A book of its time

The book was published in 1957 when there was a very real threat of nuclear war: this explains in large part why it seems so innocent and world-weary. If you accept this and do not try to put it into a modern context, then the blandness of the story is understandable and (more to the point) it becomes well worth listening to because Shute is, above all, a masterly storyteller.

The characters are well-drawn if a little caricatured in their stiff upper lip simplicity. Nonetheless, it is impossible not to feel for them and to feel a sense of real sadness as the inevitability of the ending approaches.

It is well and sensitively read and, even if this sort of book is not to everybody's taste, it is well worth listening to.

Can we have more Shute, please?

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5 people found this helpful

Good and different

Took me a little while to get into but once I did it was very good.

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1 person found this helpful

an excellent book, marred only by its own age

The trouble with this book is that it's old. Even though we're now in the true atomic age, it's a relic from the past, and in today's society it has no hook or frame of relevance.

You'd think that the fear of nuclear war would make it more relevant, but character behaviour is so different to modern society it's practically alien.

So - that's the bad stuff. If you can remember anything prior to the Cold War, or have a historical interest in a good book this is a read you should get.

If you replace every other word in the book with "resigned" and then every word that's left with "inevitability" you get the idea. Everybody knows they're doomed, and you know it too - but the way characters accept their fate and deal with it is fascinating. The race at the end is proper gung-ho adventure in its own right, and the sub's last trip is highly charged for both the crew and reader.

People should read or listen to this book, but need to get into the late 1950's mindset before they do so.

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Essential listening

I read this book probably 35y ago - and every part of it has stayed with me. The audio version is thoroughly gripping - a quietly told tale of Armageddon. Whether reading the book or listening to it, it makes me sob every time.
As with other Shute books, yes it is very 'of its time' and could be seen as dated and too 'stiff upper lip-ish'. Don't let that put you off - this book will stay in your memory for a very long time.

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26 people found this helpful

Dodgy narration

Thought provoking story with a range of characters attempts deal with the aftermath of a nuclear Holocaust. Each character has a different way of processing the present and the inevitable fact that they will all eventually die of radiation poisoning. It left be bereft at the end. The narrator was good on the whole but there were a couple of very dodgy accents, in particular Osbournes voice ( the scientist) and because he was quite a main character it became annoying. Also the owner of the hotel near the fishing lake was so like Dame Edna Everage!

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One of the best books ever written

They should teach this book in schools. It’s such a brilliant story. And very thought provoking.

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The End of The World

I found this to quickly become an audio book I couldn’t put down. Sobering and audacious when read in 2023.

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Excellent Audio Book

Dated now after we'll over half a century but still a powerful and disturbing novel. The narrator was excellent although I would have preferred an Australian, as most of the characters are Australian.

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Classic post apocalyptic book from a simpler time

it's clear the book was written in the late 50s before the hight of the cold war just before the Cuban missile crisis.
it paints a grim and foreboding picture of the aftermath of nuclear war.
The characters are well written and easy to empathize with if a little stereotypical of the time.
Listening to the book during the current pandemic and having wandered through the usually busy city streets (I'm a key worker) there are quite eerie similarities.
All in all very good and enjoyable

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Great but terrifying book. Think it was one reason leaders never pressed the nuclear button

I’ve read the book so many time since I was a lad and now after 45 years heard a great narrator bring the book to life. 10/10

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