Thriller

Aurora

Aurora

  • Downloads：5673
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-28 04:19:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David Koepp
  • ISBN：B09JZP9B36
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

9 hours

From the author of 'Cold Storage' comes a riveting， eerily plausible thriller， told with the menace and flair of 'Under the Dome' or 'Project Hail Mary'， in which a worldwide cataclysm plays out in the lives of one complicated Midwestern family。

In Aurora， Illinois， Aubrey Wheeler is just trying to get by after her semi-criminal ex-husband split， leaving behind his unruly teenage son。

Then the lights go out - not just in Aurora but across the globe。 A solar storm has knocked out power almost everywhere。 Suddenly， all problems are local， very local， and Aubrey must assume the mantle of fierce protector of her suburban neighborhood。

Across the country lives Aubrey's estranged brother， Thom。 A fantastically wealthy， neurotically over-prepared Silicon Valley CEO， he plans to ride out the crisis in a gilded desert bunker he built for maximum comfort and security。

But the complicated history between the siblings is far from over， and what feels like the end of the world is just the beginning of several long-overdue reckonings - which not everyone will survive。。。。

'AURORA' is suspenseful storytelling - both large scale and small - at its finest。

©2022 David Koepp （P）2022 HarperCollins Publishers

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Reviews

I am Cat。 ，

3。5？？ I liked it but I wasn't truly drawn in。 Aubrey and Scott's sections were the best。 Screw Tom ha 3。5？？ I liked it but I wasn't truly drawn in。 Aubrey and Scott's sections were the best。 Screw Tom ha 。。。more

Lisa ，

As far as apocalyptic/disaster fiction goes， this is definitely a great read。 It was difficult to put down yet hard to read at some points just because you could sense impending doom。

Sarah ，

3。25 rounded down

Cid Herman ，

A charming dystopian novel with a lot of heart！AURORA is the second book I've read by David Koepp in less than a month。 COLD STORAGE pulled me in because of the writing style。 The clever use of words and the character development was an absolute treat。 It stood out， and apart， from the many books I read。 I kept reading lines and pages outloud to my husband。 Because I enjoyed it so much， I wanted more by author， Dave Koepp。 That led me to Aurora。AUROA may not have been quite as snappy with the wr A charming dystopian novel with a lot of heart！AURORA is the second book I've read by David Koepp in less than a month。 COLD STORAGE pulled me in because of the writing style。 The clever use of words and the character development was an absolute treat。 It stood out， and apart， from the many books I read。 I kept reading lines and pages outloud to my husband。 Because I enjoyed it so much， I wanted more by author， Dave Koepp。 That led me to Aurora。AUROA may not have been quite as snappy with the writing style， but of the two books， I liked it even more than COLD STORAGE。 The reason I prefer it is simple: the plot and the circumstamces felt realistic。 This is something that could happen？ Might happen？ Will happen？ The plot envisions a dystopian not far off future where Electricity is instantly cut off， leaving humanity in a confused leaderless state。 When anything can happen it probably will。 AURORA focuses on a small group of people who， for the most part， live in the same neighborhood。 The various personalities and individual circumstances make this a heartwarming story with a little Karma at play。 I really really liked this book a lot！！ 。。。more

Debbie Keller ，

This was pretty good。 It's a story about what happens in America after a solar storm knocks out power all over the world。 Each chapter shows what happens to a different character。 It was interesting how the author kind of tied all of those characters together， but I never cared about any of them enough to get too invested in their lives。 It was a quick read and pretty interesting， but definitely not the best book I've read this summer。 This was pretty good。 It's a story about what happens in America after a solar storm knocks out power all over the world。 Each chapter shows what happens to a different character。 It was interesting how the author kind of tied all of those characters together， but I never cared about any of them enough to get too invested in their lives。 It was a quick read and pretty interesting， but definitely not the best book I've read this summer。 。。。more

