Last Light

Last Light #1

by Alex Scarrow

It begins on a very normal Monday morning. But in the space of only a few days, the world's oil supplies have been severed and at a horrifying pace things begin to unravel everywhere. This is no natural disaster; someone is behind this.

Oil engineer Andy Sutherland is stranded in Iraq with a company of British soldiers, desperate to find a way home, trapped as the very infrastructure of daily life begins to collapse around him. Back in Britain, his wife Jenny is stuck in Manchester, fighting desperately against the rising chaos to get back to their children; London as events begin to spiral out of control -- riots, raging fires, looting, rape, and murder. In the space of a week, London is transformed into an anarchic vision of hell.

Meanwhile, a mysterious man is tracking Andy's family. He'll silence anyone who can reveal the identities of those behind this global disaster. The people with a stranglehold on the future of civilization have flexed their muscles at other significant tipping points in history, and they are prepared to do anything to keep their secret -- and their power -- safe.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Crime

402 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

I live a nomadic existence with my wife Frances, and son Jacob. For now we're living in Norwich. I spent the first 10 years out of college in the music business chasing record deals and the next 12 years in the computer games business as a graphic artist and eventually a games designer. For those of you who like their computer games, here's some of the titles I've worked on:
Waterworld, Evolva, The Thing, Spartan, Gates of Troy, Legion Arena
Since signing up as an author with Orion, I seem to spend most of my time hunched over my laptop in various cafes and coffee bars sipping lattes, tapping keys and watching the ebb and flow of shoppers outside on the street. As I write this, I'm awaiting the launch of my next book - the sequel to , LAST LIGHT, and getting ready to find a publisher for the first book in a separate series, ELLIE QUIN. Ahead of me, lies research work for my next thriller, and also some screenplays I'm looking forward to writing. Although I'm glad to be where I am now, I do occasionally kick myself for not having succumbed to the writing bug much earlier. But then we all just muddle along through life, don't we? There's rarely a plan.
-Source: http://www.scarrow.co.uk/page9.html

Reviews

[Chris Horsefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as I expected it to be.
I took two things away from this read. First cut off the oil supply and civilization collapses awfully fast (nobrainer on that). Second ..thank god for the second amendment.

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This apocalyptic novel has a fascinating premise. One day the supply from the planet’s oil fields and the oil pipelines shuts down and as a result the world collapses into chaos. (In true H.G. Wells fashion, the book says ‘The World’ while concentrating on Britain and London – and a bit of Iraq). The roads are closed to conserve fuel, because there are no flights there is no more imported food which soon leads to riots in supermarkets and then on the streets, and man regresses and gives in to all his worse instincts. Scarrow handles this decline brilliantly, gradually building the terror of this new chaotic world order and really making it bite. Obviously it’s a premise that draws on more than a grain of fact, we are far too reliant on fossil fuel and should anything happen to our supply the future would be even bleaker than this books paints. Although people in Britain may be surprised to learn that in a post-apocalyptic world, it will still be possible to hide in a branch of Woolworths.

Where I had a problem was in the book’s decision to have a sinister cabal be behind it all. It’s a kind of a default conspiracy theory setting, that there’s always someone behind everything that happens. But does there always have to be a Mr. Big with an ill thought out plan? Isn’t it possible for man to just stumble into this chaos by himself? In fact, doesn’t that make the whole premise even scarier? This situation does not need malevolent intent bringing it about, it could just as easily come through a few accidents and miscalculations by stupid bloody mankind.

This book has a few other problems: there’s a hitman it doesn’t really know what to do with for most of the novel’s length; and would an eighteen year old girl really have a detailed memory of a couple of men in suits she glimpsed for mere moments a decade before? But in the main this is an exciting and properly thought provoking thriller.

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me really think and also kept me awake worrying about stockpiling tinned food! It's an excellent thriller that keeps you turning the pages long into the night. Nice short chapters and fast paced writing an excellent choice for those who are wondering what might happen when the oil runs out. I believe the author is working on a sequel so I look forward to that.

[Fiona Brichaut · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this down. And when I wasn't reading it, I was worrying about what "was happening" and if the various characters "would be ok". In other words, total suspension of disbelief as I spent a few days tied to the story.

Scarrow writes with an immediacy that had me gripping the book in a tight hot hold, hardly daring to breath. I had this book for a long time and was put off by the 1-star reviews but once I started I was hooked. I liked the main characters, I liked the way Scarrow wasn't afraid to kill off some good characters before they had much chance to develop (I found that realistic) and sometimes in dumb ways.

OK, so it's a page turner. Is it realistic? No, probably not. But it had me constantly wondering how my family and I would survive in a world out of control as described here. I lay awake at night picturing scenarios.

