The Last Zoo

I read this novel over Easter weekend 2019, whilst Extinction Rebellion (XR) were occupying sites across London, and it felt extremely timely and pertinent. This is the fantasy fiction that XR needs and Sam Gayton showed he has his finger on the pulse. In a world (like ours) facing the multiple threats of climate breakdown, mass extinctions and rapid biodiversity loss - Gayton imagines that scientists have detonated a reality bomb to blast a hole in the fabric of our known-world and created a space in which new creations can be imagined into being. Children are most successful at this. And so we find ourselves on The Last Zoo where Pia guards celestial creations, including Angels whose presence can only be felt, and hilarious Genies living in tin cans. It's a trippy universe which will stretch imaginations - it certainly did mine. Can these new creations conjure a miracle to save our home as we know it?The Last Zoo is a page-turner, paced like The Hunger Games, and it reminded me of how I felt first reading that book.But if you come for the novel's high-concept, you'll stay for beautifully-crafted sentences like this:"Urette's skin goosebumps. Fear lays a thousand tiny eggs under her skin."The book is generously scattered with such treasures.Gayton is a master conjurer of words and worlds, so let him transport you to his latest - we certainly need imagination to fathom ourselves a better future before it's too late.

Ok so Im a big fan of Sam Gayton and Ive read all of his other books (which are amazing!) but I must say this one didn't feel quite as good as the others. Like in many dystopian books set in the future it had a rather unsatisfying ending. Apart from that it was a good read but there needed to be some kind of happy ending rather than leaving it open ended. Im just disappointed that the voila didnt come back so the world was doomed which is rather depressing even if its true irl tbh

none