A review by readbooks10
Blackout by Marc Elsberg

4.0

Written by an Austrian author and a bestseller in Europe, this thriller describes a devastating electrical blackout across Europe that goes on for a couple of weeks. It's winter and suddenly the lights go out in country after country. The book is written from multiple points of view following different people in different areas. The primary characters are an Italian who is a former hacker, a CNN reporter, and various officials working to restore the grids and maintain order and security. As the blackout drags on food becomes scarce, hospitals are unable to help patients, gas for vehicles is in short supply, and people become desperate. When it is discovered that the grid failure is the work of hackers, the search for the culprits intensifies. I could easily imagine the book being made into a movie. It's a good thriller, and a cautionary tale showing how vulnerable we might be with our dependence on technology.