Oh, and I'm off to change to a power supplier that uses 100% renewable energy sources such as wind power. We are way too dependent on oil. OK, so the idea of some unknown powerful group orchestrating the whole thing is kind of silly, but hey, that's just a back story and not really the point of it all. It's just a device to pin the story on, and I'm ok with that. But the real fact of the world's total dependence on oil supplies that could be stopped within days or weeks is true and scary.

Or maybe I've been reading WAY too many apocalyptic novels lately and it's starting to make me paranoid. I'll just quickly read the sequel (I MUST find out what happens in the next one...) Then I'll definitely calm down with a few tai chi sessions and get back to my 19th century novels.

Like this review? Why not check out my book review site: BelEdit Book Reviews?

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mai bună decât mă așteptam!

[J.I. Thacker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unreadable: literally. I gave up on page 15. Yes, this was unfair on the book. But, I reasoned, books are not like cough medicine: you don't gag it down in hopes of a reward later on.

I've given it two stars rather than one, because my review is unfair. It probably gets better later. But I'll never know, will I?

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was... I don't know. So I am going to give stars and take stars as I write the review...Something. After reading dozens books dealing with apocalyptic and post apocalpytic scenarios I don't know what to think about this one.

The premises is simple. Due to the sabotage then shortage of the oil refinaries, the world is plunge to a dark age. Not the first writer to pursuit this scenario but it's not that common. (3 Stars for that)

The "whys" we learn as we skip the pages but it's only in the last thirty pages that we know why really this is happening. And I always enjoy a conspiracy theory (2 Stars) but then the writer tries to link that conspiracy group to the old days of the Revolution of America and such. Alright... Now you've gone to far (Minus 1 Star).

The Assassin Ash (1 Star), Andy (Minus 3 Stars), Rest of the family (couldn't care less). Why? Because each character is almost a hero. The Girl (lenora) who in the beginning only thought about his cute new conquest to a hero of the old greek ages. Andy who is in Iraq and is coming to his family. I truly hated this character. I really wanted to anyone to kill it. Thank the gods that Scarrow had the decency to kill him or else these book would receive 1 star total.

I enjoy seeing the world falling to chaos but it was too soon, too quick. I always thought that people are just animals and only have laws because otherwise we would do as we please and be worse than barbarians. We are children of the dark controlled by laws and costumes. Nice one Alex Scarrow. (1 Star for that)

I have the second book and I want to know where the author is going with this because the ending is after the all incident and people are just starting to recovery and to live a new dark age. And what happenened to the Twelve and the One Hundred and Sixty? Their plan worked. But can they rise like a phoenix from the ashes of civilization?

[Andy Gibb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bloody good read in that it ticks all the thriller boxes. In particular it rattles on at pace, introduces twists and keeps you guessing to the end. On the downside the production of the book seems rather rushed (maybe to beat real life?) with some untidy writing but it's all perfectly readable.

My focus is on whether it's believable, especially in the light of my own researches into peak oil and collapse. For that is the “what if” here and my answer is a qualified yes, despite a touch of over-dramatisation. The violence card gets overplayed and too early. One of the characters mentions Lord of the Flies and it's an apt yardstick. Golding's classic racks up the menace until it spills over into violence - more effective than starting at high pitch.

One slight plot hole concerns Jenny's journey, which doesn't make much geographic sense. Having the M1 erroneously running past Birmingham probably shows some confusion in the author's mind - good trainspotting by me though!

At the denouement I rather sided with the baddies: this poor old planet does needs a damn good cull of the human race – motivation for my own apocalyptic book really. It's schadenfreude on a grand scale in revenge for mankind's arrogance. Much better to get it out on the page than in real life, eh? Discuss.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye-opening, thrilling and intense.

I really enjoyed this one. I'm not a big book reader but I read the sequel to this book a few years back (I didn't know it was a sequal then) and the story had me hooked!

The book follows the Sutherland family through a time whereby life as we know it, takes a dramatic turn for the worst.

It's a story on what could happen if the world was to suddenly have no oil and how that then affects absolutely everything. The story is written in a way that it feels believable. I honestly started to worry that this could actually happen!

Without giving spoilers, there is a side story in the book which tries to explain why everything is happening, but I wasn't sold and actually found it a little boring. I much preferred the detail put into how life changes and how people start to adapt to life without power, running water, etc.

Really recommend giving this a read. The sequel 'After Light' is even better than this one. 👍👍👍👍

[Keith Currie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's no work of literature but it is a more than passable thriller on a fascinating topic - what would happen if the world's oil production was suddenly halted. Good things include the focus on the family split across the country and across the world as its members attempt to reunite against a background of a collapsing society; not so convincing is the conspiracy group responsible for the collapse in the first place and their shadowy hit-man, Ash. I enjoyed this undemanding, but thought-provoking read.

