Modern technonogy compared with older technology

[William]

In reading this book I was entranced how in the modern world that different cultures can live without electricity or phones or internet. They use a simple technology that could date back for thousands of years, yet still works well today. The story is set in Siberia where the winter is bitterly cold and pits man against the elements and man against fate. It was a learning experience to study the technology that the inhabitants use to survive in that environment. Your thoughts?

[Roger]

Last of the Breed was a great novel with a theme of the old ways compared to the new ways. Over-reliance on modern technology makes us more vulnerable. For example, what do we do for shelter if we're in the wild but we have no tent? If we know the old ways, we can create a tent cage by bending and tying small, thin willow trees together. If we have some tarp or fabric, we can drape that over the cage. Another option is to cover the tent cage with a pelt or even with branches. We not only have a tent now, but we don't have to carry all the rods when we move on. The environment provides for our needs, so we don't have to carry such a heavy load.

[Samuel]

Love this book but it's one of the many from LL's later years where he seemed to be setting it up for a sequel then didn't live long enough to write it. I remember seeing him on Letterman in about '86 and Dave asked him something like whether he ever ran out of stories to tell and Louis answered that if he lived another 1000 years he couldn't write all the stories in his head. As a fan, makes me wish he had gotten to write "just a few more". Yes, I could have posted this to any LL discussion, but as "Last of the Breed" ends with the guy on the kayak, I WANT MORE!

[William]

Yeah, sometimes I wish that his estate would arrange for folks to do a sequel, but then I look at how other such efforts have turned out and I'm glad it hasn't been done.