K。V。 Martins ，

I liked this book but think it would work better as a movie （the author is， after all， a screenwriter）。 I was hoping for more "end of the world" drama。 This is essentially a book about a dysfunctional relationship between a brother/sister against the backdrop of solar flares knocking out communications。 It was an engaging read that moved along at a good pace。 I did like the focus on one street outside Chicago and how the residents grouped together to face months of power outages。 Good cast of ch I liked this book but think it would work better as a movie （the author is， after all， a screenwriter）。 I was hoping for more "end of the world" drama。 This is essentially a book about a dysfunctional relationship between a brother/sister against the backdrop of solar flares knocking out communications。 It was an engaging read that moved along at a good pace。 I did like the focus on one street outside Chicago and how the residents grouped together to face months of power outages。 Good cast of characters。 The ending was a bit weak for me。 。。。more

Kris Copeland ，

Easy read。

Ayami ，

DNFed at 30%。 Got this thinking this will be a fast and easy to consume thriller。 The premise sounded interesting but the book itself doesn't really flesh it out very well。 It seems to focus mostly on the characters， which would not be the end of the world （I love a good character-driven story） if they were written any better。 They were such blatant stereotypes and characterised in such an obvious way that I found myself only getting more annoyed as I read。 Not worth it for me。 DNFed at 30%。 Got this thinking this will be a fast and easy to consume thriller。 The premise sounded interesting but the book itself doesn't really flesh it out very well。 It seems to focus mostly on the characters， which would not be the end of the world （I love a good character-driven story） if they were written any better。 They were such blatant stereotypes and characterised in such an obvious way that I found myself only getting more annoyed as I read。 Not worth it for me。 。。。more

Sowmya ，

I actually really enjoyed this book！ Lessons to be learned and I was never able to put it down， actually finished it one sitting。

Tari ，

Excellent book！ It’s very well thought out and had twists and turns that made me hold my breath！ It’ll be added to books that I reread from time to time and it’s a book that I’ll think of randomly and often。 I definitely recommend！ And it’s a giveaway win！

Justin Lahey ，

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover。 That may be true， but you can certainly be drawn to a book by its cover！ And that was the case with David Koepp’s “Aurora”。 I didn’t even know he had written a second novel after his satisfyingly thrilling “Cold Storage”。 I was initially drawn to Aurora by the amazing color scheme of its cover， followed by the title， the author’s name， and Stephen King’s ringing endorsement at the top。 It sounded like an excellent near summer’s end read， so I immedia They say you can’t judge a book by its cover。 That may be true， but you can certainly be drawn to a book by its cover！ And that was the case with David Koepp’s “Aurora”。 I didn’t even know he had written a second novel after his satisfyingly thrilling “Cold Storage”。 I was initially drawn to Aurora by the amazing color scheme of its cover， followed by the title， the author’s name， and Stephen King’s ringing endorsement at the top。 It sounded like an excellent near summer’s end read， so I immediately bumped it to the top of my list。 Before becoming a novelist， David Koepp was one of Hollywood’s most accomplished blockbuster screenwriters and even directed a few hit movies as well。 There is no doubt that he has a knack for writing and highly entertaining storytelling。 Aurora places a set of seemingly disconnected characters in the center of a rare global power outage scenario， and adeptly combines great cast of characters with thrilling plot twists。 The end result is a very satisfying read and escape from reality， while also constantly reminding us of just how dependent on every aspect of connectivity we are。 It’s not a perfect story by any means， but that’s not what I expected either。 There was a bit of predictability to Aurora’s story along with some minor blunders or missed opportunities that should have been rectified by a good editor。 All things considered， I still thoroughly enjoyed Aurora and am giving it a solid 4 out of 5。 。。。more

Savannalore ，

I picked this up because I was in a mid-summer reading slump and thought I'd try a "brain junk" novel to snap me out of it。 The premise of "Aurora" sounded interesting -- electricity suddenly gone？ In this economy？ That would be wild。 Reader， it was not wild。 It was SO not wild that I actually DNF'd it 75% of the way through。 By that point， nothing had really happened yet， but the things that had happened were all end-of-the-world cliches。 The characters were all cookie-cutter stereotypes with z I picked this up because I was in a mid-summer reading slump and thought I'd try a "brain junk" novel to snap me out of it。 The premise of "Aurora" sounded interesting -- electricity suddenly gone？ In this economy？ That would be wild。 Reader， it was not wild。 It was SO not wild that I actually DNF'd it 75% of the way through。 By that point， nothing had really happened yet， but the things that had happened were all end-of-the-world cliches。 The characters were all cookie-cutter stereotypes with zero depth。 I wasn't surprised to find out that the author is a screenwriter first， novelist second。 。。。more

