Blackout (Blackout, 1) Hardcover – October 1, 2013

Teenaged terrorists meet small town kids in this novel that will thrill readers of Well's earlier novel, Variant. Although not related, both books take readers on an ride that will have them racing to see where the story goes with it's twists and turns. Kids will also be attracted to the concepts of having superpowers which allow them to change the direction the country is taking. not only did I love this book, but the patrons I've recommended it to at my school library have told me it's one of the best books they've read this year--always a plus!

Teenagers can be unpredictable. Teenagers with extreme supernatural powers are an entirely different phenomenon altogether. In Robison Wells' Blackout, a virus has changed some teens into powerful individuals who could rival the X-Men.Aubrey's secret landed her a connection to the most powerful girl in school, and as a result, she has gotten a taste of popularity. She had to ditch her previous friends, but becoming invisible at will has been a gateway into the popular crowd. Unfortunately, now that she is there, she isn't sure she wants to stay there. At the school dance, her invisibility lets her hear just what people really think of her, but her own self-torture is cut short when a group of soldiers storm the school and round up the kids. Luckily, her invisibility helps her escape, but not before she watches her date hulk out and attack the soldiers. After he is killed in front of everyone, Aubrey realizes she has to get out of there. She sees Jack, a friend from what feels like another lifetime, and they manage to escape, but they know life as they knew it has changed.Meanwhile, Laura, Dan and Alec are following through with their mission. As they attack specific targets using their powers, they know they are achieving maximum damage, not only to their targets, but also to the American sense of security. When they appear to be trapped, however, they will go to great lengths to escape, even if it means sacrificing one or more of the group. As they get split up, the world around them is scrambling to try and stop the terrorist attacks. But that isn't easy when you are fighting your own adolescent population who have powers the government can't even fully understand yet. With no choice but to fight fire with fire, the government makes a bold decision: kids with powers can help in the fight against the other kids with powers. In a draft like no other, the newly talented children of the United States find themselves with a decision that will forever change their lives... again.While the few plot holes and multiple POVs that narrate the story were occasionally in the con column for me with this story, I actually really enjoyed it overall. The powers of the kids were fascinating, and since the kids weren't born with them, there was a great element of "coming into your own" with whatever ability you got. Some were scary (the ability to compel people to do anything) and some appeared trivial (the ability to change the color of something), but kids were at different stages of comfort with their new-found abilities, and the adjustment period was intriguing. I also really liked Aubrey and Jack, so following them around became my favorite part of the story. Of course, Laura, Alec, and Dan's parts of the story were creepy, to say the least, but there was more to that story than we get in this installment of the new series.That was one of the biggest plot holes. We know there is a purpose for Laura, Alec, and Dan's destruction, and the government explains the systematic attacks, but we never really find out who or what is behind the terrorist activities. Someone is certainly leading them, but even the kids don't have the full story. While it was definitely a plot hole, I suspect it will be cleared up in installments to come and the hole didn't really interfere with your understanding of the story. You will find yourself trying to figure out who it could be, but you can still understand the story without that information. Also, the multiple POVs can be confusing occasionally, but I thought Wells did a good job of bouncing around and still keeping the reader focused and connected. I have seen this technique go horribly awry before, but Wells was quite adept at it. I also know this technique is a "love it or hate it" move, so if you don't like multiple POVs, this story will certainly bug you.This was a fun and intriguing start to a promising series, and I am looking forward to where Robison goes with it. It feels a little like the Avengers meets the Breakfast Club, but in a great way! It is appropriate for any strong reader who can keep up with the different narrators throughout the story. They will flip the last page dying to know what happens next!

I was reading this book for a school project, almost half not interested in it, but as I read on, it became very clear that I was going to HAVE to read this book and any others, if it were a series. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes "special" superhero stories that involve a sad but good back story, s lot of action and some romance.

This book is great. I thought it was going to be boring, but it's amazing! I love all the characters, they do develop throughout the book. Personally, I love the Lorien Legacies series, and thought nothing would come close to it, but this book is pretty close! The powers of the 5 teens are unique in their own ways. I hope they make a movie of it.

A good action, adventure story with easy to follow characters. I still don’t understand WHY the terrorists are terrorizing, but if you cAn get past that, it’s entertaining.

The book looks nice I order for my grandson he like these kind of stories

This was a totally engaging read and one I know my 14 year old son will dig too. The plot moves fast without getting bogged down an a lot of foundational details that only the author needs to know. Kids will definitely fly through this, and it was fun learning about the different powers Wells imagined for his characters, and seeing how institutions decide to co-opt and exploit them on both sides of the struggle. It wraps up well enough on its own to stand alone but leaves plenty of room for another book.

