The Sanctuary, Andrew Hunter Murray
The Sanctuary, Andrew Hunter Murray
List: $24.95 | Sale: $17.47
Club: $12.47

The Sanctuary

Author: Andrew Hunter Murray

Narrator: Andrew Hunter Murray

Unabridged: 10 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/23/2024

Synopsis

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?

About Andrew Hunter Murray

Andrew Hunter Murray is a writer and comedian. He is one of the writers and researchers behind the BBC show QI and also cohosts the spinoff podcast, No Such Thing as a Fish, which, since 2014, has released 250 episodes, been downloaded 200 million times, and toured the world. It has also spawned two bestselling books, The Book of the Year and The Book of the Year 2018, as well as a BBC Two series No Such Thing as the News. Andrew also writes for Private Eye magazine and hosts the Eye's in-house podcast, Page 94, interviewing the country's best investigative journalists about their work. In his spare time he performs in the Jane Austen–themed improv comedy group Austentatious, which plays in London's West End and around the UK. The Last Day is his debut novel.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Indieflower on October 07, 2022

Hmm, this one was ok, quite a slow burn and I liked the steady, understated writing style, it reminded me of the "cosy sci-fi" of John Wyndham and John Christopher, however I really wanted a bit more oomph from the ending. I think I was expecting more of a revelation, a sharp intake of breath moment......more

Goodreads review by Liz on June 02, 2022

A speculative "cult" thriller from this author, hugely readable and descriptively excellent. Am isolated island, a charismatic man with a plan and a lot of secrets is the narrative playing out on the page and it is both compelling and thought provoking I'm a fan of this authors imaginative plotting a......more

Goodreads review by John on November 12, 2023

Unearth hidden truths and embark on an unforgettable journey… Book Information The Sanctuary by Andrew Hunter Murray is a 400-page mystery that was first published on May 26, 2022 and is due to be rereleased on January 23, 2024. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an advance rea......more

Goodreads review by Emma.catherine on January 17, 2024

Wow! That was quite a read (in the best way possible!), particularly the last 1/3 was insanely good. Murray is such a talented author that he made such a complex plot so smooth and easy to read. I truly felt like I was in it, and personally I find that difficult to find in a book. This book is so un......more

Goodreads review by Simon on October 11, 2024

Utopia v Dystopia, featuring Portrait Artist of the Year and The Wicker Man. The world is broken. Society is just mumbling and bumbling along waiting for the end. One man, with more money than sense and possibly a little bit musky, has a solution. A self sustaining island filled with the youth of to......more

Quotes

“This is a smoothly written, thought-provoking tale about aging societies and wealth inequality, with an effective shocker of an ending.” The Guardian (London)

“Literary touchstones include H. G. Wells’s The Island of Doctor Moreau and, of course, Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Pemberley’s daughter, Bianca, makes a superbly compromised Miranda). The plot is about eco-Nazis, obviously, but the considerable pleasure of this novel is in the getting from here to there.” The Times (London)

“Murray’s disturbing eco-thriller keeps its readers spellbound until the final chilling twist.” Daily Mail (London)

“There is a pang of generational angst at the heart of the book—a sense that the younger generation have been excluded from the ordinary society-building that their parents’ generation took for granted, and that…there might be somewhere they could go and start afresh and belong. Unfortunately, unless you are a billionaire or fancy drinking the Kool-Aid, there really isn’t—so put your feet up and escape with this book instead.” Radio Times (London)

“A thoughtful, impressive science fiction thriller.” Pop Science Books

“A brilliantly clever thriller by a brilliantly clever author.” Richard Osman, New York Times bestselling author

“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, New York Times bestselling author

“A really great book. I was rapt with it and it was so tense, and as a reader you’re trying to work out what the hell is going on.” Richard Herring, stand-up comedian and writer

“Gripping, unsettling, and original.” Tim Harford, Sunday Times (London) bestselling author

“A disturbing and atmospheric dystopian novel, rich in imagination and stylishly written. I was totally immersed in this story that has themes around climate change and the future of humanity on a decaying planet. Totally absorbing.” Paul Burke, Crime Time FM

Awards

  • Gizmodo Pick
  • Financial Times Pick
  • Tor.com Pick
  • CrimeReads Pick
Add to Cart
Add to Wish List