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The Quiet at the End of the World
by
How far would you go to save those you love?
Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.
Their idyllic life is torn apart when a ...more
Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.
Their idyllic life is torn apart when a ...more
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I wrote this!!
March 2019 - The book is RELEASED!
I had a launch at Waterstones Piccadilly and you can watch 27 minutes of the panel here.
SFX magazine reviewed the book and gave it five stars! They said "A controlled yet elegantly light touch makes The Quiet at the End of the World a credible, hugely rewarding read."
Some things I've written about the book:
Research trips I took when writing the book
Writing playlist
Fancasting the characters
Where I got the idea
The science representati ...more
March 2019 - The book is RELEASED!
I had a launch at Waterstones Piccadilly and you can watch 27 minutes of the panel here.
SFX magazine reviewed the book and gave it five stars! They said "A controlled yet elegantly light touch makes The Quiet at the End of the World a credible, hugely rewarding read."
Some things I've written about the book:
Research trips I took when writing the book
Writing playlist
Fancasting the characters
Where I got the idea
The science representati ...more
THIS WAS SO GOOD!
Diversity - A+ (the MC is bisexual, the love interest is Chinese/British with a hearing impairment and there's a trans character!)
pLOT TWISTS - you're going to have to pick your jaw up off the ground (i'm still searching for mine)
the ROMANCE - absolutely SWOON-WORTHY
the message - so WHOLESOME
that's it... that's the review... you should check it out XD
Thanks to Walker for the review copy! ...more
Diversity - A+ (the MC is bisexual, the love interest is Chinese/British with a hearing impairment and there's a trans character!)
pLOT TWISTS - you're going to have to pick your jaw up off the ground (i'm still searching for mine)
the ROMANCE - absolutely SWOON-WORTHY
the message - so WHOLESOME
that's it... that's the review... you should check it out XD
Thanks to Walker for the review copy! ...more
Lauren's newest book is a deeply human story about a 'soft apocalypse' - what happens when humans stop being able to reproduce and you have to slowly watch your entire species go extinct as you grow up? Beautiful, melancholic, and hopeful - this is a perfect book for the dark times we currently live in. 'The Quiet at the End of the World' will give you faith in humanity again.
...more
"I've been thinking about extinction..."
Haven't we all, honey? It' hard not to in this economy.
The Quiet at the End of the World is what you would call a feelgood dystopia. It's a little like a contemporary novel set in the future. It's a win-win situation, all the good stuff in just one book. The story is set in London, where the last humans on earth have formed a community to raise Lowrie and Shen, the last living teenagers. While the city is crumbling around them, they are trying to find a cu ...more
Haven't we all, honey? It' hard not to in this economy.
The Quiet at the End of the World is what you would call a feelgood dystopia. It's a little like a contemporary novel set in the future. It's a win-win situation, all the good stuff in just one book. The story is set in London, where the last humans on earth have formed a community to raise Lowrie and Shen, the last living teenagers. While the city is crumbling around them, they are trying to find a cu ...more
Jun 20, 2018
Elle (ellexamines)
marked it as tbz
2014 Lauren James: who are you
2018 Lauren James: I'm you but fucked up ...more
2018 Lauren James: I'm you but fucked up ...more
Book Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
Teenagers Lowrie and Shen are the youngest humans left on earth. In February 2024 the population of the world was infected with a virus that made them all infertile. The only humans that were conceived after this date were from eggs frozen at fertility clinics.
Now in the year 2109 and with the population of the world so small the last people have all congregated in central London, UK, to form there own little family and to protect the last two ...more
Teenagers Lowrie and Shen are the youngest humans left on earth. In February 2024 the population of the world was infected with a virus that made them all infertile. The only humans that were conceived after this date were from eggs frozen at fertility clinics.
Now in the year 2109 and with the population of the world so small the last people have all congregated in central London, UK, to form there own little family and to protect the last two ...more
Note to self: Do not read a book on a bus, gasp loudly like a goldfish at response to a plot twist otherwise you get an array of confused stares!
That is what happened when I dived into Lauren's latest release. A YA Sci-Fi novel set in the future, in the heart of London. At this point, two young friends Lowrie and Shen are the youngest humans left alive on Earth. This was due to a serious virus that caused high levels of global infertility. They both love digging up drains for artefacts, until th ...more
That is what happened when I dived into Lauren's latest release. A YA Sci-Fi novel set in the future, in the heart of London. At this point, two young friends Lowrie and Shen are the youngest humans left alive on Earth. This was due to a serious virus that caused high levels of global infertility. They both love digging up drains for artefacts, until th ...more
My favourite book of 2018, The Quiet at the End of the World is the stunning new book from Lauren James. I've loved all of her books so far, but I think this is my favourite -- Lowrie and Shen are two of the most loveable characters you could wish to meet, and I had a very big soft-spot for Mitch.
Even though I've come to expect huge twists in Lauren's books, I never seem to be able to guess them, and have to put the book down to take a big breather -- she never fails to shock me (in a good way!! ...more
Even though I've come to expect huge twists in Lauren's books, I never seem to be able to guess them, and have to put the book down to take a big breather -- she never fails to shock me (in a good way!! ...more
Well, this was a really quiet book...
