Review: The Quiet At The End Of The World

Set in the future, Shen and Lowrie are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. 

This seemingly innocent flu like virus caused nosebleeds and created a population pandemic. Over 50 years later, the population has used all the frozen eggs stored in fertility clinics to keep the human race alive.

The stark reality is the human race is slowly dying. The world is no longer the vibrant home to a variety of cultures, instead London is now the only city that still operates and is home to humanity.

London is almost unrecognisable from the hustle and bustle city it once was; flooded tube lines, solar powered lifeguards patrol the Thames and emergency response drones fill the sky. 

Shen and Lowrie choose to spend their days as treasure hunters, combing through deserted homes, offices and tunnels. It’s in one of the disused tube tunnels that they discover an abandoned tube train and a person’s wallet.

Curious as to why the wallet was the only item left on the train, they use their talents and social media skills to find out all they can about the mysterious owner of the wallet – Maya Waverley.  What they discover is a timeline of events that lead up to the present day and reveal a hidden truth that can destroy their entire existence.

Revealed through social media posts, Shen and Lowrie discover how desperate people became to have children, even resorting to kidnapping them. All the schools were shut down, people became obsessed. Even to the point of creating a Babygrow app, where people could download the feelings of being pregnant and wear fake wombs –they would then give birth to a baby robot.

When their beloved family start to suffer from seizures, Shen and Lowrie fear the worse. But they slowly begin to realise that their family and friends are really robots and that they themselves are the only humans left. They soon discover the robots processing chips have been embedded with malware and they face certain death if no solution is found.

What will become of Shen and Lowrie, the last two humans left – can they save not only the human race but the robot race that represents everything they hold dear.

Lauren James has created a story that weaves the what ifs into a possible future reality and will leave you questioning what decisions the reader would make in the same situation.

Title: The Quiet At The End Of The World

Author: Lauren James

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd, $16.99
Publication Date: 1 March 2019

Format: Paperback
ISBN:  9781406375510
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult Fiction