The story: A small group of villagers on an island are the last survivors on Earth after a deadly fog wiped out most of humanity. The residents of the village include regular villagers as well as three “elders,” who are scientists that work to keep the fog at bay thanks to a complex security system and lead the island. One morning the villagers awake to discover that one of the scientists has been murdered, and this murder has triggered a change in the security system. Unless the villagers can find the murderer, the fog will soon creep in and kill them all. Not only that, but the security system has wiped the memories of the night before from all the residents, so not even the murderer knows whodunit.
Why I read it: I enjoyed Stuart Turton’s other two books a lot, particularly the “puzzle” aspect of his mysteries–although with both previous books as well as this one, I enjoyed the reading experience much more before I knew how it ended.
How I felt about it: Once again, I was intrigued by the premise, although I didn’t like this one as much as his previous two. I felt compelled to keep reading because I really needed to know what was up with these villagers–and even after we learn why they’re kind of strange, I had to keep reading so I knew who the murderer was–but this one was the least enjoyable of Turton’s books, for me. I think part of that is genre. His first two books were historical fiction murder mysteries, tinged with sci-fi the first time around and fantasy the second–but this one was just sci-fi and that’s not as much my thing. It was also confusing–the plot is incredibly elaborate and complex, plus a major twist halfway through turns everything you think know on its head. It’s the kind of book that I might enjoy more as a reread, because the first half will make a lot more sense. If you’re a fan of Turton, I’d still recommend this, but if you haven’t read his books before this isn’t the one to start with.