I hate geopolitical thrillers. They are far too convoluted and the premise is often laughable. This said, I was suckered right in with All Systems Down by Sam Boush. Instead of focusing on the leaders of the world and the one man who can save us all this thriller focuses on real people in real circumstances. I cannot wait for the next two volumes in the Cyber War Series.

The post-apocalyptic mood of All Systems Down will remind some of Stephen King’s The Stand. This may seem an odd comparison but if you read Sam Boush’s thriller you will understand it immediately.

I had a blast reading All Systems Down. It was a book that painted a dire picture. When the cyber attacks happened, society panicked and many had no clue what to do next. It brought a group of unlikely allies together to try to survive this crisis. The ending was a surprise and at the same time kind of satisfying. People who are looking for a good thriller will want to read this book.

"All Systems Down" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Sam Boush (http://cyberwarbooks.com). This is Mr. Boush's first publication.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set mostly in the contemporary US. The story follows several different people after North Korea, Russia and China launch an extensive cyber attack on the US and it's allies.

Navy aircraft fail and fall from the skies. Naval ships go dark with complete system failures. The power grid in the US fails. Satellites fail and fall from orbit. The telephone network goes down. The US is left in a post apocalyptic state. Military forces from the conspirators invade the US.

The story follows a handful of people as the each try to survive and even strike back against the invaders. In the first hours and days, this is a struggle to simply survive without the essential services. As more time passes people become desperate and dangerous. Then there is the invasion of US soil.

I really enjoyed the 5+ hours I spent reading this thriller. I liked the story following different individuals as they dealt with the disaster. The cover art could be better. Certainly satellites falling from orbit and burning up would have long previously lost their solar array. The way the story was left there could be a follow-up novel. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

A Cyber War Novel

What a beginning to this excellent first novel written by Sam Boush. It will catch you as thoroughly as the tail hook catches on the aircraft carrier at the beginning of the story.

It’s a well done, exciting debut. So many parts to the story, including how one small group eventually connect. With a realistic plot, you’ll find yourself wondering what you might do to prepare. So many of us know of the possibility of a cyber attack yet don’t prepare as we should.

Reading this will give you a view of what impact an attack would have—huge! From infrastructure to the individual, it stops life as we know it. To avoid giving away the reveal in the book, let’s not name them here, but do consider how widespread technology is used throughout a city.

Computers have provided an amazing connection with the world and a wealth of knowledge. More and more is done and stored online. That very benefit can cause havoc when hackers invade with a cyber virus. All Systems Down make it seem inevitable and imminent.

I wasn’t able to finish this book in one sitting, but caught myself thinking about it often during the work day, wondering what would happen next. That is surely one sign of a good story. It stayed on my mind, during and long after finishing.

While there was a solid and surprising end, there is much left to sort out. Hopefully it is the first in a series, or at least a trilogy.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book from the author, publicist or publisher. It was a pleasure to review.

Sam Boush is an author I’ll be following. Fine, concise writing, a fascinating plot, and likable characters that grow on you. That’s always a treat. Give it a try. You’ll enjoy it.

About The Book:

24 hours.
That’s all it takes.
A new kind of war has begun.

***

Pak Han-Yong’s day is here. An elite hacker with Unit 101 of the North Korean military, he’s labored for years to launch Project Sonnimne: a series of deadly viruses set to cripple Imperialist infrastructure.


And with one tap of his keyboard, the rewards are immediate.


Brendan Chogan isn’t a hero. He’s an out-of-work parking enforcement officer and one-time collegiate boxer trying to support his wife and children. But now there’s a foreign enemy on the shore, a blackout that extends across America, and an unseen menace targeting him.


Brendan must do whatever it takes to keep his family safe.


In the wake of the cyber attacks, electrical grids fail, satellites crash to earth, and the destinies of nine strangers collide.


Strangers whose survival depends upon each other’s skills and courage.


For fans of REVOLUTION and Tom Clancy, ALL SYSTEMS DOWN is a riveting cyber war thriller that presents a threat so credible you’ll be questioning reality.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC. All Systems Down tries to tell us about a super cyber war waged against the United States. Everything goes down. The military and the police have no role in this novel. Citizens flee rather than fight. Except for some folks around Portland, Oregon. The author chooses that city to represent the whole, and it simply doesn't work. There are so many holes in his story I could not suspend belief and just enjoy it. I kept thinking of what he wasn't telling us. That was a lot.