Richard Jackson ，

Wow a great read！ A real page turner as mentioned by Stephen King。 I was surprised several times with plot twists that I didn't see coming。 A most enjoyable summer erad Wow a great read！ A real page turner as mentioned by Stephen King。 I was surprised several times with plot twists that I didn't see coming。 A most enjoyable summer erad 。。。more

H Ram ，

Well paced book。

Casie Blevins ，

Smart， engaging and delightful。 Koepp has a spectacular sense of character and specifically of human nature--some of the best I've ever read。 I will definitely read his other novel， Cold Storage。 Smart， engaging and delightful。 Koepp has a spectacular sense of character and specifically of human nature--some of the best I've ever read。 I will definitely read his other novel， Cold Storage。 。。。more

Carolynn ，

3。5

Jamie ，

The best part， for me， was the early shoutout to Death Grips。 🤣

Stacie Sonnakolb ，

Really loved this book until the last few chapters。 Just my own feelings of how it ended。

Loretta ，

Clearly written as the nucleus of a screenplay， but a great story。 It will make a good upcoming Znetflix movie。 The reactions of people subjected to a world-wide radical change are predictable， but fun to explore。 Quick read。

lindsay elaine ，

love space/sci-fi stuff but i didn't care about any of the useless characters。 love space/sci-fi stuff but i didn't care about any of the useless characters。 。。。more

Dan ，

This book was really great。I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly reccoment it

Mal Warwick ，

More than ninety percent of the Earth’s people now have access to electricity， according to the World Bank。 What might happen if the world’s electric generating and transmission facilities suddenly died as the result of a solar storm， a massive wave of charged particles from the Sun？ It happened before in 1859 in what came to be called the Carrington Event。 But that was thirty-three years before the Edison Illuminating Company brought electricity to a few hundred homes in New York City。 The rest More than ninety percent of the Earth’s people now have access to electricity， according to the World Bank。 What might happen if the world’s electric generating and transmission facilities suddenly died as the result of a solar storm， a massive wave of charged particles from the Sun？ It happened before in 1859 in what came to be called the Carrington Event。 But that was thirty-three years before the Edison Illuminating Company brought electricity to a few hundred homes in New York City。 The rest of the human race still lived in a world lit only by fire。 Today， a coronal mass ejection like the Carrington Event would be catastrophic。 And screenwriter and novelist David Koepp brilliantly portrays what might happen in his disturbing new novel， Aurora。A FASCINATING CAST OF CHARACTERSIn the hands of a less practiced writer， the story in this novel might have contained scene after scene of riots and roving bands of desperate people bent on destruction。 After all， a massive solar storm like that in 1859 would be catastrophic。 But there is little of that in Aurora。 Koepp brings the tale down to Earth， focusing on the experiences of a handful of interesting people。 A legendary 88-year-old solar scientist。 His much younger former student， now at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration （NOAA）。 A young divorced woman in the Illinois town of Aurora and her violent， alcoholic ex-husband。 The ex-husband’s troublesome fifteen-year-old son who now lives with his former stepmother。 And a survivalist Silicon Valley billionaire who has built a luxurious bolthole in a former missile silo in Utah。 Of course， they all interact as the plot unfolds， making for spellbinding drama。DRAMA THAT’S HARD TO PUT DOWNThe author’s cinematic chops are obvious in this novel。 Little wonder， then， that esteemed director Kathryn Bigelow is developing a major new film for Netflix based on the book。 But casting the story will present challenges for the director。 The most colorful characters in Aurora include two men。 Eighty-eight-year-old Norman Levy， the retired solar scientist in Aurora， Illinois， who helps alert the world about the disaster that’s about to engulf the planet。 And robotics billionaire Thom Banning who stands in for other superrich Silicon Valley men who fear the apocalypse and have the money to prepare for it。 Playing either character as Koepp portrays them will require an actor with depth and subtlety of character。 But every character in the novel emerges three-dimensionally from the page。 The scriptwriter—most likely， Koepp himself—will have an easy job。HOW LIKELY IS SUCH A MASSIVE SOLAR STORM？Koepp opens his novel with a lurid description of the “electromagnetic chaos” that was the Carrington Event。 “Telegraph operators across the globe reported streams of fire bursting from their signal boards， platinum relay switches melted， and， around the world， there were reports that the night skies lit up as in daytime。” His closes the preface with a warning: “A major CME hits the earth full force， on average， every hundred and fifty years。 We are overdue。”So， skeptic that I am， I checked Koepp’s facts。 It appears the threat may be just as great as he says。 A new scientific study reported in January 2020 in Geophysical Research Letters “shows that what the scientists called ‘severe’ space super-storms occurred 42 years out of the last 150 years。 What they called ‘great’ super-storms occurred in 6 years out of 150。” In other words， “on average there is a 4% chance of at least one 。 。 。 severe storm per year， and a 0。7% chance of a Carrington class storm per year。” In other words， about one chance in 150 each year。ABOUT THE AUTHORDavid Koepp （1963-） “is the ninth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U。S。 box office receipts with a total gross of over $2。3 billion，” according to Boxofficemojo。com。 And the assertion is credible， given the man’s screen credits， which include Jurassic Park， Spiderman， and Mission: Impossible。 He is also the author of two superb science fiction novels， Cold Storage and Aurora。 Koepp holds a bachelor’s degree in film from UCLA。 。。。more

