Customer Reviews

Last Light (Restoration Series #1)

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I have to be honest, I had no idea "Last Light" was written by a "Christian Writer" when I bought this book. To be completely honest if I had known this book was written by a "Christian Writer" I don't think I would have purchased it. I would have been worried that instead of a taut Sci-Fi/Thriller that the book's jacket promised, I would be buying a 300+ page sermon. My normal reading fare falls more along the lines of Stephen King, James Rollins or Dean Koontz, which if they feature a character strong in faith, it's usually a precursor to the evil they do, and tells the reader they are not to be trusted. So when I got home and found I had bought novel by a "Christian Writer" I wasn't exactly thrilled. I started the book, and got hooked pretty quickly. The idea of living without all of our electric and mechanical conveniences was a pretty cool idea. The characters are pretty well drawn, especially the quick tempered Deni, who like it or not we all can relate to very easily. The pace of the book is quick, and the murder mystery carries the story along nicely. I see other reviews that say they didn't care for the murderer storyline, but liked the rest of the novel. I don't quite understand that, as the murder mystery is easily 1/2 the book if not more. Most of the key action revolves around who the killer may be, and neighborhood's reactions to the killer's presence. I believe Mrs. Blackstock gives an honest portrayal of they way people would react in the circumstances surrounding the catastrophic events that take place in her novel. I didn't plan on liking this novel, and there were a few times I felt the book got too "preachy", but "Last Light" kept me turning pages and coming back for more. And though this seems to be the first book in a series, it's not a cliffhanger. The story stands on it's own without leaving you with unanswered questions that require reading the next book in the series. I will most likely pick up the follow up novel, and recommend this book to fans of suspense novels.

Those who have read any of Terri Blackstock's more than two dozen books can attest to the undeniable fact that she is truly an extraordinary writer. Her suspenseful novels meet or exceed the best of this genre; while remaining true to her deeply held Christian faith (her books are always '...lovingly dedicated to the Nazarene'). "LAST LIGHT," the first of four books planned for her current 'Restoration' series, sets an even higher standard, with her challenging theme of our planet being stripped of its electricity, and other forms of power which most of us take for granted. After reading "LAST LIGHT," the only disappointment is having to wait for the remaining books in what promises to be yet another great series! --RON HOWE (a.k.a. Toby Martin II).

I have read most of Blackstock's books and have enjoyed them a great deal. I was very excited when this one came out and started reading it right away. Although the murder mystery part was not as captivating as some of her other novels, I was totally drawn into the Brannings "new" world. It scared me at times just thinking about what could happen and at other times I wondered if that's not what we need to have happen. I loved the book and can't wait for the next one to come out.

I gotta say, Terri Blackstock is quickly becoming my favorite author with each new book that I read. I have read quite a few, and this one is excellent. I couldn't put it down, stayed up late to finish, if you like suspense, you will like this. Also, its great for giving you pause for thought about your own spirituality. As a christian, I am finding the christian suspense genre to be a wonderful reading category on dual layers. Get the book, it will be worth it.

Deni Branning and her father Doug had just landed at the Birmingham airport when the power went out. But it wasn't a normal power outage. Cars wouldn't work and cell phones died as well. In fact, ever piece of modern technology had failed.

The two manage to get home, where they are thrilled to find the four other members of their family waiting for them. But there they realize their problems are just beginning. With no access to the outside world, they don't know what is happening elsewhere. How wide spread is the power outage? How long will it last?

None of this sits well with Deni, who was scheduled to start a new job in Washington DC in a week. Her fiancee is still there, and she desperately wants to get back to him.

But the Branning family has other issues to deal with. Like day to day survival. With no water and no stores, how will they survive?

And things just get worse when Deni and her younger sister find the dead bodies....

This book is absolutely engrossing. I found myself caught up in the scenario, wondering how I would survive if modern technology stopped working. While there were some convenient plot points (their neighborhood is around a lake), it was handled very well. And the murder storyline only added to the intrigue. The story did stall ever so slightly in the middle, however. My bigger complaint is the characters. They are a bit one dimensional most of the time, which did make it easy to spot the villain. Since this is a Christian novel, the Bible is pretty heavily featured at times. Frankly, I loved that aspect of the story.

Even though I didn't feel the characters truly developed, I couldn't stop thinking about the book or the characters. If you want an entertaining read that will make you think, pick up this novel.

