The Last by Hanna Jameson

The Last
by Hanna Jameson
Published by Penguin Viking (31 January 2019)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

BREAKING: Nuclear weapon detonates over Washington
BREAKING: London hit, thousands feared dead
BREAKING: Munich and Scotland hit. World leaders call for calm

Historian Jon Keller is on a trip to Switzerland when the world ends. As the lights go out on civilisation, he wishes he had a way of knowing whether his wife, Nadia, and their two daughters are still alive. More than anything, Jon wishes he hadn't ignored Nadia's last message. 

Twenty people remain in Jon's hotel. Far from the nearest city and walled in by towering trees, they wait, they survive.

Then one day, the body of a young girl is found. It's clear she has been murdered. Which means that someone in the hotel is a killer.

As paranoia descends, Jon decides to investigate. But how far is he willing to go in pursuit of justice? And what kind of justice can he hope for, when society as he knows it no longer exists?

My verdict
The Last is post-apocalyptic fiction, yet it's really a novel of the modern age - dystopian fiction that no longer seems so unbelievable.

Twenty people appear to be the last survivors of a global nuclear attack, holed up in a remote Swiss hotel after a work conference with no way of communicating with the outside world. Historian Jon is determined to log their last days and weeks, hoping that one day someone will find his notebooks. When he finds the body of a young girl, he suspects murder. But who is killer?

The Last is a dark, disturbing and thought-provoking read. Think The Walking Dead without zombies, with characters having to work together (or not!) to survive and unsure what lies outside their newly created comfort zone. The plot is fast-paced and tense, with a perfect mixture of action, mystery, survival and sense of bewilderment and paranoia, all in a claustrophobic setting.

The book is beautifully written, highly graphic and would translate well to the big (or little) screen. It prompted so many questions of 'what if?' and 'what would I do?' as I read, and the ending was chilling.  Highly recommended!

Author Catch Up: GX Todd

It's taken me a while to get to Defender and Hunted by GX Todd. I read the first book in January 2018 and have only just read the second book, which is being published later this month. It made sense to read them reasonably close together, as they are the first two books in a planned quartet. Here's my Author Catch up with a double review.

Defender and Hunted are the first two books in The Voices series. My suggestion is to read them as I have done - buy both and read them in succession, so then you don't need to recap on the story of the first one before you read the second. Obviously I then have to wait to read books three and four, as this is a quartet. BUT there is no way I could have waited until all four books were published to start reading this series!

Defender: Publisher's description

In a world where long drinks are in short supply, it's dangerous to listen to your inner voice.

Those who do, keep it quiet.

But one man listens to the voice in his head telling him to buy a lemonade from the girl sitting on a dusty road.

There is a reason why Pilgrim and Lacey must cross paths.

They just don't know it yet . . . 

#HearTheVoices 

Hunted: Publisher's description

The birds are flying. The birds are flocking. The birds sense the red skies are coming.

One man is driven by an inner voice that isn't his - this Other is chewing at his sanity like a jackal with a bone and has one purpose.

To find the voice hiding in the girl. 

She has no one to defend her now. 

But in an inn by the sea, a boy with no tongue and no voice gathers his warriors. Albus must find the girl, Lacey . . . before the Other does. 

And finish the work his sister Ruby began.

My verdict of both books
I enjoyed both Defender and Hunted, though they did provide a slightly different reading experience each time. The writing in both books is stunning, with descriptions that made me startle, grimace, laugh and cry. Author GX Todd left me feeling, tasting, hearing and seeing everything she described, vividly in my own head as if I had a voice in there too. The books are graphic, violent and bloody - so they are not always an easy read - but also compelling, gripping and heartbreaking. They are filled with hope and emotion, as people begin to build relationships, forge friendships and develop communities. The characters are real and convincing - ordinary people pitted against the dangers of a broken society, with an unknown force (or voices) in control.

In Defender, we're pulled into a world where some people can hear (and even talk to) their inner voice. We're introduced to Lacey, a girl on the cusp of adulthood, and Pilgrim, a mysterious man with a mysterious past and an inner voice with attitude. The book looks at the worst (and sometimes best) side of human nature, as people fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic setting. The world has been destroyed by human behaviour, triggered by voices in people's heads, leaving no leadership, authority figures or even organised society. The voices in The Defender are far more than a conscience - they are independent, with the power to lead you to kill yourself and others. Niggling at you, urging you, driving you crazy - with no escape. But it seems that not all voices are bad - and not all voices are equal.

