This is stunningly good. Difficult to believe it was written before the current situation when it comes across as being fresh and topical. It is well written and gripping and the writer makes good use of multi-viewpoint characters to tell the tale. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

As the author says in the Author’s Note that introduces this prescient novel (written in 2018-19) “I know you’re meant to live your truth through art and everything, but contracting Coronavirus was a step towards authenticity I could have done without”

The novel starts in late 2025 – a Scottish based A&E Consultant Amanda suddenly comes to the horrifying realisation that some form of highly fatal and highly deadly contagious infection (starting with “Patient Zero” from the Isle of Bute) is sweeping through those the patients (but only the male) patients visiting her hospital. Her rather panicked emails to the Scottish Health authorities are dismissed as an overreaction to a run of flu and sepsis cases. Only 5 days later the disease is being seen as “The Plague” even in London – and after 10+ days it has already killed 5000+ in England and quickly begins to sweep the world as any travel restrictions are imposed far too late.

The plague affects only men – but with them its effects are terrible: 91% fatality rates after only a few days of infection (regardless of their age or ethnicity) and with a huge infection rate, made much worse by women being not just asymptomatic carriers (but being infected extremely easily and then carrying the infection seemingly indefinitely). Studying viral pandemics one of the limiting factors on them is normally the trade-off between infectivity and fatality (in simple terms a virus that kills or even severely incapacitates its hosts is destroying its transmission vectors) – and the role of women here overcomes that trade off.

Efforts both to trace the cause of the male/female divide and to understand how the disease works and so develop a vaccine take time, by which point the world is effectively denuded of 90% of its men. Societal impacts are huge – women have to largely resign themselves to losing fathers, husbands, colleagues and sons and men to an almost inevitable death. Many previously male dominated jobs and areas (from refuse collection to science to politics) have to be rapidly re-imagined or restocked with a draft system on the female population. Different societies react in different ways to the need to produce and raise male children both before and after a vaccine is developed (including IVF lotteries – or effectively point scoring choices, compulsory C-sections and forced seizure of babies – boys left to see if they die, the remaining ones then taken away to safety, mandatory child rearing pools). Sexuality changes (same sex dating apps for women, convulsions to the Transgender community as differences become faultlines). And politically countries are changed – Scotland (in a rather nice Brexit analogy) picks seemingly the worse time for independence, but unlike in Brexit reaps catastrophic vaccine access results, Canada develops and aggressively licenses the only available vaccine and rapidly becomes a world power and the fall of the male dominated Communist Party leads to a series of convulsions in China which eventually breaks into 12 independent states.

At times the book cannot I think make up its mind if society has undergone complete breakdown or is carrying on as largely as normal as possible (albeit with a terrible sense of loss) and I am unsure, in either event, that nuclear families with an immune husband and immune sons or daughters would be able to carry on quite so obliviously to the pain of others (or without society forcing for example mass sperm donation or some form of surrogacy).

The book is written in a series of first party point of view accounts by a group of characters that include: Amanda (who remains an activist for the disease – both uncovering the slow actions that lead to its spread and tracing its origins to the smuggling of animals); Catherine – a Social Anthropologist (who partly serves the book as an example of a wife and mother of a son having to deal with the Plague and then as a documenter of the impact on other); a young American virologist who comes to the UK and ends up hugely influential; a near retirement black female and hitherto marginalised UK intelligence officer who rapidly rises through the ranks; an essay style journalist at the Washington Post who documents some of the key developments and personalities of the new era; the hugely ambitious Canadian researcher who develops the Vaccine and then demands both extreme monetary reward and recognition for making it available.

