Saturday June 25, 2011

Book review : Shut Down by William Flynn

Shut Down by new author William Flynn is quite possibly the first actual "Peak Oil novel" written by a long-time member of the peakoiler community. For those unfamiliar with the concept of Peak Oil, as defined by geophysicist King Hubbert, it is the point at which maximum crude oil production is reached, after which the rate of oil production enters terminal decline. If that does not sound like too big of a problem, read the book and let Flynn take you on a whirlwind tour of what the peak oil community has been discussing and pondering about over the past years - about the inter-connectedness of everything in today's modern society, finance, politics, agriculture, logistics, and it all starts where we get most of our energy from - crude oil.

The book starts, innocently enough, with the main protaganist, Kelly Lee, turning up as usual at her workplace, a Starbucks coffee shop, on an ordinary Monday morning. What happens next is what the community calls a "fast crash", as events reminiscent of a souped-up version of the near-economic collapse of 2008 quickly unfold, only this time, unlike 2008, the economic collapse turns out to be a real and permanent one, with a major trigger event setting the stage as the author takes us on a Tom Clancy-style incursion by fighter jets which ends in a retaliation that takes out the most important of Saudi Arabia's oil facilities. This, combined with another massive bank implosion, devolves society quickly into chaos, as Kelly has to embark on a journey amidst the deteriorating sitation to first find her family, and next to seek safety and shelter together with her friends Joe and Bill.

It was a good read. Frankly, I have not touched an honest-to-goodness paperback book in the past couple of years due to work commitments and so on, but I found that I literally could not put this one down, finishing it in what must have been something like near-record time. It is that good. The author evidently knows his stuff - and this, from a fellow peakoiler who knows the scenarios and material depicted therein intimately. It was like, wow, this is what we had been talking about all these years, condensed into one book, summarized into a single, action-packed, terrifying narrative. For those who do not know what we mean by "fast crash", get the book, read it, and be prepared to be blown away. Get the book now.

(2011-06-25 15:17:37 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

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