Cover Image: The End of the World Running Club

The End of the World Running Club

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Member Reviews

Honestly, I couldn't stand the whineing. I DNF'd this one. Sorry. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to try it.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.



I really enjoyed this book. It is set during an apocalyptic meteor strike on Great Britain and follows protagonist Edgar as he struggles to keep his family safe during the initial strike and later, tries to find them again after he is separated from them.

One of the things I liked most about this book is what a realistic, flawed character Edgar is. I appreciated the description of how weighed down he is by the pressures of middle-aged life and how even though he loves his family, he sometimes longs for time away from them. That is something which is easy to identify with after a year of homeschooling and lockdowns!

I thought the description of the meteor strike and the family sheltering in their cellar while they listen to people dying outside was horrific and really well written. The thought of being stuck in a cellar with a baby and a 3 year old for weeks is unimaginable!

I enjoyed Edgar’s relationships with the other people he travels with to search for his family, particularly the fond friendship with Australian Harvey.

I thought the ending was bittersweet and unpredictable. The book as a whole was thought provoking with a good balance of humour, horror and sentiment. Highly recommended.

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I'm a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, and this one certainly fit the bill. Give it a shot, you won't regret it.

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This is an interesting story about life, post-apocalyptic.
This story is unique and really brings a new perspective to an otherwise over-saturated genre. It was not what I expected but the writing was good and it was definitely worth the read.

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Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The End of the World Running Club. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Edgar Hill is a family man in name only, as he is often checked out when his wife and children need him most. After the end of the world comes, Edgar must find his inner strength and face his new reality head on.

This post-apocalyptic thriller was riveting, but not for the reasons that readers might expect. I read this novel well into the night, not being able to put it down. The End of the World Running Club is a completely realistic take on life after a major catastrophe, as each person must do what they need to make it through another day. The end of the world gives Edgar clarity and, as he finds his purpose, readers are taken on a journey through the harsh landscape. Edgar is a very real and honest character, with lifelike qualities that make him very endearing. It is hard to express the effect The End of the World Running Club had on me personally, but I can honestly say that the novel made me think and pulled at my heartstrings. I definitely recommend this novel to other readers and I look forward to more by author Adrian J. Walker in the future.

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Likely one of the BEST end of the world stories I have ever read. I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to read more of the Author Adrian Walker's books. He did an amazing job at allowing the reader to fall in the story, and essentially be a member of the End of The World Running Club. This story pushes you to think of how far YOU would go for your own family.

Never have I wanted a story to end so badly just to see how it all ends, and at the same time hated it when I came to the last page.

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I have read all of Walker's other books, and am continually impressed on how he is able to genre hop successfully. The End of the World Running Club is a great example of how to take a tired genre and turn it on its head.

The hero is an average Joe, and that is a good thing. He feels like you and me, so it helps build empathy. It's both an internal and an external struggled, both intertwining to create a satisfying read. So many novels in this genre are heavily plot-driven, which makes them feel empty at times. This, while there is a plot, isn't particularly unique, but that's ok. The setup is unique enough, and the character compelling enough to take you to the end.

Looking forward to his next book.

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Interesting plot, unique and different and overall nicely told but i wish this book would have been a bit more and deeper with its characters than it was. All in all it wasn't a bad read and if you enjoy end of the world as we know it stories this is a good one to try!

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I feel like this is a book where the blurb on the back of it lets it down. There is a depth to the prose that drew me in and kept me hooked.

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This book was well written, but mostly "okay" in terms of the plot... mainly for the fact that it didn't really bring anything new to the post-society landscape and felt like it covered no new ground, so to speak.

Watchers of The Walking Dead and readers of The Walking Dead graphic novels, Station Eleven, The Feed, and various other novels of this ilk won't find anything particularly new or different.

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Nothing really special got me wishing to finish the book. But the pace kept getting faster and in the end I was living the book. The reading experience is not consistent, though. I struggled to keep reading in the begining.

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I have to say that, as a runner, the title of this book was what immediately drew me in. And I'm glad it did, because this was a great story! I loved the dark humor in this book, and the plot twists kept me guessing. Also, I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic reads, and I thought this one was done very well. This was an incredibly intriguing story, and I was hooked from the start. The only thing I'm not sure how I feel about, even now, is the main character. On one hand, he was incredibly whiny and this was frustrating to read. On the other hand, he was determined and kept pushing through. So I'm torn on my feelings about him. But I think I would have preferred a less whiny MC, that's for sure.

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A totally different take on post-apocalyptic Earth, from the point of view of a Brit trying to reunite with his family by running from one end of the island to another in time to catch the last boat leaving the country. It's a quest tale, a redemption tale, and a long strange trip all in one.

