All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

4.5 stars

A queer, character-based post-apocalyptic novel full of warmth and romance.

All That's Left in the World

Synopsis: A superflu (not COVID) has wiped out most of humanity and the world has gone quiet. When an injured Andrew tries to take shelter in a cabin, he discovers that unfortunately someone is already there, however fortunately for him that someone is soft-hearted Jamie. After tending to his wounds, they’re threatened by the neighbouring humans and set out into the unknown to find survivors. They begin to trust one another in this dangerous world, although Andrew has a shameful secret and won’t tell Jamie where they’re really going. And he definitely won’t tell Jamie he has a crush on him.

Review: From their first meeting (nothing says romance more than a shotgun to the face) until the very end, these characters shone through the wreckage of what’s left of the world. With so many soft moments of humanity and optimism in their dialogue, their care for each other was a warm spot in a cold, harsh landscape.

The author does wonders working in horror and threat so well, rooting it in realistic reactions and the genuine horror of the characters’ own actions. Jamie's arc paints a brilliant picture of how circumstances can make even the most peaceful turn to violence in order to protect those they love, a moral dilemma handled beautifully.

The duel, first-person present tense also creates a sense of immediacy that allows for danger to come all at once without warning, making you feel as unsafe as the characters. The prose is brisk and doesn't self-indulge, though sometimes I wish it would so I didn’t finish it so quickly.

It ends recognising that people are people, with all their prejudices and capacity for violence, and not even the end of the world can stop that. The author explains in his acknowledgements how he was fed up with the underrepresentation of LGBTQ+ characters in post-apocalyptic fiction and that was the driving force behind him writing ATLITW, deftly using an apocalyptic setting to show how dangerous people and their opinions can be, even in comparison to a deadly virus.

I devoured this book in a few days and was sad for it to be over so quickly. This book deserves a wider audience and I know Jamie and Andrew will stay with me for a long time.