Instant Darkness: A Post Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

EMP Crisis Series, Book 1

By: Mark J. Russell, J.J. Holden

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

A massive solar flare is about to bring the country to its knees.

When Abram Patterson learns about an impending solar flare, every moment matters. Loaded up in his trusty 1976 Land Cruiser, he must get his wife and daughter from their home in New Hampshire to their remote retreat in Central Vermont. But can he reach his bug-out location before civil unrest makes travel all but impossible?

A father who must protect his children from certain death.

Nick Caulfield, a single father of two, is always in work mode. But when the country is on the brink of collapse, he must focus on getting his children to safety. His neighbor, Abram, has left in a hurry, and he quickly realizes that the region will soon be plunged into chaos. He discovers that his son has acquired directions to his neighbor’s compound, but he suspects they will not be welcomed.

A harrowing journey with an uncertain outcome.

A good Samaritan takes a risk to aid a man and his teenage son and young daughter, but when his services go unappreciated, he feels slighted by the man. Will he take the high ground and be the selfless man he strives to be? Or will he seek revenge, allowing his morals to crumble as humanity quickly unravels?

The solar flare is only the beginning. What would you do to protect the ones you love?

Instant Darkness is the first book in the EMP Crisis series, a post-apocalyptic survival thriller series about regular people struggling to survive after a solar EMP.

©2019 J.J. Holden & Mark J. Russell (P)2019 J.J. Holden & Mark J. Russell

If you like post-apoc fiction, this is for you!

Great CME storyline! I like that the main storyline involves some preppers but also mostly casual people that are ignorant to what is truly going on. Those characters then have to learn new survival skillsets.

The book is well written and the narration was great!

*This audiobook was provided to me at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.

Vermont EMP

writing read fairly soothly, not enough intigjue
lacking in desciptipn of imapct of naturay EPM

Interesting twist on the Genre!

Solar flare to strike Earth and the Government is not informing the populace of the severity. Prepped family heading out to a bug out in Vermont. Unprepared neighbor gets the bugout bug after being convinced by his son, to follow his neighbor hoping for entrance.
The story has everything you could want along with adventure, excitement, teen angst and excellent narration.
The characters are likeable and engaging and the story pulls you along. Kevin Pierce, did a fantastic job as always on the narration.
This is a great book and would be a nice addition to anyone's Post Apocalyptic Library.

This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

While I was given this book in exchange for a review, I have reviewed the book honestly to the best of my ability. I would never recommend a book to someone else if I would not purchase it myself

Good, but....

Well written and well read, but the main characters seem awfully naive for preppers..decent. OK

Instant Darkness

This was a rough book to listen to at first,but the characters were nicer by the end.Abraham has a plan for the solar flare coming.Emma his daughter invites the neighbors,who are not really wanted.They make some bad decisions,but most survive.Kevin Pierce was the perfect narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Really good book. interesting story line

The author for a great job build up the characters and letting up get to know them. can't wait to hear book number 2.

Fairly tame adventure following collapse of power

Having read many of this gendre not much will surprise me other than the Stupidity and Naiety even among those who are peppers ready for the bad following a collapse of civil order. I was expecting more common sense.

This would be great if not for the whining of father and son.

This book would be great if the father and son wasn’t so entitled. I’m going to listen to the second book and hope they change real fast!

PA EMP Survival Thriller with Amazing Narration

Instant Darkness is a great start to Post Apocalyptic survival series. They are already on solid ground because they got the great Kevin Pierce, possibly the King of Post Apocalyptic story narrators. I have listened to a lot of the books he has narrated and have enjoyed them all probably much more than I would of with a different narrator. The book starts off with vague news stories of Solar flares that the government and news are down playing as nothing serious. Abram Patterson(a prepper) knows different though and has contacts in the scientific community and online that let him know that this is going to be very serious, life changing for the East coast as it will take out the power grid possibly for years. He packs up his family in their 76 Land Cruiser and heads up to his 'bug out compound' in Vermont. His family consists of his daughter Emma, his wife Shelly and her sister Maggie and they are going to meet his best friend Gary(another prepper) at the compound.

Abram's neighbor Nick Caulfield sees Abram and his family leave early on a Sunday with the Land Cruiser packed to the brim and thinks it's odd but doesn't give it much thought. Nick is a single father, his wife having died of cancer 5 years previously and is taking care of his two kids, his son Corey and his young sister. Corey and Emma have been best friends since they were little and she couldn't leave without him so she had snuck Corey a letter telling him of the impending disaster and a map to their compound in Vermont. Once Corey sees the letter he tries to convince his father to take the family up there. It is a tough sell but finally Nick relents and packs his family up. By this point a lot of other people have started to figure things out and things are getting pretty crazy out there. Nick isn't even sure he will be welcomed by Abram once he gets there as they don't necessarily get along that well but at this point he is desperate and decides it is what he has to do.

This is good PA novel that is full of tension between characters and situations that are very morally challenging. It is very interesting to see how characters and groups deal with each other and how some people choose to react when things get really tough. This is a good first installment in the series and am eager to read more to see what happens and if Kevin Pierce is narrating those I am sure they will be entertaining as well.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Northern bug out

When a solar flare kills the grid on the east coast few are prepared for the fallout. Two families will have to unite to survive but it might not be enough. Great characters, and a moving plot. Its getting so I wouldn't recognize a post apocalyptic audio without Kevin Peirce narrating he does so well. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.