This is my first Tim Curran book and I will without a doubt read more.

Blackout was a fantastic science fiction story about a neighborhood that discovers that people are disappearing. Something is grabbing them from the sky. First, it is just confusing for them, the stars are gone, the sky is black and then it hit them! And, I really mean hit them, long tentacles from the sky is snatching up people as soon as they touch them. And, our little group of people has to do anything to stay alive.



I got sucked into this story so much that last night that I had to put the book down for a moment because the story had gotten to me. I had read I think around 75% of the book and I had to calm myself down because I cared so much for Jon, Billy, Iris, and Bonnie that it was hard reading the book and knowing every time I turned the page that anyone of they could be sucked up into the sky. This is the first horror/science fiction book that has gotten to me in a long while.

The book reminded me a bit of [b:The Mist|813214|The Mist|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331317781s/813214.jpg|59181] by [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg], just this book was better, more terrifying and had better characters. The characters in this book, they are not perfect, they could act annoying, but considering the circumstances everything is forgiven in my opinion, it’s not every day you get to be witness to the end of the human race and I would probably freak out too. Blackout is a terrific book and I recommend it highly to anyone that likes science fiction, horror or the end of the day stories! 

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! ( )

Really well done homage to the classic War of the Worlds. Modernized with an interesting twist and Curran's singular gory erudite style. He sent me to google again---this time looking up extinction events.

I have read several of Curran's works and he certainly knows his classics and never fails to put in material that makes me want to research the stories behind his stories. This isn't just a retelling, although reflections abound for those familiar with War of The Worlds. I found his biological machines even scarier than the robot walkers of Wells---those tentacles were beyond nasty---how does he think of this stuff?

If you are reading horror and you aren't reading Curran, you are definitely missing out. He is, in my opinion, a master of the horror novella, and I am so grateful to Darkfuse for providing me a steady diet of his short dark and disturbing fiction. It is the perfect length for his tales of nastiness and this one is no exception. ( )

Mr. Curran asked if I would like to do a beta read of this book and I said HELL YEAH! This book is my favorite Curran story yet.

I don't want to say anything that could possibly ruin it for a potential reader but I can say this. A blackout is already a scary thing, right? Imagine a blackout where things start coming down from the sky. Have you read Curran's [b:Dead Sea|988783|Dead Sea|Tim Curran|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328764873s/988783.jpg|974276]? I feel like this book is Dead Sea from the sky. Unsettling as all get out.

Wildly imaginative and creative, Blackout is an example of fine dark fiction. You should buy this book the day it comes out. Really, you should. ( )

Can I please get a slow clap started? I seriously believe that Blackout deserves one, because I loved this story. So very, very much. I adore when perfectly normal citizens are suddenly thrown into tense survival situations. No special training. No understanding of what's going. These people are running off pure instinct which, more often than not, leads to one emotional story. I felt for these characters. I understood their terror and their hopelessness. Tim Curran places a simple question in front of the reader. When there is nothing but desolation and destruction on the horizon, do you give in or do you fight back?

Massive points go to Curran for making me feel so connected to these characters, even though this was only a novella length story. I cringed. I cheered. I felt the pit of my stomach drop to my knees as the full understanding of what was going on came crashing down around me. Each time I read a story like this, I'm reminded that it doesn't matter how long a story is. It only matters how hard the writer works to get you involved. I felt like I was a part of Blackout, and it was one harrowing experience.

Five, black as night stars to this story. I want more. ( )

Blackout has one of the best opening paragraphs of anything I've read in 2014. "The story I'm going to tell you is about what happened after the lights went out. I'm going to tell you what happened to our beautiful green world and the people that called it home. Understand, it's not a happy story and there is no moral. It's not that kind of story." Wow.

The best part is that Tim Curran then proceeds to deliver a compelling story that starts like the best episodes of The Twilight Zone and evolves into a story driven by a high-powered engine running on all cylinders which turns into the kind of nightmare Michael Bay must have.

Something creepy is happening during a storm in the quiet neighborhood on Piccamore Way. After the lights go out people start to go missing. What happens next is scary beyond words. To say more would give too much away. I'd rather readers have the joy of discovering the horror themselves.

Blackout is far and away my favorite novella of 2014. Like a ride on Kingda Ka, the worlds fastest tallest roller coaster, it's over before you know it, but oh, what a rush.

Blackout is published by Darkfuse and will be available for the Kindle through Amazon.com on August 19th, 2014. You can read it for FREE if you've subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, but at $2.99, Blackout is worth every penny.

Highly recommended. ( )