Review | ‘The End of Everything’ by M. John Harrison: the aliens are here

This article reviews M. John Harrison's latest novel, 'The End of Everything,' which has been shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. The review explores the book's themes of societal confusion and the breakdown of reality in a modern context.
Why it matters
It highlights significant contemporary literature and the cultural discourse surrounding the Booker Prize.
Can you explain what’s happening? This has become an increasingly valuable question to answer.
To understand what’s happening is to piece the increasingly chaotic present together and, in the cracked picture that forms, identify the future we’re constantly moving into. It’s an exercise in identifying which truths matter most at a time when truth is often the thing being contested, from social media platforms to debates in Parliament. And even when something becomes clear to you, and you cling desperately to it lest it fade away, the world itself moves on and you find yourself marooned on an island surrounded by more claims and counterclaims.
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