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The Last Man: Book I
Farris did not believe in the old stories. Grandmother Rochette spoke of such strange things: monsters and magic and impossible heroes who could only exist in legend. But when Tom, her little brother, is kidnapped by the same monsters Grandmother spoke of, Farris is forced to change her view of reality in order to save him.
Following Tom and his captors sends Farris below the crust of the earth, where layer after layer of new worlds await. She travels both within the mind and without, taking a path of harrowing adventure and personal enlightenment as she tries to free Tom. Unlikely companions join her, from her faithful goat Bumble to Gloria the magical fish, a seemingly trustworthy dweller of the Brass City, and Sasha … a man who knows far more about her than he should.
THE LAST MAN
Following Tom and his captors sends Farris below the crust of the earth, where layer after layer of new worlds await. She travels both within the mind and without, taking a path of harrowing adventure and personal enlightenment as she tries to free Tom. Unlikely companions join her, from her faithful goat Bumble to Gloria the magical fish, a seemingly trustworthy dweller of the Brass City, and Sasha … a man who knows far more about her than he should.
THE LAST MAN
- GenresFantasy
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Tobias Wade
51 books211 followersFormer neuroscience researcher, born again horror writer. During my studies, it struck me as odd that I could learn so much about why humans behave without understanding the intricacies of human nature. It occurred to me that I learned more about the depths of human experience from reading Dostoyevsky than I ever had from my text books, and I was inspired to write.
Download my horror collection for free and see all my publications at:
TobiasWade.Com
Download my horror collection for free and see all my publications at:
TobiasWade.Com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 25, 2016
This review, like all my other reviews are up on my blog: http://bookishbells.tumblr.com/post/1...
*I recieved a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Book: The Last Man: Book 1
Author: Tobias Wade
Pages: 173
Rating: ★★★★☆ (⅘)
Synopsis: Farris did not believe in the old stories. Grandmother Rochette spoke of such strange things: monsters and magic and impossible heroes who could only exist in legend. But when Tom, her little brother, is kidnapped by the same monsters Grandmother spoke of, Farris is forced to change her view of reality in order to save him.
Following Tom and his captors sends Farris below the crust of the earth, where layer after layer of new worlds await. She travels both within the mind and without, taking a path of harrowing adventure and personal enlightenment as she tries to free Tom. Unlikely companions join her, from her faithful goat Bumble to Gloria the magical fish, a seemingly trustworthy dweller of the Brass City, and Sasha … a man who knows far more about her than he should.
Thoughts: This book was very interesting, and I don’t mean that as a bad thing. The story is intricate and complex, with a lot of mythical elements to it, which I don’t see so often in young adult fantasy novels. I really enjoyed the originality of the plot and the aspect of magic with consequences, as well as the writing. I thought the language was beautiful and at times I stopped just to reread sentences because of the way it was worded. It should be said that I did have some issues with the novel. Although it was woven together nicely I felt there was something missing, and i think it mainly comes from the fact that I didn’t particularly like the main character. I think Farris was stubborn, naive and just unpleasant at time, though she did improve and grow during the story. I’ve read some reviews of this book where people have said something like “Farris is a poor excuse at a strong female protagonist” and I must say I disagree with this. Yes she was stubborn, and it bothered me, but she didn’t hesitate to leave everything she had known to save her brother, to do something her society told her she could never do because she was girl . And when faced with difficulties a lot of the time she just powered through them. Not all women can be physically strong, or have the confidence and sass of Buffy (from Buffy the vampire slayer), and it’s important to showcase diverse women in literature. This being said though I wouldn’t mind a few more female characters, because apart from Farris herself and some minor roles, most characters throughout the story are male.
But to end this review I must say that I highly enjoyed reading this novel, and I’m intrigued to see what happens in coming books.
Favourite quotes:
”Some things were meant to endure so naturally that the awareness of their mortality forever changed them.”
“I’ve always said not killing someone is the first step to becoming their friend.”
“She didn’t want to be the descendant of a bigot who thought only boys would be strong enough to have the key.”
*I recieved a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Book: The Last Man: Book 1
Author: Tobias Wade
Pages: 173
Rating: ★★★★☆ (⅘)
Synopsis: Farris did not believe in the old stories. Grandmother Rochette spoke of such strange things: monsters and magic and impossible heroes who could only exist in legend. But when Tom, her little brother, is kidnapped by the same monsters Grandmother spoke of, Farris is forced to change her view of reality in order to save him.
Following Tom and his captors sends Farris below the crust of the earth, where layer after layer of new worlds await. She travels both within the mind and without, taking a path of harrowing adventure and personal enlightenment as she tries to free Tom. Unlikely companions join her, from her faithful goat Bumble to Gloria the magical fish, a seemingly trustworthy dweller of the Brass City, and Sasha … a man who knows far more about her than he should.
