Aurora    by David Koepp Order:  USA  Can Harper, 2022 (2022) Hardcover, CD, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson David Koepp's Aurora is a near future apocalyptic thriller, showing what might happen if all the lights go out, and power stays off. The lead is Aubrey Wheeler, struggling to make ends meet in Aurora, Illinois after her alcoholic ex-husband Rusty, left. However, his teen son Scott stayed, still lives with Audrey, and isn't an easy housemate! Disaster strikes globally when a solar storm knocks out power all over the world. The author portrays a steady devolution of society - and how Audrey copes with it. Gradually, her relationship with Scott improves as he steps up to the plate. Rusty causes trouble as always. When Aubrey's neighbor, college professor Norman Levy, advises her that 'Everything will be about food', she knows what she has to do and takes leadership in her neighborhood. Far off in California, readers are introduced to Audrey's estranged brother, Thom Banning, a famous Silicon Valley CEO. If anything, he's over-prepared for this kind of emergency and moves his family to a comfortable and secure desert bunker named Sanctuary. What he didn't count on was his inability to handle people, including those closest to him. But he's not all bad - he sends his security guy, Brady, to deliver cash to Aubrey. It's a gripping read, especially after the author's warning at the beginning that a major Coronal mass injection 'hits the earth full force, on average, every hundred and fifty years. We are overdue.' Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more SF books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews