I’m about half way through “Solar Flare” by Larry Burkett This seems to be a SHTF novel for non-preppers. No one except the government has any disaster supplies. No one except criminal gangs and the military has a weapon. The book has been a bit of a disappointment because I have found it hard to identify with most of the main characters (an astronomy professor, a liberal reporter, a media mogul, a general, and the President). It largely skips over how to deal with the crisis on a personal level and stereo types the masses into shallow groups – everyone seems to be either military, gang member, or being bussed to evacuation camps. That said – it raises interesting questions. Mid-book the situation is that a major solar flare has hit the Earth knocking out 1/3 of communication satellites and damaging the more sensitive electronic equipment. About a week later some communications have been restored and now a flare more than ten times the power of the last has been detected. The solar wind and radiation is en route to Earth with an arrival time in 72 hours. So the whole world has 3 days advanced notice that everything electric will become non-functional in three days time. This is a twist not usually seen in a SHTF scenario. What if everyone knew that TEOTWAWKI was coming and knew it would happen just three days away?
I read this and it wasn't bad-the writing was okay, a little simplistic. My problem is that everyone who was bad (liberal or criminal-haha) either died, was caught & jailed, or converted (liberals to the right side, non-Christians to Christians). I don't see that happening in a real situation. I think plenty of bad people will still be out there-and that is when a dictator type would definitely take over. I also think that liberals will blame any SHTF on conservatives and say more gun control, government control, etc. would have stopped this from happening (help me government, help me!). But everything ended up all happy again. I don't think something that big would be cleaned up that easily. I like the stories on here much better! Read S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire series (Althought the fourth one was very disappointing). That had a lot of survival info in it (it really kick started my preps).
I know I had read the begining of one similar (when an early work in progress) and much of it was placed in England so VERY few other then criminals and military had guns, I think there was a vetranerian with a single shot pistol for putting down animals and a SWAT type cop and that was about it.
MM - that sounds like the aussie mad max / road warrior scenario. It would be a lot different here - at leats now. maybe in another 20 yeras we'll all be disarmed too.....