Thoughts: This book was very interesting, and I don’t mean that as a bad thing. The story is intricate and complex, with a lot of mythical elements to it, which I don’t see so often in young adult fantasy novels. I really enjoyed the originality of the plot and the aspect of magic with consequences, as well as the writing. I thought the language was beautiful and at times I stopped just to reread sentences because of the way it was worded. It should be said that I did have some issues with the novel. Although it was woven together nicely I felt there was something missing, and i think it mainly comes from the fact that I didn’t particularly like the main character. I think Farris was stubborn, naive and just unpleasant at time, though she did improve and grow during the story. I’ve read some reviews of this book where people have said something like “Farris is a poor excuse at a strong female protagonist” and I must say I disagree with this. Yes she was stubborn, and it bothered me, but she didn’t hesitate to leave everything she had known to save her brother, to do something her society told her she could never do because she was girl . And when faced with difficulties a lot of the time she just powered through them. Not all women can be physically strong, or have the confidence and sass of Buffy (from Buffy the vampire slayer), and it’s important to showcase diverse women in literature. This being said though I wouldn’t mind a few more female characters, because apart from Farris herself and some minor roles, most characters throughout the story are male.
But to end this review I must say that I highly enjoyed reading this novel, and I’m intrigued to see what happens in coming books.
Favourite quotes:
”Some things were meant to endure so naturally that the awareness of their mortality forever changed them.”
“I’ve always said not killing someone is the first step to becoming their friend.”
“She didn’t want to be the descendant of a bigot who thought only boys would be strong enough to have the key.”
February 13, 2016
If you enjoy my in-depth review, come follow me at http://fiction-ferret.tumblr.com/
***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
There’s so much that I have to say about this book, that I’m going to leave out a lot of my opinions in favor of thoroughly describing the things that I felt were more important. Briefly, I am leaving out my opinion on how and why this is a weak attempt at portraying a strong female protagonist, and at building a believable romance and creating likable characters. Instead, I want to focus mainly on the pieces I believe are salvageable with further work, mainly the writing.
The lore of this story is well-developed but over saturated. With no descriptive breaks outside of dialogue, the reader is flooded with at least a dozen names.
As far as writing, it is clear that Wade has potential, but it feels almost purposefully stunted. The songs are well written, and occasionally the quotes, though partially (intentionally?) nonsensical, say something true verging on enlightening. But there’s so little of that, that the book reads like a movie script, with little to no monologue or imagery.
This improves slightly over the course of the book, giving it a semi-strong finish. However, the first 60% of the novel is carried out almost exclusively in dialogue and song. All of the lore, worldbuilding, and character relationship information is carried out through dialogue with brief interludes to make way for Farris’s bratty, juvenile attitude. There is. No. Imagery.
A simplistic style isn’t necessarily a weakness. However, the writing style is overall better suited for children’s fantasy, being generally too light in explanation and dialogue heavy for a reader that wants more heart out of a series. In order to make this suitable for a younger audience, phrases such as “suckled the stalactites like demons on the tit,” which makes little sense as a phrase in itself anyway, would have to be removed.
There’s an overall muddled jumble of lore here, as well. “The Wyrd Sisters” are clearly borrowed from Macbeth in name with a throwback to the Greek fates which inspired them. There’s a prehistoric and semi-realistic element to the hill drawings, which parallel to British hill figures. There’s also an element of steampunk in the clockwork monsters. And, perhaps the most infuriating of these influences is the borrowing of the word “Fantasia.” Like it or not, “The Wyrd Sisters” brings up the image of Discworld or Macbeth, and Fantasia can only remind everyone of Disney. There is just too much going on here. I also would have preferred to see some original names, not just words plucked straight from other works and character names that feel as though they came out of a Fantasy Name Generator.
The strongest influence on this novel is Alice in Wonderland. Farris’s adventures under the crust, from start to finish, is so reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s Alice adventures that it was almost charming. I say almost, because this was not the strongest pressed element of the novel, and it is marketed as a fantasy adventure, not a literary nonsense coming of age. The ideas here are quirky and innocent, once again feeling well suited for a lighthearted children’s adventure with an audience who wouldn’t mind flat characters and shallow relationships. This isn’t an insult- some writers are just better suited to write content for children, which are just as important of a demographic. The length is also better suited to children’s literature. It falls far below the word count for mainstream Young Adult.
I didn’t like the beginning. I have neutral feelings for the ending. I didn’t like the characters. BUT, I feel as though this story has potential. It’s like a skeleton model, a collection of fantasy adventure tropes and an attempt at a strong female character. There’s clearly a lot of work put into this, but it just isn’t getting anywhere because of its weaknesses. It just feels marketed toward the wrong audience. With some further editing, this indie novel could be well suited as an introduction to the fantasy genre for elementary readers.
***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
There’s so much that I have to say about this book, that I’m going to leave out a lot of my opinions in favor of thoroughly describing the things that I felt were more important. Briefly, I am leaving out my opinion on how and why this is a weak attempt at portraying a strong female protagonist, and at building a believable romance and creating likable characters. Instead, I want to focus mainly on the pieces I believe are salvageable with further work, mainly the writing.
The lore of this story is well-developed but over saturated. With no descriptive breaks outside of dialogue, the reader is flooded with at least a dozen names.
