It was a day like any other. People setting out on the commute to work or taking the kids to school or chatting to their friends in the park. Normal. Routine. Nothing to mark it apart.
By lunchtime, everything they had ever known, every aspect of their lives, would be changed forever - marked by the most catastrophic series of global disasters to strike the planet in over 6000 years.
MANKIND STANDS AT THE GATES OF EXTINCTION
The world is being ripped apart by a great geological cataclysm. Cities crumble and entire continents disappear beneath the sea as earthquakes and mega-tsunamis lay waste to the land. For the human race there is no escape and nowhere to flee. Millions perish.
From the rubble, a disparate group of survivors emerge.
A school teacher hell-bent on finding his pregnant wife.
A scientist with the fate of the world in his hands.
The workforce of a power plant who fight to prevent a nuclear meltdown that would poison a nation for millennia.
While the politicians hide in their bunkers beneath London and Washington, these ordinary people will have to fight to stay alive in this new world, an existence blighted with violence, cruelty and death as they journey across a devastated landscape.
They must ask themselves profound questions about their own morality while humanity descends into chaos.
What would happy if the moon came closer to earth? This takes you through three people and their uses lives as devastating earthquakes impact the earth. It is not an easy story but I do like that these were real people dealing with the devastation. The science interlaced throughout made it even better.
I have always preferred UK based apocalyptic novels, John Wyndham and John Christopher are two old school top authors in this field as, generally speaking USA books in this field are fixated with guns. What I especially likes about this was you were told about the destructive nature of what has happened worldwide (not just in the one country), whilst also seeing it from the viewpoints of individuals in the UK and Netherlands. A few reviews not happy at the downbeat open ending but I have no complaints about that. Will there be a sequel? Who knows?
Mark Hobson certainly paints a deeply researched and graphic picture of a possible scenario for an Extinctions Level Event. I give him great points for thoroughness.
That being said, World Quake is not a book for the faint of heart, the melancholy or anyone on overload from present world events.
I was left with indelible images in my head and profoundly concerning worries for the existence of humankind. The outcome depicted in the book may not happen in my lifetime but, then again, who really knows?
When the moon orbit inexplicably shifts the Earth is faced with a disaster of Biblical proportions. The very ground itself ripped asunder all over the world. With everything from tsunani to nuclear meltdowns, those who survived the world Quake may very well come to envy the dead, Fans of James Herbert's Portent will love this.
Starting with a earthquake and ending with a volcano! What could be more exciting than that? Great characters , setting and details makes it a story worth reading!!
I like that this takes place in the UK for a change. I don't see that this is the start of a series (e.g. no Book 1 designation) and if so, the ending is rather weak. It just ends with one of the characters sadly remembering life before. Earthquakes are not unknown in that part of the world and I like the inclusion of the Doggerbank/Doggerland in the changes that occurred. The science behind why the moon shifted orbit is very vague and it is not good enough for the characters to lament that our knowledge of astrophysics is not sufficient to explain this. Come on! Very few things could really cause this and the most likely explanation of the Moon being hit by a large body that altered its orbit would not go unnoticed. No reason this would cause aurora either. I like most of the characters, though there is a lot of hooking up in the apocalypse. I was very disappointed in particular with Scott who allowed a lot of physical familiarity with Louise from the start and then could not help himself to cheat on his pregnant and missing wife. The explanation from Louise doesn't cut it. The writing it really good and the author has a very descriptive style which makes it easy to visualize what is being seen. I found it distressing to witness the destruction of Westminster Abbey and other iconic landmarks. The good writing bumped the problems with the science, the characters and the ending etc from a 3 to a 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading World Quake , an epic novel of a very real and relatable catastrophe. Although this catastrophe is caused by an experience (to my knowledge at least) ‘out of human control’, it did get me thinking about the relatable global warming events and potential consequences, and how this might pad out in the future of humanity.
I love love stories where each chapter is from the perspective of a different characters. I loved all of them and found each of their perspectives incredibly interesting. I’m more than impressed by the author’s ability to create so much detail. I found myself thinking - boy .. this guy is extremely clever! I learned loads and found myself googling to find out more - I had never even heard of Doggerland - fascinating!
My only disappointment with the ending was that it ended! Of course, all books have to end somewhere. Will there be a part 2? How do they continue their survival? What are the long term consequences of the quake? Im left wondering and hoping for more parts to their stories :-)
Thank you for an incredible read - very much enjoyed.
Without giving away spoilers, World Quake is quite simply an exciting and well written novel of a global disaster that threatens to eliminate mankind. Earth quakes and mega tsunami’s strike, killing many and causing chaos and hardship for those who are lucky enough to survive. The story moves through different character perspectives as they each fight for survival. The narration is excellent, both atmospheric, tense and full of realism. The author includes interesting facts at the end of the story which add to the whole credibility of the plot and the potential reality of such an event occurring. How would we cope?
The characters are highly credible and elicit emotional reactions from the reader including support and empathy, and at the opposite end of the spectrum, sheer horror and disgust. The plot moves forward at a gripping pace, and keeps the reader engaged. There is nothing to distract the reader from the story in fact most readers will struggle to not read this book in one sitting.
I am looking forward to reading Book 2 and I award 5 stars.
