Andrew Hunter Murray’s post-apocalyptic thriller is set in a world where Earth’s spin has ground to a halt, leaving half the world suffering eternal frozen darkness, and the other half burning in constant sunlight.

When the world stops turning, Britain lands somewhere between the two extremes – a habitable zone where it’s perpetually mid-morning. The Last Day follows Ellen Hopper, a British scientist, fully immersed in her work, until she is summoned by her old tutor from his deathbed. She is entrusted with uncovering a dangerous and long-held secret, one the authoritarian government needs to be kept quiet if it’s to hold on to power.

The Last Day is a fascinating ‘what if’ story. Let’s stop the world spinning, what comes next? What happens to nature, the atmosphere, the oceans? The economy, communications, the movement of people, governments? How will families be impacted? How will the balance of power shift? Will countries still exist? What is it like to live in a world where the sun never rises or sets?

I was captivated following Ellen on her journey, exploring and interrogating each of these issues as she tries to uncover the truth.

I picked up The Last Day when I was up north for work pre-lockdown (it seems so long ago!) and I had some time before my train (remember being able to travel around the country?). I came out of Waterstones with these two shiny, new signed hardbacks from Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Hunter Murray. I’ve blogged about False Value previously here.