The Last Day is about what happens to the world when a rogue star causes the earth to stop spinning. No more sunrises or sunsets. Freezing cold and darkness in one area. Burning heat and abandoned cities in another. There is one thin sliver of temperate climate. How do you protect it from the great mass of Earth’s population stuck in inhabitable lands?
Ellen Hopper is searching for valuables on abandoned ships in the North Sea, when a government official whisks her off to London in a government helicopter. Her college professor, Edward, wants to speak to her. Edward is dying in a hospital. Once best friend to Davenport, the architect of the rebuilding after The Slow, he has a secret he wants Hopper to find. He call it the truth and Hopper is on its trail. Unfortunately, others, including the government, want it too.
The world-building in The Last Day is impressive in its level of detail. It even explains how and why time zones were abolished after the Earth stopped rotating. Who can’t imagine the sending of prisoners through the streets of London to their almost certain deaths farming in the blistering hot Breadbasket? Calling it the Winnow is a brilliant public relations move. Let’s all pray that no one reads this book to Trump.
When mixing two genres, it is always difficult to get the pacing correct. This book has the languorous pacing of a big-new-world science fiction tale. It takes its time telling its story. Only in the last three chapters does the pacing speed up to a thriller’s pace. Judging by some of the other reviews, it appears this bothers some readers. However, if you don’t mind a slower pace, the book is a good choice for both science fiction and thriller fans. 4 stars!
Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.