Solar Flare: Solar Flare (Series #1) (Paperback)

Could you survive in a world without electricity? A solar flare has hit Earth and wiped out most of the world’s electronics. As society unravels, Jake Clifford must travel from south Florida to Tennessee to reunite with his young daughter. Join him on his quest as he confronts the best and worst of humanity.

Solar Flare is a post-apocalyptic science fiction drama containing aspects of the suspense and action genres as told through a journey-story plot construct. In this tale, where the world is exposed not in the light of day, but in the cover of darkness, Solar Flare aims to showcase themes of perseverance, resilience, and unlikely heroes through the portrayal of believable characters placed in unbelievable circumstances. Solar Flare’s unique backdrop of the aurora borealis, similar to the Northern Lights, sets the comic apart in the visual effects department as well, unearthing a never-before-seen constant sky that is both visually pleasing and completely plausible in our current reality.

The world as we know it is powered by the grid. Electricity is the lifeblood by which our society is sustained, but that power does not just live within the grid. From the lamps that light our homes to the LED screens that illuminate our phones, life as we know it is lived in the spotlight, the fringes long forgotten. But what would happen if the world suddenly went dark? How would society withstand its very core being ripped apart from within. Further, who would we become if allowed to thrive in the dark? Solar Flare aims to peel back the layers of this question to unearth the truth of the human condition and the pulse by which it is powered.

Solar Flare follows a group of friends that starts the day before a solar flare makes contact with Earth, wiping out all electricity and modern technology with one fatal blow. The group's primary goal is to travel safely (in a world with no functioning modern transportation) from Florida to Tennessee to deliver valuable information to the government that will help save millions of lives. The journey begins when scientist Dr. Jerry Willman visits Florida on business the day before the solar flare occurs. He enlists his childhood friend, Jake Clifford (the main protagonist of the story,) to travel with him and his assistant, Layla, to a secret Navy compound in Tennessee. This compound will act as ground zero for re-establishing the country’s electrical infrastructure.

Jake’s main purpose for going is to reunite with his 5-year-old daughter who was vacationing in the neighboring state of North Carolina. He recruits a few friends to join them on their journey. The main antagonist in this season is Jake’s uncle Ken who is part of a militia called The New Americans. When Ken learns of the group's plans, he wants to deliver this info to the leaders of his militia in order to move up the ranks.

Jake must adapt to this new world in order to be reunited with his daughter. Along his journey, the lines quickly blur between survival and destruction. The stakes are high and the time is dire. As the story unfolds, Jake must make harrowing decision after harrowing decision, each time the stakes rising not just for himself, but by those who have entrusted their lives to him by simply following his lead. When times are dire and the world is in chaos, can a hero remain pure, or does saving others mean the destruction of yourself?