Review of The Quiet by Barnaby Martin

A silenced world. A child in danger. Barnaby Martin imagines a future wherein humanity has become nocturnal. Forced inside during the day as a consequence of an increasingly dangerous sun, Hannah gives her university lectures for The Atavism Programme in the middle of the night. As a scientist, she knows more than most about their current climate and she may have even had a hand in constructing and deciphering their current position under the Soundfield which hums everpresent above them. When her own work begins to threaten her son in more ways than the reader can first imagine, they must flee into the unknown and seek refuge with a group of notorious rebel activists. 

There’s promising concept in this novel and an undoubtedly complex and well developed speculative world that examines the evolution of language and communication, and how we exploit it, to an expert degree that I found really compelling. My only critique would be that it took a little too long to get there for me and almost lost me before the good part. That said, I did like the explanation when it landed so if you’re a lingusitics or science nerd, you’ll be totally absorbed by this.

Reviewed by Abi

Published on 15/05/25 by Macmillan

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