The End of the World Running Club: The ultimate race against time post-apocalyptic thriller

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So Ed starts running. He's not sure why. It's not a conscious decision. And he's never done it before. He just needs to run. With a crew of four others, Ed begins making his way south through a devastated post-apocalyptic landscape. Alice’s bunnies went everywhere with her. In bed, in the car, on the sofa, at the table, at nursery. Everywhere. When she had a fall or when she was tired or when she was scared, they were her only source of comfort. As I crossed the road, I heard the banished dog from down the road join in the howl. Some weeks later, I would suddenly remember this noise in the middle of the night and weep, actually weep, holding my hands to my face so I didn’t wake and upset Beth and the kids.

For the first time in his life, Ed is distraught at being separated from his wife and kids. He needs to get to them, but they’re halfway to Cornwall and he’s in Edinburgh with no cars, diminishing supplies, and only the people with him to rely on. So, what do you do when you have precisely 550 miles of ruined roads, crumbling cities and inhospitable wastelands between you and your family? You start walking. With just a few steadfast companions and a ton of obstacles in his way, Ed’s long journey to the West Country begins. It’s a tough and treacherous mission that Ed soon realises isn’t going to get him to his family on time, and so the end of the world running club is created. Nope, that's not it at all. Ed is just being Ed; complaining and whining about exercise because he hates to do it. There was something wrong with the silence, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Even though it was early on a Sunday, it was not usually this quiet. Something was missing.I just want batteries and water, Jabbar,” I said, storming up the corridor to the door into the shop. “Not all of them, just enough for me and my family.” He says this so many times he sounds like a broken record. I guess this is supposed to endear readers to him, to make us think "Wow, he hates to exercise so much but he's willing to run all those miles to get to his family, he must love them."

Imagine your country (in this case the UK) is hit by a catastrophic asteroid strike. By chance you realize this in time, take your wife and two kids into the cellar, grab some food and water, and survive. And when you finally get out, the world is full of death and destruction. And then a long road of survival begins in a desolate and destroyed country, you meet some people along the way and form a team, and head for Cornwall where supposedly, ships leave for parts of the world where there is still a life possible. Along the way, you and your family get separated. The world is dark, some people you meet are good, some are bad. Food is scarce. But I can’t be sure. So I believe instead. I suppose I could dig them up, but as I see it, there are only two ways that little enterprise can end, and neither of them is particularly palatable. Besides, if you have to go around digging up graves to prove your own sanity then you’ve probably already lost it. Like I said the first four chapters are fantastic. I absolutely loved them. Read them and make up your own ending. There is some running here but the detail wasn't quite right. Some long distances were covered but there was little to no reference to the struggles and strains of such an endeavour, over and above some general complaints regarding tiredness. What about the blisters and muscle strains? What about looking for some helpful footwear to make life a bit easier? I know this is delving into the micro detail, but any book purporting to cover long distance running should at least attempt to nod it's head to some basic associated issues.I loved the supporting characters. Harvey in particular was like some fantastic and mystical Australian god and probably my favorite. I was as in awe of him as Ed was by the end. I loved the UK setting. I loved the descriptions and depictions of running, and I hate actual running! But this book made me almost want to give it another try. Perhaps if there weren't two feet of snow outside, I might have!