The Last Murder at the End of the World in Beyond Reality

Jun 18, 2024 Tomislav rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, ethical-society-sf-book-club

I came into this read expecting science fiction, perhaps something along the lines of Ben Winters’ The Last Policeman (2012). It was an adjustment for me to set aside that expectation for a novel that is primarily a murder mystery in a dystopic fantasy setting. A murder takes place among the last surviving village of people who have been living for a hundred years in a former naval base. It is on a volcanic island, surrounded by a mysterious global black fog packed with glowing insects that kill I came into this read expecting science fiction, perhaps something along the lines of Ben Winters’ The Last Policeman (2012). It was an adjustment for me to set aside that expectation for a novel that is primarily a murder mystery in a dystopic fantasy setting. A murder takes place among the last surviving village of people who have been living for a hundred years in a former naval base. It is on a volcanic island, surrounded by a mysterious global black fog packed with glowing insects that kills everything it encounters. However, a “barrier” controlled by a long-lived scientist named Niema Mandripilias and an Artificial Biological Intelligence named Abi, is holding the fog back. So, the setting is an artificially constrained island, such as the island in Justin Cronin’s The Ferryman (2022), many aspects of which are not understood by its inhabitants. This setting seems contrived by the emotional needs of the plot, and is not a rational construct in the same way that nightmares are not necessarily rational. I have read crazier things, but this is not science fiction in the seriously speculative sense.

Abi is a first-person narrator speaking directly to the reader, interspersed with her words spoken into the minds of the villager characters, and interspersed with 3rd person descriptions of those other characters, which is occasionally a little confusing. Abi is the telepathic overseer of all the villagers genetically designed to communicate with her, in the service of the truly human scientist Elders. Abi has no emotions and is following her programming, although she is perceived by the villagers as having feelings. Abi is not a reliable narrator, manipulating the villagers with disinformation according to Neima’s unknown directions and thus also disinforming the reader.

When the murder happens, a dead man’s switch shutting down the barriers is triggered, giving the people only a few days till the fog closes in. At that point, a completely contrived solution is announced. If someone can determine who the murderer is, and the murderer is executed, then the barriers will be restored. The solution is eventually unraveled through hints and clues of character motivation, which is a space I admit to not being very adept at thinking in. Still, I did begin to suspect who the killer was, through a process of elimination of everyone else, before it was announced. There were so many twists and reversals of the investigation logic, that by the end I could just throw up my hands and say, OK I guess. It is possible to go back and re-read the Prologue, to realize that what has transpired was a failure mode within the plan originally put into play by Niema with Abi’s support.

There is a problem with the Epilog, I think. (view spoiler)

This was a thought-provoking read, but not what I was expecting, and somewhat flawed. ...more

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Sep 15, 2024 Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-libby, audio-2024, read-2024, audio, group-read

A compelling “locked-room” mystery, the clues flip perceptions back and forth and in unexpected directions as characters are introduced and potential motivations are revealed. It seems the characters are as much in the dark as the reader and we learn the depth of the plot along with them.

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Jul 21, 2025 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

It’s hard to find a new spin on a traditional mystery, but this one sure does. I don’t want to give away too much, since the joy of it (at least for me) was seeing how an amateur sleuth that could almost be considered cozy-adjacent approaches a mystery in a sort of Myst-like setting of isolation and impending doom. You don’t need to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy it - in fact, it’s probably best if you don’t think too hard about the logistics and mechanics of the whole situation. The mystery itself is ...more

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