Prepare: Lights Out Book Published

If you are an old hand at this stuff and are a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, than you surely have read "Lights Out" by David Crawford. Originally published online in chapter format over a whopping two year period, "Lights Out" is probably one of the best survival fiction stories written in the past decade, online or traditional.

If you are new to this genre, get a copy of this book as its really that good.

"Lights Out" takes place in present day San Antonio and follows Mark Turner, an average computer fixit guy for a midsized corporation, his family and friends and the events which befall them after a supersized electro magnetic pulse (EMP) instantly vaporizes all modern electronics and electric infrastruture in the United States.

In the days that follow, Mark and company have to learn to not only live without modern day comforts, but also how to provide food and security for their suburban neighborhood all while dealing with internal divisions, external threats and the constant ordeals of being thrust into the equivalent of the 19th century.

The story is real. Most online post-apocalyptic fiction features two dimensional cardboard characters, mind numbing lists of name brand equipment, dull lectures on grinding wheat, making soap, fiat currency and grinning idiots slapping each other the back after dispatching ne'er do wells with names like Scrag and Greasey. "Lights Out" has none of that.

Husbands and wives fight. Good people die. Children are injured. Homes are torn apart. Popular characters are killed off while bad guys get away with murder. There is something unexpected at each turn in "Lights Out" and readers will find themselves identifying with several characters in the story; I know I did.

After reading "Lights Out", you will look at your neighborhood and life different.

While "One Second After" was a shocking book a couple of years ago and also a great read, "Lights Out" has a different take on the same genre with separate outcomes.

"Lights Out" makes a great Christmas gift for the prepper in your house or a friend who "almost gets it" but needs a realistic little push.

I happliy found "Lights Out" on Amazon, but it took some looking and you had to know the author's full name and not the one he originally posted under online (you know what I am referring to if you are familiar with the story). I pulled a handy link to the book on Amazon for new readers.

Check it out.

Lights Out - SHTF fiction

If you just showed up at Google and punched in SHTF fiction, you may have arrived here at the Prepare site. Let me save you some time, stop reading those half-baked, half-finished glory doom tales and put you on the page of probably the best, Internet-based SHFT fiction tale out there - Lights Out.

First, an update. Lights Out is not available at the link below any longer. The author has pulled free copies of the book online as he has published the book in traditional format. Here is the link from Amazon.





See the link here to download the whole story.

First, download the whole story in PDF format today. The story is good enough it may end up published and like "Patriots" (yes, by comma Rawles), it will be off limits gratis for the online crowd. Get it while you can, folks.

If you have read, Lights Out, good for you. You get it. If LO was not "gun porn" enough for you, or did not feature enough one-dimensional post-apocalypse convict, biker raiders, then to heck with ya.

Now, Lights Out is probably the best, realistic SHTF story out there, however, I have a few bones to pick with it.

Bur first the praise.

The story features mostly real people. Husbands and wives fight. Characters are flawed. Most of those facing the brave, scary world have little if any experience with the devil waiting in the dark. However, like Americans have always done, they step up to the plate and deal with it.

I like Lights Out and have read (in the process of reading a fifth time) several times already.

The problems:

1) Why did it take Mark Turner 9 freaking days to get to the darn grocery store? With a truck running, my butt would have been at Kroger, Costco or 7-11 everyday and loading up on everything I could get my mitts on!

2) Why didn't Mark and Jim tell the boss, Davis: "We have extended family and have no intention of leaving them to fend for themselves. Based upon your philosophy, you get where we are coming from. Thanks, but unless you open up the joint to our extended clans, you are on you own. You need us more than we need you. (New Age Ranch? Please... ).

3) Gunny was a cardboard cutout character. I love how he could not walk the Silver Hills neighborhood, but could do the quick step SWAT move with Mark at the Drew house.

4) They have one too many battle scenes - namely, the Jeep goes over the hill incident and the fight with the motorcycle gang in the culvert with the hand grenades. Again, a little over kill.


Reading Lights Out for the umpteenth time, I could be picky, but the bottom line is, it's a great story with very good characterization, a plausible story line and riveting action. Download it today.

Also good runner's up - Shattered and Deep Winter by T Sherry. The only problem with those stories is I kept hoping someone would punch Rick Drummond's nose once he made one too many smug responses and could not run to the Army or his pal the sheriff to protect him. Otherwise, another top story you can find on TB2K - if it has not been pulled for Lulu.