The sun gets sunspots. These are dark spots on the surface of the sun that are cooler than the rest of the surface. What if a sunspot occurred that just kept getting bigger and bigger? Since sunspots are cooler than normal, the sun would become cooler. And the effect on the Earth's climate would be devastating.
This is the premise for BLACK SUN.
Astrophysicist Maurice Tyler has predicted just such an event and it looks like his prediction is coming true. Certain elements within the government don't want Tyler's predictions made public, ostensibly to avoid widespread panic. In a misguided attempt to silence Tyler, a thug is sent to threaten him, with nasty consequences involving Tyler and a sexy female reporter who has been sent to get the scoop on Tyler's prediction. After confronting the thug, it quickly becomes apparent that the sun is cooling rapidly as daytime temperatures in July sink to wintry lows. Fearing more government thugs may be after him, Tyler and the woman, Gail, set off from Tyler's home in Arizona for California where Gail's young daughter is staying with her sister. The closer they get to their destination the more brutal conditions become, with ever increasing cold, snow and ice and a population in panic. Gail and Tyler fight their way to her daughter only to realized they are trapped in Los Angeles by the widespread panic and looting, with fires and destruction all around them. Somehow they have to get out of California and back to Tyler's place in rural Arizona where he has a shelter ready and stocked with everything necessary to survive the sun's brief but fatal decline.
When I first started reading this book, I thought it would be stupid. But it turns out to be a first rate story about an hopefully implausible but certainly frightening scenario. Although Tyler is the main character, the reporter Gail isn't just along as a love interest, she certainly holds her own in this tale of survival under the most trying circumstances. I can't judge the scientific accuracy of the premise of the story but it makes for a good tale. I especially enjoyed that Gail isn't waiting to be rescued but is an active participant in her own survival. This science fiction thriller is an exciting and gripping read.
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