This is for my grandson who loves to read!

Great book. Will order the sequel..

Good read

Robison Wells “Blackout” überrascht gleich zu Beginn mit ungewöhnlichen Hauptfiguren, denn bei den drei Teenagern Dan, Alec und Laura handelt es sich nicht um ganz normale 08/15-Charaktere einer üblichen YA-SciFi-Dystopie, sondern um nichts geringeres als um skrupellose Terroristen, die gerade im Begriff sind, einen Damm im Grand Canyon zu sabotieren – ein Anschlag, der mindestens 50.000 Menschen das Leben kosten wird. Obwohl die Motivation für diesen unmenschlichen Akt unerklärt bleibt, sorgt alleine schon die verstörende Begeisterung des Trios für die Gräueltat dafür, dass die drei nicht gerade die allerhöchsten Sympathiewerte einfahren dürften. Zum Glück gibt es da aber noch Aubrey und Jack, zwei weitere Jugendliche, die auf den ersten Blick ein gewöhnliches Teenie-Leben in einer gewöhnlichen amerikanischen Kleinstadt führen – doch auch hier trügt der Schein, denn wie schon die Terrorgruppe um Dan, Alec und Laura verfügt auch Aubrey über eine schier unglaubliche Fähigkeit: Sie kann sich unsichtbar machen.“Blackout” liegt nämlich eine durchaus originelle Ausgangsidee zugrunde: In den USA greift ein geheimnisvolles Virus um sich, das ausschließlich Jugendliche zu befallen scheint und dazu führt, dass diese plötzlich über außergewöhnliche Kräfte verfügen. Neben Aubreys erwähnter Tarn-Fähigkeit kann Alex so z.B. die Gedanken anderer Menschen manipulieren, Dan scheinbar mühelos Gestein verformen und Laura zeichnet sich durch übermenschliche Stärke aus. Und wie viele andere derart gesegnete Jugendliche haben zumindest letztere eben offenbar nichts besseres zu tun, als mit ihren Kräften möglichst viel Schrecken zu verbreiten. Über die Motivation hinter den Anschlägen schweigt sich Robison Wells jedoch aus, und das ist auch leider eine der Schwachstellen seines Romans. Man vermisst beim Lesen einfach die ein oder andere Erklärung zu den Hintergründen seines Settings und wie es beispielsweise zu dem Aufbau dieses seltsamen Terrornetzes gekommen ist.Nichtsdestotrotz beweist Wells nach seiner “Variant”-Dilogie ein weiteres Mal, dass er in der Lage ist, spannende Geschichten zu erzählen. Sein Schreibstil ist sehr eingänglich, man fliegt beim Lesen förmlich durch die Seiten und es passiert eigentlich auch immer genug, um keinen Anflug von Langeweile aufkommen zu lassen. Man merkt aber mit der Zeit einfach, dass “Blackout” nur der Auftakt einer Reihe bestehend aus zwei Romanen und einer Novella ist und als eigenständiges Buch schlicht nicht funktioniert, denn gerade wenn es in der Geschichte richtig interessant wird und das Vorgeplänkel vorbei scheint, ist das Buch auch schon wieder vorbei – und wäre da nicht der allerletzte Satz (fieser Cliffhanger!), würde das ansonsten eher etwas lahme Ende wohl hauptsächlich enttäuschte Gesichter hinterlassen.Die Weichen für eine spannende Fortsetzung sind somit zwar gestellt, für den zweiten Teil der Geschichte muss Robison Wells meiner Meinung nach aber noch eine Schippe drauflegen. Ich erwarte von “Dead Zone” einfach mehr Erklärungen zu den Hintergründen des Szenarios, deutlich mehr Tiefgang bei den bisher noch zu blassen Charakteren und zudem mehr von den Überraschungen und Storytwists, die Wells’ “Variant”-Bücher so spannend gemacht haben, denn auch in diesem Punkt war die Handlung für mich schlicht zu geradlinig. Dennoch: Die Idee ist gut, die verschiedenen Fähigkeiten der Jugendlichen meist ziemlich cool und die Geschichte wird flott und spannend erzählt. Somit ist “Blackout” insgesamt ein guter Auftakt, der aber noch Luft nach oben lässt.

Having already read Variant and Feedbck from the same author I thought I give it another try. And I was not disappointed. The story itself was very exciting and took a lot of unexpected turns. Once inside the story, what happend quite fast, you wouldn't let it go and had to go on reading.However, compared to some other dystopian books I've read it still stays a little bit behind, why I only gave it four stars. But overall very recommendable to readers of all ages.