As far as writing, it is clear that Wade has potential, but it feels almost purposefully stunted. The songs are well written, and occasionally the quotes, though partially (intentionally?) nonsensical, say something true verging on enlightening. But there’s so little of that, that the book reads like a movie script, with little to no monologue or imagery.
This improves slightly over the course of the book, giving it a semi-strong finish. However, the first 60% of the novel is carried out almost exclusively in dialogue and song. All of the lore, worldbuilding, and character relationship information is carried out through dialogue with brief interludes to make way for Farris’s bratty, juvenile attitude. There is. No. Imagery.
A simplistic style isn’t necessarily a weakness. However, the writing style is overall better suited for children’s fantasy, being generally too light in explanation and dialogue heavy for a reader that wants more heart out of a series. In order to make this suitable for a younger audience, phrases such as “suckled the stalactites like demons on the tit,” which makes little sense as a phrase in itself anyway, would have to be removed.
There’s an overall muddled jumble of lore here, as well. “The Wyrd Sisters” are clearly borrowed from Macbeth in name with a throwback to the Greek fates which inspired them. There’s a prehistoric and semi-realistic element to the hill drawings, which parallel to British hill figures. There’s also an element of steampunk in the clockwork monsters. And, perhaps the most infuriating of these influences is the borrowing of the word “Fantasia.” Like it or not, “The Wyrd Sisters” brings up the image of Discworld or Macbeth, and Fantasia can only remind everyone of Disney. There is just too much going on here. I also would have preferred to see some original names, not just words plucked straight from other works and character names that feel as though they came out of a Fantasy Name Generator.
The strongest influence on this novel is Alice in Wonderland. Farris’s adventures under the crust, from start to finish, is so reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s Alice adventures that it was almost charming. I say almost, because this was not the strongest pressed element of the novel, and it is marketed as a fantasy adventure, not a literary nonsense coming of age. The ideas here are quirky and innocent, once again feeling well suited for a lighthearted children’s adventure with an audience who wouldn’t mind flat characters and shallow relationships. This isn’t an insult- some writers are just better suited to write content for children, which are just as important of a demographic. The length is also better suited to children’s literature. It falls far below the word count for mainstream Young Adult.
I didn’t like the beginning. I have neutral feelings for the ending. I didn’t like the characters. BUT, I feel as though this story has potential. It’s like a skeleton model, a collection of fantasy adventure tropes and an attempt at a strong female character. There’s clearly a lot of work put into this, but it just isn’t getting anywhere because of its weaknesses. It just feels marketed toward the wrong audience. With some further editing, this indie novel could be well suited as an introduction to the fantasy genre for elementary readers.
February 8, 2016
It's been a long time since I enjoyed a YA book as much as this one. The Last Man evokes a huge, layered world with simple language and complicated characters. Magic with consequences (sometimes too costly) is always a winner for me, and this story delivers.
We experience this world from Farris' POV. This is your standard coming-of-age story set in a lightly surreal universe that's very well established. There was one lampshade moment (near 4th wall, but not quite) when the fish is introduced, but otherwise the magics of the world are treated as the spectacular and dangerous things they are. The naming concept reminds me of Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, but only in the sense that it's the single other book I've read with this magic construction.
Farris' voice is accurate for her age and very consistent. Her relationship with Sasha gets surprisingly complicated once the adventure starts, and I appreciate how frank the exposition is around it. Farris isn't going on an adventure with this tacked-on relationship to deal with, it's part of the story in critical ways and I hope to see that continue.
The relationship with her younger brother (the fulcrum of the plot) feels very real. I don't know if the author has a younger sibling (or is one) but I have a younger brother and the relationship depicted is a near-perfect representation of how we've interacted in the past.
Grab this book and expect to need the next one ASAP. It ends at a good point, but there's a lot of story left to go.
We experience this world from Farris' POV. This is your standard coming-of-age story set in a lightly surreal universe that's very well established. There was one lampshade moment (near 4th wall, but not quite) when the fish is introduced, but otherwise the magics of the world are treated as the spectacular and dangerous things they are. The naming concept reminds me of Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, but only in the sense that it's the single other book I've read with this magic construction.
Farris' voice is accurate for her age and very consistent. Her relationship with Sasha gets surprisingly complicated once the adventure starts, and I appreciate how frank the exposition is around it. Farris isn't going on an adventure with this tacked-on relationship to deal with, it's part of the story in critical ways and I hope to see that continue.
The relationship with her younger brother (the fulcrum of the plot) feels very real. I don't know if the author has a younger sibling (or is one) but I have a younger brother and the relationship depicted is a near-perfect representation of how we've interacted in the past.
Grab this book and expect to need the next one ASAP. It ends at a good point, but there's a lot of story left to go.
February 18, 2016
Farris Malhalion grew up learning about the old kind, but never before had she thought to believe they were more than just her grandmother’s stories. It isn’t until the world begins to shake and her brother is taken that she abandons her desire to be rational and jumps head first into the lands she’d spent so many nights hearing about.
