This took me a while to get into it, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style. However, the story was inventive, interesting and slightly terrifying! I struggled with the amount of characters featured, and because of that I found it hard to relate or connect with any of them. Not my cup of tea, but I’m sure there’s plenty of people out there who will enjoy this book! Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a chance to review this book.

Wow - a book about a plague that is ravaging the world. Written before Covid became a thing that existed in the real world, it’s hard not to see our present situation in this story. Luckily it is fiction and this virus is a very different one, affecting only men.
Really well written, using first person accounts from different women in different situations and different countries around the world, making it a very interesting read. Moving, scary, frustrating, sad and hopeful all at once while highlighting women’s issues in real life .
Highly recommended read!

This is the second book this month I have read about a virus/pandemic wiping out the majority of the male population and I have to say I preferred this one. Seeing the evolution of the pandemic from patient zero to the end and how the world ultimately adapts made for a really interesting read. Difficult to read in parts and made me grateful I have two daughters! A book that makes you think - what would I do?

What a book! The develop this concept of a pandemic of global consequences a year before Covid 19 hit the human race was prescience at its best. Then to develop the story on the spread of the virus that only affected the human male and the immediate after affect for women is brilliant as it shows the how women adapted to all but 10% of the male population surviving. Even the development of a vaccine showed that collaboration between individuals, scientific institutions and governments can and have to work to develop and produce solutions. The personal development of individual women was well made when they were faced with a combination of tragic loss of the males within families and then the loss of male dominated workplaces that simply had to continue to ensure that society could recover as quickly as possible before collapse.
A well-timed book that makes us really think and hopefully better enables the human race to prepare for such events and hopefully eliminate probable causes in the future.

Imagine having an idea and writing a book about a worldwide pandemic 6 months or so before a real life worldwide pandemic is announced!! That is the backstory to this book, the author had no idea about Covid 19 when writing this book and yet there are so many parts of the story that are immediately recognisable to us.

This book started off well enough for me - an ER doctor in Glasgow identifies, before anyone else, an mystery flu that seems to only affect men, killing them within a short timeframe. Set in 2026 and beyond, it is told through the experiences of multiple women around the world, we learn of the journey through this particular pandemic and how the world reacts, recovers and reboots.

I have to say that this book is only a 3 star read for me. It held my attention at the start but my interest started to wane by the 3/4 way through mark. Too many different women's stories for me to care sufficiently about any of them, it jumps between their experiences, some of whom we are following through the book and some who are randomly thrown in for the ride. The only character I liked was Amanda, the original ER doctor and her journey through the pandemic, but again, her story was too spread out and too sporadic for me.

Firstly, a disclaimer – this book was written in 2019, before anyone had heard of Covid 19! The author herself has added details about this at the start of the book. It isn’t based on what the world has experienced in 2020 / 2021 – but the whole coronavirus crisis does make it so much more believable. I’d seen this book on a few ‘books for 2021’ lists – and was lucky enough to be given an advance review copy by NetGalley.

Here’s the blurb:

“Glasgow, 2025. Dr Amanda Maclean is called to treat a young man with a mild fever. Within three hours he dies. The mysterious illness sweeps through the hospital with deadly speed. This is how it begins.
The victims are all men.
Dr Maclean raises the alarm, but the sickness spreads to every corner of the globe. Threatening families. Governments. Countries.
Can they find a cure before it’s too late? Will this be the story of the end of the world – or its salvation?
Compelling, confronting and devastating, The End of Men is the novel that everyone is talking about.“

The book starts in Glasgow being told from Dr Amanda Maclean’s viewpoint when she first identifies this new virus that seems to be killing only men but being carried asymptomatically by women. She tries to quickly raise the alarm – but is dismissed as being a hysterical woman and so it takes a while for it to be taken seriously.

Subsequent chapters are told by different points of view from around the globe. Mostly these are women – because only 9% of men are immune. It deals with horrific grief, jealousy, death, fear, changes to governments, jobs, vaccines, rationing – and the various stories are all intertwined over about 4 years from the initial diagnosis.

I think the fact we’re all going through a global pandemic makes some of the things that may have been considered far fetched – are actually potentially more imaginable. Rationing of food? Deciding who can and can not have children? Enforced labour? Thankfully a few steps further than the lockdowns we’ve endured – but not complete pie in the sky after the last 14 months.

I found some of it incredibly moving – in particular the women giving birth and not knowing if they’d have a daughter who would live, or a son who would probably die within days. Also, the rationing of ‘normal’ medical supplies to people who actually stood a chance of living – rather than men with the plague or the elderly made you question how close the UK could have got to that? We all know how much the coronavirus pandemic has delayed cancer diagnoses – for example – but how much worse could it have been?