Defender is compelling and addictive, with definite reminders of The Walking Dead, of which I am a huge fan. Straight away, we're introduced to the main characters through vivid descriptions, not just of their outward appearances but their inner thoughts too. I guess it helps when there's someone else inside their head for them to talk to - though not everyone has an inner voice. Defender is certainly an action-packed thriller, with each chapter reading like an episode of a TV series. And it left me hungry for more, so it was just as well I had Hunted waiting patiently on my Kindle.

Hunted follows on from Defender, with tension mounting as some of the original characters continue along their journey, running from danger and trying to keep those around them safe. They are being hunted by new characters, some good and some bad - though it's not actually clear which are which until later on in the book. No one knows where the voices have come from, why they exist or what they want. But it's clear that some, if not all, have their own agenda, leading the characters along a twisty, and often dangerous, path until they all converge.

Hunted wasn't what I expected at first, I'm not going to lie. It starts off with different characters to Defender, which left me somewhat confused, trying to keep track of them. It also started off at a slower pace, setting the scene and introducing each of the character groups in turn. Yet despite feeling a little lost, I ploughed on and eventually couldn't put this book down either, as the tension and action reached full throttle. As with Defender, Hunted is filled with amazing descriptive writing, with plenty of sadness, humour, shocks and surprises amid the darkness. Eventually old and new characters collided, with plenty of sparks and an explosive ending. While Hunted doesn't necessarily answer many questions or tie up many loose ends, some things started to make sense, though this then led to more questions circulating around in my head.

Defender and Hunted have definitely left me wanting more, and I could certainly hear my own 'inner voices' by the time I turned the final page! I can't wait for the next instalment in The Voices series!

Defender was published by Headline on 12 January 2017.
Hunted is being published by Headline on 31 May 2018.

Yesterday by Felicia Yap

Yesterday
By Felicia Yap
Published by Wildfire Books (10 August 2017)

Publisher's description

There are two types of people in the world: those who can only remember yesterday, and those who can also recall the day before.

You have just one lifeline to the past: your diary. Each night, you write down the things that matter. Each morning, your diary tells you where you were, who you loved and what you did.

Today, the police are at your door. They say that the body of your husband's mistress has been found in the River Cam. They think your husband killed her two days ago.

Can you trust the police? 
Can you trust your husband? 
Can you trust yourself?

My verdict
Yesterday is very different from the norm. It's a traditional murder mystery that's set in a dystopian society - a cross between fantasy and crime. A debut thriller that's sure to do well this summer and beyond.

In Yesterday, society is split into two tiers - monos and duos - based on their memory capacity (one day or two) as they grow up. Monos are deemed as inferior to duos and given more lowly jobs, yet many strive to improve their status. Everyone has to make sure their digital diaries are as in-depth as possible to 'remember' past events. Some memories can be learned and memorised as fact. The reliance on technology means it's easy to manipulate the past, creating 'false' memories and therefore 'false' facts. Not easy, then, if you're trying to investigate a murder.

The plot focuses on a rare mixed marriage, between duo Mark and mono Claire. When a woman is found dead, she has links to Mark. Can Claire trust her husband? On reading her own diary, can she even trust herself? And will Hans, the police officer investigating the crime, discover the truth?

The dystopian society isn't that dissimilar from our own, filled with prejudice, infidelity, secrets and lies. It's more a parallel society than an alternative one, with some clever references to companies and industry figures that we're all familiar with. I found this fascinating and would love to know more about how the society worked, in terms of structure and jobs and building personal and professional relationships.

Yesterday is a fascinating exploration into memory - how it shapes us, defines us and directs us - and also into social divide. The complex plot is an intriguing murder investigation, based mainly on diary entries and with several twists. The story alternates between four characters' points of view. I didn't particularly like any of the characters (Hans, the detective, was the most likeable for me), but then it's not easy to get to know them that well due to their limited memory spans. They can't really get to know each other that well either, which creates the tension and unease.