___________________________________________________________
The first thing I thought when I read a summary of this book was that it sounded a lot like Labyrinth in some core ways. As I began reading the book, I thought “yeah, this definitely reminds me of Labyrinth”. Since that’s like my favorite movie and a really great story that’s not a bad thing at all, especially since it’s only the general basis that’s reminiscent and everything else is completely its own. The story is a pure piece of fantasy, not wasting time muddling in any other categories- dystopia, sci-fi, historical. I appreciate that, especially since it’s gotten harder to find books of that sort, and was glad to not get caught up in the complexities pure fantasy tends to lend itself too. However, that may be because at times The Last Man reads like a children’s book. A very good children’s book that I would most definitely read to a hypothetical future daughter of mine, but reading it alone felt awkward at times. Mainly that came from over-explanation and clear questioning, which I understand could be overlooked when writing it, but come across more like they’re leading the reader.
The non- and fantasy worlds were both well established. Though not much time was spent exploring Farris’ home, I still believe that a proper feel for it was given, and since Farris herself didn’t spend much time exploring, only seeing part of the land made sense. I actually really enjoyed the way Wade played with the characteristics of the would be inanimate objects, like fire and Darkness. They each had personalities and manners to them as if they really had been around for hundreds or thousands of years and were heavily established in the world. The only things about the world I wasn’t fond of are very nitpicky- like the fact that the world serpent is called Nidhoggdrisil when that’s literally just a dragon name with tree attached to it, which is actually really redundant when looking at Norse mythology. But I just get super up in arms about Norse mythology.
I’m also someone who enjoys a questing/traveling story. It’s one of my weaknesses as a writer, because I got so concentrated on the journey that I forget that things have to happen. And along with stories of travel, I like a nice cast of travelling companions, and that’s what you get in this story. I was a little worried at first, because it seemed to be just Farris and a goat, but slowly yet surely it all came together.
Now for what I didn’t like:
This is going to sound really strange, but this book was pretty male dominated. A lot of books are, that probably wouldn’t have bothered me quite as much if I hadn’t kept inwardly complimenting the author on having a female lead. Here’s the thing- Farris is the main, her grandmother is important, and the other Wyrd Sisters are mentioned enough to be considered important, but that’s all for the females. Everyone helping Farris helping or protecting or attacking Farris, are men, and even when the women get mentioned it’s in a pretty passive way. I mean, this didn’t ruin the book for me or anything, but it is unfortunate.
Okay, I feel kind of awful for saying this, after I just went on about not having enough focus on women and being glad there’s a female lead, but... I really don’t like Farris. I’m all for characters with a lot of faults to make them realistic and for characters that grow, but she just got on my nerves a lot. She was extremely immature, and that might not have stuck out to me when I was actually her age, but her self-centered personality just got to me. Even when she has to go do all this brilliant stuff that should seem really selfless, she’s bitter about being overlooked, or she’s prideful, and she spends a lot of time just thinking about herself. At a certain point I honestly just stopped caring about her. The world saved it, but she definitely dragged down the story for me, and I hope that in the next book she’ll have developed enough that she’s more likable.
Favorite part: learning about Javel’s religious origin story
Least favorite part: N/A
What I’d change: less downright questioning and more subtle confusion
How long it took to read: N/A
___________________________________________________________
The first thing I thought when I read a summary of this book was that it sounded a lot like Labyrinth in some core ways. As I began reading the book, I thought “yeah, this definitely reminds me of Labyrinth”. Since that’s like my favorite movie and a really great story that’s not a bad thing at all, especially since it’s only the general basis that’s reminiscent and everything else is completely its own. The story is a pure piece of fantasy, not wasting time muddling in any other categories- dystopia, sci-fi, historical. I appreciate that, especially since it’s gotten harder to find books of that sort, and was glad to not get caught up in the complexities pure fantasy tends to lend itself too. However, that may be because at times The Last Man reads like a children’s book. A very good children’s book that I would most definitely read to a hypothetical future daughter of mine, but reading it alone felt awkward at times. Mainly that came from over-explanation and clear questioning, which I understand could be overlooked when writing it, but come across more like they’re leading the reader.
The non- and fantasy worlds were both well established. Though not much time was spent exploring Farris’ home, I still believe that a proper feel for it was given, and since Farris herself didn’t spend much time exploring, only seeing part of the land made sense. I actually really enjoyed the way Wade played with the characteristics of the would be inanimate objects, like fire and Darkness. They each had personalities and manners to them as if they really had been around for hundreds or thousands of years and were heavily established in the world. The only things about the world I wasn’t fond of are very nitpicky- like the fact that the world serpent is called Nidhoggdrisil when that’s literally just a dragon name with tree attached to it, which is actually really redundant when looking at Norse mythology. But I just get super up in arms about Norse mythology.
I’m also someone who enjoys a questing/traveling story. It’s one of my weaknesses as a writer, because I got so concentrated on the journey that I forget that things have to happen. And along with stories of travel, I like a nice cast of travelling companions, and that’s what you get in this story. I was a little worried at first, because it seemed to be just Farris and a goat, but slowly yet surely it all came together.
