The End of the World Running Club, by Adrian J. Walker

Life on earth has been decimated by a bombardment of meteors.  Where cities once stood are now craters.  Where civilization has survived, death, chaos, and lawlessness prevail.  This could be the start of any number of post-apocalyptic movies or novels.  So the challenge of writing in this genre is finding an original voice or twist.  Adrian J. Walker does just that in The End of the World Running Club.

Edgar Hill gets a few things right in the face of impending doom: he gathers a few supplies, gets bottled water, and helps his family to safety in the cellar of their home.  After a couple weeks of increasing misery, trapped in a tiny space with their small children, their own stench, and dwindling food and drink, they are rescued and relocated to an army base.  While he and a few other civilian survivors are out foraging for supplies, helicopters come and ferry Edgar's family and others from the base to another base.  Ed and his companions are left behind.

After waiting for a second flight which never comes, and fighting off other, more feral, survivors, Ed is left with little choice but to head to the coast in hopes of meeting the ships that will be taking survivors to points south.  Automotive travel quickly becomes impossible, so they turn to the means of transportation available to them: running.

However, in order to reach the boats for their Christmas Day departure, they will have to cover more than thirty miles a day!  With no other choice, they start running.  It's painful, especially at first, and they face challenges and perils along the way.  Hydration and caloric intake is tough, not to mention murderous thugs and autocratic warlords.

Ed has a history of failure and self-doubt that only motivates to move forward, find his family, and redeem himself.  Ed's advice, after the grueling journey, applies to recreation and competitive ultrarunners, people running for survival and family, and everyone who faces life's challenges: "You choose the right option.  Then you repeat that choice a hundred thousand times.  You don't run thirty miles; you run a single step many times over."



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!