What made this book so different for me is the concept of investigating a murder when no one can remember much of the past. It's a perfect thriller for the big screen, with its high concept core and focus on technology. I reckon, like many of the bestselling psychological thrillers (Girl On A Train, Gone Girl, Before I Go To Sleep, to name just three), it will create much discussion among readers in years to come.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher.

The Fireman by Joe Hill

The Fireman
By Joe Hill
Published by Gollancz
Paperback - 19 January 2017

Publisher's description
Nobody knew where the virus came from. FOX News said it had been set loose by ISIS, using spores that had been invented by the Russians in the 1980s. MSNBC said sources indicated it might've been created by engineers at Halliburton and stolen by culty Christian types fixated on the Book of Revelation. CNN reported both sides. And while every TV station debated the cause, the world burnt.  Pregnant school nurse, HARPER GRAYSON, has seen lots of people burn on TV, but the first person she saw burn for real was in the playground behind her school. But when she realises she has become infected, she is determined to find a way to survive - at least long enough to see her child born. No matter what is left of the world for them to live in.

My verdict
Joe Hill is certainly a talented writer with plenty of imagination - not surprising when you realise his father is Stephen King.

The Fireman features great writing, sharp dialogue and a complex page-turning plot. A powerful fungal infection, causing people to burst into flames, is devastating the world. At the heart of the story is Harper Grayson, a pregnant nurse who is now infected and wants to keep living for the sake of her unborn child.

The book is a mix of horror, action, science fiction, dystopian thriller, mystery and romance, with more than a hint of zombie fiction (although the infected retain their sense of self). The author has put ordinary people in an extraordinary situation - and you, as the reader, see how they survive, cope and pull together as the world burns around them.

At 765 pages, The Fireman isn't a quick read - and it's also heavy in your hands. I did feel that there was some 'overwriting' here, slowing down the pace at times - some of the background narrative and irrelevant conversations could have been cut. I guessed certain twists too, although this didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Overall though, the book is emotionally charged, action-packed and filled with depth. There are many themes running through it, including hope, acceptance, fear, shame, love and a sense of belonging. Highly enjoyable - just make sure you give yourself plenty of reading time for this epic journey.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through Lovereading.

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

The Wolf Road
By Beth Lewis
Published by The Borough Press (23 March 2017)
ISBN: 978-0008145484

Publisher's description

Trapper was my family even though I didn’t know a sure thing about him… Trapper was the kind a’ family you choose for yourself, the kind that gets closer’n blood.

He was what I chose and I chose wrong.

Lost in the harsh forest as a child, Elka was taken in and raised by the man she calls Trapper, the solitary hunter who taught her all she knows. So when Elka sees the Wanted poster in town, her simple existence is shattered. Her Trapper – Kreagar Hallet – is wanted for murder. Even worse, Magistrate Lyon is hot on his trail, and she wants to talk to Elka.

As winter sets in, Elka flees into the vast wilderness, determined to find her real parents. But Lyon is never far behind, and she’s not the only one following Elka’s every move. Soon Elka must confront the darkest memories of her past- and end Trapper’s killing spree for good.

My verdict
The Wolf Road totally 'wowed' me, and not many books do that. It's intelligent and unique and filled with raw emotion.

Set in a post-apocalyptic Canada, after what seems to be a nuclear war, it's about a girl's epic journey searching for her parents, who abandoned her as a young child. While this is a dystopian novel, it also has a 'Western' feel to it and reads as a thriller in places too, with a mystery at its heart. Definitely a 'cross-genre' book.

The story is narrated in the first person, through the eyes of Elka - in her own language, her own voice, all of her thoughts, feelings and emotions spilling onto the page. A man (Trapper) rescued her after her grandmother died. He taught her how to hunt and survive in the harsh climate and stark surroundings, yet he never became a father to her, remaining distant and aloof over the years. When she discovers something terrible about him, she runs away, realising that maybe Trapper, and their life together, wasn't what it seemed.

The Wolf Road is about Elka discovering who she is and what she believes in and trying to make sense of her past and present. It's very dark, although there are some lighter moments. The writing is beautiful, with highly vivid descriptions of the wilds. This is a fight for survival in a place where food is scarce and danger lurks around each corner.

The Wolf Road is a book that will linger with you for days after finishing it - simply stunning!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through Lovereading.