Every now and then we hear about a cyber-attack that takes down a power-system or other bit of infrastructure. Sometimes it's even our side that did it. But imagine if all the countries that ever felt slighted by us stored up their best cyber-weapons and released them all at once. That's what Sam Boush puts forth in his debut novel, weaving an all too possible tale about the day everything went dark and the few courageous individuals that stepped up to the challenge. Fast paced, full of engaging characters and chillingly well thought out.

Full review 4/1/18 in SFRevu.com: http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=17877

ARC courtesy NetGalley.com

Starts out with acceptable but limited prose. The character of the jet pilot has promise, then technical stupidity happens, then even more. Then wrong nomenclature. I can see this is going to get ever more stupid with "satellites crashing to earth".

North Korean hackers can do serious damage to the world, but nothing like this.

Did not finish. Waste of time.

Massive computer viruses takes most of the world back to pre-technology days

I enjoy post-apocalyptic books but, wow, this one seems too real. Viruses created independently by allied countries take down all technological advances in one fell swoop, starting with North America but targeted all around the world.

This book is similar to thrillers about EMPs with the catastrophic results being the same - no electricity, no water, food in short supply because of no transportation systems, no communication systems and more.

The story centers around a select few Americans in the Portland, Oregon area. I wish there had been more character development and also, a couple of the characters are very unlikable.

This is the first book in The Cyber War series. I'm not sure whether I was engaged enough to want to continue the series.

I received this book from Lakewater Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Sam Boush's debut novel about cyber warfare and the end of civilization is a truly engaging read and a horrifyingly realistic glimpse into what can happen if the electricity went down. We follow a group of people in Portland, OR as they witness satellites falling from the sky and new cars just stopping due to the actions of military hackers in North Korea and their allies.
It's very well written and fast paced without seeming rushed. I'm eagerly anticipating the second book in this series as this is just book 1. This one was so good, I highly recommend it.

Sometimes a book is scary even if it is not a horror book. All Systems Down it a thriller with a plot that gave me the chills.

When an emergency hits sometimes people band together. Other times society falls apart. In this story, much of society falls apart after hackers take down critical systems in the USA.

The basic plot involves a group of North Korean hackers taking out the US electrical grid. They also gain access to many internet connected devices including cars. In one afternoon they trigger their virus and basically shut everything down.

After the hack, the story mostly follows various survivors including an out of work dad trying to keep his Portland family safe, a pair of sisters on a camping trip, a US hacker trying to get to Portland and a US Navy pilot who ejected from her plane after the hack disabled it. There are also some sections of the story from the POV of the hackers along with a Portland resident that starts to murder and steal from survivors.

Without giving away any spoilers many of the POV characters meet up. Once they meet the pace of the book takes it up a notch till the end.

Overall this was a fun thriller to read. I am looking forward to the next books in this series to find out what happens next.

https://youtu.be/BgwMQ-1RfRQ

This is the first book in this series. Which, I thought was a good showing for the first book. The further I got into the story, the more it picked up speed in action and intensity. Although, as much as there was intensity, it did not hold up fully for me. The issue for me were the characters. They did not engage me. Also, if I wanted to like them, I found most of them annoying. In fact, I felt bad for Brendan that he was stuck with some of the people.


My favorite parts involved the North Korean and Pak Han-Yong. This is because they were more engaging in their reactions and interactions with each other. The thought that what Pak Han-Yong unleashed on the Untied States is very scary for the simple reason that it could become a reality. The second half of the story is better. Overall, I liked this book and might read the next one.

Read my review at https://journalingonpaper.com/2018/02/02/book-review-all-systems-down-by-sam-boush/

I enjoyed this book. New author for me to read and I found it engaging and enjoyable. Would recommend to fans of this genre!!