You may or may not like the protagonist at various points in the story, but I doubt you'll forget this story after finishing it...it will linger on your mind as you reflect on your own life's truths (or fictions).

Recommended for fans of intelligent fiction.

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This was pretty good. I'm not much of a post-apocalyptic reader, so I think that's as near praise as I'm likely to get for something that's merit is not necessarily breakthrough literary writing. I had a little bit of "poor privileged white guy" fatigue, but I guess I generally felt he learned the lessons he needed to learn? Trying to avoid spoilers, I was kind of hoping for a different ending, but didn't hate the place the story was left.

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Life on earth has been decimated by a bombardment of meteors. Where cities once stood are now craters. Where civilization has survived, death, chaos, and lawlessness prevail. This could be the start of any number of post-apocalyptic movies or novels. So the challenge of writing in this genre is finding an original voice or twist. Adrian J. Walker does just that in The End of the World Running Club.



Edgar Hill gets a few things right in the face of impending doom: he gathers a few supplies, gets bottled water, and helps his family to safety in the cellar of their home. After a couple weeks of increasing misery, trapped in a tiny space with their small children, their own stench, and dwindling food and drink, they are rescued and relocated to an army base. While he and a few other civilian survivors are out foraging for supplies, helicopters come and ferry Edgar's family and others from the base to another base. Ed and his companions are left behind.



After waiting for a second flight which never comes, and fighting off other, more feral, survivors, Ed is left with little choice but to head to the coast in hopes of meeting the ships that will be taking survivors to points south. Automotive travel quickly becomes impossible, so they turn to the means of transportation available to them: running.



However, in order to reach the boats for their Christmas Day departure, they will have to cover more than thirty miles a day! With no other choice, they start running. It's painful, especially at first, and they face challenges and perils along the way. Hydration and caloric intake is tough, not to mention murderous thugs and autocratic warlords.



Ed has a history of failure and self-doubt that only motivates to move forward, find his family, and redeem himself. Ed's advice, after the grueling journey, applies to recreation and competitive ultrarunners, people running for survival and family, and everyone who faces life's challenges: "You choose the right option. Then you repeat that choice a hundred thousand times. You don't run thirty miles; you run a single step many times over."







Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

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I first picked this up a few months ago but just couldn't get into it. When an online running book club chose it for their book last month, I decided to give it another go. I'm so glad I did. An asteroid hits the town of Edinburgh Scotland and destroys everything within hundreds of miles around. The post-apocalyptic world is scary and it's every man, woman, and child for themselves. When Ed is separated from his family, he is forced to travel across the country on foot while he searches for them. His traveling companions decide the only way to move quickly is to run 20 miles per day. This is a story of survival and redemption when everything around you has changed.

My full review will be published January 19, 2018 on www.takinglongwayhome.com as the January book club selection.

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Walker writes seamlessly and smoothly, but that's about where the positives end for this overwrought, overly sentimental dystopian novel.

The world building is fine, but the protagonist is so deeply unlikeable that the story becomes difficult to slog through, he whines, he weeps, he wallows! Understandable given his circumstances, but the mood often doesn't match his actions and makes him less sympathetic to the reader.

There's not really anything new in terms of the dystopian concept here either, there are some notable plot holes, and the book drags badly as a result of being overlong and mired in the thoughts of a guy whose inner monologue just isn't worth examining.

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The first four chapters would make an amazing short story about an asteroid(s) impact on Earth. I rate those four chapters 5 out of 5. And then the rest of the book comes... and ruins the magic.

The world is scorched, people die, horribleness ensues, and through it all our annoying, whiny lead character (an overweight, disengaged father of 2) leads us on his painfully boring trek.
I'm actually not sure why I kept reading The End of the World Running Club to the end. So let's look at what was good and what was bad.

The 4 Great Things
1) Like I said the first four chapters are fantastic. I absolutely loved them. Read them and make up your own ending.

2) The title, The End of the World Running Club, is clever given where the book heads. I do appreciate the sarcasm and irony that is used throughout the world ending story.

3) I loved that the lead character is an average 30-something man, Edgar. A father to two small children, with a wife, a moderate house, and a job he goes to because he must. He's the archetype of the regular middle class Joe existing in a first world society.

4) The end is a perfect combination of victory and sadness. A way to resolve a story such as this without coming out too optimistic is difficult and I do appreciate that Adrian J. Walker resisted the urge to tie it all in a bow.

The 4 Awful Things
Are you ready for this? The four things that were great are also the same four things I hated. Let me explain:

1) It is so frustrating to read four chapters of brilliance and then wait for that magic during the last 3/4 of the book. Only to realize as you approach the end that his boring, annoying dribble of a story is all you're going to get after the amazing start. Makes the rest of the book feel worse than it probably is.

