The End of the World Running Club: The ultimate race against time post-apocalyptic thriller

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When two of the men betray them and abscond with their only vehicle, Ed decides to make the last several hundred miles by running. A vivid, gripping story of hope, long-distance running and how we break the limits of our own endurance, just lung-burstingly good".

A group of seven set out: three soldiers, who seem to take charge, and four men from very different backgrounds. Fortunately, however, for the story, if not for the characters experiencing it, things suddenly start to go wrong in all sorts of unexpected ways and, in a post-apocalyptic thriller, that's exactly what needs to happen to keep the story moving.Partially as a palate cleanser after the megathon that was Dragonbone Chair and partially because I found it quite engaging. Events from this point seem to lurch from one set-piece to another, with dull interludes breaking up the action. Before the meteors hit, and life was normal, Ed had admitted he'd been lazy — that his kids had been a valid justification in his mind not to have the time or energy to work out. Ein Briefträger aus dem australischen Outback und eine ehemalige Soldatin bringen ihre Fähigkeiten ins Team ein; die Gruppendynamik ähnelt einem verminten Gelände. You’ll spend time trapped in a cellar gasping for air and water and smelling the stink of your own body.

Vor der Katastrophe war Ed ein verbitterter, übergewichtiger Mann, ausgelaugt von Beruf, dem täglichen Pendeln und den Ansprüchen seiner Frau und seiner Kinder. I wasn't expecting a lot and have read quite a few books that could be described as similar, for example The Girl With All the Gifts, but this was different for two reasons. A normal fellow finds himself a country and an apocalypse away from his family, with time running out. Ein Jahr zuvor schon wurden von Astrophysikstudenten verdächtige Veränderungen in der Nähe eines Jupitermondes beobachtet.Of course, the extremes of human behaviour are exhibited: the group do their best to maintain decency, but there are those whose focus on their own survival leads them just one tiny step short of cannibalism. Edgar wasn’t the one I would pick to run across the country, but he ends up earning back some dignity as he travels and faces the obstacles. He isn't very likeable, and I struggled with his role as the hero of the story when he seemed anything but heroic. It’s made more noticeable though by the fact all the human threats they face come from either the working class or country folk. He faces a variety of challenges too, and it was these twists and turns that I found most interesting about the story.