I was really looking forward to this one after it got so much hype leading up to its release, but it just fell flat for me, unfortunately. The premise was unique and definitely interesting, it was a bit info-dumpy at the beginning (which is to be expected in a dystopian story), but then got super interesting about 1/4 of the way through. But then the story just went downhill about 3/4 of the way all the way until the end. It just felt a bit predictable and underwhelming. Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator does a wonderful job with the narration on this book! He’s clear and concise, has an English accent that’s easy to understand, and voices all the characters to perfection! The story itself was a very interesting concept. I enjoyed going along for the ride and trying to find the murderer all while making sure the entire society stayed intact. I would recommend if you like mysteries and dystopian!

I had some mixed feelings about The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but it was definitely a book that I couldn't put down, so I was hoping for another entertaining time from this author.

My main problem with this book was that the beginning was quite slow. For the first third of the book or so, I felt pretty bored. I get the necessity of establishing the village and the characters, but there wasn't enough tension to keep me interested. The omniscient narrator didn't help, either.

It takes until about 37% of the book for a sense of urgency to be introduced. Shortly thereafter, there's a major twist that both makes the plot far more interesting and also increases the pacing quite a bit.

Ultimately, this is a book that incorporates some fascinating science fiction concepts, and I enjoyed following Emory and her reconciliation with her estranged family through solving a murder. When the investigation actually gets going, the story flies by—especially at the end, when the tension feels like a screw being cranked tighter and tighter. I just would've liked the opening act to be condensed or told with more tension/dread so the pacing didn't feel quite so slow.

Regarding the audiobook, I found it a weird choice to have a male narrator when the omniscient AI who narrates the story is referred to by the characters as female. It's a strange choice, honestly.

Ambitious dystopian fiction with a complex mystery plot keeps the reader hooked.

At some point in the future, there's an island at the end of the world. Surrounding the land inhabited by 122 villagers and 3 scientists is a thick fog containing insects that destroyed everything within its path and the entire rest of the planet. Daily life on the island is simple and peaceful as the villagers work and sleep, performing any tasks delegated to them by the scientists whose leader is Neima. Every night they go to sleep promptly at curfew and exist only to provide service and self-sacrifice for their community.

Suddenly things fall apart when one of the scientists is found dead and their murder has caused the barrier holding back the fog to fail. Now on a tight deadline to solve the murder and prevent the fog from killing them all, a brave villager, Emory, who has always questioned everything about life on the island, is delegated to solve the mystery and prevent extinction of the inhabitants. The investigation is hampered by the fact that the security failsafe on the island has done a memory wipe and no one there can remember what they were doing the night before.

Even as the clock ticks and everyone seems to be running amok all over the island trying to figure out who did what to whom, the reader knows that somehow this is all going to be OK because otherwise this would be a really terrible story. The protagonist, Emory, is as courageous as expected and exhibits all the necessary smarts and talent to figure things out of course. So, in essence, this is a common enough plot with archetypes except that Emory and the villagers are different in a fundamental way to most heroes.

The reason this novel resonated with me is that it was quite a puzzle full of interesting twists and turns that kept me guessing. The island was full of technology that made the place and the events unique. The writing was excellent even though the big picture was quite complicated, and I had to reread some of it just to make sure I was following. The setting and the description of the island layout and buildings, etc. also made for a great backdrop to the story line. I kept thinking this would make a great movie.

I listened to the audiobook while also reading along with the e-book ARC provided by the publishers. I did not care for the narrator -- mostly because it was a male voice, and the main characters were primarily female and so it seemed totally out of place for the story. Plus, all the voices of the women sounded the same and done badly. I would think it wouldn't be that hard to get both a male and female narrator for an audio version of a book that would enhance the listening experience. I'm sort of new to the audiobook but I am finding more and more that the lack of dual (or more) voices creates an irritant. I finally put the audio aside and finished without it.

I wasn't sure if I would like this or not, but I totally did. I am looking forward to hearing what others think of it.

Such a unique book!! I was completely interested in this book because it kind of had a "hitchhikers guide"/Sherlock Holmes/sci-fi/dystopia feel with so many layers that come into light.
Since I listened to it I am going to speak about that. Tho it seemed to be in third person, it was actually first person because it came from the POV of an AI who is both in the minds of all the island's residents and well as externally. See? Very unique.

