Blackout Trail
by Linda Naughton
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GENRE: Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Thriller
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BLURB:
Doctor
Anna Hastings is no stranger to disasters, having spent much of her career as
an aid worker in conflict zones around the world. Yet when an electrical
phenomenon known as an EMP brings down the power grid, Anna faces catastrophe
on a scale she never imagined. She must learn what it means to be a doctor in a
world deprived of almost all technology.
As
the blackout causes planes to fall from the sky, Anna crosses paths with
devoted father Mark Ryan in the chaos at the airport. Mark convinces Anna to
travel with him and his seven-year-old daughter Lily to their family’s cabin in
remote Maine. There Mark hopes to reunite with his wife, and find a safe refuge
from a society on the brink of collapse.
Journeying
across a thousand miles of backcountry trails, they will face a daily struggle
against nature. Their biggest peril, though, may come from their fellow
survivors. As Anna grows closer to Mark and Lily, she resolves to see them
safely home. But can she hold onto her humanity in a world gone mad?
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Excerpt One:
It wasn’t just our baggage carousel that had stopped; they all had. Both the
overhead lights and the computer screens showing the baggage carousel
assignments had gone dark too. The only light streamed in from the
floor-to-ceiling windows lining the perimeter of the baggage claim area. Why
hadn’t the emergency lights kicked on?
The automatic
sliding doors had also stopped, confounding a gaggle of college kids trying to
leave. Beyond the doors, an ominous stillness had replaced the constant bustle
of parking shuttles, cars, and taxis creeping along the pickup lane. There
should’ve been engine sounds. Horns. Something. Now there were just a bunch of
confused and pissed-off people getting out of their vehicles.
Grumbling from
the other passengers gave way to a stunned hush. Panic bubbled just beneath the
surface. You couldn’t set foot in an American airport these days without being
bombarded with reminders of terrorism. Everyone looked at each other, the same
question written on our faces: Was this some kind of attack? What should we do?
I expected some sort of alert or explanation over the loudspeaker, telling
everyone to remain calm, but none came.
A thunderous
crash from the opposite end of the terminal had me ducking and covering my
head. Metal screeched on metal, accompanied by the tinkle of shattered glass
and an ear-splitting grinding sound. A chorus of terrified cries erupted around
me. I’ll admit it—I screamed too. I caught a glimpse of a plane fuselage
crashing through the airport ceiling before plowing into the ground.
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Early in Blackout Trail,
the main characters Anna and Mark realize the extent of the electromagnetic
pulse and the impending collapse of society. Mark enlists Anna in his plan to
take his young daughter, Lily, and hike to their family’s cabin in rural Maine.
They’re going to need supplies for the journey.
The “getting geared up” scene
is a hallmark of apocalyptic fiction, often reading like a laundry list of gear
specs and survival tips. Here, though, the characters aren’t survivalists. Anna
is a doctor, and Mark an engineer. Their inexperience shines through in this
scene as they try to figure out what they’ll need.
Things get messy when a
police officer catches them looting, pitting their sense of morality against
the harsh reality of their situation.I particularly like this exchange as they
come to terms with the laws they’ve broken:
Mark said, “The world we
knew—its rules—it’s gone. We’re just realizing it sooner than everyone else.”
I heaved a sigh. “I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly. Or that we’d be the ones leading the charge into anarchy.
I hope you’re right about all of this
EMP stuff.”
“I don’t.” When I shot him a confused look, Mark’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Anna, if I am right,
millions of people are going to die. And I don’t know what the world is
going to look like after. I hope to God I’m wrong.”
He had a point. The only
thing more unsettling than the thought of facing a judge for all of this was
the thought of not facing a judge, ever, because the world as we knew it was
over. “Yeah. Well. Compared to
that, I guess sending postcards to each other from jail isn’t such a bad alternative.”
He snorted softly, but the
mirth was short-lived.
Neither of us believed he
was wrong.
How far one can go to
survive without losing their humanity is a recurring theme throughout the
story, and it’s exemplified in this scene.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Linda Naughton has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. She is the author of several novels, children’s books, and the blog Self-Rescuing Princesses. A proud geek and gamer girl, she enjoys sci-fi, disaster movies, and role-playing games. She is a software engineer, paramedic, and mother of two.
Book Links:
Amazon (eBook/Paperback/KU): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BP696W3W
Paperback (wide): www.lindanaughton.com/blackout_trail.html
Links:
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GIVEAWAY
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me today!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a book I will enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds really good!
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