And though I saw a twist coming, it happened to be one that I thought well reinforced a point being made. This, and the origins of the terrifying figures who try to destroy the “Talents”, are questions gradually answered in this ambitious dark fantasy, the first in a projected series. I'm a fan of this authors imaginative plotting and depth of character and would recommend to any fan of intelligent speculative fiction.

For six months his fiancée, Cara, has been working on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock, the private estate of millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley. As Ben begins to find his way around the island, he knows he must also work out - what has made Cara so determined to throw her old life away And is Sanctuary Rock truly another Eden - or a prospect of hell By the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Last Day, this high-concept thriller will intrigue and haunt you as you too work to find out what secret is buried on the island. Not only does he tap into the very real fears of our current climate crisis, highlighting how the divide between rich and poor could play out in the future, but he does so in a way that still feels unique.However, doubt still lingers, especially due to the continuing silence and absence of Cara, and the island clearly has other mysteries which also worry him. It was a little slower-paced than I felt it could have been, and some elements of the story fizzled out when I expected them to be more instrumental to the plot. By the Sunday Times best-selling author of The Last Day, this high-concept thriller will provoke and grip you from the very first moment. Set in a near future UKesque landscape, the last elephant has died (thanx, mankind), and the world is heading more towards the toilet than we believe it to be these days. And is Sanctuary Rock truly a second Eden, as the mysterious Sir John claims - or a prospect of hell?

But, compared to other dystopian works we’ve reviewed such as Hanna Jameson’s The Last, it just didn’t strike the same sort of punch enough for us to say we ‘ loved’ this book. As the time passes, Cara isn’t to be seen, and Ben, along with the billionaire’s daughter start to become suspicious about the almost cult-like atmosphere present on the island.The only question is what evil thing he's planning, but the small puzzle pieces the main character finds are not that compelling (plus he spends a good part of the book convincing himself that everything is fine and Pemberley is great). By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. The city is never named, neither even is the country, but it feels like it could be London, and therefore the country England. I finished reading The Last Day two days ago and, desperate for more reading of the same level, I downloaded The Sanctuary. The novel is set in a decaying world beset by floods and mass extinctions, where the wealthy live in protected villages designed by Pemberley, the man who now claims to have a plan to save the world.

And when he arrives in Sir John’s idyllic paradise, things spiral into a series of even more sinister twists and turns.I don’t rob them, I don’t damage anything… I’m more an unofficial house-sitter than an actual criminal.