Reviews

A solid read, if you're into this sort of thing.

I probably won't read it again, but I enjoyed my time with it and may even check out some of the authors other works.

lizzys_library's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

sisimka's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.5

I loved this so much, I bought a copy for the keeper shelf. It exemplifies what I adore about post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s not about the disaster, but how we react to it, and the hidden selves that are plumbed as a result. It was also really well written. I did look into the other books in the series, but they didn’t appeal. Not the wife’s book, anyway. The dog one might be interesting.

grazanne's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Yep another one! My husband read this after our trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. With my post-apocalyptic run, he suggested I read this.

Edgar Hill is a mediocre husband and father. He whittles his life away drinking and staying out too late. Until asteroids hit the northern hemisphere and his quick thinking saves his family of 4. He feels he will turn his life around and be a better family man. A few weeks later, discovered by what’s left of a military group, survivors are brought together with hopes of being rescued by another country that wasn’t devastated like England and Scotland.

But Ed is still struggling. Instead of staying with his family, he signs up for a dangerous mission to go into big towns to find supplies. While he is gone, those that stayed behind were “rescued”. He has 21 days to cross Scotland and England to make it to the boat that will be leaving for the southern hemisphere.

This is a character study, where you root for the unlikable underdog. There is a rag tag group that forms and decides, for various reasons, to run the 500 +\- miles to the south of the United Kingdom to try and join the rescue boats that are leaving in just under a month.

If you have ever run a marathon, picture running roughly one a day for three weeks, with lack of consistent food & shelter. Add on that a destroyed terrain and inhospitable people met along the way. Family is a powerful motivator. Ed learns how to run day-by-day, with the help of others. I enjoyed the passages that focused on running. This was a solid PA book.

strangecandy's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This is the post-apocalyptic tale takes place in Scotland and tells the story of man named Edgar Hill who has become complacent with his job, his children, his lifestyle and life in general. He drinks, eat things that are bad for his health and looks scornfully at those who watch what they eat, are engaged with their families and run for fitness which makes the title all more ironic. What happens is that hundreds if not thousands of meteors hit earth with no warning from the government. Everything is destroyed and he and his family only survive due to the fact that there small home has a cellar which the larger homes across the street do not. They barely have enough time to through down what canned food they have in the house and a case of bottled water he manages to loot from a nearby corner store, diapers for the baby and his daughters stuffed rabbits.
What follows is many days of rationing food, breaking open pipes and hoping there is enough water to last them a few more days when they are finally rescued by the remnants of the army that were in the area. They are brought to a holding facility where they spend several weeks trying to recover but soon they realize that they are running out of food and the men go into the cities to salvage what they can to survive.
While on a trek to the city they return to find out that helicopters from the coast have come and picked up all of their families and brought them to the coast where there are ships waiting to take them to less devastated areas. When they realize that they only have 3 weeks to cover 500 miles and the only way they can do that is to run all of the way there. They of course have many obstacles both physically and mentally to overcome to reach their goal.
I found the book fascinating, engaging and even though this feels like a stand alone book I was left wondering about Edgar Hill and where the path took him next.

More...