I'm a reader who came to this book as a fan of Andrew Hunter Murray and specifically, the No Such Thing as a Fish podcast, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

The book ended up being a little bit mixed for me, but overall good. The premise of the story was clearly well-researched (I would have expected no less!) and the mystery of the book really propelled the story forward. The ending felt a little bit abrupt and not on as sure a footing as the rest of the story, but I was still engaged with what was going on.

I'd definitely read more from AHM.

The Last Day deserves to have more hype in the book community. The premise is super interesting.
In 2020 a dwarf star causes the earth to stop spinning. In one hemisphere the earth is in complete darkness with extremely cold temperatures and the other side full daylight with a terrible burning heat all the time. Now in 2059 Great Britain is the only remaining habitable place to live.
Ellen Hopper our protagonist is a scientist who is in the North Sea when some government officials take her to London where her old university teacher Thorne is dying in a hospital. Thorne leaves a clue for Hopper to uncover a secret that he's trying to hide from the government.
Without saying anything else in my opinion, the world-building is extremely interesting and brilliant. I recommend this to anyone who likes dystopian-thriller books.
I like it but I don't think it's a suitable book to read with everything that is happening in the world with the Covid 19.
3.5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this arc in exchange for an honest review

This book deals with a very interesting concept, the earth no longer rotating and becoming tied to the sun. While I was initially very engaged in the book, I felt that about halfway through it became predictable. As a result, it was difficult to stay interested. As a result, I struggled to get to the end.

Hmm… I am not sure about this I liked the premise enough having the planets rotation stop after an asteroid slows down the earth’s rotation. Where half the planet is frozen wasteland and the other half turning into a desert sounded so intriguing. The Last day is another thought provoking Dystopian and has some excellent worldbuilding but I also felt a little let down I found the characters to be adequate but not exactly memorable on the other hand the worldbuilding was great Ellen’s adventure on finding her professors secret was fun and exciting.
Overall, The Last Day has a lot going for its dystopian premise, but some things fell a little flat for me to make it seriously memorable.

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.

This book threw me for a loop when I first started it. The Covid-19 quarantine had just started in my state and I was feeling pretty shaky, then I start this novel. OMG! Am I reading about a pandemic post-apocalypse? I don’t think my heart can take it. Thankfully, the source of The Last Day’s troubles are climate related, which is far enough away from our present circumstances that I could continue reading without freaking myself out.

Funny how some people search out media that directly reflects the pandemic right now. I just don’t have the stomach for it at the moment.

Ok back to the book…

I say it was far enough away from our present circumstances, but the truth is it’s pretty darn close when you step back to look at it. The thing that really stood out for me in this book was the vast difference in how people of various socio-economic backgrounds fared. I mean, let’s be real … I have watched/read enough dystopia to know that if the zombies came, or the world ended I’d be in the first group that died. Can’t run fast enough, and not enough money to secure my spot on the ARK (see John Cusack in 2012). In this book, the lower class are pretty much just left on their own. Weren’t born in a rich family? Oh well, there’s always indentured servitude to fall back on. Weren’t born on the right side of the world? Hope you’ve got enough money to buy passage on one of the last boats to Europe. Yes it’s depressing, but as far as novels go, so very interesting.

Ellen Hopper is an excellent character. She is an introvert, who wants desperately to run away from the tragedy unfolding around her, but there is something about her personality that just won’t let her give up. I like that about her. I like a character who although conflicted, can’t quite let go of the better parts of her humanity. Like the kinds of people I admire most as we are dealing with this crisis today.

All that to say, the book gave me a lot to think about, while also providing an excellent read. Once I got into it … couldn’t put it down. Excellent choice.

By the way, the song I picked for this book is an odd one, I admit. But I couldn’t stop hearing it while I was reading. It has a melancholy to it that I think fits. A woman singing to their child about their “own faithful land.”

