of that. It's something I think about as we are so connected to so many devices to run our lives and we can't begin to understand the implications of this. However, I found the book to contain too much technical information about the operations of the electrical grid then was necessary and found it difficult to get through.

A suspenseful and intriguing thriller. I thought the author did an excellent job showing the readers what might happen if this was reality.
Piero Manzano was an excellent hacker, as the authorities have their suspicions that Manzano is behind the worst terrorist attacks known he struggles to defend himself against many dangers. If only he can find a safe place with an internet connection, maybe he can stop this disaster.
I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and plot. I found myself wondering what would happen and could I survive this disaster if were real. The characters were strong and well written.

Received a copy of Blackout from NetGalley for an honest review.

The other reviewers were right, the book was a page turner. (For me, this was especially true once the leading character began to connect the dots about the power outage, which happens roughly eight percent into the book.)

What I liked most about the story is it being truly thought-provoking. A massive-scale blackout is a probable scenario, that is beyond question. What makes you really wonder is our dependence on nuclear power plants and the ability of the authority to deal with nuclear disasters.

Slow, too much unnecessary detail, boring. The basic idea of the book is great, just goes on and on about details which aren't relevant to the basic story. More editing.