Shadow of the Last Men in Q&A with J.M. Salyards

Sep 12, 2013 Penny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, book-review, top-picks, action-adventure, xchyler-publishing, dystopian, editorial-projects

The recurring criticism one hears about works like The Hunger Games is, "Why don't they take all the money they spend on all that amazing technology and feed the people?" That's the point, isn't it? Dystopian books, at their finest, turn the lens onto ourselves and demand answers to questions we don't want to ask.

Shadow of the Last Men is one such book. Author J. M. Salyards never pulls his punches when he illuminates the road down which our society mindlessly hurtles. The result is stark and br ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2013 Sean rated it it was amazing

There is a lot of discussion of the rules or the cost of magic (as discussed in Card's "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" and many other articles) but a subject rarely discussed is what should magic look like? Mr. Salyards does this in an unusual and interesting manner by taking a look at ancient and contemporary religion, arcane history, and even psychology. This leads to a fusion which inspires a reader to seek out more information and educate themselves about these topics, just as the There is a lot of discussion of the rules or the cost of magic (as discussed in Card's "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" and many other articles) but a subject rarely discussed is what should magic look like? Mr. Salyards does this in an unusual and interesting manner by taking a look at ancient and contemporary religion, arcane history, and even psychology. This leads to a fusion which inspires a reader to seek out more information and educate themselves about these topics, just as the characters in the story must educate themselves about it. While accomplishing this, Mr. Salyards does not engage in the current political differences between these subjects, but rather treats them all as important; he treats with their similarities rather than their differences. This allows him to create a story which feels real to the reader, in fact more real the more they research. He seemlessly blends Jung's archtypes with Demons, Angels with the arcane concept of the four corners and the 4 elements, the akashic record with astral travel, and many other fusions.

His treatment of magic feeds direction into a story which feels both alien and yet hauntingly familiar. The politics of the Last Men seem frighteningly relevant, while the struggle of the Outlanders portrays a bleak but believable future. The setting is bleak, and Salyards spares us much of the scenery, allowing the reader to fill in their own imagery, giving us just enough to build our version of the wastes. This seems fitting, as the wasteland would be different for each person, depending on their outlook, their understanding, and in some cases their level of psychosis.

The pacing of the book is both steady and easy. History is blended smoothly throughout the narrative so that one is not inundated with facts and dates. Scenes of intense debates and theoretical discussions are interspersed between actions sequences and moving drama. The only thing I hope to see more of is the mysticism; I want to know more about the Astral plane (he does detail in story why characters can not spend too much time there, so we will have to collect information about that on an aggregate basis).

The use of characters is interesting too. The characters, while believable, do most of their growth when interacting with each other. Aloinne begins her journey with her own philosophies, but she truly makes strides when she interacts with Harrow, Quintain and the others. It is also different to select a "main character". While the book seems to lean towards Harrow being the main character, he merely seems a major player at times, with Quintain being more of the central character who drives the story and puts everything together. Even the minor characters are fairly well expounded, though I could do with more development from Thaira in the next book as we didn't have much of a chance to really see or understand her. The nice thing he has done is to intersperse chapters which feature one character or another primarlity throughout the novel, so the reader feels that they get to know all of the characters on an equal pace; this is perhaps why it is so difficult to choose a main character. Finally the cast of characters is small and intimate enough you do not need a glossary just to follow the story, which is nice and hopefully will continue throughout the series. Even the main villains are delicately understandable, even at their most villainous. And it would be foolish to think that we have seen the last of any of them.

Two final points that deserve mention: language and violence. Salyards does not shy away from his use of language, so parents this may not be a book for your grade school child. I feel this is appropriate, especially among the Outlanders, as their society has been fed with the obscene, and in fact had the obscene made normal. I don't feel it is used eroniously however, and builds right out of the prose in a fluid manner. That being said, Salyards mastery of the English language allows a patient and educated reader the freedom to see the prose enhanced by proper and delicate terminology, rather than reducing the prose to a more general reader. Those without a verbose vocabulary would do well to keep a dictionary on hand. Second the book is extremely graphically violent, and Salyards does not shield the reader from the reality of the violence incurred in the story. While this is not done for shock value, it is worth a word of caution to squeamish readers. A more flagrant writer could have increased this violence for show value, but Salyards does well to represent the brutality of the period in an appropriate manner.

All in all, Shadow of the Last Men sets up an excellent beginning to a series that should reinvigorate post apocalyptic Dystopian literature though it's treatment of educated language, dynamic characters and character interaction, bleak but believable settings, brisk pacing and exciting action. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2014 J.M. Salyards added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, sci-fi, post-apocalytic

I am J.M. Salyards, author of Shadow of the Last Men. As such, I will not rate my work.

This review addresses some fundamental questions that an author must ask himself. Why did I write Shadow of the Last Men? Why am I writing the sequels? Why should anyone read The NEXT MAN Saga?

"To tell a good story" is a common answer an author might give. To me, it seems a cop-out. It is difficult to go past the desire to entertain when one considers the why in writing a book like I have, and I am. There is a ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2013 Emily rated it it was amazing

The characters are dynamic and the premise is engaging. Science is woven together with the paranormal in a believable blend. Like a true member of the post-apocalyptic dystopian genre, the book makes you reflect on our world as it is today and cringe at what it is on the path to becoming. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next installment.

Like · see review

Dec 08, 2013 George Redifer rated it it was amazing

Like

From the Bookshelf of Q&A with J.M. Salyards…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

Q&A with J.M. Salyards