Song for this book: A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal (Noble Maiden Fair) – Brave Soundtrack

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book

Wow! What a super original premise!
The world has stopped spinning, so that leaves parts of the earth in darkness, and freezing cold temperatures, and other parts of the world in complete sunlight, and unbearably hot temperatures. There's an area where the conditions are just right for crops and farming, so that's where everybody tries to go. Humanity has all but died off due to living conditions and the state of the world, and after 30 years they're trying not to go extinct.

FirstLine ~ PROLOGUE - JUNE Two thirty a.m., and no signal yet.

This book was one of those books that causes you to think, really think about the things we tend not to think about day to day. I think this book really affected me because of the current state of the world. I thought what we were going though now was awful...but that is not the case when you compare it to the adventure of survival in The Last Day. I have always valued and marveled at sunsets and sunrises, but what if they were gone? In this environmental dystopia novel you will think about that and so much more! A book that will suck you in and not easily let you go. A must read for lovers of this genre.

An untethered dwarf star stopped Earth’s rotation about 30 years ago. There are no more dawns or sunsets. The lucky parts of Earth get to live in light and grow food. The other parts get to freeze. Great Britain is one of only a few habitable places left.. Scientist Ellen Hopper is studying ocean currents when she is summoned to the death bed of one of her former professors who has a secret to convey to her. Hopper spends the rest of the book trying to find out what that secret was.

The author has created both an imaginative post apocalyptic world and an entertaining political thriller. He gave a lot of thought to how the world would change after the last day, including the rearrangement of political alliances. Hopper was a realistic and appealing character. In an interview at the end of the audiobook, the author said that he is considering a sequel to this book. I’d like to read it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Holy moly, the premise of this book knocked my socks off! Due to plausible science, the world eventually comes to a complete stop. This took years and years for the earth’s spin to start slowing and one day, stop completely. Parts of the world is in full on daylight ALL. THE. TIME. This means hot hot hot. Parts of the world is in constant darkness, so freezing cold. There is an area that is the perfect temperature to grow crops and this is known as the Goldilocks section, where the breadbasket (viable farmland) sits.

After 30 years, the population of earth is decimated, and the rest are trying to make their way to the Goldilocks section (England, actually), but there’s not enough resources for those that are already there.

Ellen Hopper is a scientist trying to discover the truth of what the government is hiding.

I really wanted to love this book more than I did. To be completely honest, the Coronavirus pandemic started getting really serious about the time I started this and I had a hard time concentrating on reading anything. I honestly don’t know if it was the book, or real life getting in the way.

I didn’t like Hopper at all. And through the entire middle of the book, I kept tuning out. I think that was more the story. Yes, I was distracted by our real life pandemic, but I think I should have been able to concentrate at least somewhat more than I did.

I rated this 3.5 and bumped it up to 4 because the premise was so very cool.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Penguin Books for the advance copy!*

Nice world building here . A nice comfortable read setting the stage for more..maybe? It would be nice to see a sequel after just getting to know these characters. As a stand-alone, otherwise, it would be a bit of a disappointment.

Murray does a great job setting the tone in The Last Day, building a world trying to recover from a catastrophe years prior, with the grime of a dystopian future shading his prose. The book evokes the feeling of a world left to slowly crumble, as his protagonist struggles against the downtrodden acceptance of the situation of its inhabitants. Murray builds tension quite well, as you never are quite sure if Hopper will accomplish her goals, or who is entirely trustworthy (if anyone can be in this authoritarian society). The action, while sparse, feels the more real and vivid due to its scarcity; you're never expecting Hopper to suddenly become an action hero. I don't think there is a plan for a sequel, but I'd love to explore more of this world that Murray has expertly crafted.

This is a solid scifi thriller with good premise and well crafted characters. There are many helpful reviews out there already, so I'll just recommend it.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

I rather liked this book. The plot line was intriguing and the dystopian elements played out nicely. There was an updated, muted 1984 feel to the story. I also really like the ending, which seemed to leave space for a sequel.

