Times columnist James Marriott's debut book, The New Dark Ages, argues that smartphones have devastated reading culture and threatens civilisation by making us vulnerable to autocracy and misinformation. The Guardian reviewer finds the book's central message—scroll less, read more—presented with grandiose rhetoric but insufficient substance, undermined by vague claims about literature's transformative power and unsubstantiated causal arguments about screens causing anxiety and depression.

The reviewer identifies several fundamental weaknesses: Marriott makes sweeping assertions about what classic authors teach without actually explaining their insights; he relies on hyperbolic comparisons between written journalism and social media rather than rigorous analysis; and his thesis contradicts itself, beginning by naming smartphones as the "major culprit" for declining reading pleasure whilst later acknowledging that inequality and childcare costs are more determining factors. The book's apocalyptic tone gradually dissolves into equivocation, ultimately admitting that literacy "will be around for a while yet"—hardly a rallying cry. The reviewer concludes the book appeals opportunistically to lapsed readers concerned about screen time but lacks the intellectual rigour to support its grand claims.