Wednesday, April 14, 2021

The Last Day

When you look up at the moon, you're always looking at the same side of it, as the moon rotates on itself at the same rate at which it orbits Earth. It didn't always do that, but eventually its rotation speed slowed down to match its orbit. On the other hand, Earth rotates on its own axis every 24 hours. The Last Day: A Novel is about what could happen one day should the Earth's rotation slow down to match its orbit of the sun.

The same side of Earth would constantly face the sun, leaving the dark side of the planet in a perennial ice age. Meanwhile, much of the bright side of the earth would be unbearably hot and desert-like. Only some parts of the planet are thus habitable, meaning humankind is in for some tough choices about how to allocate its scarce resources. The story is told through the main character as she tries to navigate the political landscape in this thriller.

I thought the book was fantastic. I read up on it to find more books by the author in case there were any sequels or prequels, because I would be interested in reading them. But alas, this was the author's debut book. Highly recommend!

1 comment:

juan said...

Saj,
I read the book because of your recommendation and very much liked it.
Thanks for writing about it!