Customer Reviews

Last Light

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is actually three books in one. One aspect is the conspiracy surrounding the theory of Peak Oil, the second is the breakdown of society, and the third is the three individual journeys of family members as they attempt to re-unite in global mayhem. It was highly entertaining and a relatively fast read. I especially enjoyed the odyssey of Andy Sutherland from Iraq through Turkey back to London.

Sure, much of the action stretches credibility but the sequence of events that shutdowns global oil supplies is scary to consider. I was intrigued by how important communication is in any catastrophe given that Scarrow has the British Prime Minister multiply the panic by delivering a horrible press conference. Like many apocalyptic books, one must wonder how people would behave. Would we see people band together or, as most of this fiction suggests, would we quickly revert to savagery and 'everyone for themselves'?

I read this book for an escape and it delivered on that expectation. The ending was abrupt and slightly disjointed so as a result the book lost a star. Quite frankly, what happens next would make for an even more interesting book.

A gripping thriller which works so well because we know that some of the scenarios are all too true.

It doesn't matter which political party you support, we all know politicians can be economic with the truth or if they feel themselves or their job to be in jeopardy...lie through their teeth!
We (as a country) never seem to be prepared for anything, whether it's floods or snow in the winter or drought in the summer...for some reason it always seems to surprise the 'powers that be'.

As a nation we worry about crime...gang warfare, violence and lack of respect. we don't feel there is enough of a deterrent...how would we cope when there is no deterrent at all?!

Add to that our dependence on other countries for some of our most basic needs and our lack of survival skills and you begin to be glad this is just fiction!

It IS fiction and yes there are some stereotypes in the story but then stereotypes are that for a reason...there are always exceptions...and hopefully as people get to know other people those stereotypes are proved wrong - as in this case.
I liked how the characters developed enough to make me care about what happened to them yet didn't take over the story.

Recommended.

Alex Scarrow lives a nomadic existence with his wife Frances and his son Jacob, their current home being Norwich (you can`t get much more nomadic than that). When he left college he led an interesting life chasing record deals and the next 12 years in the computer games industry, which I suppose is the same kind of thing, chasing dreams and fantasy.

The author has spent a number of years researching an issue that affects us all. He has written a spine-chilling thriller that leaves the reader in no doubt, how fragile the human society has become and is now. It is only a nanosecond away from oblivion.

What leaves society teetering on the brink. The world's oil supplies. The book shows what could happen to society if these supplies were ever cut. It is of course a fictional novel but the story shows what could happen if somebody sabotaged the world's oil supplies. Oil a natural product that society has come to lean on so heavily. This is a terrific read and a really convincing story. Maybe, just maybe it could happen . . .

'Last Light' had the potential to be one of the scariest books that you'll ever read, but, unfortunately, due to Alex Scarrow's shortcomings as a writer, it never really fulfils its promise. It may be a hit with lovers of badly written disposable airport potboilers such as 'The Da Vinci Code', but I think even they will wince at the standard of some of the writing; some of the sentence construction and plot structuring is so laughably bad that, whilst reading it, I found myself wondering whether an editor or proof reader had actually cast an eye over the manuscript before it went to the presses. This is not to say that it isn't compulsive reading. It is. But connoisseurs of anything more literary than 'Heat' magazine will probably find themselves sucking their teeth and girding their loins on virtually every other page. Ostensibly, the plot concocts a scenario in which a devastating series of terrorist attacks on the world's major oil "chokepoints" cuts off global supply and effectively plunges humanity into a new dark age. In the midst of this, a civilian petrochemical engineer based in Iraq attempts to make his way home through the chaos in order to reunite with his disparate family in the UK. If the concept sounds like it has promise, let me assure you that its squandered. What could have been a plausibly chilling geosociological analysis of an oil addicted world "powering down" is sidelined in favour of laughable dialogue, paper-thin characters (including, implausibly, a cameo by 'The Apprentice UK's' Ruth Badger) and the non-revelation that everything which is occurring is actually part of a *YAWN* co-ordinated conspiracy perpetrated by the now ubiquitous group of *SNORE* Bilderberg avatars. In terms of action, there is very little. Those hoping to get their widescreen apocalyptic jollies in this book are really only treated to two extended sieges by Chavs and a bit of horsing about with firearms in Iraq. To tell the truth, the whole thing has the whiff of a masochistic 'Daily Mail' wet-dream about it - albeit one which is laughably written and rather mystifyingly sees fit to leave the now de rigeur 'ultimate assassin' character sitting alone in a flat in Guildford waiting for the majority of the novel. One day, someone will write a very good fictional speculative novel about the impending car crash that is peak oil, but rest assured - this isn't it.

Peak Oil is a certainty. The only debate is as to when it will occur (has occurred?). Did it happen in 2005, as a growing body of evidence seems to suggest, or will it happen in the near future? The most optimistic scenario points to 2030, a little over 20 years away, and yet there is a sore lack of extrapolative exploration, both fictional and non-fictional, of the world that awaits us in this coming post-growth era of dwindling resources.

I have been looking for fiction books on peak oil the past couple years; and the best I had found previously was S.M. Stirling's "Dies the Fire" - though not a peak oil book per say, it deals with a scenario where the properties of the universe are slightly altered decreasing the energetic properties of oil, gasoline & gunpowder (among others) to where internal combustion engines & guns stop working. It's a return to Norman era technology in which most become farmers and some "run the farmers" - not very realistic perhaps, but a good read nonetheless.

