The Quiet by Barnaby Martin: 

Hannah is a college lecturer in the mid-21st century, she’s a mum to Isaac, a hearing-impaired child.  She lives in a pre-apocalyptic world, with UV levels so toxic, going out without protective clothing invites skin cancer. Plus, there’s a maddening, ever present hum called The Soundfield.  And then Hannah becomes involved in a conspiracy against the government.  

There is the potential here for a cracking dystopian sci-fi novel. Sadly, potential is what it is.  The novel has a well-realised world, but a lot of the plot devices (censorship, neo-fascism, an underground resistence) have been done before, better.  The odd cracking idea (society lives at night to avoid UV levels, The Last Jedi is a classic movie) seems lost in it.  

The truly revolutionary bits of the novel (a theocratic government and Issac’s connection to The Soundfield) are ignored or not explained clearly.  The flash back, flash forward structure of the novel makes it difficult to follow, plus it’s not exactly clear how to novel ends.  

It might be enough for some people,  it I found it messy, disappointing and unsatisfying.  It’s published by Pan Macmillan on May 15th, 2025 and I thank them for a preview copy.  #thequiet