The mystery itself was very well crafted and enjoyable.

One critique I have is that I do believe that the audiobook could have benefited from having dual narrators

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A major flaw of this novel is the voice of the narrator and the "voices" of the other characters are difficult to distinguish. Unless a character is addressed by name, it's tough to tell who is involved in the conversation. The pacing was a bit off due to the unnecessary padding in the whodunit story. If the book focused more of the development of the wide breadth of characters instead of centering too long on the whodunit story, we would have time to become connected instead of just passing them off as background characters. The story and world building were fantastic, but it leaves you with more questions than answers.

The Last Murder at the End of the World has such a cool sci-fi mystery premise that I was very excited to read. It took me a few chapters to get used to the audiobook narrator, but I very much enjoyed his delivery and found it rather charming. It added a wonderful quirky layer to the story and its characters.

There were plenty of characters to keep track of, jumping views but mostly being told by the island’s AI, Abi. This had a very textbook whodunnit murder plot and due to the scientists meddling, no one was a reliable character which made the book that more mysterious (or confusing, depends how you look at it!). I really liked Emory and her daughter Clara, with their strained relationship, they stood out amongst the others.

I was super intrigued by the strange circumstances of the island and the event that caused the end of the world as we know it. I think that’s what kept me going in the book because it was a little too long. I enjoyed all the details we got about the characters and the relationships with their loved ones, it was a little reflective and existential, strange but entertaining. 3.5⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook review copy.

I could not finish this audiobook. The narration was a bit confusing. Each character had almost the same voice. Having men read women's roles can be off putting to me.

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

Thank you so much Sourcebooks Landmark, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the free audiobook.

Blurb:
An inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.

✨ My thoughts:
This book is WILD. It’s a murder mystery with a ton of twists and turns. I originally started this as a physical book but had a hard time getting into it so I ended up requesting the audiobook. The narration was great but the story still didn’t hit the way I thought it would, the story pacing was just off. This is my first Stuart Turton novel and I had really high hopes but unfortunately I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. What I did love though was the world building, it was done beautifully and really made for an immersive read. Maybe it was just my mood but I see it’s a huge hit for many readers! The Last Murder at the End of the World is out Tuesday 5/21/24!

Happy reading

Stuart Turton builds an interesting premise in “The Last Murder at the End of the World” — a post-apocalyptic world in which the characters are trying to solve a murder. Except, of course, the rules are different: we’re on an island that has fended off a world-destroying fog; the inhabitants are three elder scientists (all well over 150 years old who remember the pre-apocalyptic times), and over 100 “villagers” who toil to keep food on the tables and remaining machines still working (and they all neatly die at age 60). There’s also an omnipresent AI named Abi who communicates telepathically with everyone, subtly modifying their behavior to always be kind and less curious, modifying the villagers’ evolution into always obedient and meek people.

But when an elder is murdered, a “fail-safe” is triggered: she had pre-planned the death of her murderer in revenge — if she dies, the fog will envelop the island, killing everyone. The only apparent escape is to find the killer first and execute him/her. Only then will AI Abi stop the fog. But there’s a twist: everyone’s memory from the night of the killing was wiped, so even the killer doesn’t know they did it. It’s up to villagers like Emory (always way too questioning for the elders’ liking) and others with seeping memories to be the detectives, but detectives with limited resources since most of the elders were lying all the time.

I listened to the audiobook and the multiple third person POVs interspersed with the first person AI Abi’s telepathic storytelling was initially confusing. I eventually did get used to it and I wondered if the “Abi” parts were distinguished in print to aid the print reader. Yet, I was able to totally enjoy the story and it did remind me of the author’s previous “The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle”. The narrator, James Cameron Stewart, was great at narrating straight descriptive parts, but since the majority of the characters (including the AI) were female, I questioned why a female narrator wasn’t chosen. Stewarts’s high pitched voices representing the women were often annoying and cartoonish, distracting from the dialogue. Yet, this was a high concept, inventive, and original thriller. 4 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Within the opening paragraph, we meet someone with green flecks in their eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): So what if the pink flowers can attach to living things and drain them of their blood?

