The Big Dark

by Rodman Philbrick

What would you do if every spark of electricity suddenly vanished, as if somebody had flipped a switch on the entire planet? Cars won't start, the heat shuts off, there's no water in your faucet, and your radio, TV, and flashlight go dark. Everyone in Charlie's small town is baffled.

But as time passes, lawlessness erupts and takes an ugly turn. When the market and pharmacy are torched by an anti-Semitic arsonist, Charlie realizes his mother will die without her medicine. So he dons skis and heads off alone, seeking the nearest hospital. After traveling 50 miles through brutal ice and snow, Charlie encounters a burned-out, looted city of terrified citizens. Will he be able to save his mom?

Heroic, eloquent, and unforgettable, The Big Dark raises timely questions about responsibility, tolerance, and love.

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Survival, Adventure, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 5, 2016

About the author

Aka William R Dantz, Chris Jordan, W.R. Philbrick.

Rodman Philbrick grew up on the New England coast, where he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder. For many years he wrote mysteries and detective novels. The Private Eye Writers of America nominated two of his T.D.Stash series as best detective novel and then selected Philbrick's 'Brothers & Sinners' as Best Novel in 1993. Writing under the pen name 'William R. Dantz' he has explored the near-future worlds of genetic engineering and hi-tech brain control in books like 'Hunger', 'Pulse', 'The Seventh Sleeper'. And 'Nine Levels Down'.

Inspired by the life of a boy who lived a few blocks away, he wrote 'Freak The Mighty', the award-winning young-adult novel, which has been translated into numerous languages and is now read in schools throughout the world. The book was adapted to the screen in 1998 as 'The Mighty', starring Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Kieran Culkin, and Elden Henson.

Philbrick, a screenwriter as well as a novelist, is the author of a number of novels for young readers, including 'The Fire Pony', 'Max the Mighty', 'REM World', 'The Last Book In The Universe', 'The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds' and 'The Young Man And The Sea'. His recent novels for adults include 'Dark Matter', 'Coffins', and 'Taken'. He and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys.

Reviews

[Emily Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story focused on the adults until about half-way through, when the main character started a cross-country winter journey. That was more interesting, but the brief portrayal of mentally ill characters was uncomfortable, and the ending was straight deus ex machina. So disappointing that after creating such a stressful central conflict (with a one-dimensional racist antagonist), the author didn't have any answers for how to resolve such a conflict!

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Dark is a remarkable tale because it is a story that COULD really happen. Told from middle schooler Charlie C0bb's point of view, the town gathers on the snowy baseball field in Harmony, New Hampshire to view an amazing aerial display of Northern Lights. However, the lights are so intense and bright, they are blinding to the eyes, and then everything goes black. The communities' blackout is so complete, there is no power for car motors to charge for the long drive home through lonely roads. Fortunately Charlie's family lives close to the the ball field, and his mother kindly invites neighbors whose homes are too far away, to stay with them. What follows is a story of a blackout so unwieldy that it shuts down all power, slowly instilling fear in the community. It is the type of raw panic that polarizes good & evil among its citizens. When Charlie's mother suffers a physical breakdown and he learns that she is a type 2 diabetic and cannot survive without her quickly diminishing pills, he decides to make a brave, reckless decision, to travel to Concord for medicine to save her life. This is a survival story involving both natural and psychological disasters caused by the shutdown of the complete power grid. The action is non stop, issues such as prejudice, greed, and violence, leave the reader questioning the possibilities of what it would be like if this type of disaster really occurred. Besides the horrific bad guys, this breath taking adventure tale has some wonderful role models appearing from surprising places.

[Aidan Lind · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Big Dark by Rodman Philbrick is a great story. The Big Dark is about a friendship, and love in the dead of winter. This book keeps you on your toes with the eventful turns the story takes. The big Dark overall is a very good book and I highly recommend it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a solar flare wipes out all forms of energy on earth... interesting story.

[Kirk]

I love books about winter. The Winter Room. My Side of the Mountain. Game of Thrones (well, some of the sections near the north wall, anyway). Those kinds of books remind me how lucky we are to have modern conveniences to take the edge off the cold.

This book now fits comfortably on my shelf of winter reads.

The concept is a great hook here as well. Solar flares causing major power outages? I’m on it.

The story is good. I haven’t hated a character as much as I hated the antagonist here in a long time.

I liked all the characters, really, and you learn a thing or two as you go. It isn’t as packed with survival facts as My Side of the Mountain, but you get some interesting info reading through.

I loved it. I burned through this in two days while driving around between errands.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. It was scarily realistic. I mean, how would we survive without electricity? No internet? How freaky! This one was so well written. It's only 178 pages, but you are kept on the edge of your seat and hoping that Charlie, his family and friends will make it through everything okay.