There are so many books about the end of days. While reading Last Night you keep wondering what it would be like living without engines, electricity, running water and especially without communication. No news, no internet, no TV, no radio. There are disaster issues from the government in our country that warn us to keep food and water for four days in our homes. But what about day 5... I keep thinking that in our western society the consequences of a disaster like this are underestimated in this book.

I'd heard of Terri Blackstock. Knew she was a Christian fiction writer. Figured she wrote prairie romances.

ZZZZZZ

As I became more involved in the business of writing and trying to create my own fiction, I sought out other writers works to read. I stumbled across this novel, Last Light, and was intrigued by the cover. Picked it up, read the back cover blurb thought it might be really interesting. Read the first few scenes and . . . bought the book.

A man and his adult daughter step off an airplane in Alabama. Moments later everything turns silent. Another plane crash lands on the runway near them. A second plane falls, bursting into a fireball.

How could I not by a book like that? What happened? I had to know.

The story follows the Branning family (specifically the oldest daughter Deni) as they learn to live without modern amenities. All modern amenities. Something has happened which makes all technology expensive doorstops. Various storylines develop to move the story along. The major one is a murder. Suspects abound and the community basically has to take matters into their own hands to catch the killer. This is book one in a series called Restoration, however, the major treads that weaves this story together are tied up by the end making it a somewhat stand alone novel. The only thing really unresolved is the power outage and Deni getting back to DC. The second book in the series, Night Light is out now.

Blackstock's writing as great. Here characters, believable.

If you like stories of technology gone awry and the relational struggles that ensue, this is a story for you. I look forward to seeing how the Brannings fare as the plot thickens over the long haul of a series.

One thing that really impresses me is reviews I've read by those who are no Christian fiction readers. They've had good things to say. I've always believed, and try to practice with my own writing, that if you write a good story (as opposed to a sermon masquerading as a novel) you'll reach a broader audience with a message of hope.

Well done, Terri.

Ok, I admit it. I listened to the unabridged version of this on CD.

While the murder mystery storyline was rather contrived and honestly not helpful to the larger story, I did find the premise of this book captivating.

Having lived through a major hurricane I know first-hand what it is like to live in a city that is suddenly cut-off from the world. Blackstock does a great job of honestly portraying how people act under such circumstances.

One thing I took away from Last Light was the picture of humanity it gave. In such times as depicted in the book, some prove themselves to be heroes and others to be worthless and even evil. But most of us are just average people trying to cope with extraordinary circumstances. It is on that level that this book succeeds. How do orindary people react to extraordinary times?

This book will leave you examining what's important in life. I found myself wondering what our family would do in such a situation. It is humbling to think the Lord is in control of it all and we're to seek and do His will. There was a brief mention of 9/11/01. I felt it was tasteful and appropriate. It happened such a few short years ago and is part of our history. Let us not forget that tragedy while we let our mind wander and wonder: Could something really cause a power outage over the entire earth? How would we survive?

I watch for new every title Terri publishes. Each book of her many series stands alone, yet keeps you hungry for the next in a series. As soon as I finished Last Light I immediately ordered Night Light (Book#2.) Others have written about the Last Light story line, basically I concur. But I had a couple of issues with the reality side of such an event. The biggest disconnect with me was the failure of all engines with a computer chip, from cars to home generators. That's certainly true in theory. But I can't believe that even in a smaller community a few bright mechanics or engineers could not tinker with these things and figure out a way to by pass the fried electornics. In Book 2 someone finally gets a brain and realizes that older cars (classics) still run. In the Branning's upscale neighborhood, don't tell me that someone didn't have an old Porche or restored '57 Chevy in their garage. Granted, it would take a lot of tinkering to get a modern SUV running when the chip(s) goes bad, but a couple of shade tree mechanics with a lot of time on their hands and a big incentive to succeed could certainly gerry-rig a bunch of direct wires and fire that sucker up. It might run rough, but it would run. Same for the home generator. For the sake of the story itself, which was about the people dealing with the crisis, it was probably better for the author to ignore these ideas. Still, it hurt my reading enjoyment as I placed myself in the character's shoes. Oh yeah, I went and stocked up on batteries and other "Hurricane items" after reading the book.... just in case! Lou Sauer, Raleigh, NC