Unfortunately this is not a book where it is best to dwell on either the science or on the scientific abilities of the book’s participants. The male/female divide is critical to the virus’s success and of course to the very title of the book – but its mechanism rests on a rather shaky understanding of how X-Y chromosomes operate (the book’s explanation of the 91% fatality rate in men would lead I think to 83% fatality in women – not the 0% the book argues) – it is also odd that it takes 50+ days for someone to make the Y-chromosome link as a cause. It seems shall we say more than odd that hospitals cannot identify the sex of a baby until after its born (given how crucial it is) and equally so that a vaccine that is “only” 96% effective against a disease with 90% fatality is sent back for further trials.

And this probably gets to one of the more interesting parts of this book – its topicality will of course ensure high publicity and sales but will also mean that readers will come to it with a far more informed and critical eye than would otherwise have been the case.

But overall an interesting read which I am sure will draw a wide audience – and far from being depressing in the current time will I think make people think how much worse things could have been.

My thanks to Harper Collins UK for an ARC via Net Galley

I have become obsessed with dystopian and pandemic fiction over the last year (for obvious reasons) and so I was very excited to receive an Advanced Review Copy of The End of Men via NetGalley.

The End of Men follows a pandemic that originates in Scotland, and only affects men. Dr Amanda MacLean treats 'Patient Zero' in A&E and is quick to alert Health Protection Scotland, but is dismissed as a "stark raving lunatic." By the time she is listened to, it's too late, and it has become a global disaster. Just 1 in 10 men survive the virus, with some being naturally immune and others getting ill but managing to survive.

The story is told from various points of view of the women who are left behind. Some we meet just once, while others we hear from as the virus progresses and society changes. Amanda Maclean is one of the main characters, along with Dawn, a black woman working for the British Intelligence Service who had been hoping to retire in six weeks, Catherine, an anthropologist who is married with a young son, and Lisa, Professor of Virology at the University of Toronto.

I really liked the way that this story is told — the different perspectives are really great and it really helps to hit home about the implications of a virus that only hits men (and the unfairness of it all). For example, a woman who is subject to domestic violence is frustrated that her husband appears to be the only man in her small town who is immune. Or the number of fields that are male-dominated such as rubbish collection, the police, the army, fire services, paramedics and even politics. We get some insight into how other countries manage the sudden staff-shortages that could cause further health risks — as well as the way that some countries decide to handle newborn male babies.

Not only that, but five years post-virus, the changes this has caused to society and everyday items were eye-opening. For example, all cars must be updated with safety features that have actually been tested on women (did you know that there are no crash test dummies that represent the average female used when testing car safety?) and the latest iPhone is smaller and more ergodynamic for female hands. A surviving man complains at a dinner party about how he can't go anywhere without being hit on by women, despite wearing a wedding ring. And: "for the first time in the history of the world, women are fully in control of the way our stories are told." These were things I hadn't thought about or even realised (I have 'Invisible Women' on my list next, as I feel like this will be the perfect companion read). I was really impressed that the author had considered so many aspects when writing and researching this book.

I really liked the way that loss and grief is portrayed — the loss of so many brothers, husbands and sons. She conveys all of the mixed feelings that entails, such as jealously for those whose loved ones were immune. I also liked that the impact on the surviving gay men and LGBTQ community was discussed, although not in as much detail as I would have liked. There's also a sense of loss for the previous way of life — going to bars and clubs has changed forever, and children will never know what it was like to live in a male-dominated world. It was an interesting contrast between the grief of ordinary people and the medical side of the virus, as scientists struggled to find a vaccine.

The End of Men was a great read! It's a fantastic debut novel that's perfect to read during the pandemic, and I finished it in one sitting. It's incredibly thought-provoking, which I hadn't expected when I initially requested this book. One line that has also really stuck with me is: "If there is one thing I learnt from the many weeks I spent with men and women, discussing the Plague, it is that we did the best we could with what we knew at the time. I did my best in the most awful of circumstances. The past has been painful, but that doesn't mean the future can't be better." I feel that this is a really poignant sentiment for our current times. If you are looking for a good pandemic fiction, I'd definitely recommend this!

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(This will be going live on my blog at 6am on 16th February.)