The dystopian genre has become more and more popular as modern society has come to realize that technology does not hold the key to a perfect future. The Last Day explores a different approach to the future, , one which encompasses not just humanity, but the entire planet. In the not too distant future Earth’s rotation has been slowed, than stopped entirely, by what is termed a solar catastrophe. Picture if you can a world without a 24 hour cycle, divided between hours of daylight and night. Instead the earth itself is unchanging in its relationship to the sun. While still completing a yearly cycle around the sun, it no longer turns on its axis in a daily rotation. The result is a world half plunged in a nocturnal deep freeze while the other half has no relief from the fierce rays of the sun. A small band of geography remains with more temperate conditions and this includes Great Britain. While millions of people have died through starvation and the other natural disasters resulting from this upheaval, when this story opens the latest dangers arise from the leaders in London. While protecting their country they have systematically shut out refugees and consolidated power. The latest plan is to allow the remaining Americans to come under their control in exchange for American nuclear weapons.
The story centers on the personal story of a scientist who has been studying ocean currents on a rig in the middle of the Atlantic. Living in comparative isolation, she has managed to escape many of the hardships of living in this new harsh totalitarian society. She is brought back into the thick of things, however, when her former mentor at Oxford requests her presence at his deathbed. Reluctant to go, she is ordered back by the government in hopes of finding out what this dying scientist might relay to her. The story that follows is a a frantic search to uncover secrets, thwart government forces and hopefully find solutions for the basic astronomical disaster.
Reading this while the world of 2020 copes with a possible pandemic, and with countries closing their borders for a host of reasons, it is not difficult to take this story seriously. Frankly it hits so close to home that it is not escapist fare at all. It stands out because the main character is complicated and her decisions engage the reader. The inevitable questions that arise are thought provoking : How would I deal with the practical and ethical challenges presented when society is upended? And even more basic: Could this ever happen? This is a powerful story with no magical solutions. It will stay with you after you read the final page.

Based on the last day of sunlight, good story line and I liked the characters. Very interesting concept and how it effected humanity as well as earth.

This is an interesting end of world tale. I enjoyed the book. It has suspense and is able to keep you guessing.

What happens if the world literally stops spinning? Well, The Last Day posits that question, and ventures a guess at the aftermath. The scenario appealed to me at once, as I absolutely adore stories like this. I will say that for me, the one negative was that this focused less on rebuilding the world and more on a bit of a mystery at how/why/at whose hand the world was falling deeper into an abyss. As such, it lent to some draggier bits, at least for me personally.

Overall though, I quite enjoyed the story. The world-building was great; the author did a wonderful job incorporating knowledge of the whole Earth (not just England), while explaining gaps in the knowledge base of the characters. Honestly, it's what I beg for from every similar book and rarely get. Hopper.. she's bitter, jaded, and leery. And it makes complete sense for her to be such. She's lost her parents and lives fairly reclusively on a rig until an old college mentor seeks her out on his deathbed.

And sure, I wanted more rig (guess I'll just have to write that one myself!), but I loved seeing what was going on in London and its outskirts. At first glance, it seems somewhat close to "normal". But when you look deeper, things are not going great. People are starving, and there simply isn't enough arable land to support the population. And so, with a final clue from her mentor, Hopper goes off in search of answers. Can anyone be trusted? Can the world, humanity, be saved? These are the questions Hopper seeks to solve, and in doing so she'll find out exactly who she can- and more likely, can't- trust.

Bottom Line: While it has a few slower bits, I enjoyed Hopper's journey so much that I was eager to find the answers with her.

I read half of this, but it just wasn't holding my interest. It read like any other thriller and didn't do enough with its interesting scenario. I set it aside without finishing it.

This book started out with a bang, drawing me in from the first page. It was relatively quickly paced with enough to keep me entertained throughout and turning pages.

My main issue with the book was the characters. They seemed relatively flat and their responses to things just weren't very realistic. She watches her brother gunned down and feels very little, even smiles afterwards. It made it difficult to connect with her because she was almost robotic.

However, it is a minor complaint. The premise of the book and the action was enough to keep me interested, and I think it will appeal to anyone who enjoys apocalyptic fiction.