Last Light

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. :)

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 . . .