48 Hours by William Forstchen

William Forstchen has carved out a niche for himself as one of the best writers of apocalyptic fiction. After warning of the dangers of an EMP attack in the One Second After series, Fortschen is back with another what if story. This time, what if the sun was preparing to launch a massive solar flare directly towards earth, and what if we only had 48 hours to prepare?

Richard Carrington is a solar scientist working for NASA and a direct descendant of the Carrington who originally discovered solar flares and connected them to impacts on earth. He discovers activity on the sun that, due to an unfortunate confluence of circumstances, could impact the earth in a way that is potentially as deadly as the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs. An earlier coronal mass ejection has already left parts of the country without electricity. Now a potentially larger strike, nicknamed Sauron’s Eye, has developed on the sun and could be headed our way. And there are only 48 hours to get ready.

The action is split between an underground storage facility in Missouri and the White House. In Missouri, Darren Brooks provides security for an underground storage facility that he learns has supplies that could feed thousands for months but is designated for use by the Missouri government which the military is on its way to secure. Along with his wife, they must decide what is the best use for the facility and how to make sure that happens. Meanwhile, at the White House, Carrington must brief the president on what’s happening with the sun and what the implications are as the president decides how much and when to inform the rest of the country.

Fortschen takes you through the preparations that are being made in each place. He creates a large cast of mostly sympathetic characters. He excels both in walking through the technical difficulties posed by a solar flare as well as the moral consequences of an event that, at its worst, could result in very high casualties. Fortschen brings you close enough that you feel the same stress his characters feel. There is no emotional distance, you are right there with them.

The compressed timeline of the book keeps events moving at a fast clip. As the zero hour approaches, things reach a climax as people on both sides become more desperate. People will either rise to the occasion or abandon their humanity. Fortschen keeps you guessing all the way to the end. This is a great book for any fan of apocalyptic thrillers, and one of Fortschen’s best books. Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

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