Now for what I didn’t like:
This is going to sound really strange, but this book was pretty male dominated. A lot of books are, that probably wouldn’t have bothered me quite as much if I hadn’t kept inwardly complimenting the author on having a female lead. Here’s the thing- Farris is the main, her grandmother is important, and the other Wyrd Sisters are mentioned enough to be considered important, but that’s all for the females. Everyone helping Farris helping or protecting or attacking Farris, are men, and even when the women get mentioned it’s in a pretty passive way. I mean, this didn’t ruin the book for me or anything, but it is unfortunate.
Okay, I feel kind of awful for saying this, after I just went on about not having enough focus on women and being glad there’s a female lead, but... I really don’t like Farris. I’m all for characters with a lot of faults to make them realistic and for characters that grow, but she just got on my nerves a lot. She was extremely immature, and that might not have stuck out to me when I was actually her age, but her self-centered personality just got to me. Even when she has to go do all this brilliant stuff that should seem really selfless, she’s bitter about being overlooked, or she’s prideful, and she spends a lot of time just thinking about herself. At a certain point I honestly just stopped caring about her. The world saved it, but she definitely dragged down the story for me, and I hope that in the next book she’ll have developed enough that she’s more likable.
Favorite part: learning about Javel’s religious origin story
Least favorite part: N/A
What I’d change: less downright questioning and more subtle confusion
How long it took to read: N/A
February 17, 2016
Now Tobias Wade, the author, contacted me on tumblr (which means you know he's cool) and asked if I would like a copy of his book to review. I read the description of it and found it delightfully quirky so I agreed to review it. I am glad I did.
Many of you know I have been complaining about reading too much fantasy lately because I have been finding it dull and repetitive. Why then was I able to enjoy this fantasy book? I think it is because it is telling a different story in a way. While it at its core is still the nobody becomes a somebody along the way story it is different in a couple key features.
The hero the book sets up at the beginning is kidnapped and his sister decides it is her job to save him. So it was not her destiny, it is something she chose. Always something I like. It isn't someone doing just what they believe they were destined to do, but someone who is trying to do right because they want to.
Also, and I'm going to give Taylor credit for this because as I was talking about it he said, "Ah it takes the David Wong approach of making everything so weird you just except it." I have to agree. The author said he enjoys creating surreal worlds and this definitely is that. It pulls elements from ancient mythology, eastern religions, classic fantasy, modern fantasy, young adult tropes, middle grade tropes. It wraps it all up into one bundle and ties it neatly there. I kept saying, now it is reminding me of this, now it is reminding me of that. I was completely okay with it because it wasn't a rehashing of any one of those stories it somehow took all of those elements and blended it into something new that I really enjoyed.
I do have to say that a lot of the things it reminded me of were stories that I particularly charished as a child, even though I was not the biggest reader of fantasy, and still am not, this reminded me of the fantastic stories that I did hold dear when I was younger. Stories like Alice in Wonderland, anything by Jules Verne, Taylor said some parts reminded him of Terry Pratchett books and while I never read him I do know that what I have heard of them they sound like something I would enjoy. All in all I was delighted to see that there is some hope in the genre.
Now saying all that, this isn't a perfect book. I had some problems with some of the characters, especially those who appear earlier in the book being a bit confusing or bland. The parents were standard archetype parents who said standard archetype parent things and then were promptly forgotten until their mention was needed again. We have the wise grandmother figure, who I did quite enjoy but honestly has appeared in so many stories before hand. Then of course the original hero who couldn't seem to decide whether he was a kid or a sassy teenager, and while he is at an age where he would be transitioning between the two, I am not sure these two identities meshed quite enough for me.
I have seen some people complain about the romance aspect of this book and I agree it also not very strong. It is kind of ... bland. A lot of showing and not telling and insta-love if you ask me, but it wasn't something I paid much attention to if I'm honest. It wasn't that big of a feature in it, and while I do wish it was a bit less of a feature, I can't really fault it for being there when I have definitely read worse in young adult literature, at the very least it was not abusive or romanticizing the dangerous bad boy.
While I had my problems with it I was still able to really enjoy it in the end. I definitely think this is a good addition to the YA genre and I especially think this would be a good one to hand over to young boys who want something before they leave the cocoon of middle grade and are thrown into adult fantasy and science fiction as apparently is our custom. YA is pretty gendered and I think this is a great book that would appeal to both. It bridges the gap nicely and I definitely think more books like this should come out. I just wish it existed in physical form in order to entice them. However, I guess the tweens of the future would prefer tablets to paperbacks. Who knows? Not me.
Many of you know I have been complaining about reading too much fantasy lately because I have been finding it dull and repetitive. Why then was I able to enjoy this fantasy book? I think it is because it is telling a different story in a way. While it at its core is still the nobody becomes a somebody along the way story it is different in a couple key features.
The hero the book sets up at the beginning is kidnapped and his sister decides it is her job to save him. So it was not her destiny, it is something she chose. Always something I like. It isn't someone doing just what they believe they were destined to do, but someone who is trying to do right because they want to.