Mr Boush brings us the first book in what he indicates will be a series about a war between the US and it's enemies North Korea, China, and Russia. If volume I is at all indicative of what is to follow we are in for a treat. The book opens with the sudden advent of the loss of the electrical grid throughout the U.S. New cars stop suddenly, planes fall from the sky, all lights go out, traffic is a disaster and satellites begin falling down from their orbits above us. Mr Boush indicates that in his personal opinion our electrical grid installations would be simplicity itself to hack into and control. This is what happens with a technician working for North Korea who the author utilizes to illustrate what is going on with the forces allied against America and how this war is being fought.

With Armageddon occurring the author uses 9 people from different areas experiencing the disaster and moving to Portland, Oregon as a possibility to regain some semblance of the now lost civilization. Two of those nine are depicted taking off from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, losing control and ejecting from the plane before it crashes into the sea.

Another is Brendan Chogan an out of work Parking enforcement officer who is introduced as he takes a job interview and told that he has not been successful in getting hired. He is a huge man, formerly a heavy weight boxer whose only desire is providing for his wife and two daughters as best as he can.
The adventures of the nine strangers in safely moving through the disasters around them provide a well orchestrated read about ordinary people suddenly thrust into a situation in which every facet of the civilization they formerly counted on sustaining their lives is gone. Mr Boush is successful in showing these people in moving towards a situation where they are forced to and do adapt to the circumstances they are surrounded with. The novel can easily be read on a stand alone basis, but we are shown enough background to understand that more will come shortly. These books will surely be well received and looked forward to.

It's generally pretty difficult to write an apocalyptic story that I find engaging, unique, and that I would recommend to others. There are typically so many cliches in these type of novels that it actually makes the end of the world seem boring. Because of this, I was hesitant to read ALL SYSTEMS DOWN. 

I am so glad that I didn't go with my initial gut feeling. 

ALL SYSTEMS DOWN is written in such a unique, compelling way, that I had to have more. It is told from several points of view, which made me wonder if there were going to be way too many characters to keep track of. I'll admit that there were several characters that I kept getting confused with each other because there wasn't a whole lot differentiating them, however, because the story was told from different points of view, I was able to keep track of who was who.

Developing characters when there are several points of view can be really difficult, especially because all of the characters are leading separate lives. They don't appear in each other's point of view until the very end, so you have way less space and time to make us care about each one. Sam Bousch did a brilliant job at this. For good or bad, I connected with all of the characters and was completely immersed in their world. And when they all finally met, I couldn't help but cheer. It was like the dream team just got together. 

Portland, Oregon is where much of the story takes place, but it is in complete chaos. Anything that connects to a computer is no longer working. This includes most forms of transportation, food distribution, and water plants. There is no electricity, heat, or running water. Most people can't get out of the city because all the cars stopped working at the same time and are blocking the roads for those who have older cars. Not that there is anywhere to escape to, since the whole country...and much of the world...is in the same condition. 

Looting and violence are, of course, the next stop on the crazy train. 

This may sound like your typical doomsday novel, but the way that it is done is so unique and fresh, it felt anything but typical. 

If you can't tell already, I loved ALL SYSTEMS DOWN, was completely sucked in, and am giving it 5 out of 5 Stars.

Note: In the first chapter there is a lot of language and vulgarity, all from one particular character, but it is almost non-existent with any of the other characters throughout the rest of the book.

All Systems Down is the first fast-paced post apocalyptic thriller in the Cyber War series written by author Sam Blush. Thanks to NetGalley and Lakewater Press for the advance copy.

All Systems Down
By Sam Busch

America and the Western World have been attacked, with the first shots being a cyber wall, designed to shut down every computer in the western world. The novel tells the story of different people as they face a new challenge and enemy.

A well written novel, the first in a series, the grabs the readers attention. Great character development, and an east to read story line.

A great read, not just for sci-fic fans.

#AllSystemsDown #NetGalley

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This was a fairly interesting book, as I really do like both military nonfiction and fiction, as well as dystopian and post-apocalyptic type books. The plot is fairly fast paced and the main character, Brendan Chogan was fairly interesting. Brendan is an unemployed parking enforcement officer, who used to also be a collegiate boxer, simply trying to support his family.

This story contains many elements of an apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic genre book such as a failing of the power grid that causes a blackout across America, cyber attacks and failing satellites. Definitely all situations that could happen in real life, which made the story a bit more realistic.

Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing, the plot and the main character and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.