It *is* a good novel topic. The trick is to get it written and published before it becomes a documentary. :-)
Imagine the effect now of taking down the net for even one day. Something that didn't exist in a meaningful form even ten years ago is now something that if it was down for just one day would bring the economy of the world to a grinding halt. The cost would be imponderable.
Net down for a day? I'd go mad!
Please, keep your nightmare scenarios to yourself next time - I'm on my way to bed and I don't want scary dreams!
Now that I think about it... it's especially ironic, given that the whole purpose of the development of the Internet Protocol by DARPA (in the original ARPANET) was to create a communications web that could survive a nuclear strike in some major cities and yet still enable basic communications throughout the rest of the (surviving) country.
And we'd all be at the Hobbit Hole trying to post "It's dead, Jim"! :) Seriously, yes, it would be a big mess. And I'm sure various terrorist groups have been trying to figure out how to bring something like that about--something along the lines of those massive blackouts we had last year.