Also, and I'm going to give Taylor credit for this because as I was talking about it he said, "Ah it takes the David Wong approach of making everything so weird you just except it." I have to agree. The author said he enjoys creating surreal worlds and this definitely is that. It pulls elements from ancient mythology, eastern religions, classic fantasy, modern fantasy, young adult tropes, middle grade tropes. It wraps it all up into one bundle and ties it neatly there. I kept saying, now it is reminding me of this, now it is reminding me of that. I was completely okay with it because it wasn't a rehashing of any one of those stories it somehow took all of those elements and blended it into something new that I really enjoyed.
I do have to say that a lot of the things it reminded me of were stories that I particularly charished as a child, even though I was not the biggest reader of fantasy, and still am not, this reminded me of the fantastic stories that I did hold dear when I was younger. Stories like Alice in Wonderland, anything by Jules Verne, Taylor said some parts reminded him of Terry Pratchett books and while I never read him I do know that what I have heard of them they sound like something I would enjoy. All in all I was delighted to see that there is some hope in the genre.
Now saying all that, this isn't a perfect book. I had some problems with some of the characters, especially those who appear earlier in the book being a bit confusing or bland. The parents were standard archetype parents who said standard archetype parent things and then were promptly forgotten until their mention was needed again. We have the wise grandmother figure, who I did quite enjoy but honestly has appeared in so many stories before hand. Then of course the original hero who couldn't seem to decide whether he was a kid or a sassy teenager, and while he is at an age where he would be transitioning between the two, I am not sure these two identities meshed quite enough for me.
I have seen some people complain about the romance aspect of this book and I agree it also not very strong. It is kind of ... bland. A lot of showing and not telling and insta-love if you ask me, but it wasn't something I paid much attention to if I'm honest. It wasn't that big of a feature in it, and while I do wish it was a bit less of a feature, I can't really fault it for being there when I have definitely read worse in young adult literature, at the very least it was not abusive or romanticizing the dangerous bad boy.
While I had my problems with it I was still able to really enjoy it in the end. I definitely think this is a good addition to the YA genre and I especially think this would be a good one to hand over to young boys who want something before they leave the cocoon of middle grade and are thrown into adult fantasy and science fiction as apparently is our custom. YA is pretty gendered and I think this is a great book that would appeal to both. It bridges the gap nicely and I definitely think more books like this should come out. I just wish it existed in physical form in order to entice them. However, I guess the tweens of the future would prefer tablets to paperbacks. Who knows? Not me.
February 8, 2016
If all the stories you were told as a child were actually true, how would you react? My guess is you'd probably be filled with quite a bit of disbelief but you would be quick to adapt to the new reality. The Last Man by Tobias Wade explores a world where the stories told for ages by a village elder prove to be truer than previously envisioned.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Farris and her brother Tom have grown up hearing the fantastic stories their grandmother tells them. On Tom's 13th birthday, the day where he will give himself a name that only he will know, the village appears to be under attack from the earth itself. As their grandmother tells a story of what this earthquake meant and reiterates the power behind knowing the names of things, Tom becomes enraptured with what he believes to be the truth while Farris remains mostly skeptical. But when Tom is taken captive by clockwork creatures, Farris is willing to do whatever it takes to get her brother back. Traveling to the shells below the surface of the earth, Farris encounters various challenges in her endeavor to rescue Tom.
The premise of the story was quite interesting and the narrative has a decent pacing that picks up immensely once Farris begins her search for Tom. While there were some grammatical issues that could still be addressed, they were, at the very least, not disturbing enough for me to mentally rewrite as I read. Some of the characterization didn't quite work for me, particularly in finding anything in the characters to immediately relate to-notably, Farris seems much younger than 16 in much of the book and her attitude and actions were rather annoying, despite her desire to do what's right to rescue her brother. In the realm of fantasy and adventure, pretty much anything goes, and it's nice to have an addition to the genre that isn't simply a rote version of stories we've already read.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Farris and her brother Tom have grown up hearing the fantastic stories their grandmother tells them. On Tom's 13th birthday, the day where he will give himself a name that only he will know, the village appears to be under attack from the earth itself. As their grandmother tells a story of what this earthquake meant and reiterates the power behind knowing the names of things, Tom becomes enraptured with what he believes to be the truth while Farris remains mostly skeptical. But when Tom is taken captive by clockwork creatures, Farris is willing to do whatever it takes to get her brother back. Traveling to the shells below the surface of the earth, Farris encounters various challenges in her endeavor to rescue Tom.
The premise of the story was quite interesting and the narrative has a decent pacing that picks up immensely once Farris begins her search for Tom. While there were some grammatical issues that could still be addressed, they were, at the very least, not disturbing enough for me to mentally rewrite as I read. Some of the characterization didn't quite work for me, particularly in finding anything in the characters to immediately relate to-notably, Farris seems much younger than 16 in much of the book and her attitude and actions were rather annoying, despite her desire to do what's right to rescue her brother. In the realm of fantasy and adventure, pretty much anything goes, and it's nice to have an addition to the genre that isn't simply a rote version of stories we've already read.