The year is 2025, and a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland--a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Dr. Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it is too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic--and a political one. The victims are all men. The world becomes alien--a women's world.

What follows is the immersive account of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences, told through first-person narratives. Dr. MacLean; Catherine, a social historian determined to document the human stories behind the "male plague;" intelligence analyst Dawn, tasked with helping the government forge a new society; and Elizabeth, one of many scientists desperately working to develop a vaccine. Through these women and others, we see the uncountable ways the absence of men has changed society, from the personal--the loss of husbands and sons--to the political--the changes in the workforce, fertility and the meaning of family.

When reading the synopsis of this book, I thought that this was a novel that sounded original and something that I would enjoy reading.

I did enjoy this book and thought it was original. I do think it hit a bit close to home at the moment being in a global pandemic and for that reason alone, I have not awarded it five stars. But the book is very original and perfect for any sci fi fans.

An excellent read set in the near future when 90 per cent of Men suddenly die of a mysterious flu like virus. Told from the viewpoint of several characters eg a hospital doctor, a CDC investigator, a medical researcher this is more a social commentary on what life could be like. During the current pandemic, I have read several dystopian novels and this ranks as one of the best. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the src.

A very apt book which is about an awful pandemic which they call the plague which affects 90% of the worlds men. Told from different viewpoints across the world and of the women who lose husbands and sons and who go onto achieve greatness. A story about humanity and characters who grow. Fabulous book

.Bad things and good things can coexist [...] and we have to find the good where we can.'

It's 2025, and the world is about to change forever. In Glasgow, Dr Amanda Maclean treats a patient with flu-like symptoms. Just hours later, he's dead. And so it begins. Soon, the virus is sweeping the world, killing the majority of its victims. All of whom are men. How will the world change when most of its male population have died? Can a cure be found? Or will it be the end of men?

This is a tricky one to review. Obviously, it's a very timely read given we are currently living through a global pandemic, and while I imagine it was intended to read as dystopian it did almost feel like non-fiction at times! Although fortunately, the COVID pandemic has not reached the level of horror that the plague in this book creates, and hopefully never will. However, whilst I did feel grateful that our lives are not as bad as those of the people in this book, it did make me feel incredibly anxious about how badly things could have gone for us in the real world, and so I would definitely be hesitant to recommend this book to someone with anxiety, purely because of how realistic it is and how it played on anxieties that have already been heightened by real world events.

However, that aside, it is a great book. It includes a varied cast of women, and follows how each of them cope with the new world. Indeed, it's told almost as a collection of different people's diaries rather than an overarching story. There were some interesting ideas thrown in that may initially not have been considered about how the world would change when the majority of the population are female - for example, more research into endometriosis, how to deal with careers such as plumbing that were previously dominated by men, and how it would affect the LGBTQ+ community. However, there were also a lot of areas of society that weren't explored, which I kind of understand as otherwise the book would have been far too long, but it did at times feel a bit like reading the same storyline just with a different womans name at the start of the chapter. But that's me being fussy.

All in all, a challenging yet interesting read, which will make you both uncomfortable and yet also grateful for everything that we still have. Just maybe wait to read it until things have improved a bit more!

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

so i'm in a run of pandemic books, as someone who has been very panicky about our current situation i don't know WHY, but i'm enjoying it. there's something about embracing the panic and leaning in to the end of the world feeling

this particular one is about a flu that kills 90% of men starting in 2024. i kept comparing it to covid and the response and the death rate which made it even scarier but i really liked this one!

it follows a range of people, from the doctor who first discovers it, to scientists working on a vaccine and all the people in between. it jumps from year to year, showing long terms effects, including some really interesting consequences i would never have thought about and i love the big and small details

being scottish and reading barely any books set there, there was an odd thrill at that being the start of the outbreak. a claim to fame

i really enjoyed the audiobook! i have the ebook version as well so i read along at a few bits but mainly listened, horrified at the way the world was ending. because it was a whole cast it was really fun to listen to!

the writing was great, the characters were all so different, and i would recommend

The perfect novel for a pandemic.