[Isaac Pappin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in a while I've been invested in. I even had a dream about this book but instead, it happened in my town, then the moon crashed into Earth so take that how you will.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced read with some good depth to the story. Everything stops: lights, electronics, batteries, etc. and the town erupts into chaos. Like during Covid, there are people that hoard supplies to make sure that they and theirs are taken care of (even when others are in desperate need). Like during any crisis, there are those who are okay with lying in order to offer hope and security to those who need it. If this happened today, I'm sure our world would erupt into chaos in much the same manner as it did in this story (just look at the wealthy who are building underground bunkers already).

[Allison Soulier · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Big Dark" is written by Rodman Philbrick. It was published by the Blue Sky Press in 2016. The print version has 192 pages, but I read the Kindle version which only has location numbers (1700). I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars because it was an intriguing but quick book to read. Readers who are into dystopian novels definitely need to check this book out. "The Big Dark" is a Dystopia fiction novel about a brave boy named Charlie Cobb who attempts to save many lives during an apocalypse. The book begins with an isolated town in New Hampshire going through a complete black-out. All technology has been knocked out by a solar flare that is thought to be caused by some alternative race, and strong winter weather has emerged. If the townspeople do not share their resources, they could potentially die, especially Charlie Cobb's mother, who has Type II diabetes. In order to keep her alive and healthy, Charlie must adventure through the tundra to save her life while encountering the town racists, wild animals, and desperate people during his journey. The grade level for "The Big Dark" is 3-7. The Lexile Level is 780L. The Guided Reading Level is V. My teaching idea would be to conduct a group project focusing on creating something that could help people survive during an "apocalypse", or even a severe Winter storm like the one we had this past Winter. Students would have to propose their ideas in front of the class and would be assessed based on a student-created rubric (SL.6.4-Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation).

[Kim Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Dark, is very similar to the t.v. show, Revolution, where the world is suddenly plunged into darkness. No electricity, power, communications, travel, heat, etc. This book takes place in NH during an extremely cold winter. The characters begin initially to deal with daily life and looking after those who need help. Clashes start to occur between the town and a power hungry militant end of world conspiracy family. Once the local grocery store and pharmacy has been destroyed, Charlie decides to leave his small northern NH town on skis to head toward the capitol in order to secure medicine for his mother. This book, while geared for upper elementary and middle school grades, could be read by anyone. How would we survive? Would we help each other out? How long would it take without communications and reinforcements before bullies overtook towns and their resources? Would the country be divided up into small nations controlled by the local bully? Many books, especially those in the dystopian genre deal with these issues after the world has changed, this book, shows how although the initial change might happen quickly, the loss of freedom could happen slowly or happen where brute force is much greater than human kindness. Yet, it is the human kindness that rings clear in this book-the love of a boy for his family, a lone man defending the rights of others, a young boy helping an elderly couple, kind medical workers helping those in their care, neighbors helping neighbors. This book shines on the human condition, the good and the bad, our weaknesses and our strengths and in my case maybe a bit of my fear, but in a good way.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent sci-fi/adventure book for the middle grade crowd.

An electromagnetic event occurs that shuts down all power in a small New Hampshire town. Nothing that uses electricity or batteries works. Since it's January in New England, this is very bad. People must use their wood stoves for heat and melted snow for water. The town has one volunteer police officer but his authority is being challenged by the town weirdo/bully/white supremacist. He spews hate and steals from those who are less fortunate. There is no way to communicate with the rest of the world and chaos is on the horizon.

Charlie is a young teenager caught up in the crisis. He is managing well, taking care of his mom and sister, until his mom's diabetic medicine begins to dwindle. The only pharmacy in town has burned in an arson fire and the nearest town is Concord, 50 miles away. Charlie knows his mom would never allow him to go that distance on his own, so he borrows a friend's skis and sets out on his own. What he finds in Concord is worse than he thought.

Charlie is a great role model for teens. He mans up and gets the job done despite the challenge. The story explores both the good and dark side of humanity. On one side we see the Bragg family who will plow down everyone in their path in order to survive, and on the other we see people giving up some of what they have to help those less fortunate.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE BIG DARK by Rodman Philbrick explores life in a small town after an apocalyptic event.

When a geomagnetic storm disrupts all electronic devices, lawlessness ensues and an anti-Semitic survivalist tries to take charge of their town. The situation becomes desperate when Charlie’s mother begins to run out of medicine. Charlie must trek 50 miles through the snow in search of the nearest hospital.

Although the bad guy is somewhat one-dimensional, the author successfully captures the havoc caused by the disaster. The themes of courage, tolerance, and personal responsibility are effective for the middle grade audience.

Librarians will find this quick read provides a nice introduction to science fiction and dystopian novels for readers seeking to expand their reading options.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.rodmanphilbrick.com/.

Published by The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic on January 5, 2016. ARC provided by the publisher.

