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Pace
A mysterious Front, originating in Scotland and slowly expanding outward, threatens humanity's existence. In defiance of the known laws of physics, it only kills humans and is otherwise undetectable. Panic-stricken nations struggle against both the advancing menace and a tide of civil unrest. Desperate individuals must find their own paths, and find them quickly. Although very slow, the Front can be deceptively difficult to escape. Mankind has only a few years to pool its rapidly dwindling resources and save itself from extinction.
Amid growing chaos, the novel follows the choices made by a Glaswegian shopkeeper fleeing her rioting city, two National Guardsmen facing an impossible situation in the mountains of Colorado, a young girl whose family is disintegrating around her, and a desperate Chinese prisoner facing the unknown. A last ditch effort by a brilliant scientist and her inexperienced protege may represent humanity's only hope.
Through the lens of these lives, and a variety of other stories, essays, and TV transcripts, we experience a world struggling to come to grips with its impending mortality. Prisoners are sacrificed, governments bomb their own people to halt the waves of refugees, suicidal sports form, and life becomes a race for survival against the slowest but surest of enemies.
Amid growing chaos, the novel follows the choices made by a Glaswegian shopkeeper fleeing her rioting city, two National Guardsmen facing an impossible situation in the mountains of Colorado, a young girl whose family is disintegrating around her, and a desperate Chinese prisoner facing the unknown. A last ditch effort by a brilliant scientist and her inexperienced protege may represent humanity's only hope.
Through the lens of these lives, and a variety of other stories, essays, and TV transcripts, we experience a world struggling to come to grips with its impending mortality. Prisoners are sacrificed, governments bomb their own people to halt the waves of refugees, suicidal sports form, and life becomes a race for survival against the slowest but surest of enemies.
356 pages, Paperback
Published February 26, 2019
7 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Halpern
9 books8 followersK.M. Halpern holds a PhD in theoretical physics from MIT, has served as Managing Director at a major Wall Street firm, and is the author of two books of very short fiction. He lives in Cambridge, MA, where he currently is working on "The Protected," an epic centered around a seemingly indestructible woman.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 17, 2020
Horror in the singular is terrifying. En masse, more so. Horror in the form of an invisible, IMPLACABLE, inescapable, Mass Extinction Event? Maximal! The future of the human race-- isn't. The "Force" is moving around the globe (and beyond); and not a single human shall remain.
March 10, 2019
Fear the Front! I agree with Kirkus and loved this "pitch-black global thriller." Well-written, fast-paced. Reminded me a little of the Lars von Trier movie "Melancholia," only with a sense of humor. Would highly recommend this one.
January 21, 2020
Preface: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Explicit content: Some cursing, violent death
Recommended for: Fans of dark, contemporary science fiction/apocalypse series
This is by far the darkest book I've read in some time. It's also not a traditional story, with a beginning, middle, and end - rather, it's more of a long-form philosophical discussion spread across multiple POVs and timelines. No one individual is our protagonist, and none of their stories really end so much as stop. This isn't a criticism, by any means, but I want to be clear that if you go into this expecting typical action-y save-the-day apocalypse fiction, this ain't it.
This novel covers a lot of ground through a variety of characters, each one whose story takes place at a different point in the apocalyptic event (the Front). Each explores different pieces of humanity's downfall, from the beginning to the end. Again, most of these stories don't really end - they either just stop being told at some point, or the characters die. Other pieces of the novel take place in other mediums - several chapters are script s from different TV shows or speeches. These generally exist solely to discuss the philosophical implications of the Front - where it came from, why it happened, what it means for morality when everyone is doomed to die. These are interesting, but they take up a lot of pages, so if you're not interested in that, those parts will bore you.
Some of the POVs felt a little unnecessary. There's one about a marathon runner in whose entire chapter is about him running a marathon in an area where the Front is approaching, which goes about as well as you'd expect. This takes place in a single chapter, has no impact on the rest of the story, and feels almost comical because of how silly the set-up is and how brainless you'd have to be to partake in something like this. Similarly, there's another chapter of a guy in the desert trying to outpace the front. His car breaks down, he walks, he gets thirsty, he runs out of water, he almost throws himself off a cliff, he decides not to and waits for the Front to get him instead. Again, completely unrelated to anything else, and not particularly interesting.
There's also a lot of filler in some of the POVs, mostly because so much of them is based around each characters' thoughts and feelings. I found myself skimming huge chunks of Elise's sections, for example, because so much of her story is her trying to navigate various roads and byways in cities in the UK. I don't know anything about those roads or towns, so reading her trying to pick which way to go and all that was completely useless to me. Similarly, Lilly's POV has a ton of her philosophizing about her having mentally declared herself dead years ago as a means of coping with some personal failures. It's interesting enough, but her thoughts are fairly circular and repetitive, and led to me skipping paragraphs here and there just to get the story moving again.
