David Koepp is one of the most prolific writers of the 21st century, yet he only has one other book on the shelf. Why, you might ask? Because he's an extremely accomplished screenwriter. Name a big blockbuster-- he's probably had some hand in writing it. It comes with no surprise that "Aurora" is cinematic as they come. Building tension and suspense, switching back and forth between characters, is this book's strong suit.

Aubrey lives in small town Aurora IL with her stepson Scott, with a retired astrophysicist Norman next door and Aubrey's addict jerk of an ex husband Rusty coming to visit. Then the power goes out. Not just in Aurora, but across the globe. This post-COVID disaster sends everyone into a tailspin, except for Aubrey's brother, a wealthy Silicon Valley dude, of course has a private bunker and is very prepared (or is he?). All these stories intertwine in a very interesting manner. This is definitely a plot-driven book, as we never stay with one character for a long time. Nevertheless, Koepp's humor and masterclass in suspense makes this a very enjoyable read for speculative fiction folks and thriller fans alike.

The science described in the first part of the book helped explain very well the circumstances of the event, as well as the possible results. Including the information from the professionals was so much better than hearing bits and pieces (of a layperson relayed information via the media).

I loved everything about this book. The sense of mystery, suspense, and family made the story believable, but also very frightening. Setting the story in post-COVID-19 helps the reader understand and relate to the characters (to an extent). I cared about the characters, and the development of all of them throughout the story was moving.

I highly recommend this book!

A post-Covid,, apocalyptic story with strong characters and enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. Having already struggled through COVID, this isn't anyone's first rodeo, and that's what makes it more interesting.

A gripping novel that will translate well into the big screen. Scary for me because after Covid I realized this scenario is too plausible, and could happen anytime.

Aurora
by David Koepp
Pub Date: June 7, 2022
Harper
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM NETFLIX AND ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR KATHRYN BIGELOW.
David Koepp is a celebrated American screenwriter and director best known for his work on Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Panic Room, War of the Worlds, and Mission: Impossible. His work on screen has grossed over $6 billion worldwide.
You can tell as you read this that this will be a great movie! This is the type of book that appeals to me. Have we learned nothing? Are you ready when the electricity goes off for months?
I liked this book.
3 stars

Ok, I really enjoyed this book. It even scared me a bit. Not in a supernatural type of way, more in a ‘wait, this could really happen’ type of way.
When Earth goes off the grid, panic ensues. Some people are prepared. Most are not. But even all of the planning in the world can’t help you against basic human nature.
Thom and Aubrey are siblings leading completely different lives, but the world electrical outage draws them back together in the most unlikely of ways.
So excited to see this will be a movie!

Aurora is a near-future novel focusing on what would happen if a massive solar event wiped out our power grids. The book focuses on Thom and Aubrey, siblings living through very different post-outage scenarios.

The premise is interesting and the character development is good. By focusing on the siblings and the people around them, Koepp is able to tell a good family drama set in hyper-dramatic times. He also acknowledges that COVID has happened and that influences how people react to the impending power outage.

I would have liked more about how society changed and coped with the power outage and all it entailed, but overall I enjoyed this dip into a post-apocalyptic world.

Aurora was summer blockbuster thriller in novel form. It's high stakes, high tension, high pay off.

As a solar storm fries electrical grids and catapults most of the world into darkness, the people must become adapt to being survivors very quickly. This is a prepper's dream, and a procrastinator's nightmare. AURORA is the story of two adult siblings struggling not only to survive The Black Sky event...but the people they're try to survive it with.

After accepting the real life horror of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people believe they have lived through the worst even of their lifetimes. Koepp gave us another reason to stay up and stay afraid. But don't bother keeping your lights on, they wont work anyway.

This was a great, quick horror/dystopia read. The pacing was really good and kept things moving. The characters were well-developed and believable. If anything, the book wrapped up too quickly. This concept could have easily been drawn out into a series or trilogy. But since the story arc centered around the brother and sister main characters, it made sense to move the action along the way it was done. I enjoyed this and will recommend for anyone who likes dystopia or lighter horror.

After an major solar incident knocks out power all over the world, a brother and sister who are miles apart - in both physical space and life philosophies - react very differently. While most people are trying to regroup and get by together, the criminal element continues doing what it does best, and things get dicey in a hurry. Fast paced, thrilling, and insightful, this will appeal to fans of apocalyptic fiction.

Aurora explores the smaller and more localized effects of a world wide disaster - this time, in a post-COVID world living without any electrictiy. This is not an apocolyptic story (thankfully) but rather an examination of how communities can either help or harm one another in times of need, and how no amount of money or doomsday prepping can account for the wildcard that is human behavior. I really liked Koepp's writing style and appreciated how he kept multiple timelines and POVs tidy. This was a hopeful story that I enjoyed spending time with.

It was so great to see this second book by the author for me to read. I just loved the first one Cold Storage and wanted to read this one and no complaints. Totally worth the wait, I recommend this without having to read the first book also. And I found a audio book he has out called Yard Work that I plan to get.
This type book- Aurora happens to be my favorite type book with the end of the world situation happening, what will we do and where will we go! It all adds up to a fast exciting read to enjoy!

My review will be posted on my ig, @thebookishfaerie as well as goodreads on 1/17/22.


David Koepp does a fantastic job of taking two elements and meshing them together. This isn’t just a story about survival - it’s a story about love, forgiveness, heartbreak.
We see beautiful character development and family dynamics in this story.
Aubrey is so strong, and a great FMC. Thomas is so engaging and interesting. I believe the characters carried this story as much as the plot did.
I think this will be very popular in 2022.

David Koepp, author of Cold Storage, has proven his ability to write a page turning novel yet again. As a solar flare and the accompanying solar energy rushes toward Earth, humanity is left with mere hours to prepare for the inevitable collapse of the power grid, and society as we know it. As much a science fiction novel as it is a novel about the nature of humanity, Aurora is a poignant and powerful novel.

As we are living through the COVID pandemic, I often wonder, what else could catastrophically occur? In <i>Aurora</i> we find out, as a solar storm knocks most of the world into complete darkness, frying the electrical grids.

Though the premise sounds like a dystopian novel right out of the gate, I promise you that <i>Aurora</i> is anything <b>but</b> that. It's the story of two siblings, Aubrey and Thom, and they very different ways they prepare and struggle to survive the Black Sky.

<i>Aurora</i> is a novel filled with fear, action, reactions, history, science, technology and a sense of community. It's also about family dynamics and the struggles of not only brother and sister relationships, but of step-parents, teens and divorce. Koepp weaves all of this together to create a fantastic blend of suspense, joy and fear.