This is post-apocalyptic SciFi, and it is pretty much typical of the genre. The real story is not so much how civilization gets disrupted (atomic war, killer asteroid impact, super-volcano eruption, mutated germs, alien attack, etc.) as it is about the way the remnants of the human race survive (or not), react to the disaster, and rebuild their world.
“SpaceMan” begins with American astronauts doing an EVA when the earth is hit by a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun. The story alternates between the surviving astronaut and his family back in Houston, Texas. As portrayed by the author, neighbors and family tend to help one another, while strangers almost immediately revert to base human instinct, grabbing whatever they can without a second thought about anyone else. And let us not forget about the crazies…
As far as the science is concerned, I consulted my husband, who’s an engineer and amateur astronomer. He says Houston should have 48-72 hours advance warning before a full-blown Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) hits the earth. So, he thought it unlikely that anyone on the space station would be taken completely by surprise. Other than that, the probable effects of a CME hitting us would be as described, including airplanes falling out of the sky, communication disruptions, etc.
This is the first book in the series, so it was no big surprise that it ends with only a partial resolution of the issues involved. Some problems are solved, others are just beginning.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher. This is my honest review.