A review by asourceoffiction
The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray

dark informative 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? Yes

3.0

I sought this book out entirely because I adore Andrew Hunter Murray. I expected it to be clever like him (which it was), and I expected it to be witty and funny like him (which it was not).

But once I read the blurb I was intrigued by the premise. The scientific repercussions of the slowdown and eventual halt of the Earth's rotation were so well researched and that side of things was fascinating. The story behind it had intrigue and plenty of tension, along with a despotic leader of the "warm side" of the planet, who will use any means to further his cause (which, let's face it, is exactly what would happen). I actually wish we'd met Davenport or learned more about him as a person, because it's much more fun to hate someone when you know them better.

It did feel like the build up to the main events of the book was a little slow. It was fun seeing the characters develop and it broke up the science speak nicely, but things didn't really ramp up until the final 10% of the book. At that point I couldn't put it down and I loved what Hopper discovered. The end is ambiguous (perhaps leaving space for a potential sequel) and I'm enjoying speculating over what could happen next.

This is a solid dystopian thriller, and one whose potential was pretty alarming, but not as brilliant as I'd maybe hoped it would be.
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