March 20, 2016
Overall Rating: 7/10 (3/5 stars)
Plot: 8.5/10
Characters: 4/10
Writing: 6/10
Originality: 9.5/10
As usual, I was wary to read this book because of its fantasy aspect. I’m not great at following plots that are extremely complicated, and I’m not great at following confusing world building. However, in this way I was pleased with this novel. It is straightforward, easy to follow, and certainly entertaining at parts. However, there are some large problems that I found in reading The Last Man. The writing is so mythical and storybook-ish that it becomes awkward when dealing with normal things, such as Farris’ underdeveloped crush on Sasha. The dialogue is at times incredibly unrealistic, and I feel Farris is two-dimensional. However, the first novel of this upcoming series left me intrigued, and I would very much like a chance to read the next installment.
I was certainly surprised by how easily the plot of this book flows. Generally fantasy novels leave me in a state of confusion, but the world Wade creates is fairly easy to follow, though extremely bizarre. It is one of those novels that seems to take place in a world neither archaic nor modern, one that is definitely and entirely separate from the world we live in. I like how the plot is linear and clear. There is a clear mission and goal, and sometimes it’s just nice to read something that is straightforward. There are some action-packed scenes, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming. I liked reading from the POV of a character who is skeptical, because sometimes the Alice and Wonderland-type features of the universe could get old. I needed Farris’ irritation and disbelief to make myself feel more grounded in the mysterious world.
This first novel is short, with the majority of the story spent on a sidequest, leading up to a cliffhanger. I like the structure and pacing of this novel for the most part, but there isn’t a whole lot driving the plot. I felt most of it was just pleasantly enjoyable rather than creating complex emotions inside of me; my heart was never racing, I was never flipping through pages as fast as I could, nor did I feel anything for the characters. However, Wade did paint a beautiful picture inside my head. I felt engrossed in his fantasy world, grasping onto the descriptions of different creatures and wanting Farris to stop and explore more. By the end, I really wanted to read the next installment, ready to continue in this scary but at times lovely world. To me, that’s a sign of good plot development.
I did not favor the characters as much as I liked the story. Pretty much all of them are two-dimensional. I feel like there are secrets involving Riften that I hope are explored in the coming installments. Sasha is a decent side character. Even when Farris is unable to relay them herself, his actions and thoughts are still consistent with the personality that was built for him in the exposition. The romance is just kind of there though, and I think “show, not tell” would be a really good method to use in coming installments. The awkward dialogue also makes it difficult to connect with the characters, of which there aren’t many. Tom is not present for much of the book, but I did like his presence in the story. It showed a sibling relationship that seemed realistic. My sister and I never get along, but if she needed my help I would be there, just like Farris ends up realizing with Tom. The other beings in the story are interesting to read about, but their voices are all so cryptic and bizarre that they sounded similar. I hope there is more variety in coming installments.
As far as Farris is concerned, I did not like reading from her POV at all. She is somewhat whiny and unlikable, but that is definitely not her biggest problem. She is extremely underdeveloped, with only one motivation and few emotions displayed. As a girl myself, I feel her thought process is not very realistic. I always discuss wanting strong female characters in YA lit, and I feel The Last Man is missing one. I don’t feel Farris changes at all throughout the course of the story, and I don’t feel like we get to explore some of her deeper emotions. I definitely hope this is improved on in the coming installments, because I admire Wade’s attempt at writing a feminine heroine; we definitely need a lot more in YA literature. The emotions portrayed in The Last Man, however, make it much better suited for Middle Grade or Children’s fantasy.
I feel very torn about the writing. The description and plot flow effortlessly, and I can tell Wade definitely has some raw, natural talent. The fact that I, in particular, given my history with fantasy novels, was able to fully immerse myself into his world is a truly incredible feat. However, some of the dialogue just stumbled along so awkwardly, at times it was painful. The cryptic and stoic nature of the dialogue fits in some cases, such as in the Grandmother’s stories, or with characters that are supposed to be mysterious. However, using that style with the main characters who are supposed to be teenagers is not a good move. The underdeveloped characters were partially so because of this. I feel like this book could have been really enjoyable if not for a few of these elements.
As far as originality is concerned, I’ve definitely never read anything like this. It has taken some elements from other fantasy novels, but tied them together with an interesting twist. I really am looking forward to seeing where Wade takes this series, and though I enjoyed this book’s simplicity, I’m looking forward to more complex ideas in the future.
Overall: The Last Man by Tobias Wade is a pleasant, enjoyable read. Though the characters are underdeveloped with some awkward dialogue exchanges, the writing is beautiful, and the story itself does not disappoint. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.
www.goodbadanduglybooks.net
Plot: 8.5/10
Characters: 4/10
Writing: 6/10
Originality: 9.5/10
As usual, I was wary to read this book because of its fantasy aspect. I’m not great at following plots that are extremely complicated, and I’m not great at following confusing world building. However, in this way I was pleased with this novel. It is straightforward, easy to follow, and certainly entertaining at parts. However, there are some large problems that I found in reading The Last Man. The writing is so mythical and storybook-ish that it becomes awkward when dealing with normal things, such as Farris’ underdeveloped crush on Sasha. The dialogue is at times incredibly unrealistic, and I feel Farris is two-dimensional. However, the first novel of this upcoming series left me intrigued, and I would very much like a chance to read the next installment.