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC. Audiobook version. Narrator uses a British accent and several voices. This is a sci/fi or fantasy book about an apocalyptic world in which most of the planet was killed by a fog except for 122 people on an island. All good Sci Fi is a commentary on our society, and this is no exception. Who do you think installed the "voice" in your head? Your parents? Your ex? Organized religion? Television? All of us has an internal dialogue that comes from SOMEWHERE. What are the best ways for humanity to survive? Are all utopias destined for destruction? What actions are justified by being done for "the good of society"?

I do believe this would be easier to follow if I had done the digital version instead of listening. Some advice- keep a post-it note or notebook handy, and when a new character is named, jot their name down. There are many characters and easy to mistake for the other. All of them share an AI consciousness called Abby. When you think to yourself (as we often do) this Abby will respond to them and lead their consciousness in a way that advantages the "greater good" of the society. There is a murder 25% through the book, 7 people are dead, part of the book is a mystery. The world can eliminate memory pretty easily- by drinking a milkshake or something. So although everyone wakes up one day with 7 people dead, no one has any memory of it. As far as sci-fi goes, I found this very readable. It is simply harder to follow fantasy on audiobook, but this one can work if you pay attention to the character names. I listened twice, once on 1.25 speed and the second time on 2.0 speed. The second time through I picked up on a TON that I missed the first time. If you are trying to decide between audio and reading I think words would be superior. I loved the story, although the characters are a bit flat, the story is amazing and incredibly engaging.

I need to read this as a hard copy to fully understand what is happening. I had a hard time with characters as there was only one narrator and a lot going on. I will post my final review on good reads once I’ve read the physical or ebook copy. That said I love love love the other books by this author so my hopes are high!

I cannot for the life of me understand how the synopsis left out the most interesting parts of this post-apocalyptic murder mystery—no mention of the narrator being an artificial consciousness connected to every character or that the Death Fog appeared 90 years before OR that the scientists haven’t aged since then? And that’s before you get to the insane parts! I think the investigation part was a bit less engaging than in “The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle,” but the mystery was still compelling (and honestly, after listening to the whole thing in one go, I can’t say that there was anything I’d change)!

3.5 stars

This is a fascinating concept, and overall, the novel worked for me but not necessarily as much as I anticipated it would.

The setting is fantastic: a tiny island refuge in the midst of a world in which the environment has taken out the rest of civilization (so, if you're also accepting reality, here's a preview). For obvious reasons, this society functions in a way that focuses on keeping the inhabitants safe. When one of the three scientists is found murdered, chaos ensues. This is made more intriguing by a sudden (and explained) onset of widespread amnesia. This amnesia issue is an element that I both enjoyed and cursed at various points. I'll be curious to see where other reviewers land on this subject, especially.

This is my first novel by this author (I know, I know), and while I struggled with the pacing and amnesia, I enjoyed it overall and will consider digging into the back catalog and future efforts.

Set in a future where a mysterious fog wiped out nearly the entire population, this is a sci-fi heavy murder mystery about the one surviving island and what happens when an important member of the community turns up dead. This author has big brain energy and his books are always confusing, just usually in amore fun way. I was inhaling the majority of the book, then the last 30% didn’t stick the landing for me. Still fun and totally original.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio book.

I wanted to like this book--it sounded quirky--but the narrator's voice didn't work for me and I had trouble keeping track of all the characters. This one wasn't for me.

This is impossible to rate for me.

I've been so excited for this book that as soon as I saw it on NetGalley, I instantly requested it without really thinking and was approved shortly after I requested it. Had I thought it through a little more, I don't think I would have requested the audio. I think this is one of those books that I personally needed to physically read.

I could not keep the characters straight to save my life. I thought after a little while it would come together in my head, but it never did. I'm just as confused now as I was when I started.

I used to be sooooo into dystopian type novels, so I thought I'd love this, but the world building just wasn't there for me.

The narrator confused the crap out of me. Again, maybe it was because I was listening and not reading, but I had a really hard time with it.

It was just so long. It felt like I had listened to an hour and I'd look down at my phone and it had only been ten minutes.

