The Last Day

The gripping must-read thriller by the Sunday Times bestselling author

By: Andrew Hunter Murray

Narrated by: Gemma Whelan

Brought to you by Penguin.

*Narrated by Gemma Whelan*

A WORLD HALF IN DARKNESS. A SECRET SHE MUST BRING TO LIGHT.

2059. The world has stopped turning.

One half suffers an endless frozen night; the other, nothing but burning sun.

Only in a slim twilit region between them can life survive.

In an isolationist Britain, scientist Ellen Hopper receives a letter from a dying man.

It contains a powerful and dangerous secret.

One that those in power will kill to conceal...
'A beautifully realised and thought-provoking thriller.' THE TIMES

'A taut, thrilling runaround' GUARDIAN

'Reminiscent of Robert Harris's high-concept conspiracy thrillers' FINANCIAL TIMES

© Andrew Hunter 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Critic reviews

I read this hungrily ... Its intelligence and bravura characterization will have you turning page after page. A fabulous achievement.

A brilliantly clever thriller from a brilliantly clever writer. (Richard Osman)

Murray should be commended for going into the nitty-gritty of how his post-disaster society functions[…] What really distinguishes the book, though, is the creative energy of its world-building: it demonstrates the virtue of using the future as a playground for the imagination rather than trying to second-guess it.

A taut, thrilling runaround... The Last Day is an impressive dystopian techno-thriller. Murray paints a grim picture of a draconian isolationist Britain, with some vivid descriptions of a much-changed London, and the novel’s climax has a neat twist.

A brilliant debutwhich blends apocalyptic drama with a tale of espionage, keeping readers on tenterhooks […] Fans of Robert Harris will love it.

A stunningly original thriller set in the world of tomorrow that will make you think about what’s happening today.

A fresh take on the dystopian thriller, to say it’s gripping is an understatement - I cancelled all my weekend plans to finish it

[A]n atmosphere reminiscent of PD James’s dystopian classic The Children of Men and alternative history thrillers such as Len Deighton’s SS-GB. As with those novels, The Last Day investigates the “boiled frog” nature of totalitarianism, with Hunter Murray imagining what Britain succumbing to it would look and feel like. The result is a beautifully realised and thought provoking-thriller.

Dark, believable and brilliantly written

A thrilling page-turner, and a reminder to treasure our sunsets and sunrises while we still have them. I couldn’t put this book down!

Great book, excellent performance

Great and gripping story about an original turn of events that dramatically change the course of history. Performed brilliantly.
It has been quite a while since I heard a better audiobook.

A fresh take on the end of the world

This book was lots of fun and very well read. Very easy to follow.

I started listening to it about a week before the events of the book start which was kinda weird.

I felt that the book ended very suddenly and I wonder are there going to be sequels? If there are, I'll be all in for them.

What a beautiful novel

I bought this book expecting a humorous take on the end of the world but it was so much more. I devour sci-fi novels and series of all shapes and sizes and this was so refreshing. An apocalypse that's not caused by climate change or a pandemic was a welcome respite from the daily news, even one that involves a fascist regime.

Great success as a first novel

Looking forward to a sequel. Very imaginative premise and well imagined world. Narration good too.

Surprisingly impressive

I initially started listening with apprehension as I really wanted it to be good and as a HUGE fan of Andrew Hunter Murray from Fish it seemed too good to be true that he is witty and amusing and fun And a good author. Well, its amazing. I do have a penchant for post apocalyptic fiction and this one is refreshing. I spent two lovely days either driving around or walking around with earphones with a seriously interesting and intelligent story with incredible narration. Generally this type of book is very Americacentric and solves the problems of the new world with either zombies or some certifiably insane gun nut. This is new and very interesting. The science makes sense and the heroine is relatable. I really hope that this is the start of a intelligent series as I have spent way too many credits on idiotic post apocalyptic renditions by American authors.