[Valérie Perreault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre qui fait grandement réfléchir sur nos habitudes de consommations et sur notre dépendance aux autres pays.
Un roman hatelant, impossible à lâcher!

[Dee Haddrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It is terrifying in its realism - you can honestly see this being our future. Can’t wait to read the next.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to post-apocalyptic novels, the ones I find I enjoy the most are the ones that are very real scenarios. Not that zombies or alien invasions aren't realistic scenarios (yep, I had to say that!), but natural disasters or man-made disasters such as the storyline of Last Light are the ones that scare me the most.

I first read Last Light in 2009 or 2010, but I've always wanted to go back and revisit it again, because as well as being entertaining, it's a book that carries a message - the dependency of the human race on oil is huge, and it's complicated. It's not something I give thought to often, but imagine if the oil supplies were suddenly cut off - would the world band together or would it descend into chaos?

Last Light focuses on one family, the Sutherlands, in the immediate aftermath of the destruction of the worlds' oil extraction and distribution process. Andy Sutherland is something of an alarmist, but the reasons behind his paranoia are actually justified - he knows just how precarious the world is in it's dependency and has no doubts on just how catastrophic the loss of oil would be.

Last Light is told through multiple perspectives, and this is where it lost me a little. Whilst the storyline of Andy in Iraq is vital to the story, it wasn't the part that I was particularly invested in - I liked the focus on the collapse of the British economy and infrastructure far more, and particularly the perspectives of Andy's wife, Jenny and daughter Leona as they witnessed the spiralling events first hand.

The characters all feel very real - the Sutherlands are normal, everyday people with normal, everyday problems and perspectives and that makes them incredibly likable and I was also able to sympathise with them as they tried to find each other whilst surviving some scary situations.

There are also mystery elements in Last Light that opens the appeal up to more readers than just the apocalypse lovers, and although it wasn't the type of storyline that I normally enjoy, it was an essential part of the story that I found very intriguing.

What Alex Scarrow does very well in Last Light is paint a picture of how a nation, and a world, could collapse so suddenly into chaos, and there are moments of real tension and terror as humans turn on each other for a bottle of water or a mouldy slice of bread. It's not always clear how events are going to turn out, and that makes Last Light an incredibly readable and scary book.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is a well thought out exposition of the implications of the Peak Oil theory, that modern society survives solely by the plentiful supply of oil. The drama occurs when this supply is suddenly cut off. The Middle East, South American and Nigerian supplies are stopped and it's a matter of days before civilisation starts to fall apart.
The story follows the Sutherland family, Andy, a Peak Oil bore currently working in Iraq, Jenny, stuck in Manchester and their children, Leona and Jacob, at University and boarding school respectively. What happens to them and the disintegration of life around them is interesting enough and, in the main, well presented. The fact that Andy may be the unwitting architect of the downfall, having written a report summing up the bottlenecks that can be used to cut off the world's oil, and an assassin sent to silence Leona, who accidentally saw some people who turn out to be members of a shadowy organisation called the Twelve. As it turns out they commissioned the report as a template for "saving" the world on their terms.
The Twelve, and their foot soldiers the 160, are a credible force behind the New World Order conspiracies, right up to the final scenes where the pudding is well and truly over egged, setting their roots in the 14th Century.
The story is gritty and not everybody gets out alive. The three older members of the Sutherland family are possibly over endowed with heroic traits, but for the story to end up where it was, they pretty much have to be. Andy, in particular, gets the Bruce Willis treatment.
The assassin is an unnecessary embellishment who's sole reason for existing is a few paragraphs of exposition late in the book. And upping the body count, which I mind less because what else is an assassin for?
The pace is pretty good, it seldom drags at all, although some may find chopping between the three main storylines confusing. There were some things that jarred, disturbed air made one or two appearances too many, mostly from near misses by firearms but at least once from a coat.

[Nik Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disaster novel published in 2007. It begins with a mystery in a New York hotel in 1999 and then moves to ‘the present’ where within the space of a week modern life as we know it crumbles.

Andy Sutherland is a civilian engineer in Iraq when the oil wells in the Middle East are destroyed. Virtually simultaneously, others round the world are hit. Back in London, Andy’s wife Jenny is in Manchester for a job interview while their daughter Leona is at university and their young son Jacob is at boarding school. Andy swiftly realises that the concerted attacks on the oil supply are the beginning of a massive global disaster He warns his family to get together and stockpile food and water before people realise what is about to hit them.

Scarrow manages to keep the pages turning, also introducing an added threat: his email to Leona was intercepted and links back to that time in the NY hotel… Leona had recognised someone then which now makes her a high risk for some very powerful people.

