The Recommended Reading Order for Geostorm
If you are looking to dive into Bobby Akart's action-packed cli-fi masterpiece, the path forward is straightforward. The series follows a linear narrative that charts a global disaster from its earliest warning signs to its long-term aftermath. Because the story is a continuous, chronological journey centered on the Boone family, you should read the books in their exact publication order.
- The Shift (2019) – The story begins here, introducing the Boone family and setting up the scientific premises of the weakening magnetic field.
- The Pulse (2019) – The crisis escalates as geomagnetic disturbances disrupt power systems and create global panic.
- The Collapse (2019) – As infrastructure fails and political decisions worsen the crisis, society begins to fracture.
- The Flood (2019) – Torrential, endless rainfall and rising oceans drown major population centers.
- The Tempest (2020) – Biblical-scale superstorms ravage the remaining habitable regions.
- The Pioneers (2020) – The final volume follows the survivors attempting to rebuild on a drastically changed, water-dominated planet.
Publication Order vs. Chronological Order
For some post-apocalyptic sagas, authors jump around in time with prequels or side stories. Fortunately, the Geostorm series has no such complications. The publication order matches the chronological timeline perfectly. Reading the series out of order is highly discouraged, as the plot developments, escalation of the disaster, and the characters' survival strategies build directly upon the events of the preceding novels.
What to Know Before You Start: The Sci-Fi Behind the Fiction
Unlike standard dystopian fiction, Bobby Akart writes "hard" science fiction with a heavy emphasis on realism. Before cracking open the first page, it helps to understand the unique premise of Geostorm. The series centers on a geomagnetic pole reversal—a natural event that has occurred in Earth's history before, but never during the era of modern technology. Akart researches these topics extensively, grounding his narratives in actual geophysics and climatology. You will learn about magnetospheres, solar winds, and grid vulnerabilities, all while witnessing the dramatic collapse of modern civilization.
Detailed Book-by-Book Breakdown
1. The Shift (2019)
The Shift introduces readers to the Boone family. Squire and Sarah Boone are traditional farmers in Indiana, hoping to live a quiet life. However, their children are on the front lines of an emerging global threat. Chapman Boone, a meteorologist stationed in Seattle, investigates bizarre twin waterspouts that devastate the coast. Meanwhile, Kristi Boone, a veterinarian at the Brookfield Zoo, observes highly abnormal, aggressive animal behaviors. As compasses begin to spin and the atmosphere behaves erratically, the family realizes that Earth's protective magnetic shield is beginning to flip, exposing the planet to cosmic radiation and triggering chaotic weather anomalies.
2. The Pulse (2019)
As the magnetic shield weakens further, the effects on human technology become undeniable. In The Pulse, a powerful geomagnetic storm strikes the planet. Europe's electrical grid is completely crippled, sending shockwaves through global markets and communications. The Boone family must quickly adapt to a world where power, communication, and transport are rapidly disintegrating. Akart focuses heavily on the vulnerability of our modern, interconnected infrastructure, showing how quickly panic can spread when the lights go out permanently.
3. The Collapse (2019)
The crisis reaches a boiling point in The Collapse. With the grid failing, the American government attempts a high-stakes, desperate plan to protect the nation's remaining power systems. Unfortunately, political mismanagement and technical failures cause the plan to backfire catastrophically. The result is a total collapse of societal order. The Boone family is forced to secure their homestead against both the worsening elements and desperate, dangerous survivors who will do anything to secure scarce resources.
4. The Flood (2019)
Just when the characters think things cannot get any worse, the climate shift triggers massive atmospheric changes. The Flood centers on relentless, torrential rains that saturate the globe. As oceans rise and major cities are swallowed by water, the Boones must navigate a rapidly drowning landscape. Survival becomes not just a matter of defending their home, but finding high ground and escaping the rising tides that threaten to wash away the remnants of humanity.
5. The Tempest (2020)
The fifth book, The Tempest, escalates the meteorological nightmare to biblical proportions. Superstorms and cyclones sweep across the globe, destroying what little infrastructure remained. The atmosphere is in complete chaos, and the characters face freezing temperatures, violent winds, and a lack of sunlight. The Boone family's resilience is tested to its absolute limit as they battle Mother Nature at her most furious and unpredictable.
6. The Pioneers (2020)
The series concludes with The Pioneers. The initial fury of the pole shift has subsided, but the Earth is unrecognizable. The oceans have merged into a single global sea, and the remaining dry land is scattered like tiny islands. The survivors must learn to become pioneers of this new world, developing new ways to farm, travel, and coexist in a maritime civilization. It is a story of hope, adaptation, and the enduring human spirit in the face of absolute planetary redesign.
Practical Reader Advice and Starting Tips
- Start at the Beginning: Do not attempt to read the books as standalones. The character arcs of Squire, Sarah, Chapman, and Kristi Boone develop over the course of the six books, and skipping a novel will leave you confused about their locations and survival status.
- Be Patient with the Science: Bobby Akart's books are known for detailed scientific explanations, especially in the early chapters of the first few books. While some readers find this slows the initial pacing, it provides the essential groundwork that makes the subsequent disaster action feel realistic and terrifying.
- Check Out Akart's Other Series: If you enjoy the prepper themes and scientific realism of Geostorm, you will likely enjoy Akart's other works. Series like Yellowstone (dealing with a supervolcano eruption) and The Blackout (dealing with a solar EMP) share a similar tone and structure, though they are set in separate narrative universes.