Murray has so thoroughly thought through the ramifications of his conceit and conjured up such a dramatic plot and stellar cast of characters that he might have set a new standard for such tales ... Murray convincingly skims over dicey physics with the help of logic and bravado, not to mention the sociological changes he so persuasively envisions ... a tantalizing, suspenseful odyssey of frustration, deceit, treachery, torture, hope, despair and ingenious sleuthing ... Reminding us that the ills we focus on are sometimes the least likely to harm us, The Last Day joins an illustrious lineage of novels that shatters humanity’s security and complacency but proclaims that somehow the race will survive.
Suspension of disbelief is necessary for a lot of sci-fi books, and given Hunter Murray’s background, I’m sure his research was thorough. However, the science – especially given the fact that the central character, Ellen Hopper, is a scientist, could have been more explicitly defined ... The fundamental elements of the storyline are solid .... That being said, despite several of the promotional claims, The Last Day isn’t really a thriller. It’s slow paced, with the interspersed flashback chapters drip feeding information that probably could have been revealed in a more dramatic or climactic manner. Had there been no reference to it as a thriller, I probably would have enjoyed the pace more rather than waiting for it to pick up ... For a debut, this is a very solid piece of writing, with an interesting premise at its core. While there are a few issues with the pacing and execution, it’s an easy read with writing that at times is quite lovely. At the very least, this is a thought provoking read that encourages questions about who we are and what we are willing to do when the end of the world arrives, and we are offered a chance of survival.
Andrew Hunter Murray took an idea that sounds simple – the world stops turning – and spun it into a gripping novel about those with power and sunlight on their side keeping everyone else in the dark ... Hunter Murray does a superb job of creating the neglected London of the future, with hunger and hopelessness ravaging the population ...This post-apocalyptic series has plenty of daylight left to continue.
This is Murray’s first novel (he’s a writer for the British quiz show QI), and it is not only readable but also downright impossible to stop reading. The science is believable, the near-future world feels as real as our own, the characters are lively, and the plot is suspenseful. A near-perfect alternate-future thrille
Murray’s impressive eye for detail compensates for the scientifically preposterous premise of his debut ... Murray’s despairing characters are convincing and his descriptions of the broken Earth are vivid, but his apocalypse is too conceptually contrived to be believable. Readers will easily invest in Hopper’s mission, but will struggle to buy into Murray’s vision of the future.
In his fascinating debut, Murray has crafted something original out of the classic 'one person against a totalitarian government' trope. The world after the Stop is completely fleshed out and lived in, with explanations of how people eat, farm, work. The breakneck pace of Ellen’s trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities (and not always succeeding) makes for a fast read, with short chapters that propel the action forward. Ellen and David, her ex-husband, grew up post-Stop, so their interactions and personal issues grapple with what the world has become in interesting ways ... An interesting new twist on a post-apocalyptic tale.
