La Quinta Cove

“Last Light”  by Terri Blackstock

This book is the first in a series of stories about a family living in a small community in the southern United States where a national disaster of epic proportions occurs.  Due to a mysterious extra-terrestrial disturbance, all electricity and telephones and computers and anything that is electronic is shorted out in one instant, nationwide.  The story of how one family’s lives are affected and their efforts to survive in a world that is no longer functioning in any way familiar to them is very compelling.  This family is very religious and finds much comfort in their faith in this dire situation, as they begin to discover how to survive in a 21st Century world under 17th century conditions.

Neighbors who had barely waved to each other in the past needed to workcooperatively in order to figure out how to survive without food, water and automobiles.  With no means of communication with the rest of the world, they are on their own.  Only caring for one’s own family and trying to help your neighbors seems an insurmountable problem.

The story takes many twist and turns, demonstrating difficulties common to human beings under stress.

The story continues in the second in the series, “Night Light”  and the third, “True Light.”  Another book, “Dawn’s Light” will continue the saga in the future.  I found the story believable if one can accept the original premise of the disaster. 

Some people may be a bit put off by the very strong religious tone of the books, but the insights into human character are excellent.