Overall, I think I liked the idea more than the execution; this could be because it was the audio version and not the actual book, so I don't know that I can fairly give a rating. Because NetGalley requires it, I'll go in the middle with 3 stars.

In The Last Murder at the End of the World author Stuart Turton transports us to an island at the end of the world where a fog has destroyed the world as we know it leaving only 122 villagers and three scientists. However, when one of the scientists is found murdered and the security system that keeps the fog at bay starts to fail a countdown begins. A race to solve the murder and save what's left of the world.

The premise of The Last Murder at the End of the World was undeniably intriguing and the reason we decided to open it up in the first place. Turton creates a post-apocalyptic world that is eerie and unique. With nearly 100 years since the last murder, this sets up an investigation like no other. A murder investigation with extremely high states and limited time adds tension to an already tense world.

The story was innovative and full of twists and turns that even surprised us, but we found ourselves struggling to connect with Turton's characters. We could not emotionally invest in the outcome of most characters as they felt underdeveloped. This in addition to a few major plot points the felt rushed made it difficult to connect with the novel entirely.

Despite our personal reservations about character development and some plot hoes in The Last Murder at the End of the World, the ending was crazy and exciting. While this novel was not for us, Turton did a great job creating an interesting world from a unique premise. He does take risks and pushes boundaries which we can respect. If anything, Stuart Turton delivers on creativity and originality.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton offers a fresh take on a murder mystery adding elements of a post-apocalyptic world and unique storytelling, but ultimately his writing style was just not for us. While not for us, this book will be popular for a ton of people.

I actually quite liked this. It was nothing of what I was expecting, but still definitely within my wheelhouse.

This has a very Sherlock Holmes vibe in a sci-fi dystopia, with layers of secrets to uncover that affect every corner and facet of their very isolated lives.

The Writing:
Though it initially seems like third person present tense, it's actually written in first person from the POV of an omnipresent AI who exists both externally and within all the minds of the island's inhabitants.

The Plot:
I thought the mystery was well carried out and satisfying. There were enough clues laid out along the way for an observant reader to pick up on and piece together, but also it was well-explained if you just wanted to be along for the ride.

The Characters:
The characters were also more complex and interesting than in traditional Holmesian mysteries. We're plopped in among complex family dynamics, see old age deaths and new births, messy families with estrangement and relationships torn apart over the loss of a loved one. It's a tight knit community and I think it does a good job of building the vibe such that you really understand their day-to-day lives by the end.

Sci-Fi:
Well it'd be spoilers to dive in too deeply to this, but there's been a catastrophic event and while a lot of technology exists where they are, it's a fairly isolated setting. And there are more sci-fi elements than initially meet the eye, but I don't think it goes too deep such that it would be off-putting to someone who normally reads Contemporary.

Audiobook Notes:
The narrator has a British accent and does a competent job. Occasionally his voice for one of the female characters (I wanna say Thea?) was unpleasantly whiny, but otherwise quite good.

I'm unsure if Hui is supposed to be named like in Chinese (which would be pronounced 'hway'), but the narrator consistently pronounced it as 'HOO-ee' and I can't tell if this was an oversight (but it feels like one).

One other note is that occasionally the narration deviated slightly from the written book (I had a WS sprayed edge copy that I read from in tandem). Mostly it was that the audio would use proper nouns while the physical book would use "she" or other small variations like that. But toward the end there was a rather different interpretation as the audio sounded like: "I won't. Thank you, Abi" while the physical was written as: "I won't thank you, Abi." And that made me chuckle a little (I think the audio interpretation is probably what was meant).

This book is about a village on an island that is surrounded by a barrier that protects them from a deadly fog but soon one of the main 3 scientists dies which triggers a dead man's switch effectively disintegrating the barrier which means that the only way to have the barrier back is by figuring out who killed the scientist.

This book was both confusing and compelling. It started out in a very odd way and you really don't understand what's fully going on until the very last page but even then, I still have so many unanswered questions. This book dug deep into what happens when you don't have humanity and lie to people, along with a sort of doomsday situation.

The narrator in my opinion was sometimes reliable and sometimes not, due to the fact that the narrator is this thing called Abi which is this mental being that is in all the villagers' heads while also being its own entity. Abi causes a lot of secrets to be kept and perpetrates many of the events of this book.