[C.M. Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at my 11 year old’s recommendation. But I was pleased with how easy of a read it was. The writing was solid and there was well-placed humor throughout. The characters were likable and relatable for a small town (though a tad cliche in some cases - not something most middle grade readers would probably care too much about). The “event” that caused the big dark has science behind it which was important to my son & made the scenario more believable. It definitely makes you wonder what you would do if you were hit by a “big dark.” How prepared would you be? How would your neighbors respond? Definitely chilling in some regards, though the book was kept at an appropriate level of scare/suspense to humor/depth for middle grader readers. Overall a fast-paced easy read that was enjoyable.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, frightening and thought-provoking all at once. In spite of a bit of a slow start once the pace picks up its non-stop in this adventure brought about by a natural occurrence which upsets the entire electric grid as well as the magnetic field around the earth. This should get the attention of upper elementary and middle school readers as they read and ponder how they might act in a similar situation, during the winter, of course. Characters are called on to tap their survival skills as well as their humanity towards others as all struggle to survive. Some people are brave and humane, others turn toward ugly hoarding and vigilante behavior. Its definitely a hard-to-put-down read.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie is outside on New Years Eve with his mom and sister, and most of the town: in their New Hampshire town, there's a great view of the Aurora Borealis tonight, and the show is as promised-- until the giant solar flare destroys everything, including the earth's magnetic field. The power is out, regardless of its source: generators won't work, engines are dead, batteries are drained. To survive, the town will have to pull together -- but not everyone feels that way, and someone is willing to put the whole town in danger to further his own agenda.

While the cause is different, I'd user this as a middle grade alternative to Mike Mullen's Ashfall, which has similar themes with a more mature execution of them. A quick, engrossing read for middle schoolers.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

For upper elementary (or middle school) students who are wanting a dystopia that is not as graphic as some of the YA novels out there, this is a good choice.
When a massive solar flare erupts on New Years Eve, all electricity, including any kind of battery, is lost in a small, rural town in the cold, snowy north. People are forced to heat their homes using wood or kerosene, light is by candle-light or kerosene lantern as flashlights are not working either. Many people are working together, but one family is causing lots of trouble. And when his mom's medication starts to run out, Charlie Cobb must set out on the most dangerous mission of his life.

[Kim McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a small rural town suddenly has no power of any kind? Was it from a solar flare? aliens? our own government?
Watch, as tempers heat up as quickly as fear spreads when you are left in the dark. What makes things worse is that it is winter and your mom is sick. Interesting adventure story for middle grade readers that makes you take a second look at learning a few survival skills before the power goes out and how bullies can rule when fear takes over.

[Shelli Huntley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good adventure story. The people is a small, north country, New Hampshire town try to survive winter without power. The town has a group of survivalists who use the crisis as an excuse to spread fear and anger. Opposed to the fear mongering group is the town police officer, Mr. Kingman. He does his best to take care of the weak, elderly and infirm. Everything is seen through the eyes of Charlie, a boy who tries to help his family survive.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the notion of losing all electricity and magnetism and what that would mean for our society that relies so heavily on it all. It makes you wonder how you'd get by. It makes you wonder what would happen to the people around you. I might use this for a family book club. My only hesitation is the white supremacists that weigh heavily on the story line.

[P.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be my day for the apocalypse. This time it is a CME that knocks out all power - batteries included. I got very cold while reading this book and had daymares of the winter of 2015. Despite all that, I did enjoy this book and its spunky hero. I also enjoyed the sled dog ride by proxy.

[Alivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wasn't interested in this book

[Brandon O'Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another winner from Philbrick. He remains one of my favorite YA authors.

[Trisha Jong B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! The reason I picked it up in the first place was because it sounded so similar to a book I read last year called, “The Switch”. I was curious to see how it compared and how each author took the same premise and ran with it. This was a nice quick read and I was definitely invested in what was going to happen. I found the ending a little anti-climatic and was hoping for a comeuppance for the bad guy in the story but I suppose it’s very real-life in that oftentimes the bad guy doesn’t get his just desserts. Also, very apt for the times we are living in and the type of people we can encounter who hold such hateful and extreme beliefs.

[Addison V · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book there is a huge power outage. Nothing works including cars (or anything that uses electricity). Charlie is only a teenager but his mom needs medicine to help her but the stores are closed. Charlie decided to go to a town that will take him 15 hours to reach to get the medicine. He faces many challenges a long the way. I think the theme of this book is kindness. Charlie puts his mom and everyone else before himself!

[Aidan Wycoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Big Dark is amazing! It's thrilling, keeping you on the edge of your seat. It hsa convincing characters and a crazy plot, which could actually happen in real life! The Big Dark is a great story and if you're thinking about checking this one out, you definitely should.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why, but this book had my anxiety through the roof. It's not like it's even that stressful, even though it is a bit. But the anxious feeling I had while listening was a little much.

Back with a full review.

[Erin Figert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down. Story of what could happen if the entire country lost power. Some people rise to the top and some manipulate their power to try to take control.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It kept my interest but a heavy subject for young readers.

[Silvino Sieben · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a nice story!!! I couldn't put the book down after reading half of it..

[Sunni Clark]

I love this book, it is so fascinating how they do things when everything goes wrong. probably one of my favorite books.