Anu ，

4。5 ⭐️ enjoyed this book way more than I expected to。

Amy Brown （amylikestoreadalot） ，

4。5 stars rounded up to 5。 Post apocalyptic， plus adventure， bad guys， and tough woman trying to take care of everyone as the world adjusts after a solar flare hits the electrical grid around the world。 Loved it--just wished for more about how it affected the whole world， not just the main characters。

Monical ，

Trashy end of the world novel。 The characters are shallow， the plot（s） thin， and the author didn't even bother to do any research on the details of his plot。 Good example: one character is charged with driving cross-country with very limited fuel availability。 Naturally， he takes a hybrid "with a spare battery in the trunk。" Obviously the batteries in hybrids take up the entire car， so you don't have a "spare" in the trunk。 Plus， this super-car has extended gas tanks "in the wheel wells，" which Trashy end of the world novel。 The characters are shallow， the plot（s） thin， and the author didn't even bother to do any research on the details of his plot。 Good example: one character is charged with driving cross-country with very limited fuel availability。 Naturally， he takes a hybrid "with a spare battery in the trunk。" Obviously the batteries in hybrids take up the entire car， so you don't have a "spare" in the trunk。 Plus， this super-car has extended gas tanks "in the wheel wells，" which is a recipe for a terrific car fire。 The author decided to focus several soap opera families rather than include any plot involving the initiating central problem。 Goodreads recommended this drivel as a top apocalyptic novel。 Bah， don't bother！ 。。。more

Kelsey ，

4。25 stars。 This book had an interesting premise and the setup in the beginning was a great start - it hooked me。 This book follows a connected group of people in various areas of the US right before and immediately after a solar event that wipes out the grid。 I thought the human stories were intriguing。 I just wish there had been a little bit more focus on the major event。 Overall， a good read though。

Ash K。 ，

3。5 stars

Nicole ，

This ended up just being ok for me。 It has an interesting premise， but to be quite honest I just didn't really LIKE any of the characters so it was hard for me to get invested in their stories。 Not sad I read it。。。just。。。definitely don't ever need to again。 This ended up just being ok for me。 It has an interesting premise， but to be quite honest I just didn't really LIKE any of the characters so it was hard for me to get invested in their stories。 Not sad I read it。。。just。。。definitely don't ever need to again。 。。。more

