At the End of the World: A True Story of Murder in the Arctic by Lawrence Millman Published by Thomas Dunne Books on January 17th 2017
Genres: Nonfiction
Pages: 208
Format: eBook, Kindle Book
Source: NetGalley & Thomas Dunne Books
At the End of the World is the remarkable story of a series of murders that occurred in an extremely remote corner of the Arctic in 1941. Those murders show that senseless violence in the name of religion is not only a contemporary phenomenon, and that a people as seemingly peaceful as the Inuit can become unpeaceful at the drop of a hat or, in this instance, a meteor shower.
At the same time, the book is a warning cry against the destruction of what’s left of our culture’s humanity, along the destruction of the natural world. Has technology deprived us of our eyes? the author asks. Has it deprived the world of birds, beasts, and flowers?
Lawrence Millman's At the End of the World is a brilliant and original book by one of the boldest writers of our era.
**Special thanks to NetGalley & Thomas Dunne Books for supplying my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
At the End of the World was a very interesting book. I planned this year to read other genres than the ones I am used to. So, here I go. I was reluctant at first but I am glad that I did. The book was really good. It has a bit of everything and to my surprise it was also a page turner for me.
In “At the End of the World”, Lawrence Millman visits Hudson Bay and the Belcher Islands to investigate a series of murders that occurred there in 1941. At first I thought I was delving into a book about some true crime events. However, this book was totally different and it took me by surprise. Lawrence raises some very important issues. First there is the violent use of religion as a reason to kill. Also, the book is a cry against environmental destruction. It’s amazing how we have become addicted to our devices and digital world more than the real world.
Well the most interesting thing about the book is Lawrence’s talent and skills in bringing all these views. I have to admit that Lawrence is a very skillful writer. He used his great writing skills and talent to take us into the Arctic world. He also has a unique sense of humor. I just loved the term he coined “Cyberians” to describe our addiction to the internet and trusting it more than our own reality.
“The IT person in question was an inhabitant of Cyberia, one of the most highly populated realms on our planet. While Siberia possesses either endless taiga or endless tundra, Cyberia has no landscape, only endless screens“
That was just hilarious… Ha! Trust me you can find a lot of that in the book and even more.
As I didn’t know much about the Arctic, so this book was also informative for me. You know about the natives, the languages, some insight into their beliefs, all wrapped in an amazing writing style with quick and smart hints and remarks.
I just loved this book.
One last thing… What did I feel reading this book? Freezing!! What did I think reading a book about life in the Arctic in January?! Ha!
About Lawrence Millman
Lawrence has written 16 books, including such titles as Last Places, Our Like Will Not Be There Again, A Kayak Full of Ghosts, Hero Jesse, and Fascinating Fungi of New England. He has also explored remote areas in East Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. He’s a Fellow of the prestigious Explorers Club and, in his mycological capacity, past president of the A.S.S. (American Stinkhorn Society).
And here’s the most recent news: In January 2017, St. Martin’s will be publishing his latest book, At the End of the World: A True Story of Murder in the Arctic. Not only does the book detail a series of murders in the name of religion in 1941 among the Inuit, but also it discusses how digital technology is turning our species into robots.