The authenticity of the characters and the smart strategies of the honorable defenders kept me cruising through long sections of detailed description of ships and guns. I ate up the frightening plausibility of a massive Carrington Event coupled with despicable power-hungry senior government officials, which triggered my urge to stock up on vegetable seeds, water straws, and guns, none of which I own! Now, that’s a convincing story! I also appreciated the unwavering integrity of some characters, glad that some of them survived and thrived.