Dr McLean is central as she watches a pandemic from beginning to vaccine for survival.

I don’t want to give any spoilers but this is SUPERB

I think that this is a brilliant book, I really do. However, I just wish I hadn't chosen to read it during a pandemic (my bad). I hope that people still choose to buy this when it publishes as it's so well written and incredibly engaging. It just unfortunately made me feel really anxious and even more worried about our pandemic than I was beforehand. It's scarily realistic and I hope people won't be put off.

I wasn't sure how I felt about reading a novel about a pandemic during an actual pandemic but when I finally plucked up courage I found it imaginative, beautifully written and amazingly prescient. The author captured brilliantly the surreal sense at the start as people sleepwalked into disaster, doctors weren't believed and the chance to track and trace and contain the virus was missed etc. Would I recommend it? If you like dystopian fiction that's in some ways very similar to real life and don't mind reading about a pandemic, absolutely!
Full review on my blog https://katyjohnsonblog.wordpress.com

This book follows women round the world coping and evolving in a pandemic that only kills men.
It explored how different people react to things, the way so much of the world would have to change to be a woman's world and how the human race could survive.
There's some really thought provoking points that are woven into the story. I had a standout favourite character, the Russian woman, she has a small part but it's my favourite part of the book!

A lot of people wouldn't want to read about a pandemic whilst living through one; I completely understand that point of view but, in the case of 'The End of Men', I don't share it. I found it strangely comforting to read about a virus so much more virulent than Covid-19.

As you'd expect from a story about a virus which wipes out 90% of the male population of the planet, loss and grief are covered extensively in this book. There are some truly heart-rending moments and emotional sucker punches. Weaved into the story are shocking statistics about the world as it is now - such as how much more likely women are to be seriously injured in car accidents due to the fact safety measures in vehicles are designed for male drivers or the rates of sex slavery in certain countries in the world. These come out organically through the narrative but are still hard hitting; Sweeney-Baird did her research.

This had the potential to be a spectacular read but for me there were just too many different points of view and the narrative voices of each were not different enough. This made it difficult to keep track of whose perspective you were reading at any particular time. A couple of the characters play a large part in the storyline, having both a good number of chapters from their own viewpoint and being mentioned in the chapters of others, whilst some of the characters whose point of view you see only have two chapters in the whole book. Even towards the end there were a couple of chapters where I saw the name of the character who was the focus and wasn't immediately sure who she was in the narrative. This huge cast made it a little overwhelming at times and this is what stopped it hitting 5 stars for me.

That said, I would definitely recommend it to fans of dystopian or speculative fiction. Once you get your head around the main players in the narrative, it's a highly engrossing read.

I had really hoped to love this book but it fell a bit short of my expectations for several reasons.

The plot covers several years during and after a virus spreads rapidly around the world. This virus only affects men, and 90- 91% die. Women are not affected except that they are symptomless carriers. The story is written in multiple first person viewpoints, and to be honest there are too many of these. I found the characters to be 'samey' and after a while stopped trying to distinguish between them. I became increasingly annoyed that quite a few women simply replaced their male colleagues, complete with the same attitudes and ambitions - to get loads of money, a place on the board, power and influence.

Secondly, the science used in the novel is proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. My field was biology so I probably know a bit more than the average person, but hopefully most readers will not take too much notice of the genetics expounded in the book. For example, if the problematic genetic sequence is on the x chromosome, some women will have two copies of it and will be vulnerable (same as with x-linked colour-blindness - rare in females, 0.4% have it compared with 8% of males). The author did point out that cars, indeed most safety equipment, is designed for men, so women are more likely to be seriously injured in an accident. Also that female health problems - like endometriosis - are not as widely researched as men's. Cudos for that. Another quibble is that you can't see a virus by looking at a blood sample under a microscope - it would need to be an electron microscope. Also, you wouldn't reject a vaccine because it's "only 96% effective". So a C- for biology.

