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cindy6312's review against another edition
2.0
Fascinating plot (& seemingly completely possible), but the writing jumped around and was so disjointed that it was difficult to follow.
mlle_pointilles's review against another edition
4.0
3,5/5
Un roman intelligent et un peu flippant qui fait sacrément réfléchir sur notre mode de vie et le monde actuel... C’est bien construit et perturbant!
Un roman intelligent et un peu flippant qui fait sacrément réfléchir sur notre mode de vie et le monde actuel... C’est bien construit et perturbant!
willoughbyreads's review against another edition
2.0
Great concept for a novel: hackers taking over and shutting down electrical plants all over Europe and the United States. Mass chaos ensues. Money shortages. Food shortages. Nuclear meltdowns. Gas is inaccessible without electricity. National governments are wiped out by anarchy and military coups. And all of this is happening within just a few days.
Probably too many characters in the story for the protagonist to truly stand out and for the reader to maintain any significant interest in what was happening. Also, too many locations throughout Europe, each with their own subplots and storylines. Too much jumping around, as most of the "scenes" in the story were 1-2 pages long and then the story jumped to another location / character for a couple of pages. I finished the book but it was long after I felt compelled to keep turning the pages, therefore I'm not sure I would classify this as a thriller. Cutting out just a couple of the locations and characters would have gone a long way toward improving the quality of the book... and/or maybe making each scene a bit longer (maybe 4-5 pages each) so it didn't feel so rushed going from country to country and character to character and crisis to crisis.
Probably too many characters in the story for the protagonist to truly stand out and for the reader to maintain any significant interest in what was happening. Also, too many locations throughout Europe, each with their own subplots and storylines. Too much jumping around, as most of the "scenes" in the story were 1-2 pages long and then the story jumped to another location / character for a couple of pages. I finished the book but it was long after I felt compelled to keep turning the pages, therefore I'm not sure I would classify this as a thriller. Cutting out just a couple of the locations and characters would have gone a long way toward improving the quality of the book... and/or maybe making each scene a bit longer (maybe 4-5 pages each) so it didn't feel so rushed going from country to country and character to character and crisis to crisis.
bibliothekarin's review against another edition
4.0
Was für ein super spannendes und interessantes Buch! Hat mir richtig gut gefallen und mich immer wieder überraschen können. Ich hätte niemals gedacht, was alles mit Strom in Verbindung steht und wie verheerend die Auswirkungen sein können. Es ist sehr authentisch, wodurch man sich wirklich fragen muss, ob man sich das Buch zur aktuellen Zeit durchlesen kann. Mir wurden nur insgesamt zu viele Themen angesprochen. Es hat sich zeitweise angefühlt als ob Marc Elsberg sämtliche Rechercheergebnisse zu den Auswirkungen eines Stromausfallen in sämtlichen Bereichen in seinem Roman einfließen lassen, wodurch ich manchmal den Fokus verloren haben. Dennoch absolut lesenswert, da es schon fast einen Sachbuchcharakter hatte!
itsmisseileen's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
Terrorismzsinjapropos's review against another edition
4.0
More Reviews at www.theirregularreaderblog.wordpress.com!
The entire European electric grid has gone dark. From Britain to the Czech Republic, millions are without power. As the blackout continues, international authorities are unable to find the cause of the disaster, or who might be responsible. Chaos and unrest continue to build as people are left without food, heat, water, or medical care. Hacker Piero Manzano believes he may have discovered the cause of the blackout, but he quickly finds himself Europol’s number one suspect. Manzano must continue his investigation on the run, and with the help of an American journalist, he sets out to find those responsible. But time is not on his side, without backup power, nuclear power plants across the continent are beginning to go critical.
This is a scary book. Elsberg has thoroughly researched and crafted this book to hew as closely as possible to reality. His knowledge of electric grids, cyber security, and international policing and politics is comprehensive and used to best effect. In Blackout, we find a very real look at what a major terror attack against our power supply might look like.
My major problem with the book it that it lacks heart. The book reads more like an overview of events rather than a novel with characters we are supposed to care about. However, this may not be Elsberg’s fault. Blackout was originally published in German in 2012, the version I read (to be published in June of 2017) was translated into English. Translation of literature is a complex and fraught artform. Without careful attention to form and intent, the heart and soul of the book (or poem, etc.) in question can be lost. I am wondering if that is what happened here. As I do not speak German, that will have to remain merely a hypothesis until some kindly German-speaking person reads the book in its original form and lets me know if they found the same problem.
Still, this is a vivid and haunting picture of events which I could potentially see in my lifetime. The realism of the book is haunting, and will stick with you even after you’ve finished reading. If you’re looking for a disaster story, this one takes the cake.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The entire European electric grid has gone dark. From Britain to the Czech Republic, millions are without power. As the blackout continues, international authorities are unable to find the cause of the disaster, or who might be responsible. Chaos and unrest continue to build as people are left without food, heat, water, or medical care. Hacker Piero Manzano believes he may have discovered the cause of the blackout, but he quickly finds himself Europol’s number one suspect. Manzano must continue his investigation on the run, and with the help of an American journalist, he sets out to find those responsible. But time is not on his side, without backup power, nuclear power plants across the continent are beginning to go critical.
This is a scary book. Elsberg has thoroughly researched and crafted this book to hew as closely as possible to reality. His knowledge of electric grids, cyber security, and international policing and politics is comprehensive and used to best effect. In Blackout, we find a very real look at what a major terror attack against our power supply might look like.
My major problem with the book it that it lacks heart. The book reads more like an overview of events rather than a novel with characters we are supposed to care about. However, this may not be Elsberg’s fault. Blackout was originally published in German in 2012, the version I read (to be published in June of 2017) was translated into English. Translation of literature is a complex and fraught artform. Without careful attention to form and intent, the heart and soul of the book (or poem, etc.) in question can be lost. I am wondering if that is what happened here. As I do not speak German, that will have to remain merely a hypothesis until some kindly German-speaking person reads the book in its original form and lets me know if they found the same problem.
Still, this is a vivid and haunting picture of events which I could potentially see in my lifetime. The realism of the book is haunting, and will stick with you even after you’ve finished reading. If you’re looking for a disaster story, this one takes the cake.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
craftykathy's review against another edition
4.0
Scarily realistic story about a group of revolutionaries who've attacked the power grid, first in Europe and then the US, and the chaos that ensues.
Kept me awake at night thinking about what it would be like if it actually happened.
Kept me awake at night thinking about what it would be like if it actually happened.
little_tomcat's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Be prepared to think about buying 10 kg bags of brown rice, beans, flour, etc., etc. and gravity driven water purifiers. Things that might get you through a long, long power outage.
aluchna16's review against another edition
4.0
Ogolnie fajnie, ale dużo nazw specjalistycznych itp i męczyło to trochę, dużo postaci, przez co na początku się trochę gubiłam kto jest kto (i dalej nie do końca wiem co było gdzie i kto był kim XD) ale fabuła bardzo ciekawa. Rzeczy z początku miały odzwierciedlenie później i było to spójne