Steven ，

Good solid story， educational and interesting enough that I blasted through it in a couple of days。 Not as good as Cold Storage but still a fun read

Jude Samson ，

A screenwriter who hasn't quite figured out book-writing。 While not terribly written （although the narrator needs to stop mispronouncing so many words） it's not really entertaining either。 While most books are adapted to be screenplays it seems like Koepp is trying to make a screenplay into a book。 The scenes come off more like movie cuts， we're given general descriptions about our scene and basic actions without anything too in-depth to make a READER invested in those moments but if it were a m A screenwriter who hasn't quite figured out book-writing。 While not terribly written （although the narrator needs to stop mispronouncing so many words） it's not really entertaining either。 While most books are adapted to be screenplays it seems like Koepp is trying to make a screenplay into a book。 The scenes come off more like movie cuts， we're given general descriptions about our scene and basic actions without anything too in-depth to make a READER invested in those moments but if it were a movie scene in a script that's how it would usually be written to allow the director and actors the freedom to be creative。 The first part starts out poorly - the author jumps into so much scientific terminology in an attempt to establish realism and legitimize their apocalypse most readers will glaze over。 I follow space weather and I barely followed what was being said。 Most of the verbiage was unnecessary or could have been more reader-friendly。 I'm not saying authors should "dumb down" concepts but too much of it was uncommon jargon thrown at the reader immediately and shoveled down our throats so fast。 A whole lot of nothing happens。 It is the most boring and uneventful telling of what's supposed to be an incredible global catastrophe。 Everyone comes together and gets along。 Everyone figures out basic survival immediately。 The timing of everything is perfect just in time to plant everything。 The ONLY conflict can be seen from a mile away and is so contrived you can't help but just roll your eyes at it and takes a whole whooping five minutes to start and end。 You get only the barest cursory mentions of hardships and action happening during this monumental event such as "you can see cities on fire in the distance。" The event itself happens in such a blah way - overnight the power goes out。 The end。 Way too many authors in this genre get so lost in too much description but this goes to the other end of the problem spectrum by not giving us anything。 We don't get to experience the outage。 We don't HEAR anything blowing or popping。 We don't get the sense of the eerie silence once all the constant bombardment of noise we're so used to comes to a sudden stop。 Anyone who was around when 9/11 happened and remembers that disturbing quiet of no longer hearing planes flying - that's just the barest taste of what these people should be experiencing。 What about the likelihood that people （especially women） would feel disconcerted （at a minimum） at night？ The totality of the darkness （or how that darkness enhances the auroral effects）？ We get ZERO insight into how any of the characters FEEL about what's happening or any of the small experiences they might encounter。 Everything just goes smoothly for everyone。 Even Thom has to make up action （and that whole thing was just so ridiculous I can't believe the author even wrote it）。 Thom is an Elon/Jobs/Gates-type character who is such a wishy-washy push-over that it's hard to believe he's a billionaire super-genius。 Everything he does is just so contrived and convenient。 I'm also on the fence about him being both unlikable and likable as he does things that are both sweet and yet also incredibly manipulative and deceitful。 I'm not sure if the author just couldn't make up his mind or if he wanted to make Thom seem like a tough guy but failed or what happened there。 You don't hate him but you want to and put out some serious red flags。 If everything relating to Thom was removed （and more details were fleshed out with Aubrey's story） it would not impact the story other than to enhance it。 His storyline is really just page filler and could easily be removed。There are some clever lines。 I even smiled or gave a little chuckle on occasion。 The interaction with Aubrey and her stepson wasn't terrible。 There was clearly an attempt by the author to try to create some form of friction - I suppose to give some weight to the story or give him some sense of growth？？？ - but it just， once again， comes off as unnecessarily forced and full of teenage tropism。 The book does move along quickly enough but there is so much lost potential there。 If certain things （like that stupid fake attack scene with Thom - actually， most of Thom's stuff） were removed or re-written and then filled in more details （including feelings。。。 remember show， don't tell） the reader could become so much more immersed into the characters and events and the book would go from a tolerably quick read to a genuinely good story that's often too rare in this genre。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Aurora

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Aurora&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Aurora&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0