Book Review-Night Light, by: Guest Blogger Casey O'Hare

This week on Annette’s blog: Guest blogger steals the show! No I’m just kidding. Mom asked me to write a guest book review for the sequel to Last Light by Terri Blackstock. I’ve only had to write a review once before, and that was for Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I wouldn’t recommend that book. But let’s see how I fare in this one… I give you: Night Light
May 24, a day that will live in infamy (couldn’t resist). Cars stopped working, cell phones died, and planes fell out of the sky. But these seemed the least of problems for the Brannings as they cope with the loss of their most prized possession: electricity.
Several weeks into the outage, the murderer has been caught, preparations for a well are underway, and the mayor of Crockett, Alabama has shown up at the gates of the Oak Hollow subdivision with some very good, and some very bad news. The source of the outage has been discovered. In 1999 a star supernova occurred and the radiation caused by the event is just now reaching Earth. The rays shouldn’t be harmful to humans, but the government just isn’t sure. Mail is being delivered, FEMA is handing out disbursements of $25 to every citizen in America, and we all know what happened when they gave the Katrina survivors the $2000 cards. Oh yeah, and the draft is being reconstituted, only they aren’t looking for soldiers, but for mechanics.
While the meeting is going on, a small band of thieves, that would make the cast of "Oliver" jealous, try to break into the Brannings’ home. They make off with a few items, but not before son, Jeff can chase them to the Sandwood Place Apartments. The thieves are four small children living alone since their mother, Jessie Gatlin, disappeared. Finding the compassion in their hearts, Kay and Doug decide to take Aaron, Joey, Luke and Sarah back home till they can either find their mother, or a more suitable relative.
Things go downhill when they find yet another body, Jessie Gatlin’s, and the search for a different killer comes about. Eyes turn to Aaron when he keeps pulling guns out of nowhere. The thrill never ends in the exciting sequel: Night Light.

"Last Light" Book Review

I’ve never done a book review before. Recently I’ve noticed most up and coming authors post book reviews on their sites. Since I fall into that category…here goes nothin.

What would happen to the world as we know it if all electronic devices including automobiles ceased to work because of an unknown catastrophic event. Is it a terrorist attack? Or is it something far worse?

I can’t remember having read a page turner as compelling as “Last Light” by Terri Blackstock. No disrespect intended towards Ms. Blackstock, but I’m not sure if the truly captivating lure of this book had anything to do with her excellent writing ability. It’s the subject matter that makes this book so intriguing.

The reader follows the Branning family’s struggle, adjusting to a world without power, transportation, running water, sewage, or heaven forbid, an operational Wal-Mart. It’s difficult to keep from imagining yourself in the same situation. As you read the book it’s all I could do to stop myself from rushing to Wal-Mart, and hoarding “hurricane supplies.” No one needs to know I’m actually stocking up in the event of the “outage.”

The book makes you think how you would react in the same situation. I also found a lacking in my own faith. How easy it is to depend on our own devices in the cushy world we live in. Take away our cars, cell phones, Wal-Mart, and we would quickly turn to God for provision.

“Last Light” also points out how people these days don’t even know how to live in a world without modern day conveniences. I thought about what I would do, and I came up with an idea. I would pack up my family’s belongings and somehow move to a large body of water. I prefer the beach, but there is the sand, and no fresh water issues.

My husband and I read the book at the same time so we could discuss it. Here is his comment:

“God’s judgment or God’s love? How do you react when difficulties in your life arise? The author leads the reader to examine both sides of this coin.” Dan O’Hare

Besides dealing with the daily struggle of sustaining life, the Brannings must deal with people forced into survival mode as well as a murderer who kills for self gain. In closing, I would highly recommend “Last Light” to anyone who loves suspense novels. The book whetted my appetite for the sequel, “Night Light.”