Into this void then steps Alex Scarrow, and the first real peak oil book. Reading the reviews at amazon.co.uk I was a bit skeptical at first about the decision to have the oil shortage forced by having external players orchestrate it, instead of say naturally letting the well depletion just happen. But this allows the whole book to take place during the brief period of a week, and this worked well to keep the pace. In fact, I finished the book in 2 days - I had to keep going as the story unfolded minute by minute in realtime.
As someone who's thought a little about peak oil and its consequences on society, I would highly recommend the book to other "peak oilers". I could immediately relate to the central character, his family and the discussions and decisions they go through - the 96 slaves-equivalent per person due to cheap oil energy, the thought of getting overrun by the starving hordes even if you prepare a safe-haven in the countryside etc... All the peak oil points are there in this book.

I could go on, but if you are concerned about the impact of peak oil on our cheap energy driven societies, Alex Scarrow has thought through the initial stages in a compelling story.

If peak oil is a new concept to you, read the book, it has just the right amount of facts and statistics to educate you while being entertained.

I thought Scarrow's first novel was okay and showed potential here he delivers on that potential and then some....
This is scary stuff, I have lost count of the thrillers I have read where the tag line suggests a chilling view of what could happen, but this struck me as being exactly that.
Imagine how long out society would survive if the oil stopped flowing? Well in this novel, an orchestrated series of events sets off civil war in the Middle East, and key sites are targeted with the result that the oil stops and in very short order, society breaks down.
The story is set around a family, an oil consultant caught out in the Middle East having to fight his way to safety with a small group of British troops, his wife caught in Manchester and trying to get south to their son and daughter, and the daughter trying to protect her brother from a society that has gone feral. The story whips through the three perspectives as the first days go by and they all try to find their way to safety and each-other. Against this backdrop is the conspiracy that has brought about the events and the sinister plans that a small group of people have.
This is scary stuff indeed and an absolute page turner. I hope this is not as realistic as it sounds, because if it is, we are in big trouble.

Looking at the other reviews, they seem to know what Peak Oil is. I read this book without knowing what it was. That didn't make a difference. This book will grab you quite early and make you want to keep reading to get to the end. Anyone who likes apocalyptic scenarios will love this book. After all, without oil, it's gonna be like.....well, I'll let the book tell you. :)

This is a very well written thriller. I read it in a one-night session, which is not usual for me any more. Mr. Scarrow's writing will grab you by the neck and draw you in - true, there are some hiccups, but the book and characters are gripping enough that you'll overlook them.

Also, the main characters aren't your usual thriller supermen and foxy ladies, but ordinary people, which makes the scenario so much more interesting.

Buy it. It's worth the wait.

When Andy Sutherland is commissioned to write a report on the world's oil supply and the consequences that might happen if oil becomes in short supply it becomes an all consuming passion. For the next 8 years Andy spends every waking moment to the detriment of his family worrying and thinking about a "Peak Oil" crisis. His marriage crumbles his children grow up and a once close family becomes dysfunctional.

Spring ahead 8 years, Andy is in Iraq on a commission for an oil company Leona the daughter is in college, Jenny the mom is preparing for a separation and divorce, by traveling to Manchester for a job interview and Jake is in prep school. As the plot evolves we learn that Leona has seen several of the men who commissioned Andy to write the report, men who are part of a cartel who want to control if not oil the world. As a series of events all over the world stop both the production of oil and its delivery the world begins to unravel.

The remainder of the book deals with the family's survival both from the oil shortage and its effects on society, but also surviving a contract killer sent to kill Leona the daughter because she can identify some of the men who are behind the chaos.

The book is well paced and has characters that are well developed and interesting. There are several sub-plots that add to the story and keep it from bogging down into just another Post-apocalyptic survival story. The book also sheds light on a Muslim view of what is happening in today's world.

The book was a very interesting read giving both sides of today's issue with oil producing countries and how dependant our society is on oil. A good read.

Have been reading a number of EOTWAWKI fiction recently.

In the genre, I have read:

1.) "How To" books posing as fiction and written by survivalists

2.) Books that offered up "Pollyanna" views on right versus wrong

3.) Books that through veiled fiction, cast aspersions on all religions other than that of the Author's own belief

4.) Stories so incredulous that I couldn't get through the first 50-pages

5.) Prose that was so disjointed it literally made me wince

It is of a breath of fresh air to read a novel in the genre that is actually written by an Author!

First and foremost, this is a story about a "shadowy group" that wants to cull the population of the world as an end result of disrupting the flow of oil.
The story revolves around a family that is split up in 3 directions (two centered in the UK and 1 in the Middle East trying to get home to the UK), the aforementioned "shadowy group" and a "Hit Man" employed by the "shadowy group".

The effect of the disruption in the flow of oil is almost immediately felt in the UK (who during the best of times only has a short term supply of distilled oil on hand).
It is important to note that there are very few "how to" elements contained within. Other than the father calling home and telling his daughter to stock up on canned goods. Also, there are not all that many places to run to in the UK.

Not that the story is perfect. The characterization of the "Hit Man" is a bit over the top.

There is a sequel, which while I have not read yet, is in my understanding, more of a survivalist type of novel.

Well written story and a good read.