Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book is unlike anything that I've read before. I loved the author's style and humour, there are some really interesting sections in their aswell. I know that this won't be for everyone but I did enjoy it.

A great read with some genuinely interesting points, and fascinating facts that I continuously told my, friends and family.
Brilliant read, that I am buying multiple people for Christmas.

The author, Mike Pearl, is a journalist who’s articles I’ve long enjoyed in Vice and Vice Motherboard. His articles often focus on speculative - what would happen if? - scenarios, and range from the plausible to the less so. regardless, they are always an entertaining and thoughtful read and. So I was intrigued when I learnt that he had written a book based on the same premise, and keen to give it a read.

Each chapter in The Day It Finally Happens focuses on a speculative possibility. These range across a broad sweep of speculation and topics include The Day the UK Finally Abolishes its Monarchy, the first chapter and a personal favourite of mine as I’m anti-monarchy, The Day Antibiotics Don’t Work Anymore and The Day Nuclear Bombs Kill Us All.

Some scenarios are difficult to imagine: The Day The Entire Internet Goes Down, for example. This is an unlikely scenario as is The Day A real Jurrasic Park is Opened. Some, like The Day the US Completely Bans Guns are unrealistic for other reasons (does anyone ever believe America will come to its senses?). But others, such as The Day Humans Become Immortal are easier to visualise with the news constantly reporting advances in scientists quest to combat ageing.

There’s something here for everyone and this book is well worth a read, but the real strength is the author’s ability to get readers thinking about things differently. As a journalist who worked for nearly twenty years in television, I’m well versed with many of the arguments, but each chapter gave me at least one angle I hadn’t considered.

This is a great book, thoughtful and concise, and I would highly recommend it.

Entertaining, amusing, scary, this covers everything, a great set of scenarios for disaster/emergency/poss post brexit possibilities, thankfully the author does an epilogue to each scenario to ease your mind after the scenarios, it’s a fun read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I’ve read a lot of non-fiction books that speculate either the end or the catalyst to it, but this one has by far been my favourite. Good writing but what made it brilliant was the engaging way the scenarios were explored

This is a totally fascinating look at some of the world's biggest questions- how will we end, is it coming soon, and how far away do I have to be to avoid it? Full of fictionalised scenarios that pull the reader in, Pearl then piggybacks on those scenarios to presents the facts, realities and conjecture about the big scary questions of our times. Among the most interesting to me was the day the last barrel of oil is sold- immensely interesting stuff with a really broad geopolitical viewpoint attached. This is full of good history, good geography and a friendly writer who assures and assuages when presenting some big stuff.

Review: The Day It Finally Happens by Mike Pearl. 

For fans of such bestsellers as What If?,The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook and The Uninhabitable Earth, as well as Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell, this is a book about future events that we don’t really understand and getting to know them in close detail.

What I love about this book is that yes you get the what if’s and all the research, but at the beginning of every chapter are these scenarios in place, and they make for some funny but brilliant reading. The chapter about doping at the Olympics for example begins with a Keirin race commentary that will make you laugh and you will never forget - I read it a couple of times just to make me laugh- the way Pearl writes is just fun and it makes this book so easy to read. 

Pearl uses science and his wit to bring us a book that is packed with fascinating imformation, talking to experts and academics for every chapter - and the graphs in particular near the beginning of the book around human population are unforgettable. Another interesting chapter around when Saudi Arabia will dig up it’s last barrel of oil, also has that wit, but also that depth and detail that a scientist brings to a book. 

An excellent book that highlights how the might world look in the future or an alternative universe, this book is a hooking and brilliant read that keeps you curious. I would even recommend Pearl take some of these short scenarios and create a book from one, I would read it if this is anything to go by. 



(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

I loved The Day It Finally Happens! While there’s a lot of subjects to be worried about in this book I found it hilarious while being full of great information. Already planning to buy this for various friends at Christmas!