I was really excited about reading this, the premise being about a total takeover of the electrical grid in Europe and the fallout of that. It's something I think about as we are so connected to so many devices to run our lives and we can't begin to understand the implications of this. However, I found the book to contain too much technical information about the operations of the electrical grid then was necessary and found it difficult to get through.

A suspenseful and intriguing thriller. I thought the author did an excellent job showing the readers what might happen if this was reality.
Piero Manzano was an excellent hacker, as the authorities have their suspicions that Manzano is behind the worst terrorist attacks known he struggles to defend himself against many dangers. If only he can find a safe place with an internet connection, maybe he can stop this disaster.
I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and plot. I found myself wondering what would happen and could I survive this disaster if were real. The characters were strong and well written.

Received a copy of Blackout from NetGalley for an honest review.

The other reviewers were right, the book was a page turner. (For me, this was especially true once the leading character began to connect the dots about the power outage, which happens roughly eight percent into the book.)

What I liked most about the story is it being truly thought-provoking. A massive-scale blackout is a probable scenario, that is beyond question. What makes you really wonder is our dependence on nuclear power plants and the ability of the authority to deal with nuclear disasters.

Slow, too much unnecessary detail, boring. The basic idea of the book is great, just goes on and on about details which aren't relevant to the basic story. More editing.

Absolutely could not put this book down, very intriguing plot that kept me up reading!

Piero Manzano used to be a hacker, but after a brush with the law, he became a consultant. When the power suddenly goes out all over Europe, he uses those skills to hack into his smart meter find out what the hell is going on. What he sees troubles him enough to talk to someone in charge of the inquiry.

He ends up traveling to some interesting places, and when the hackers find out he’s put Europol on to them, he needs taken off the board.

Lauren Shannon is an American reporter who’s gotten used to playing second fiddle, and she sees the Europe-wide power catastrophe as an opportunity. As long as she can stick with Manzano, she’ll be right in the middle of the action.

Blackout was an interesting techno-disaster thriller, and it reads kind of like a disaster movie. Elsberg jumps around showing the action from several different perspectives much in the same way a film of that type would. He’s gotten fairly detailed on how these systems actually work, and while some might find it a little over their head, I feel it adds to the understanding of what’s going on–and the plausibility of each successive catastrophe.

My only complaint is at the book’s end, we have a last minute gambit by the terrorists that gets foiled by the plucky protagonists, but unlike the rest of the book the details aren’t exposed. It sits a bit funny after the sheer volume of information given on every other move.

An entertaining diversion all around, it’s the right pacing to bring along on your summer vacation.

The book started off ok, but the book didn't keep my interest.

It’s clear that the author researched the subject. If you want to learn about how electricity is conducted safely to all homes in Europe, this is the technical book to learn it. I was expecting a thriller and in the end I struggled to finish reading the book. There is too much technical detail for my taste. I liked the parts where normal citizens deal with the issue all though they sounded very unemotional for the problem they were facing. The chapters describing politics, government organizations and financial issues, honestly bored me.

I could not put this book down! As soon as the lights started going out across Europe, I was hooked. Why are they going out? Who is behind the power outage? What do they hope to gain? How will these 'civilized' societies survive? We watch the events unfold from different viewpoints ... some people in power, some just everyday citizens ... all caught in this terrible situation. We watch as the story unfolds and must wonder, what would we do? Could we survive? Will they? A frightening situation and just a little bit too realistic (and possible) to be comfortable. Highly recommended!.

The good: The writing was top notch. I learned a lot about opium and laudanum addiction in the Regency era. Many writers touch on this subject in passing, but they don't bother to educate us at all. Evans appears to have done extensive research.

The bad: It focused a little TOO much on the addiction aspect, which prevented me from engaging more in the story. It almost took over the story. Did not like the name Hestia (how do you even pronounce that?), even though I realize names that sound weird by today's standards were once common.

Overall: Well written, good story, and I'll be looking for the next in the series.

I found this book fairly realistic in how it portrayed the breakdown of social order and chaos that results from the sabotage of basic infrastructure. I enjoyed reading the various perspectives, from the lead characters, to police enforcement, to the grid employees, and how every single person struggles with their bit to bring society back from the brink. I also enjoyed this book's European perspective and focus. I did find the way the situation was wrapped up with the primary villain a bit ridiculous, but overall this was a good read.

3.5 stars. Blackout is the first book by Marc Ellsberg that I have read so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was far more than I expected in a thriller. This is a standalone book. I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. There is violence.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. The author did a great job of explaining the complexities of the European electrical grid as simply as possible so a complicated subject could make sense to the reader. This is a story of how vulnerable we are with everything we do being online and using technology. There are enough twists and turns to keep readers interested. It definitely kept me reading.

I look forward to reading more of his books. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to leave a review for other readers.

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"OK, so we've only ourselves to blame, because back then, everyone wrote off the dangers as so much craziness from doomsday prophets. Naturally, it's also a question of cost. Security costs money."
"Well, events have now shown that it costs even more to ignore it."
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This was an excellent thriller - and cautionary tale... Europe suddenly finds itself in the throes of a massive - and inexplicable - blackout. No one can figure out what happened, or why it doesn't seem to be resolving itself, until an Italian hacker discovers the unbelievable - it was intentional. Incredible as that sounds, the tale as it unfolds from there is more incredible still - not in the sense of unbelievable, but of altogether too much so...

We live in a world that is increasingly susceptible to hacking because we are increasingly reliant on computers to run our lives - daily and on an ongoing basis; personally and globally. This was as timely a thriller as I've ever read - and one of the scariest as a result. It's been said (by a variety of sources, with minimal variations in exact wording) that we are all a handful of meals away from anarchy; the wide-reaching effects of a prolonged power cut (e.g., mechanized farming/animal husbandry, computerized banking, electronic locks and thermostats) render that statement as potent as ever in the modern world. Elsberg delivers the horror and panic of such losses through a well-paced and plotted story populated by all too human characters (on the sides of good and bad). The story is relatable, engaging, and rather horrifying in its implications. Here's hoping the story remains a story and doesn't become prophecy...

I do not feel I can give this book a fair review. It seems like it would so credible, and fascinating, but was outside my realm of understanding..

Started off with a great idea, but didn't hold my interest.

The plot of this novel was good - Suddenly the lights go out in France, and then Germany, and then most of Europe. There was a certain guilty, horrified pleasure in tracing the reasons and effects of this blackout through the course of the book. But the characters were, for the most part, not very memorable or distinguishable from one another.

Marc Elsberg's Blackout provides the reader with a fast and twisting story of what could happen if the electrical grids across Europe and America were shut down. The suspense builds quickly and keeps the reader wondering who did it, how it was done, if it can be stopped in time, and who will survive?

This book is well written with good character development. The text gives the reader a great deal to contemplate when done reading. In this day of interwoven technology and terrorism, this is a very real scenario which could easily come about.

The reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of five, is the way it jumped back and forth. I occasionally got lost in which characters were at which location and how they related to each other. However, that being said, this is still an excellent suspenseful and thought-provoking read.

I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise for the story is great, but the execution was just okay. Blackout spent too much time going into technical details for the power stations and grids, and had too many meetings with politicians/government officials that it became tedious. The story was told from so many points of view that it became a bit confusing.

Blackout is a fast-paced thriller about the hacking of the power grid in Europe and the US.
Tension and suspense grip the reader from the first page until last, along with the vivid characters.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it to all who love thrillers.

Blackout- This book makes you think and almost starts to put a fear in you . I mean it had me starting to think oh my word what would happen if we lost power.