I was certainly surprised by how easily the plot of this book flows. Generally fantasy novels leave me in a state of confusion, but the world Wade creates is fairly easy to follow, though extremely bizarre. It is one of those novels that seems to take place in a world neither archaic nor modern, one that is definitely and entirely separate from the world we live in. I like how the plot is linear and clear. There is a clear mission and goal, and sometimes it’s just nice to read something that is straightforward. There are some action-packed scenes, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming. I liked reading from the POV of a character who is skeptical, because sometimes the Alice and Wonderland-type features of the universe could get old. I needed Farris’ irritation and disbelief to make myself feel more grounded in the mysterious world.
This first novel is short, with the majority of the story spent on a sidequest, leading up to a cliffhanger. I like the structure and pacing of this novel for the most part, but there isn’t a whole lot driving the plot. I felt most of it was just pleasantly enjoyable rather than creating complex emotions inside of me; my heart was never racing, I was never flipping through pages as fast as I could, nor did I feel anything for the characters. However, Wade did paint a beautiful picture inside my head. I felt engrossed in his fantasy world, grasping onto the descriptions of different creatures and wanting Farris to stop and explore more. By the end, I really wanted to read the next installment, ready to continue in this scary but at times lovely world. To me, that’s a sign of good plot development.
I did not favor the characters as much as I liked the story. Pretty much all of them are two-dimensional. I feel like there are secrets involving Riften that I hope are explored in the coming installments. Sasha is a decent side character. Even when Farris is unable to relay them herself, his actions and thoughts are still consistent with the personality that was built for him in the exposition. The romance is just kind of there though, and I think “show, not tell” would be a really good method to use in coming installments. The awkward dialogue also makes it difficult to connect with the characters, of which there aren’t many. Tom is not present for much of the book, but I did like his presence in the story. It showed a sibling relationship that seemed realistic. My sister and I never get along, but if she needed my help I would be there, just like Farris ends up realizing with Tom. The other beings in the story are interesting to read about, but their voices are all so cryptic and bizarre that they sounded similar. I hope there is more variety in coming installments.
As far as Farris is concerned, I did not like reading from her POV at all. She is somewhat whiny and unlikable, but that is definitely not her biggest problem. She is extremely underdeveloped, with only one motivation and few emotions displayed. As a girl myself, I feel her thought process is not very realistic. I always discuss wanting strong female characters in YA lit, and I feel The Last Man is missing one. I don’t feel Farris changes at all throughout the course of the story, and I don’t feel like we get to explore some of her deeper emotions. I definitely hope this is improved on in the coming installments, because I admire Wade’s attempt at writing a feminine heroine; we definitely need a lot more in YA literature. The emotions portrayed in The Last Man, however, make it much better suited for Middle Grade or Children’s fantasy.
I feel very torn about the writing. The description and plot flow effortlessly, and I can tell Wade definitely has some raw, natural talent. The fact that I, in particular, given my history with fantasy novels, was able to fully immerse myself into his world is a truly incredible feat. However, some of the dialogue just stumbled along so awkwardly, at times it was painful. The cryptic and stoic nature of the dialogue fits in some cases, such as in the Grandmother’s stories, or with characters that are supposed to be mysterious. However, using that style with the main characters who are supposed to be teenagers is not a good move. The underdeveloped characters were partially so because of this. I feel like this book could have been really enjoyable if not for a few of these elements.
As far as originality is concerned, I’ve definitely never read anything like this. It has taken some elements from other fantasy novels, but tied them together with an interesting twist. I really am looking forward to seeing where Wade takes this series, and though I enjoyed this book’s simplicity, I’m looking forward to more complex ideas in the future.
Overall: The Last Man by Tobias Wade is a pleasant, enjoyable read. Though the characters are underdeveloped with some awkward dialogue exchanges, the writing is beautiful, and the story itself does not disappoint. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.
www.goodbadanduglybooks.net
September 8, 2017
I am lucky enough to have been gifted the complete trilogy of this unusual and deeply philosophical fantasy - this is what I think of book one.
Very well written, beautiful descriptions, engaging characters and definitely thought-provoking.
The story focusses on Farris, a young girl who seeks adventure, while her heart belongs to Sasha. Although she listens to her grandmother's stories of myth and legend and folkore, she's not sure if any of them are true...and yet...
I can't say much because I don't give spoilers, but I will say that this is a tale of adventure but so much more. It really is a story of enlightenment and I'm looking forward to reading book two.
Highly recommended.
Very well written, beautiful descriptions, engaging characters and definitely thought-provoking.
The story focusses on Farris, a young girl who seeks adventure, while her heart belongs to Sasha. Although she listens to her grandmother's stories of myth and legend and folkore, she's not sure if any of them are true...and yet...
I can't say much because I don't give spoilers, but I will say that this is a tale of adventure but so much more. It really is a story of enlightenment and I'm looking forward to reading book two.
Highly recommended.
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