Collapse-of-civilization novels are a staple sub-genre of Science Fiction. When I was much younger, they typically revolved around a nuclear war. Giant asteroids are always fun too. In some ways, CyberStorm is fairly standard for the category, with the cause for civilization's collapse updated for the 21st century. But CyberStorm stands out for a number of reasons. First, it is the first book that I have read that uses the collapse of the Internet (and the logistics infrastructure that depends on the Internet) as the trigger. While that doesn't change the fundamentals for an end-of-civilization story, I found this one to be believable enough to be more satisfying than is usual. While one can always just suspend one's disbelief for less likely triggers, it is more thought provoking if you believe "this might happen". It certainly leads to the next stage of pondering: "What would I do in that situation?" I found this book to be the best collapse-of-civilization story that I have read in both those ways. And it certainly did make me think about how prepared I might be for similar events.
I had trouble with some of the characterization in the first couple of chapters, which were meant to introduce the characters before the main events take place. But after that, characters generally behaved in ways that felt right for them, the writing was fine, and the plot moved along well.
But what really makes this novel stand out is fact that you are getting everything channeled through the less-than-completely-reliable narrative of the main character. There is a certain amount of paranoia going on with all of the characters, some of it healthy and some of it not. Siege mentality also plays a big role. By the end of the book, I found that this really added a lot to the story. It made an ending that in other circumstances might not seem strong to instead be (at least for me) completely satisfying.
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“If you don’t pay for a product, then you are the product.”Highlighted by 1,107 Kindle readers- If you wanted to see into the future, you just had to look to the past.Highlighted by 859 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher
New York Is Cut Off...
As the holiday season rolls into full swing, a monster winter storm descends on New York City as a string of bizarre events grips the nation. First the internet and cell phones go blank, then the power goes out just before New York is completely cut off....
A Terrifying Mystery Begins...
At first, residents of the city treat it like any other black out, but then as the days and weeks go by without contact with the outside world--and New York is blanketed by feet of snow--desperation and fear set in. In the chaos, conspiracy theories rage. This is the very personal story of how one family survives, and of the worst and very best of humanity in the face of catastrophic disaster.
A Worldwide Bestseller
CyberStorm is an international bestseller, translated into over twenty-four foreign languages including most recently Chinese and Russian. This scary, thought provoking and believable tale of cataclysmic survival has gripped readers all around the world.
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Things aren't always what they seem
the web is a blessing and a curse.we destroy ourselves
Top reviews from other countries
WF van der Hart
Not my kind of book
Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 14, 2021Matches Malone
What a modern apocalypse could be
Reviewed in India on August 27, 2018