I really liked the beginning because Ed, the narrator, started at the end of the story with the description of three graves that he was thinking of digging up to prove his sanity. Or had he already lost it? He talked about beliefs and it set the book up for the potential to be a mirage. The whole beginning was absolutely wonderful as the asteroids occurred and then the family was trapped in the cellar. I felt like it went slowly downhill once Ed & Co started the journey. I leaped up the steps and through the kitchen, up the stairs and into Alice’s room. My heart thumped in my throat. Everything was eerily quiet after the noise. The dog had stopped. Alice had stopped. Man caves. Sheds, garages, studies, attics, cellars. Places for “men”—or at least their twenty-first- century equivalents—to hide. To tinker, potter, be creative, build things, hammer bits of wood, listen to the music that their families hate. Drink, smoke, look at pornography, masturbate. The subtext of the man cave, of course, is that men don’t want to spend any time with their families. For some reason this is perfectly acceptable; every man deserves his cave.

The End of the World Running Club by Adrian Walker The End of the World Running Club by Adrian Walker

Following on from The End of the World Running Club (which I haven't read) in which Ed Hill literally runs across the country to get to his wife Beth and their children, this book continues with the story but this time told from Beth's point of view. Männerhöhlen, Schuppen, Garagen, Arbeitszimmer, Dachböden, Hobbykeller. Orte, wo "Männer" - oder ihre Entsprechungen im 21. Jahrhundert - noch unter sich sein können." (S. 31)If you could only choose five things to save at the end of the world (not including food and water) what would they be and why?

The End of the World Running Club - Fantastic Fiction The End of the World Running Club - Fantastic Fiction

Alice’s bunnies went everywhere with her. In bed, in the car, on the sofa, at the table, at nursery. Everywhere. When she had a fall or when she was tired or when she was scared, they were her only source of comfort. My first book by Adrian J. Walker, and I was amazed at the swift pace this book moved. It started with a bang and never stopped its flow. Beth's desperation to get to her children caused fear to lodge in my throat. I could only marvel at the author's writing which showed me how a mother clawed and fought against all obstacles to get her children. The first four chapters would make an amazing short story about an asteroid(s) impact on Earth. I rate those four chapters 5 out of 5. And then the rest of the book comes... and ruins the magic. Will someone remind me why these two got married in the first place? I don't feel the love between them at all.A vivid, gripping story of hope, long-distance running and how we break the limits of our own endurance. I am still on my scifi binge and have not read a dystopian in a while. The End of the World Running Club hits all the right points for a dystopian but fell short over all for me and I'm blaming it on 1) the audio and 2) the ending. There was some overwriting but also some little gems of description gems “Josh glowered into the sullen sea”.