The ethics of discovering a vaccine was also part of the storyline – and who the intellectual property rights do or should belong to! Thank goodness Astra Zeneca are distributing their covid vaccine at cost.

Dr Amanda is determined to uncover the initial cause of the virus in patient zero – and the similarities with the suspected start of Covid 19 are spooky, and does question the treatment of animals in foreign countries. The relationships built between some of the characters in the book also evolve really well.

Overall I found the book incredibly well written and thought provoking. I had an early download – so I’m hoping a couple of the continuity errors have been sorted (Devon becomes Suffolk and then back to Devon again at one point!) – but these did not detract from an excellent book. I would highly recommend this debut novel.

A huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my ARC.

Reading a book about a global pandemic, killing thousands of people without warning and the struggle to come to grips with measures like social distancing and isolation, during an actual <i> global pandemic </i> is weird, like really weird. This apocalyptic novel follows a wide-sweeping globally spread illness that is carried by everyone but only infects and kills men. This plague is told to us through the perspectives of numerous women, and a few men, and whilst none of them are the particular 'main' character there are some that have a more substantial importance in the plot than others including Dr Amanda MacLean who treats patient zero. There are harrowing descriptions from women who lose their entire families, and others whose entire world shifts due to protective measures that have to be taken for the male species.

The alternative perspectives do really help portray the dramatic escalation, fear and fight for survival facing the human species, but I do think in some cases it was a few too many cooks in the kitchen and it did feel a little muddled at times. Also, I did feel as though the ending was a little drawn out and inconclusive, especially when compared to the fast-pacing of the rest of the story. Whilst it is logical for the events I was left feeling a little dismayed. That being said I did enjoy the way the novel looks at feminist issues and imbalance in power, jobs and experiences, and the shift that many fields took following the death of male leaders or power figures. It was also interesting to see not only the effects on aspects like medicine, the economy and the environment but also on politics, romance and re-population.

It is a story of terrible loss, that rings authentic considering the events of the past year and ultimately at times made me feel a little uncomfortable by how true it felt.

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the proof of this one!

I'm finding it quite difficult to write a review of this book which is a well written novel about a pandemic in the very near future, being read by people living through a pandemic in the present. It's certainly not the first book about such an event but is obviously read in a different way at the moment.
I thought the practical elements were well thought out and the dilemmas around babies, rationing, evacuees, payment for vaccine etc thoughtfully written. However, I did struggle with the number of characters and scenarios and felt the story could have been just as interesting with fewer of them in more depth. I was also never quite convinced by patient zero's story and the way the plague spread to humans.
I'm anxious to know what the topic of the author's next book will be and perhaps she should let us know in advance!
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book

The End of Men was almost the perfect book to be reading on New Years Eve 2020, as I was counting down the moments before the arrival of 2021 and praying that this year would be different. Christina Sweeney-Baird told me, the future could be worse. Forget Coronavirus, how about the literal end of humanity itself.

Christina Sweeney-Baird's book is perfect for fans of Vox or Handmaids Tale. It tells the story of a near future pandemic where a disease is discovered that wipes out only men. It is undectable, untraceable and seemingly unstoppable. There are so many paralells with the coronavirus pandemic which gave an eerie feeling to the book which was fantastic. Because of the paralells to the current pandemic, the characters feel super relatable. It also makes the book a really easy to read and an egaging one.

My only criticism I suppose, is that the premise is one that has recurred in various media for many years now. For me the premise evoked the comic book series Y:The Last Man, where all men and male creatures die except one. For my mother-in-law, she recalled PD James' Children of Men, where male children are no longer being born. Lauren Beaukes' published Afterland, in April 2020, which is about the aftermath of a pandemic, much like that in The End of Men.

Throughout this book, I was staggered by the idea that the author wrote it before our current global pandemic even began. It goes to show how thorough her research must have been that the whole thing rings incredibly true with what we have experienced over the last 15 months.

The End of Men tells the story of a virus that sweeps the earth at an alarming rate, spreading with ease and fatal within days. But the only people vulnerable to it are men. Women can carry the disease, and spread it, but they can't catch it. As the world descends into panic, the infrastructure and power dynamics shift as women step into roles previously dominating by the rapidly dwindling male population. I have to admit, this is the bit I was intrigued by. Who hasn't wondered 'How would things be different if the world was ruled by women?'

But there is a lot more to this book than that, and it was something that caught me by surprise and stayed with me long after I finished reading. As well as exploring what might happen on a macro level, the author takes us down to the micro level, inviting us into different characters' lives and showing us the devastation as they lose partners, fathers and sons. It's beautifully written and carefully captured, and left me reeling.