I picked up this book a couple of days before a short holiday in the Lake District, bizarrely in Bowness on the shores of Lake Windermere ! Made more interesting for me as I can relate to many of the places.
It's a fast paced book, not too many characters to keep tabs on, and the action is relentless, we are indeed on the cusp of an extinction level event, what with tsunamis, earthquakes and a shocking amount of destruction to the polar ice fields.
More public awareness is needed as to how we are buggering up our fragile earth.
I'd go as far to say that this book is on a par with Seveneves by Niall Stephenson as far as extinction level events.
The nuclear power plant at Whitehaven (aka Shitehaven) has always concerned me, so close to towns like Cockermouth, St Bee's and Maryport (aka Scaryport), there has already been a nuclear power event in recent history.
Read this book, WE ARE ALL DOOMED!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A scientist discovers that the moon is closer to the Earth than it should be but the news is covered up. (And no, it's not a hollow thing with weird stuff in it.)
That's one part that I had some questions about. There are so many amateur people with telescopes that there is no doubt many if not most of them would have figured out something is wrong and the word would have gotten out anyhow.
The result of the moon being closer is that earthquakes are being set off world-wide. One exampe is a school that ends up dropping into a sinkhole caused by the quake. England is almost totally destroyed. There's danger from nuclear reactors that could go out of control. Violence rises, religious fanatics get going and thing grimmer.
On an ordinary day when no one thought a world disaster would happen. At the same time, all across the world, a massive earthquake occurred; there was nowhere to run or hide, and if that didn't kill you, the Tsunamis would. It tells the story of people who beat the odds and live through it to survive. I would've given this five stars, but the story drags on very slowly in the book's second part, and there are too many characters to remember. Even though I like disaster books, this one took much longer to read. And what is with so many plots?
I love disaster books and I particularly loved World Quake. I didn't like the Scott and Louise get together. I actually got a bit anxious when she started her overtures in Windermere. My mind was racing forward to her being pregnant and his poor wife left alone or her or Alan telling his wife. None of that happened but it was in very poor taste. Apart from that, the story was excellent. The story notes at the end were really good it shocked me that we have near enough one earthquake a day in the UK. Five stars and highly recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Very well written by someone who must love Britain and Amsterdam. It was a real page turned or finger swiper. I unfortunately had to take a week long break from reading this, but I kept thinking about the story, wanting to get back to it. Earthquakes, Disasters, acts of Human kindness over shadowed by Human Nature at its worst. Tragedy, loss and Triumph. I sincerely hope it gets a sequel.
I love post apocalyptic survival thrillers so this book piqued my interest. I found the sprinkling of American English words and phrases a little annoying and distracting. I enjoyed the pace of the book and liked that it had different locations and events with their own plots that all tied in with the overall story. The ending was a little flat and disappointing.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Great story..twists I didn't expect. Some really intense moments..there were a couple of niggles - 2 lots of people randomly hooking up seemed a bit odd and unlikely I felt and the Prime Minister key to some events not actually making a real appearance and the casual disregard for life at the end on Iceland seemed at odds. That aside it was good fun.
I tried to read this book before but stopped after a couple of chapters thinking it wasn’t for me. However I tried again about a year later and read the book. I enjoyed it!
Lots of really interesting facts along with really good descriptions of what was happening and how. I could picture it all in my mind it had been written so well.
An action packed, fast paced disaster story well worth reading.
Our author obviously knows his history And thought through the plot carefully. An intense amount of research was involved in this literary gem. The characters are believable The plot twists plausible, a real page turner, it was hard to put down.
Well written. This is a great look into the way some people, if not most, deal with disaster. Only thing that I got a laugh at was the British vocabulary and spelling, I figured out it was a stream or brook. Also, how did he pump fuel with out power. Other than that, I liked it.
Straight into it for the reasons, and not long to wait until buildings and countries fall, just enough info on the reasons and then bang...let's go , Well written with good characters, straight on to the next one for me , say hi to the cats for me Mark .
Was wondering how this would end and I didn’t get my answer because there isn’t an ending. Still, if you read this, you know how it is gonna end for everyone and everything. I appreciated how Robson respects his readers enough to hopefully understand that.
Loved this disaster novel. It’s a relief to get one not set in the US. It’s well, written, researched and good characters with lots of action. But the ending? Let’s hope it’s not the end. Bring on volume 2…. Please
The book was quite fun to read. The sex parts were quite unnecessary and extraneous. There needs to be more in-depth about the characters. They were mostly developed, then their stories just ended. Ok to read.
There is disaster but there is also hope. The words create a visual disaster. The concept is so scary but I would wish to be with these guys who refuse to buckle and quit. The human spirit survives!
A solid post-apocalyptic novel with a difference, with a geological disaster rather than the usual virus / EMP / zombies. Author describes the natural and man-made devastation in great detail, very enjoyable read. But is there a sequel??
I was looking for a meaty series to get into but this book just isn’t as good as it could be. Interesting premise but lots of plot holes and shallow, un-likeable characters.
I was very pleasantly surprised by World Quake and may have lost a few hours of much-needed sleep just to finish it. I'm ready for Book 2 and eagerly already awaiting the third. Bring on the Apocalypse!
A well-researched story of the world changing beyond recognition. And two school teachers who leave the place where their homes once were to find loved ones and a place to make a new life