The chapters are short – all ninety of them – and inject pace and anticipation as law and order dissolves and society disintegrates. Pitched against rebel forces, Andy and his small contingent have to fight their way out of Iraq. He desperately needs to get to his family, while his family are left to contend with looters and rioters. There are many tense moments for all involved.

There’s a lot of swearing, probably appropriate, considering the individuals and the dilemma they face: a global oil shortage. There’s also a conspiracy involved, similar to that posited in the film Batman Begins (2005). Since the book was written, the UK’s reliance on imported oil has diminished slightly; wind turbine power is proving a good alternative and at least the US has since become self-sufficient with its massive shale oil business…

There is a sequel, After Light (2011).

[Francesco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vote: 3,50
Class: L-B1 (FP)

(First book of a duology; it can be read as a stand alone)

This book is conspiracy apocalyptic thriller; it has a well presented and credible scenario (a global oil supply cut off with its catastrophic consequencies) and a well told and fast pacing story. It reminded me of Marc Elsberg Blackout.
The only weak point maybe is that to many of the characters is given too little characterization amid the action packed story.

The world (3,50) is well described and the various war scenarios are almost (sadly) believable, and quite so the various reactions of the people to the catastrophic events (clearly are too accentuated, but is understandable).

The characters (3,25) are good ones even if little time is spent in giving them more depth. They're convincing and coherent but I wasn't really cought by them.

The story (4,00) has various threads, which come togheter in the end (a satisfying if not totally conclusive end). Very clear and original but not often surprising.

The writing style (3,75) is very good; always to the point.

I liked this book and I'll read the sequel soon.

[Robin Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book WILL be the thriller of the year, its a cover to cover gripping what if that will suck you in and leave you thinking, wondering and probably a hell of a lot scared about just how fragile our modern lifestyle really is.
I dare any of you to read this book and finish it with a clear concience about your carbon footprint, to not check the cupboards to see what food you have in and to wonder if leaving the city might be an ideas...those programmes about a better life in the country will not look so stupid to you anymore!!
(Parm)

[Jade17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mar 20 - I just finished reading a few chapters and I already want to stock my pantry with canned goods and barricade my door!

Mar 22 - I really enjoyed reading this book and I had nightmares the night I started reading it - I kept waking up and trying to remember how to survive if ever this situation happened. And I think at some point in our lives, maybe, it will.... And the catastrophic conditions that Scarrow described in his novel would be all too real.

[Gregoire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un (bon = plaisant à lire) livre sur les conséquences d'une brutale pénurie de pétrole
Un poil"too much" avec un goût prononcé pour les (très) grands effets à l'américaine et les stéréotypes
Lu en deux soirées Pas certain qu' il me reste en mémoire longtemps ; il m'a manqué une pointe d'originalité pour la 3e étoile mais certains lecteurs -moins passionnés que moi pour le thème -y trouveront certainement leur compte

[Jacob Salinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sobering but (and this is hard to do) completely entertaining book that paints a very possible picture of the complete societal breakdown that would occur if oil production was suddenly and permanently disrupted across the globe. The characters are identifiable and the story is absolutely gripping. This book scared the crap out of me!

[Dan Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book all of us should read. We all know the truth, but will not face up to it. We know it's going to happen and do nothing. I guess this is one of those instances where we know we probably won't be around to see it, but our children most likely will. It's a very important book, well written and difficult to put down. Read it and the next time you "gas up", think of Andy.

[1brotherbill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you think about going to the store and get some canned food. Maybe by a gun at the local sporting goods store. Maybe make you want to learn how to make soap or a pair of shoes. Honestly this book kind of scared me.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just in case... A frighteningly plausible apocalytic scenario that I find myself revisiting on a regular basis. Books like this make me think I should stock up on tinned goods and bottled water and maybe do some combat training...you never know!

[Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was bad, and it should feel bad. This terrible book reads like a conspiracy theorists craziest fantasies. It reeks of a lonely man SO SURE of his theories. So many times in the book the wife thought "if only I had listened to my crazy husband!"

[Pia Levinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ganske udmærket og nu køber jeg forsyninger og en gård langt ude i vildmarken med egen brønd, vindmølle og solenergi!

[Roman Slaboch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nejlepší postkatastrofický román, který jsem četl. Velmi dobře propracovaná myšlenka, na které je nejhorší to, že důsledky popisovaného kolapsu civilizace jsou až děsivě reálné.

[Barry McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this apocalyptic/eco thriller. Not particularly high brow but a great 'blockbuster' read!

[Julie Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Highlights how dependent society is on oil to keep civilization running. So what happens when the supply is interrupted? I'm surprised this book is not more popular.

[Paul Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thriller / novel about our dependence on oil produced in relatively few countries.

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

L’histoire est bien écrite et très prenante. Je suis un peu déçu pa la fin mais je n’en dis pas plus …