The End of Men By Christina Sweeney- Baird made for uncomfortable reading at times , given what the world has gone through over the last year, but at the same time I was absolutely hooked on the story she was telling.
Told through the voices of a number of characters in various settings around the world, from the remote Scottish Highlands to a boat off the coast of Iceland to the CDC in America and laboratories in Toronto and London, this is the story of a viral illness that drastically changes the world as we know it in just a matter of weeks, so far, so familiar. However here the story departs dramatically from our current experiences. This virus is far more fatal, killing its victims in days, and only kills men. While women can carry the virus they do not show any symptoms, and fewer than one in ten men are immune. The virus replicates rapidly and with no vaccine in sight, effectively that means that within weeks the world is forced to come to terms with a life largely without men. What I found particularly compelling about the book was how carefully the author had considered even the smallest knock on effects of this- down to a shortage of tea due to an almost complete halt of shipping, as well as the larger effects in fields like medicine and research which are heavily male dominated. I also thought her handling of the social issues was very interesting, e.g. formal policies for IVF to try to rebuild the population once a vaccine is found, what this virus meant for communities like the LGBTQI+, which were already minorities, but now found their numbers decimated even further, and even what it felt like to be one of the few immune men left ,and what it was like for the wives, mothers and others who had to watch their loved ones die.
One of the most powerful and compelling books I have read this year, and one I would recommend to everyone.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the Publisher, all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Bizarre, to say the least, reading about a fictional pandemic that disproportionately (well 100%) affects men while living in a pandemic disproportionately affecting men (authors note) - interesting and strange to see how fact and fiction sometimes merged, sometimes crossed over and other times veered in different directions entirely.

Christina Sweeney-Baird’s debut is definitely worth a read although at the end I am a bit conflicted. On the one hand I found the tidbits of how a women led society would change such things as road safety (women are 47% more like to be seriously injured in a car accident due to seat belts and air bags being fitted around ‘average’ men size). On the other hand I found the number of points of view that the story was told from to be de-stabling and stopped that ever important connection with a lead character. I also felt the book itself was longer than necessary, where was the right place to end such a book? Perhaps a tad earlier. But all in all a solid piece of writing.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE END OF MEN is a rather strange novel to read during a pandemic. (At least it's due to be published sort-of as we're on our way out of it? Ish: Depends on where you live, I suppose.)

Right off the bat, it's clear that Christina Sweeney-Baird is a gifted writer. Her characters have distinctive and engaging voices. When I first saw that the novel switches POVs quite frequently, I was a little anxious -- often, I find that when this happens the novel feels fractured and/or uneven (depending on the strength of the characters). However, Sweeney-Baird does a great job of using the different perspectives to paint a larger picture of the unfolding pandemic and its aftermath. The writing is well-composed, the story moves along nicely, and it is quite gripping.

If you can stomach reading something set during a pandemic, then I would definitely recommend you give this a try.

[For an alternative perspective of what a post-male world might look like, give Y THE LAST MAN a try.]

The End of Men isn’t action-packed or thrilling – so if that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t find it here. What you will find is a highly ambitious exploration of what pandemic and post-pandemic life looks or could look like. (The parallels between this fictional world and our own were striking.)

I cried several times during this book. There’s a lot of on-page death and grief – many of which were absolutely heartbreaking! But I absolutely loved the inclusion of how and why we should remember those we’ve lost even when the collective grief is abundant. As someone who has lost a loved one to our own pandemic, this was a real comfort to me.

There were a lot of POVs used here which was confusing at times but ultimately, I found the reason for their inclusion to be extremely satisfying.

I also loved the way that it married the dark and light together. For a book filled with so much darkness, there’s also a lot of lightness. I thought this was incredibly moving and I loved how hopeful the ending was.

This book is about a plague that is killing off men only , it doesn't affect women at all. I haven't read a book with this concept before, so I was excited to get started. This book obviously hits quite close to home at the moment with the world going through a pandemic. Interestingly though, this was written before we were even going through a pandemic ourselves.
I found the book really interesting, but I did find that there were too many characters, so it got confusing at times about who's point of view you were reading. It didn't concentrate on the characters long enough to be able to know who was who. That was my main gripe with this book. Apart from that I enjoyed the story and the different characters and seeing how it affected people differently. I just wish it was easier to follow each character throughout the book.
I would read a book by this author again, as I did enjoy her writing style.

"The world has changed immeasurably...Women are not 57 per cent more likely to die of heart attacks because treatment protocols have changed to recognise the different symptoms men and women experience. The first drug ever to treat endometriosis has been discovered...Female police officers, fire fighters and members of the armed forces are now less likely to die doing their jobs because they have uniforms designed for them, rather than simply wearing men's...I could go on..."

