48 Hours

In 48 Hours, the Earth has two days before a coronal mass ejection from the Sun strikes. The blast is a "Carrington Event," a solar storm powerful enough to knock out, and possibly destroy, the electrical infrastructure of the entire world.

To limit permanent damage, the world chooses to go dark before the storm arrives. Global communications are shut down, hospital emergency generators are disconnected, and the internet, media broadcasting, and cell phone networks are all switched off. The novel asks whether people can protect themselves in the aftermath, or whether mass panic will tear society apart.

The book is a thriller by William R. Forstchen, a New York Times bestselling author known for the One Second After series. It focuses on how ordinary American citizens hold up when a crisis hits.