2) In most running clubs you, you know, run. While a small part of this book is certainly about running (and it's clear our author has experienced a runners wall, high and all the emotions and pains that come with it); the reality is it's really just your average the world went to hell the moment we lost amenities book. The attempted scary, philosophical mini side stories fall flat. It's so sad to me that Walker created a world where so many things could be done and instead there is no depth to these events.

3) Edgar is the most annoying man ever. He constantly complains, gives up and is really lucky to have people with smarts and perseverance around him. I guess while I think I want books about regular people in extraordinary situations maybe I'm totally deluding myself. Maybe I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy because I want exceptionally competent and capable characters..? All I know for certain is that Edgar made me want to throw him off a cliff; instead of cheering him up the cliff.

4) I am not a fan of a book that has you believe one premise throughout the entire book; only to throw that awry at the end. There was absolutely no reason for the moment of possible uncertainty that was written in. It's like it was put there because book clubs would salivate over it; not because it made sense to the story or added to the ending in any way. Additionally it felt forced and that is a huge pet peeve for me. Endings should make sense. There can be twists or reveals, of course, but they need to make sense and feel natural.

Just read Station Eleven instead
Maybe I've just read too many post apocalyptic books lately... or maybe I've just read the best of the best and now no one will ever measure up to Station Eleven (read it if you haven't; amazing piece of literature!). I was moved by Station Eleven, excited to tell everyone I knew about it and loved the side stories and philosophy. In this book the most moved I felt was to close the book and do something else.

Overall I'm not convinced that Edgar ever felt a genuine emotion towards anyone in his family, running club or whatnot. I'm not even sure he felt emotions about himself. When I should have been crying over events that happened I just felt 'meh'. When I should have felt joy and awe, I felt 'meh'. And when I should have been afraid for our characters and their safety I mostly wanted to cheer for the crazy people they were encountering because then maybe the story would end sooner. This just didn't do it for me. Call me out for being a hypocrite, I'm okay with that. Apparently a story about a boring person who barely feels emotions himself meant I just never had any emotions either (except ones that involved being frustrated and annoyed).

But seriously read the first four chapters and then imagine your own end; because they are brilliantly put together. And because the actually journey to the end is just a bunch of running, crazies and a whole mediocre mess of nothing.

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Unfortunately, this book went in to my did not finish bookshelf on goodreads. I gave it several attempts to try and read it but I just couldn't find the motivation to continue. I don't know if this is because the protagonist was absolutely awful! He did nothing but complain and moan about this that or the other and I really didn't care for him so therefore I didn't care about his adventures. I'd like to say that I would try and give this book a second chance in the future but I don't imagine it would get any better.

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Edgar “Ed” Hill is just going through the motions of his drudgery of a life, drinking too heavily and doing little to help his wife, Beth, care for their kids. The morning the asteroids strike the United Kingdom, he awakes with a hangover and tries to turn on the tv. Static. Slowly, he remembers the news warnings about the imminent asteroid strike but it’s too late to prepare. Thus begins a long journey for Ed as he tries to reunite with his family after a series of events, even if it means he has to run daily to do so.

Ed isn’t exactly the most likable character but he’s realistic as you probably know someone just like him. His journey character-wise is just as important as his physical journey as we delve into his mind during the catastrophic events. Ed is not a reliable narrator by any stretch of the imagination and that only heightens the uniqueness of the storyline as we question him at every step of the journey.

The secondary characters in THE END OF THE WORLD RUNNING CLUB are an intriguing bunch. I couldn’t help but like Bryce, even as I wanted to smack him at times. Grimes is another favorite and I wish her character had been developed just a tad more. I won’t spoil anything but be prepared to meet an odd assortment of individuals, some quite hideous.

And oh my, the world building in THE END OF THE WORLD RUNNING CLUB is very well done! Adrian J. Walker’s descriptions of the world we know scarred by the asteroids is heart wrenching but it is his depiction of the aftermath that stands out. I love that he includes little details that create a sense of realism in such a harsh, startling new scene.

I love post-apocalyptic stories so I couldn’t resist giving THE END OF THE WORLD RUNNING CLUB a try, despite my total aversion to running. And oh, what a pleasant surprise Adrian J. Walker has in store for readers! THE END OF THE WORLD RUNNING CLUB has the typical things you expect in a post-apocalyptic story (struggle for survival, society collapsing, etc) but Adrian J. Walker puts a unique spin on the events, making THE END OF THE WORLD RUNNING CLUB a great new addition to the genre!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

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