I also have a problem with how some characters approach their fates. The Front is shown to be one of the most painful ways to die ever imagined. Your body literally decays and dissolves while you're still conscious. Yet, despite this, more than half of the characters that die on-page choose to let the Front kill them versus taking themselves out instead. I can actually only think of maybe 2 characters who choose a less painful way to die. We're never really given a rationale on why this is, versus painless mass suicides of some kind. I can't imagine anyone actually making this choice, and I would have liked more of the rationale behind it.
Overall, this is a mostly well-written but not particularly feel-good story. I would not recommend reading it if you're not in a good place yourself, as it is cripplingly depressing the whole way through. It can also be bloated at points, as we spend a lot of time on details and thoughts that don't really propel the narrative forward in a meaningful way. If slow-burn dark sci-fi sounds like you're cup of tea, though, you probably won't be disappointed.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Explicit content: Some cursing, violent death
Recommended for: Fans of dark, contemporary science fiction/apocalypse series
This is by far the darkest book I've read in some time. It's also not a traditional story, with a beginning, middle, and end - rather, it's more of a long-form philosophical discussion spread across multiple POVs and timelines. No one individual is our protagonist, and none of their stories really end so much as stop. This isn't a criticism, by any means, but I want to be clear that if you go into this expecting typical action-y save-the-day apocalypse fiction, this ain't it.
This novel covers a lot of ground through a variety of characters, each one whose story takes place at a different point in the apocalyptic event (the Front). Each explores different pieces of humanity's downfall, from the beginning to the end. Again, most of these stories don't really end - they either just stop being told at some point, or the characters die. Other pieces of the novel take place in other mediums - several chapters are script s from different TV shows or speeches. These generally exist solely to discuss the philosophical implications of the Front - where it came from, why it happened, what it means for morality when everyone is doomed to die. These are interesting, but they take up a lot of pages, so if you're not interested in that, those parts will bore you.
Some of the POVs felt a little unnecessary. There's one about a marathon runner in whose entire chapter is about him running a marathon in an area where the Front is approaching, which goes about as well as you'd expect. This takes place in a single chapter, has no impact on the rest of the story, and feels almost comical because of how silly the set-up is and how brainless you'd have to be to partake in something like this. Similarly, there's another chapter of a guy in the desert trying to outpace the front. His car breaks down, he walks, he gets thirsty, he runs out of water, he almost throws himself off a cliff, he decides not to and waits for the Front to get him instead. Again, completely unrelated to anything else, and not particularly interesting.
There's also a lot of filler in some of the POVs, mostly because so much of them is based around each characters' thoughts and feelings. I found myself skimming huge chunks of Elise's sections, for example, because so much of her story is her trying to navigate various roads and byways in cities in the UK. I don't know anything about those roads or towns, so reading her trying to pick which way to go and all that was completely useless to me. Similarly, Lilly's POV has a ton of her philosophizing about her having mentally declared herself dead years ago as a means of coping with some personal failures. It's interesting enough, but her thoughts are fairly circular and repetitive, and led to me skipping paragraphs here and there just to get the story moving again.
I also have a problem with how some characters approach their fates. The Front is shown to be one of the most painful ways to die ever imagined. Your body literally decays and dissolves while you're still conscious. Yet, despite this, more than half of the characters that die on-page choose to let the Front kill them versus taking themselves out instead. I can actually only think of maybe 2 characters who choose a less painful way to die. We're never really given a rationale on why this is, versus painless mass suicides of some kind. I can't imagine anyone actually making this choice, and I would have liked more of the rationale behind it.
Overall, this is a mostly well-written but not particularly feel-good story. I would not recommend reading it if you're not in a good place yourself, as it is cripplingly depressing the whole way through. It can also be bloated at points, as we spend a lot of time on details and thoughts that don't really propel the narrative forward in a meaningful way. If slow-burn dark sci-fi sounds like you're cup of tea, though, you probably won't be disappointed.
