Review by Booklist Review
Defying easy classification, Turton's latest (after The Devil and the Dark Water, 2020) is a postapocalyptic sf/fantasy/murder mystery that's as imaginative as it is dazzling and mind-boggling. The world has ended in a black fog, killing everyone except for 200 souls, who now inhabit a remote island. The villagers, as they're known, live a basic life and work hard but are happy, cheerful, and loving. Ruled over by three elders and Abi, a sort of goddess who lives in their heads, the villagers have never known any other life. But when Niema, one of the elders, is brutally murdered, the islanders are left stunned and bewildered. One villager, Emory, who's always been rebellious, vows to find out who killed the much-loved Niema. Her quest leads her to discover dark and disturbing secrets, including the fact that the black fog which destroyed the world decades ago is creeping closer to the island and threatens to kill everyone there unless Emory can unravel the mystery of Niema's death. An extraordinary, thought-provoking book that will appeal to mystery and sf buffs and general-fiction fans looking for a unique and unforgettable read.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Turton (The Devil and the Dark Water) continues playing fast and loose with genre boundaries in this dazzling postapocalyptic thriller that blossoms into a race against time whodunit. A small island in the middle of the ocean has become the last refuge against the deadly, insect-filled fog that's been covering the globe for the past 90 years. The 122 villagers who live and work on the island rarely question their regulated way of life, the elder scientists who keep them safe, or the disembodied voice named Abi beamed into their heads to coax them to sleep each night when the curfew bell rings. When the violent death of a teacher named Niema triggers a 12-hour memory wipe on all of the island's residents, plus a fail-safe that will shut down the island's defenses in 38 hours unless her killer is identified, villager Emory, armed with a curiosity nearly all of her peers lack, sets out to investigate. In the process, she unravels distressing secrets about the origins and operations of her supposed paradise. Turton smartly fortifies his themes of freedom and control by utilizing Abi, a manipulative HAL 9000 figure, as a semi-omniscient narrator, and he drops in enough clues for mystery fans to stay half a step ahead of Emory's sleuthing without undercutting the impact of each reveal. This dystopian detective story fires on all cylinders. Agent: Harry Illingworth, DHH Literary. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
As with previous works, Turton once again blends genres in his latest (after The Devil and the Dark Water), mixing a near-future, postapocalyptic setting with a murder mystery. A fog has destroyed the entire world and all the living beings on it--except for on one island off the coast of Greece. On this island, 122 villagers and three elders live a self-sustaining, peaceful existence. Their lives are tightly controlled, but they're happy and don't have any concerns with how things are run. All except for Emory, who questions everything and struggles to find her purpose in the colony. When she wakes one morning to the murder of one of the residents and the imminent collapse of the barrier that protects their island, Emory is suddenly pressed into the role of investigator--and perhaps the savior to all. VERDICT Turton has created a complex world and characters in a page-turner centered on what it means to be human and whether those qualities are worth preserving. There is very real suspense as the clock runs down on Emory's investigation, plus true emotional depth in the struggles she and her fellow survivors face.--Jane Jorgenson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's doomsday eve on a small Greek island where the last post-apocalyptic community on earth will be destroyed unless a murdered scientist's secret research can be uncovered. The rest of the world ended 90 years ago, just as humankind was close to overcoming climate change. Now, a lethal black fog is approaching the island, where 122 villagers live peacefully, albeit with an unreliable female AI voice inside their heads. All but the rebellious woman Emory are content not to question geographical boundaries they are not allowed to cross or mysterious programming that can wipe their memories, make them fall asleep at 8:45 p.m. every night, and die at 60--a bum deal considering the extraordinarily long lives of the three elders, including Niema, the murder victim. A brilliant scientist who in another lifetime was awarded two Nobel Prizes and later devised the barrier blocking the fog, she was 173. Hours after announcing she would reveal hidden truths about the island and the extreme experiments she was conducting to safeguard its future, she was stabbed to death. Solving her murder is key to saving the island. Turton, who specializes in odd, raging conflicts in closed settings--a London manor in The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (2018); a cursed 17th-century ship in The Devil and the Dark Water (2020)--here takes on a bunch of big themes including the nature of existence and the value of life. H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau, without the monsters, comes to mind. Long and talky and light on characterizations, Turton's latest is a bit mechanical in the telling, perhaps owing to the AI's role as narrator. But it's a fresh twist on dystopian fiction with its share of surprises. "Don't go in the water" takes on new meaning in Turton's brainy thriller. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