My third problem was the enormous popularity of the women-only dating app. I don't think so many women would make a decision to become gay because there were so few men around and they missed having sex. It didn't seem realistic to me.

Finally, the language needs some revision. For example, there is no Recuss in hospital - it's Resus. The husband was not 'at stake' he was at risk (exposed to danger), and please stop 'discovering' a vaccine like it was under a stone or in your spare handbag. As for "I'm going to write about Jenny and I's lives together" - ugh! Could do with rephrasing.

So I finished the book but found it somewhat disjointed, scientifically flawed and lacked flow. I'm being quite negative and there were plenty of good subplots, such as some people who were quarantined on a boat near Iceland and running out of food (even then I wondered why they couldn't find some nets or rods to catch fish, and supplement meagre supplies with seaweed).

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for my e-copy in return for an honest review.

Obviously a very timely book - fascinating that the author imagined a global pandemic just before Covid19 hit! I raced through this book, enjoying noticing the similarities and differences between fiction and reality. Noticing that there seemed more working together, goodwill and collaboration in reality (at least at the beginning) than in fiction was a refreshing realisation. The reality of covid probably derailed the impact of the book a bit - particularly because the premise is really interesting to explore - a world with very few men left. But I think the writer could have done more with this. I really enjoyed the characters and wanted more of their stories.

Wow! What a book. Incredibly thought provoking. This isn't a book about a virus, whilst that is what happens. This book is about society. Excellently written and certainly a journey to read whilst very uncomfortable in places.

It's an interesting read because would I feel the same if I had read it pre-Covid 19 pandemic and would that have instilled a fear that I was going to lose the majority of my family.

I work in a male dominated industry, so this story made me think about all aspects of my life and what differences I would face. I really enjoyed this and would love to see the author continue the story.

I do not have spoilers in my reviews but I would recommend this book, I did enjoy it. Even though it was uncomfortable to read, because of the topic and the current world we're living in.

I think this book is going to stay with me for a long time. Provoking further thoughts around Diversity and Inclusivity. Especially, how this would effect LGBTQ+ community. If nothing else, this book taps into how diverse we need society to be.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Never has a book been so relevant than The End of Men. It’s incredibly well written, tense and tragic, I love that there are many main characters, none of which particularly stands out, and in this novel, that’s a good thing. It shows the importance of how such an event would inevitably effect each and other one of us.
A fantastic read.

Set in a world where a virus stalks our male population, The End of Men is an electrifying and unforgettable debut from a remarkable new talent that asks: what would our world truly look like without men?
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So real!!!
What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
I hope the vaccine save all too!!!
Thanks netgalley

This book was written before we had even heard of Wuhan, but is terribly prescient.

Imagine a world where a virus has spread, which only attacks men, but is carried by women. Only around 10% of the male population is immune.
The narration is in the form of testimony, interviews, journal entries, blogs, by people affected by the virus, and spreads over time from the first patient, to the discovery of a vaccine, to a post-virus world.
Amanda Mclean, an A and E consultant in a Glasgow hospital is the first to encounter the virus, and “patient zero”. She tries to raise the alarm, but is not taken seriously.
She is a recurring character, along with a social historian, an intelligence analyst, various scientists, and “ordinary” people.
The result is a compelling life-affirming tale where there are no goodies or baddies, but just people trying to make their way in a very changed world, and coping as best they can.
It ends with a promise of a hopeful future.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm blown away that this was finished being written in June of 2019. It's surreal to read a book about a global pandemic in the midst of a global pandemic. It is so creepy and prescient. She nails so much of what ending up coming to fruition. I can't imagine wanting to read any of the lockdown inspired memoirs or Contagion wannabe books in 2023; but highly recommend losing yourself in this. I really enjoyed it, right down to the obnoxious Dr. Lisa Michael.