[RTC]
[RTC]
A nice book about finding out what is meaningful to you and what it means to be human.
Some of the themes explored are similar to those in James' previous book, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, where Romy copes with living alone on a ship in deep space. Here, the main character has grown up knowing that, after the small community of older people she lives in die, she and her friend Shen are going to be the last two humans on Earth, watching as humanity winds down to a close.
Lowrie and Shen ar ...more
Some of the themes explored are similar to those in James' previous book, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, where Romy copes with living alone on a ship in deep space. Here, the main character has grown up knowing that, after the small community of older people she lives in die, she and her friend Shen are going to be the last two humans on Earth, watching as humanity winds down to a close.
Lowrie and Shen ar ...more
Read more at www.yourwordsmyink.com
Man, this book. It’s once again one of those books you read, and when you finish you can’t seem to find the right words to describe what you were feeling. Even though this book was dystopian, it was still a cosy, albeit scary read. It wasn’t scary in the traditional dystopian way, there was no zombies or aliens, it was scary in the way that we all know the world could end like that.
Lowrie and Shen are the last two people on earth, after an infertility crisis. ...more
Man, this book. It’s once again one of those books you read, and when you finish you can’t seem to find the right words to describe what you were feeling. Even though this book was dystopian, it was still a cosy, albeit scary read. It wasn’t scary in the traditional dystopian way, there was no zombies or aliens, it was scary in the way that we all know the world could end like that.
Lowrie and Shen are the last two people on earth, after an infertility crisis. ...more
this was oddly woke and mildly terrifying,,,,,love that for me
This is one of those books I read in one go, not wanting to stop, too curious to see how it ends. The premise is a soft apocalypse, and the world doesn't go out with a bang but slowly, silently with infertility.
Lauren James takes her time to explore what humanity would do with tech at their fingertips once people can no longer have children. At first, they hope it's a blip. It'll all be over soon. How could it not? Then, they throw their entire budget at science, trying to rectify the issue. Fin ...more
Lauren James takes her time to explore what humanity would do with tech at their fingertips once people can no longer have children. At first, they hope it's a blip. It'll all be over soon. How could it not? Then, they throw their entire budget at science, trying to rectify the issue. Fin ...more
Note: I read this for the YA Book Prize 2020 (I'm one of the judges, hooray!).
...more
This was fantastic. Lauren James is a sci fi queen, and knows exactly how to throw a curve-ball halfway through a novel and make it work brilliantly. I also loved just how diverse this was (casual diversity in genre specific fiction is what I Live for).
4.5 stars
This book was so brilliant! Exploring the effects of A.I. and infertility on human population, it's thoughtful, chilling and also admittedly, a bit lonely. I loved the platonic relationship between Shen and Lowrie as they navigate the last years of humankind together.
full review to come! ...more
This book was so brilliant! Exploring the effects of A.I. and infertility on human population, it's thoughtful, chilling and also admittedly, a bit lonely. I loved the platonic relationship between Shen and Lowrie as they navigate the last years of humankind together.
full review to come! ...more
Lauren James just writes the most intelligent and thoughtful YA books out there. The Next Together and The Last Beginning were fabulously time twisty with memorable characters. The Loneliest Girl in the Universe provided some great deep space chills...
And this most recent YA release of hers is yet another compelling and memorable read.
It follows the tale of Lowrie and Shen who are the two youngest people left on earth after a global infertility event. They live in a much changed London of the ...more
And this most recent YA release of hers is yet another compelling and memorable read.
It follows the tale of Lowrie and Shen who are the two youngest people left on earth after a global infertility event. They live in a much changed London of the ...more
DOES LAUREN JAMES KNOW THAT I WOULD DIE FOR HER
3.5 out of 5 stars
it was fine. the premise was interesting. had the bog standard YA romance subplot that i don't care for. the narrative style wasn't to my taste. ...more
it was fine. the premise was interesting. had the bog standard YA romance subplot that i don't care for. the narrative style wasn't to my taste. ...more
This was great! Loved the characters- and there was so much diversity! 😊
Very interesting look at what could be with robotics in the future - but scary at the same time but really interesting. Loved reading about what Lowrie & Shen found at the start of each chapter from the past - as well as their relationship between themselves & The their characters.
I did really enjoy reading the snippets from social media too. Got very invested in this story 😂
Very interesting look at what could be with robotics in the future - but scary at the same time but really interesting. Loved reading about what Lowrie & Shen found at the start of each chapter from the past - as well as their relationship between themselves & The their characters.
I did really enjoy reading the snippets from social media too. Got very invested in this story 😂
She did it again! As I loved The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, I had high hopes for Lauren James's new book. And it's so good!!
What I loved most about this is how hopeful it is. Usually, dystopian sci-fi tends to be quite anxiety-inducing for me, but this wasn't at all. I can only describe the pacing as relaxed, and there was little conflict in the book. It's mainly centered around Lowrie discovering secrets about her world, and her coming to terms with being one of the last humans.