April 24, 2019
Surprisingly suspenseful
I found the concept of this book both interesting and a bit scary. It is different from other books I have read. The idea of death slowly coming to us all, region by region, with no way to prevent is a sobering one. To know you, everyone you know and don't, for that matter, will die a horribly painful death, that there is nowhere to go, no way to escape ... well it is scary to contemplate. This book will make you think what would I do, would I try to outrun it, would I stay, would I take my own life to avoid the pain? Those of us with families, near or far, those of us with children may be haunted by those thoughts. If you are easily upset by such notions you may want to think twice before reading this book - it is very affecting. It is well written, I think many scenarios, many viewpoints, many kinds of situations are covered and covered well. Each chapter relates a different geographic location and time frame but they are not consecutive. It may initially be confusing but you will settle in quickly. I read through this book quickly as there is a definite feeling of what next. It is a strange feeling knowing in advance the ultimate outcome but it does not take away from the pleasure of reading or from the suspense. I feel I should mention the author's info - what a fun and unique info page. I clicked on his link, something I have never done before, and was very glad I did. That convinced me I was about to read a talented author's work. I will stop by his site in the future just to see what else he has put there.
I found the concept of this book both interesting and a bit scary. It is different from other books I have read. The idea of death slowly coming to us all, region by region, with no way to prevent is a sobering one. To know you, everyone you know and don't, for that matter, will die a horribly painful death, that there is nowhere to go, no way to escape ... well it is scary to contemplate. This book will make you think what would I do, would I try to outrun it, would I stay, would I take my own life to avoid the pain? Those of us with families, near or far, those of us with children may be haunted by those thoughts. If you are easily upset by such notions you may want to think twice before reading this book - it is very affecting. It is well written, I think many scenarios, many viewpoints, many kinds of situations are covered and covered well. Each chapter relates a different geographic location and time frame but they are not consecutive. It may initially be confusing but you will settle in quickly. I read through this book quickly as there is a definite feeling of what next. It is a strange feeling knowing in advance the ultimate outcome but it does not take away from the pleasure of reading or from the suspense. I feel I should mention the author's info - what a fun and unique info page. I clicked on his link, something I have never done before, and was very glad I did. That convinced me I was about to read a talented author's work. I will stop by his site in the future just to see what else he has put there.
January 25, 2020
Basically this is an apocalyptic storyline where a mystery is killing humanity. There are a number of characters whose reactions to this threat are explored in depth. There's also some fantastic 'insights' into how governments and agencies would respond to such a crisis.
This is not a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It jumps about from person to person, exploring their individual tales.
I enjoyed the mystery of the crisis, keeping turning the page to find out more about this threat. However, rather than being a story about the apocalypse, this book focuses on the personal stories and never really answers the questions that I, as a reader, had generated.
I enjoyed this book even though I felt it left loose ends. I think those loose ends are left on purpose as they leave you thinking about the story after you've finished the last page.
I did feel that some issues were a bit drawn-out and I did scan through some sections as I didn't think they added to the story. However, I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this book.
This is not a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It jumps about from person to person, exploring their individual tales.
I enjoyed the mystery of the crisis, keeping turning the page to find out more about this threat. However, rather than being a story about the apocalypse, this book focuses on the personal stories and never really answers the questions that I, as a reader, had generated.
I enjoyed this book even though I felt it left loose ends. I think those loose ends are left on purpose as they leave you thinking about the story after you've finished the last page.
I did feel that some issues were a bit drawn-out and I did scan through some sections as I didn't think they added to the story. However, I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this book.
March 25, 2019
I was expecting more of a supernatural thriller, but it ended up being more about people's stories during humanity's last days. I really enjoyed the character depth which was both beautiful and tragic, but often found myself saying "Get to the point!" So much time was spent on the character development while the story stalls out and dosent seem to go anywhere. Some story lines were great and I wanted more, while others just seemed like filler. There just wasn't enough of a hook to keep me interested.
April 2, 2019
No Win Situation
This is a modern "On the Beach". A no win situation and the end is just a matter of time. But in Neville Shute's story the reader knows what's coming and why. I wish a little more of the what and why of The Front existed. Man could still have run out of time but would be making some logical attempt to survive by knowing something of his enemy.
This is a modern "On the Beach". A no win situation and the end is just a matter of time. But in Neville Shute's story the reader knows what's coming and why. I wish a little more of the what and why of The Front existed. Man could still have run out of time but would be making some logical attempt to survive by knowing something of his enemy.
January 16, 2020
3.75 stars?
The first half was really good, but the ending was a bit disappointing. The premise was realised well, but the last half of the book was a bit of a drag, also failing to wrap things up properly (in my opinion).
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The first half was really good, but the ending was a bit disappointing. The premise was realised well, but the last half of the book was a bit of a drag, also failing to wrap things up properly (in my opinion).
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 10, 2019
I tried this on a whim and wasn't sure what to expect. It's more contemplative than heavy on action, but I really liked it.
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June 4, 2019I received this copy in a Goodreads giveaway. Full review to come.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews