Andrew Hunter Murray

A visionary and powerful debut thriller set in a terrifyingly plausible dystopian near-future--with clear parallels to today's headlines--in which the future of humanity lies in the hands of one woman, a scientist who has stumbled upon a secret that the government will go to any lengths to keep hidden. A world half in darkness. A secret she must bring to light. It is 2059, and the world has crashed. Forty years ago, a solar catastrophe began to slow the planet's rotation to a stop. Now, one half of the globe is permanently sunlit, the other half trapped in an endless night. The United States has colonized the southern half of Great Britain--lucky enough to find itself in the narrow habitable region left between frozen darkness and scorching sunlight--where both nations have managed to survive the ensuing chaos by isolating themselves from the rest of the world. Ellen Hopper is a scientist living on a frostbitten rig in the cold Atlantic. She wants nothing more to do with her country after its slide into casual violence and brutal authoritarianism. Yet when two government officials arrive, demanding she return to London to see her dying college mentor, she accepts--and begins to unravel a secret that threatens not only the nation's fragile balance, but the future of the whole human race.

The Last Day

In a disintegrating and increasingly lawless land, a young man is travelling north. Ben is a young painter from the crowded, turbulent city. For six months his fiancée Cara has been living on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock, the property of millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley. Now she has decided to break off their engagement and stay there for good. Ben resolves to travel to the island to win Cara back. But the journey there is a harsh and challenging one, and when he does arrive, a terrible shock awaits him. As Ben begins to find his way around Pemberley's perfect island, he knows he must also discover - what has made Cara so determined to throw her old life away? And is Sanctuary Rock truly a second Eden, as the mysterious Sir John claims - or a prospect of hell? By the Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Last Day, this high-concept thriller will provoke and grip you from the very first page.

The Sanctuary

A Novel

Last Day

Sanctuary

In a disintegrating and lawless near-future, a young man journeys north to a mysterious island owned by one of the world’s wealthiest men—and finds an entire new civilization waiting for him. Ben is a painter from the crowded, turbulent city. For six months his fiancée, Cara, has been working on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock, the private estate of millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley. Now she has decided to break off their engagement and stay there for good. Ben travels to the island to try and win Cara back. After an arduous journey, he finds himself compelled to stay. But as Ben begins to traverse Pemberley’s kingdom, he begins to uncover the truth of the apparently perfect society the enigmatic Sir John is building. Is Sanctuary Rock truly a second Eden, as he claims—or a previously undiscovered level of hell?

In a disintegrating and lawless near-future, a young man journeys north to a mysterious island owned by one of the world's wealthiest men--and finds an entire new civilization waiting for him. Ben is a painter from the crowded, turbulent city. For six months his fiancée, Cara, has been working on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock, the private estate of millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley. Now she has decided to break off their engagement and stay there for good. Ben travels to the island to try and win Cara back. After an arduous journey, he finds himself compelled to stay. But as Ben begins to traverse Pemberley's kingdom, he begins to uncover the truth of the apparently perfect society the enigmatic Sir John is building. Is Sanctuary Rock truly a second Eden, as he claims--or a previously undiscovered level of hell?

_________________________________ 'A beautifully realised and thought-provoking thriller.' THE TIMES 'A taut, thrilling runaround' GUARDIAN 'Reminiscent of Robert Harris's high-concept conspiracy thrillers' FINANCIAL TIMES _________________________________ A WORLD HALF IN DARKNESS. A SECRET SHE MUST BRING TO LIGHT. 2059. The world has stopped turning. One half suffers an endless frozen night; the other, nothing but burning sun. Only in a slim twilit region between them can life survive. In an isolationist Britain, scientist Ellen Hopper receives a letter from a dying man. It contains a powerful and dangerous secret. One that those in power will kill to conceal... _________________________________ THE LAST DAY: an utterly original debut thriller, perfect for readers who loved Robert Harris' Fatherland, Emily St. John Mandel's Station 11, and The Wall by John Lanchester. _________________________________ 'Wonderful: boldly imagined and beautifully written - the best future-shock thriller for years.' LEE CHILD 'A tantalizing, suspenseful odyssey of frustration, deceit, treachery, torture, hope, despair and ingenious sleuthing... Murray has so thoroughly thought through the ramifications of his conceit and conjured up such a dramatic plot and stellar cast of characters that he might have set a new standard for such tales.' WASHINGTON POST 'A stunningly original thriller set in the world of tomorrow that will make you think about what's happening today.' HARLAN COBEN 'I read this hungrily ... Its intelligence and bravura characterisation will have you turning page after page. A fabulous achievement.' STEPHEN FRY 'A brilliant debut ... Fans of Robert Harris will love it' DAILY EXPRESS 'To say it's gripping is an understatement - I cancelled all my weekend plans to finish it' SARA PASCOE 'In his fascinating debut, Murray has crafted something original ... an interesting new twist on a post-apocalyptic tale.' KIRKUS 'Downright impossible to stop reading. The science is believable, the near-future world feels as real as our own, the characters are lively, and the plot is suspenseful. A near-perfect alternate-future thriller.' BOOKLIST 'Dark, believable and brilliantly written' JENNY COLGAN 'A thrilling page-turner, and a reminder to treasure our sunsets and sunrises while we still have them. I couldn't put this book down!' CHRISTINA DALCHER, author of VOX 'I loved the premise of this high-concept thriller ... a compelling read with some well-placed observations on the darkness of human nature and survival. The Last Day will keep you gripped to the very last page' C.J. TUDOR

Anglický sci-fi román o nekonečné touze po ovládnutí světa, která však ve svém konečném výsledku může znamenat zánik života na celé planetě. Před čtyřiceti lety se následkem vesmírné katastrofy začala zpomalovat zemská rotace a po deseti letech se Země zastavila úplně. Teď je jedna strana planety natočená ke žhnoucímu Slunci a druhá uvězněná v nekonečné ledové noci. Většina států přestala fungovat, ale pár šťastných zemí na teplé straně planety přežilo. Jednou z nich je i Velká Británie, která se zachránila tím, že se od hroutícího se světa naprosto odřízla. Dnes v ní vládne vojenská autokracie a země je sužovaná hladem a násilím. Ellen Hopperová je oceánografka žijící na ledové plošině v Atlantiku. Do svého dobrovolného vyhnanství se uchýlila poté, co její domovina propadla autoritářství, a už s ní nechce mít nic společného. Když však za ní přijedou dva úředníci s prosbou, aby se vrátila do Londýna a setkala se s jistým umírajícím mužem, Ellen souhlasí - a začne odhalovat tajemství, které ohrožuje nejen křehkou stabilitu jejího národa, ale i celé lidstvo. Nakladatelská anotace.

Poslední rozbřesk

2059. The world has stopped turning. One half suffers an endless frozen night; the other, nothing but burning sun. Only in a slim twilit region between them can life survive. In an isolationist Britain, scientist Ellen Hopper receives a letter from a dying man. It contains a powerful and dangerous secret. One that those in power will kill to conceal...

The Sunday Times Bestseller and One of Their Best Books Of 2020

'Imaginative and intriguing. The Sanctuary sucks you in and doesn't let you leave until the very last page - and a final revelation that left me thinking late into the night. Andrew Hunter Murray is a young writer to watch.' Anthony Horowitz 'Gripping, unsettling and original. Andrew Hunter Murray is a fabulous storyteller.' Tim Harford _____________________________ In a disintegrating and increasingly lawless land, a young man is travelling north. Ben is a young painter from the crowded, turbulent city. For six months his fiancée Cara has been living on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock, the property of millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley. Now she has decided to break off their engagement and stay there for good. Ben resolves to travel to the island to win Cara back. But the journey there is a harsh and challenging one, and when he does arrive, a terrible shock awaits him. As Ben begins to find his way around Pemberley's perfect island, he knows he must also discover - what has made Cara so determined to throw her old life away? And is Sanctuary Rock truly a second Eden, as the mysterious Sir John claims - or a prospect of hell? By the Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Last Day, this high-concept thriller will provoke and grip you from the very first page.

John Lloyd

John Mitchinson

James Harkin

The Third Book of General Ignorance gathers together 180 questions, both new and previously featured on the BBC TV programme's popular 'General Ignorance' round, and show why, when it comes to general knowledge, none of us knows anything at all. Who invented the sandwich? What was the best thing before sliced bread? Who first ate frogs' legs? Which cat never changes its spots? What did Lady Godiva do? What can you legally do if you come across a Welshman in Chester after sunset?

Andrew Hunter Murray

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