The End of the World Running Club

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. Ever watched one of those doomsdayer shows on tv where real people fervently prepare for the apocalypse of their choice? Well our main protagonist has, as a child, but is not prepared when things go awry for himself and the UK. Surviving the initial catastrophe alone was an accomplishment, but Edgar finds himself separated from his family and in the company of a few mad misfits must run the full length of Britain to find them again.
This book was ok. I liked all the British setting and details. I have read a few books of this type, almost exclusively so far set in America But I didn't like Edgar as a protagonist, nor his companions. The story didn't really ever grab me largely because of this. The book is about Edgar conquering his personal demons, but also about the lengths people will go to to survive..

It happens in a day, with only a few hours' warning: thousands and thousands of asteroids fall, most on the northern hemisphere. Anyone not underground is incinerated, as are most structures and living creatures. Huge tsunamis change coastlines. Near Edinburgh, Ed is one of the lucky few who has a basement, and he barricades his family there while the world burns. They are dug out after two weeks and live in a barracks with a few other families and some soldiers, but one day most are picked up by helicopter and flown to Cornwall, there to be shipped to the southern hemisphere as refugees. Ed and several others are out on a foraging trip and miss the evacuation, and they attempt to find their families by getting to Cornwall within a few weeks: a huge order with no working vehicles, no clear roadways, little food and water, and pockets of very scared and violent survivors. In the end, they decide to try to run the hundreds of miles to hopefully, and against all odds, arrive before the ships leave.

This motley group is comprised of a cross-section of humanity, not with professional athletes, so running, or even walking, for days on end is pure torture. As they move along, Ed narrates his own story and that of his companions', and we see how his mind copes with the fears and hallucinations brought on by starvation and panic. It's unclear until the last few pages whether anyone in the group will survive to become a refugee, and the end, which surprised me a bit, was perfect for this story. The characters are real and clearly drawn, and the action is realistic, frightening, and nerve-wracking. The only issue I had was with some overly-long descriptions of Ed's relationships with his wife and children, and with his tendency to criticize himself. A little of this kind of detail goes a long way, so at times I found myself skipping a few pages. But the impact of the entire story, including Ed's philosophizing with himself and with his companions (real and otherwise) more than makes up for this weakness, and I found myself greatly moved by the Ed's tale.

I love dystopian fiction. I love apocalyptic fiction. I love science fiction. I hate running.

I’m terrible at it. I genuinely sound like Darth Vader if I attempt to run more than about ten metres. Even when I used to be relatively athletic and play sport regularly, I still hated running. The last time I went running, I was overtaken by a spritely gentleman well into his sixties who gallantly asked me if I was OK. I wheezed a reply which he took to mean ‘yes’, which actually meant ‘OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE PLEASE CALL ME A CAB’.

That being the case, I was slightly worried when I picked up this book that it would be about trainers and lycra and joggers’ nipples. And although there was some running based banter, the majority of the book is about people, about relationships, and about overcoming our own flaws. It’s a really well paced read (HAHA I PUNNED DID YOU SEE IT?) and I devoured it in a couple of days. Initially, I thought it was a fun read. What I wasn’t expecting was that a week later I was still thinking about it.

Ed is an undoubtedly flawed character. He’s no hero. But then, are any of us? I know, personally, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, I’m not going to be the one leading a motley crew of survivors to safety, using only a lighter and a broken cat-toy as weapons. No, I’ll lose my glasses, fall over my laces, lose my rag with people when I get hungry, and probably get picked off from the group by some persistent zombie-cows.

And it’s the flaws in Ed’s character that are what makes this book great.

It’s what makes it real.

It’s the fact that you might not necessarily like Ed – he moans, he whinges, he doesn’t have the Instagram life we’re supposed to put out there.

And this book is about resetting, about working out what’s important.

And if you see parts of yourself in him, try not to wait for the next handy asteroid strike to give yourself a nudge in the right direction. Because that might involve a whole load of running and blisters on your feet.

Favourite line: “It wasn’t a return to a simpler life; it was a version of a simpler life. A version that replaced cholera, dysentery, freezing winters, lost harvests, frequent stillbirths, domestic violence and incest with underfloor heating, Sky Plus, solar panels and plump trust funds. It was just another decoration: wallpaper, not a return.”

Read if: You like apocalyptic fiction and are thinking about actually cashing in that voucher you got for gym membership at Christmas.

Read with: A massive piece of chocolate cake to make sure you’ve got the energy for that marathon you’re about to sign up for.

I had never heard of this book or author before running across The End of The World Running Club's description on NetGalley; when I did discover it I promptly requested to read it. Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review and thank you also to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to the author Adrian J Walker.

I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic tales and this one hit the spot for me despite the simplicity and lack of insightfulness overall. This was a straightforward tale of a group of men and a woman who had to run across their nation to get to the boats that will rescue them from their shattered homes, left useless after asteroids spent days pulverizing the planet.

The protagonist is Edgar, a 35-year-old disconnected husband, and father who sleeps and eats his life away, and almost slept through the apocalypse but managed to, at the last second, throw his family and a few poorly chosen supplies to last the two weeks in a cellar below their home. They were rescued on the verge of death only to be separated from each other when bunking in a military compound while Edgar, doing his best, was out on a supply run with other men from the compound.

Ed's journey to find his family is filled with action and adventure as the group meets other survivors along the way. The ending of the story is not at all what I expected and (I feel) is open to interpretation. I don't normally like that type of ending but I feel it worked well for The End of The World Running Club.

After reading this book by Adrian J Walker I do look forward to reading more work by him in the future.

This was quite a surprise - the blurb doesn't quite capture the spirit of this book. We don't begin with Edgar needing to get back to his family; in fact, we begin with them trapped in a cellar for two weeks. Events do eventually lead to this separation, and the "running club" that arises as a result.

Overall, I'd say my experience with this book is a mis-pairing between book and reader. Edgar is just so wrapped up in himself; this quest to find his way back to his wife and children isn't for them in the slightest. It almost comes across as a way for him to prove to himself that he really does want to find them. And while Edgar manages to push himself far further on this quest than he could have ever previously imagined, it doesn't feel like he develops as a person at all.

With the ambiguous ending, there's room for another book - I would check it out if there were, but it's likely not something I'd actually seek out.

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This is the post-apocalyptic tale takes place in Scotland and tells the story of man named Edgar Hill who has become complacent with his job, his children, his lifestyle and life in general. He drinks, eat things that are bad for his health and looks scornfully at those who watch what they eat, are engaged with their families and run for fitness which makes the title all more ironic. What happens is that hundreds if not thousands of meteors hit earth with no warning from the government. Everything is destroyed and he and his family only survive due to the fact that there small home has a cellar which the larger homes across the street do not. They barely have enough time to through down what canned food they have in the house and a case of bottled water he manages to loot from a nearby corner store, diapers for the baby and his daughters stuffed rabbits.
What follows is many days of rationing food, breaking open pipes and hoping there is enough water to last them a few more days when they are finally rescued by the remnants of the army that were in the area. They are brought to a holding facility where they spend several weeks trying to recover but soon they realize that they are running out of food and the men go into the cities to salvage what they can to survive.
While on a trek to the city they return to find out that helicopters from the coast have come and picked up all of their families and brought them to the coast where there are ships waiting to take them to less devastated areas. When they realize that they only have 3 weeks to cover 500 miles and the only way they can do that is to run all of the way there. They of course have many obstacles both physically and mentally to overcome to reach their goal.
I found the book fascinating, engaging and even though this feels like a stand alone book I was left wondering about Edgar Hill and where the path took him next.