Reviews with content warning for War - The Last Murder at the End of the World

Reviews tagging 'War'

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

6 reviews

kaneebli's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

WARNING TO PEOPLE TRIGGERED BY ANIMAL CRUELTY AND DEATH:

I don't know why more people put "animal death" in the "minor" category for trigger warnings, but that's straight up not true. there is animal death all throughout this book. MOST of the animal deaths are not super graphic, but dead animals are seen throughout the book from beginning to end.

also, there is one animal death that i consider VERY graphic, along with graphic animal cruelty:

one of the scientists grabs a vulture and smashes it on the ground multiple times, and then throws it off to the side, where it is described as "twitching" and "dying" so you know it's a painful slow death.

so yeah i genuinely do not know why more people haven't listed the animal death in this book as "graphic" because i think it was pretty graphic.

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letsy's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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earl_grey_without_lemon's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Really interesting read! I read this in print, started it at the beach and wasn’t sure if I would like the book in the first few pages, but trucked through and found I really enjoyed it once the mystery kicked in. Stuart Turton’s prose is simple, and the book flies by and is easy to read and digest. I loved the setup, how there are little things in the text that give you pause at first but discard before the twist is revealed (specifically I remember trying to figure

out the difference in ages between familial generations but chalking it up to the rules of their society

). I also think the sci-fi dystopian setting is interesting and not altogether bleak at first glance, which makes it darker when delving into the world’s implications.
In terms of what I didn’t like, I’m still turning over my thoughts on what the book says about humanity. I know the thesis is rebuilding with a kinder and better humanity, and that

Niema ultimately succumbs to her own arrogance, but I can’t get over the really pessimistic way this book looks at humanity. I don’t agree with the idea that we have to stop everything and create a new race of humans in order to achieve better, and I think it’s honestly dangerous rhetoric to imply it. The fact that the villagers aren’t given any agency at all until just about the end of the book, and that Abi was always supposed to die until the villagers got to inherit the earth

felt like like bizarre pacing. This book would’ve been a 4 star read but I knocked it down because of these issues. In my opinion, the characters also fell a bit flat, feeling like archetypes rather than characters, but that’s a common pitfall for mystery books. Additionally, there were some small line edit issues, such as typos, and the wrong character names being used (like “Emory” instead of “Clara” when Emory was not in this scene).
I did really like the atmosphere in this book, though. It’s contemplative and melancholy and feels truly like I’m on an island surrounded by the end of the world. Also I think Abi is a cool concept, especially the

merging of the technical and the biological with her fungal networks

, but my god, what a terrifying concept to have a voice in your head that is essentially the government spying on you from birth. The horror is low in the book, but it is chilling nonetheless. I would recommend the book based on vibes though

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charlatte_lee's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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shelfofunread's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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gemloukay's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Last Murder at the End of the World is a post-apocalyptic murder mystery. Set in the near future, humanity has ruined the planet and created a fog that kills everything it touches. An island with 122 villagers and 3 elders (scientists) are all that is left, but when one of the elders is murdered the fog begins to approach to destroy them all. They have just a matter of hours before everyone dies.

I absolutely loved this book, as I did Stuart Turton’s previous two. The murder mystery element wasn’t easy to solve, and the voice of Abi that connects them all in their heads whilst being able to hear their thoughts is a clever plot device that helps the story along. The fact that they’ve all had their memory wiped, so they’re solving the murder with you, adds an element of intrigue and suspense.
All in all, a clever twist on the murder mystery genre, with a bit of sci fi thrown into the mix. Thanks to NetGalley for a free arc in return for an honest review.

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