It took a w ...more
What I loved most about this is how hopeful it is. Usually, dystopian sci-fi tends to be quite anxiety-inducing for me, but this wasn't at all. I can only describe the pacing as relaxed, and there was little conflict in the book. It's mainly centered around Lowrie discovering secrets about her world, and her coming to terms with being one of the last humans.
It took a w ...more
[gifted]. I'm a huge fan of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, so I was very excited to delve into Lauren's latest book. Whilst this one starts off quite slow, it quickly builds into an adventure rollercoaster. I love how Lauren's books open up questions about science and the universe and make me see the world a little bit differently. I also love the way she talked about sexuality. My only gripe is that her books are never long enough; I read this in two days!
...more
I really do love Lauren James’ writing. She has a deftness with words that is hard to find.
This book is also aptly named - it’s a quiet read, understated and beautiful. The atmosphere of a barely lived in world full of crumbling buildings really comes across.
I loved the twists too. I really don’t want to spoil them, so I won’t go into detail, but the first one really got me. Though the second one I guessed not long after, it was still really well done and beautifully layered through the book. ...more
This book is also aptly named - it’s a quiet read, understated and beautiful. The atmosphere of a barely lived in world full of crumbling buildings really comes across.
I loved the twists too. I really don’t want to spoil them, so I won’t go into detail, but the first one really got me. Though the second one I guessed not long after, it was still really well done and beautifully layered through the book. ...more
DNF@ 31%
I don’t know if I’m not in a reading mood or if I’m just picking things up that aren’t my thing anymore, but it is bringing my overall mood down.
This book was for a reason on my tbr, and that’s that I probably liked the synopsis. The writing wasn’t that good it was mediocre at best. After a pretty remarkable first page, I expected more, a lot more. However, the next pages and chapters weren’t that interesting; I started skimming early in the beginning. And the only reason I got to 1/3 of ...more
I don’t know if I’m not in a reading mood or if I’m just picking things up that aren’t my thing anymore, but it is bringing my overall mood down.
This book was for a reason on my tbr, and that’s that I probably liked the synopsis. The writing wasn’t that good it was mediocre at best. After a pretty remarkable first page, I expected more, a lot more. However, the next pages and chapters weren’t that interesting; I started skimming early in the beginning. And the only reason I got to 1/3 of ...more
I am quickly learning that when it comes to the author, Lauren James, you should always expect the unexpected! Lauren’s new book was certainly a rollercoaster, and I haven’t read a novel that has kept me guessing this much in a VERY LONG TIME.
Okay, so I just want to preface this review by saying that The Quiet at the End of the World is a VERY difficult book to review without dipping into spoilers. A lot of the best things about it must remain a secret if you’re planning to pick it up, so please ...more
Okay, so I just want to preface this review by saying that The Quiet at the End of the World is a VERY difficult book to review without dipping into spoilers. A lot of the best things about it must remain a secret if you’re planning to pick it up, so please ...more
This was So Good.
This was so crazy f*cking good.
This was so crazy f*cking good.
Trigger warnings: blood, infertility, extinction of the human race, death of a parent (in the past).
3.5 stars.
I adore Lauren James' writing, and she always seems to end up with unfairly stunning covers. This was no exception on both those counts. There's a ton of diversity (the protagonist is bisexual, her best friend is Chinese and deaf in one ear, a character from the past whose social media feeds she ends up reading is bisexual and that character's love interest is trans), and James does a ...more
3.5 stars.
I adore Lauren James' writing, and she always seems to end up with unfairly stunning covers. This was no exception on both those counts. There's a ton of diversity (the protagonist is bisexual, her best friend is Chinese and deaf in one ear, a character from the past whose social media feeds she ends up reading is bisexual and that character's love interest is trans), and James does a ...more
it started really amazing and I could ignore the major plotholes but it went the only way I didn't want it to go in.. so yeah :/
...more
Didn't work for me at all. The mcs live such privileged lives in a peaceful organized community that loves and pampers them, I could not care less that they are the last humans on Earth, or about them!! It's almost like a utopia, especially seeing how bots are there to do all labour: housework, rescue humans, repetitive jobs, repair other bots, hard labour - poor bots. They want for nothing (except more people of their age and they already have each other, so shush). They are provided for, cared
...more
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Lauren James is the twice Carnegie-nominated British author of many Young Adult novels, including The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe and The Quiet at the End of the World. She is also a Creative Writing lecturer, freelance editor and screenwriter. Her books have sold over a hundred tho ...more
Lauren James is the twice Carnegie-nominated British author of many Young Adult novels, including The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe and The Quiet at the End of the World. She is also a Creative Writing lecturer, freelance editor and screenwriter. Her books have sold over a hundred tho ...more
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“There’s no finish line you need to cross to have lived a worthy life, Lowrie. You don’t need to achieve anything if you don’t want to.”
—
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“We live in the quiet at the end of the world. The slow winding-down clockwork motions before life stops completely. Time is slipping through our fingers.”
—
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