In 2025 in a Glasgow hospital, an influx of male patients with sepsis symptoms who die quickly terrifies Dr Amanda Maclean, who also fears for husband Will and their sons. Her calls for help go unheeded and the unknown virus sweeps through the hospital with deadly speed. By the time the authorities listen to her it has spread globally and men and boys are dieing everywhere. In London, anthropologist Catherine Lawrence fears for beloved husband Anthony and todller son, Theodore, but begins documenting events and reactions. In Canada, virologist Dr Lisa Michael reads the news coming out of the UK and gets involved to find a vaccine. In Washington, journalist Maria Ferreira challenges the authorities, reporting on 'the Great Male Plague'. Will a vaccine be found before it is the end of men?

To provide context, this book was written before the current Covid panemic, yet it describes with startling accuracy the potential turn of events and their impacts without hyperbole. Documenting the outbreak and spread, fear, loss, grief and aftermath, of this global pandemic. It follows the lives of four women primarily, but dips in and out of many others, along with surviving men who were immune, describing experiences and emotions. Whilst tragic, it's filled with relatable characters, shot with stark realism and demonstrates hope for their future in this female-dominated world. An electrifying, engrossing and thought-provoking debut.

The country is in the grip of a deadly pandemic and men are its victims. The threat to society and to humanity itself is an urgent one.

A work of fiction overtaken by events. There is much that the author gets right - the slowness of the authorities to recognise the gravity of the situation and the inadequacy of the response; the sacrifices made by those in the front line; the individual tragedies.

The story is presented as a multi-narrative, something of a trope in recent fiction, but effective here in showing a range of responses to the pandemic.

The story has its weaknesses too. It downplays the loss of major numbers in government and the security services and the chaos that would result if, for example, there were an acute shortage of electricians, plumbers etc. And, in the middle of rationing, would someone still be able to buy Red Bull? Likewise, the announcement of the vaccine discovery appears to omit all the necessary stages of human testing.

Despite these niggles, this is still an enjoyable read. There is some perception in the individual responses to personal loss applicable to our current situation. And, apart from the mercenary scientist, these are characters with some nuance.

Well worth a read.

Timing is everything... a book conceived before Covid can only be read in the light of our new pandemic knowledge, and I’m sure many will wish to avoid as a result. They’ll be losing out, as this is an excellent depiction of a far more lethal virus that kills 90% of men. Told from multiple perspectives (predominantly British, but arguably there’s a reason for that) and tracking over the years from ‘patient zero’ onwards, there’s a grim sense of reality, and an interesting exploration of what it means for society when most men die - relationships, parenting, the economic realities etc.

Being fussy, I was more engaged with the first 4/5 of the book and felt the latter stages less dynamic - recovery is less interesting to me than dystopia apparently! There’s a wee bit of info-dumping late on about modern design being focused on men that added to this feeling - the points are valid, but it felt less organic.


These are minor cavils however, overall the book has pace, is believable (don’t get caught up on the science in any novel!) and makes me look forward to Sweeney-Baird’s next book

This is not the first book I've read this year that's been written about a terrible pandemic - the author starting it before COVID-19 ever appeared.

Essentially, this is what used to be post-apocalyptic science fiction, but can now be shelved in general fiction as it's oh-so close to home. You can be a bit more hand-wavey on the science and no one will really mind too much.

In this book, a virus takes hold in Scotland first. And when Dr. Amanda MacLean reports it, no one pays her much attention (this I struggled with a bit - the book was written before COVID but is set after, and I think everyone will be more cautious for decades). Before long, nearly every man on the planet is dying from it.

It's a book with many viewpoint characters around the world. A doctor, a scientist, ordinary mums, everyone struggling. As a result, you may find it hard to attach too much to any one character. But at the same time, you get a feeling of a broad overview which makes the disease feel (a little) more realistic.

I quite like post-apocalyptic books, at least I did prior to COVID. We get to think about how we'd react in crazy circumstances. How will humanity fight back? Who will show strength? Who will be selfish?

Okay, I still like these books now, too. They just have to work a bit harder for me now I've actually seen a pandemic in action. I read this book pretty quickly, eager to see how things turned out and I think it's a really interesting 'what if' exercise. I didn't super-love it. But I did enjoy it.

DNF

I expect this novel has both benefitted and lost out from the actual pandemic. The author wrote it before this, but it does mean we all know a lot about this topic now and perhaps easier to spot flaws in the story.

I found the large amount of characters and the writing style difficult to follow. It was overly simplistic in places and the emotion of the characters didn't really come through for me. The idea is an interesting one though but unfortunately I felt it didn't come off.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.