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The Last Boy
This is the world without testosterone.
Without violence.
Without men.
Nora has been chosen since birth to join the Mothers, who rule the Convent in wisdom and love by gentling the poor souls born as males.
Jude leaves home with his fiddle and a dream to see a real live girl. It is Nora's duty to capture any wild boys who trespass on Convent territory, but Jude is far more than a wild boy. He threatens to upend Nora's world. From their differences and desperation arises a passion that could shatter all that the Mothers have built.
Without violence.
Without men.
Nora has been chosen since birth to join the Mothers, who rule the Convent in wisdom and love by gentling the poor souls born as males.
Jude leaves home with his fiddle and a dream to see a real live girl. It is Nora's duty to capture any wild boys who trespass on Convent territory, but Jude is far more than a wild boy. He threatens to upend Nora's world. From their differences and desperation arises a passion that could shatter all that the Mothers have built.
- GenresChristian Fiction
299 pages, ebook
Published March 7, 2023
About the author
J.B. Simmons
19 books124 followersJ.B. Simmons is the bestselling author of twelve books that bring hope to dystopia. Readers can't put them down.
The Five Towers series takes you to a world you'll never forget. Cipher wakes up in a mysterious tower with no memories of his former life. He must learn who he was before he can figure out why he's here...and how to get out.
The Unbound trilogy tells the story of a teen from Manhattan with nightmares of a dragon and the world ending in 2066. It has been acclaimed as "The Da Vinci Code meets Hunger Games meets Left Behind... An imagining epic." (Hugh Hewitt)
J.B. lives and writes in a tree house outside Washington, D.C. You can visit him at www.jbsimmons.com.
The Five Towers series takes you to a world you'll never forget. Cipher wakes up in a mysterious tower with no memories of his former life. He must learn who he was before he can figure out why he's here...and how to get out.
The Unbound trilogy tells the story of a teen from Manhattan with nightmares of a dragon and the world ending in 2066. It has been acclaimed as "The Da Vinci Code meets Hunger Games meets Left Behind... An imagining epic." (Hugh Hewitt)
J.B. lives and writes in a tree house outside Washington, D.C. You can visit him at www.jbsimmons.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 7, 2023
Fragile white cis male needs all eyes on him…
Well of COURSE some cis white Christian male took the opposite premise of The Handmaid’s Tale and ran with it 🙄 the honored Mothers of the Convent, worshipping Mother God and cutting off boys’ balls to decrease their T, or testosterone, or aggression.
They even have an alternate creation story (as most cultures do) but the male protag reads it in horror because it goes against that Stone Age book called the Bible where a woman dooms humanity to death by eating an apple.
So the male (victim class) & female (oppressor class) protagonists fight until he overpowers, hurts and kidnaps her. (Wonder what all that damned female caution was for??) They wander the wilds till they kiss and then she saves his life and they overthrow the evil castle.
Men wish it was that easy smh. It’s not like men have *actually* been using religion to oppress, breed, and k*ll women for literal centuries. Keep playing the victim, you sad little cishet boys—your time is up, and you know it, and it scares you.
——
Some of the most laughable quotes:
“We become our best only alongside males.”
“Testosterone gives them drive and energy and courage. All humanity needs that.”
As if women don’t also have testosterone. As if strength of mind, body and character are simply granted to you by virtue of p3nis, not actually something you work at and cultivate. Lmao this book is so ridiculous 🤦🏽♀️ Hard pass.
——
(The book’s main arguments are summarized in the below quotes if anyone cares to read that drivel.)
“We make the T cease.”
“The T?”
“You know,” Nora lowers her voice, as if someone were listening. “Testosterone.”
“But it’s only a hormone. It’s natural.”
“T is the source of all the world’s evil. Just look at what’s happened to me since I met you.” She motions to her chafed wrists, torn dress, and swollen ankle.
“It wasn’t all my fault. It’s been an adventure.”
“It’s been a struggle. Men fight. They start wars. They kill.”
“Not all of them. Many made the world better.” Jude remembers Ma’s words. “One good man can save the world.”
“There are no good men.”
“Haven’t you read anything from history?”
“Your old books are full of men’s lies.”
“How about our favorite composer, Tchaikovsky?”
“A woman could have written his works. Women could have done everything men did. Men wouldn’t let them. They used their violence and power to dominate for far too long. We’d have a thousand female Tchaikovsky’s for the one that happened to break through men’s terrible reign. How else do you explain the world wars, the genocides? Were women ever the cause of them?”
Jude searches for an answer. “Helen of Troy?”
“She wasn’t the cause! She was only the subject. That’s what women have been through history: the subject of men. But no longer at the Convent. Our society was created to transcend this evil history. And we have succeeded. We live in peace.”
“You live in an artificial bubble. It’s not real.”
“How can you say that? You’ve been there. You performed with me before the Convent. You saw our beauty. Our harmony.”
“It’s not natural.”
“It could have been . . .” Nora sounds hurt. “You had a chance to pair with me. You ruined that.””
——
“Like I’ve said, the Convent is the best humanity has come up with.”
“No. Not for boys.”
“But it is. You know about the world outside. You’ve read the books and heard the stories. Full of wars and tragedy and death, right? That’s what testosterone did. The Convent saves us from that.”
“Only by twisting nature. We were made to be different.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s best.”
Jude sighs. They’ve debated this a dozen times. “God created them male and female. The devil tempted Eve, and she ate the forbidden fruit. That’s what cursed us all.”
“The devil is testosterone.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“What do you think the devil is?” Nora asks.
“An angel who rebelled and was thrown out of heaven.”
“Just as we throw testosterone out of the Convent.”
“The Convent is built on lies.”
“There are many shades of truth.”
Well of COURSE some cis white Christian male took the opposite premise of The Handmaid’s Tale and ran with it 🙄 the honored Mothers of the Convent, worshipping Mother God and cutting off boys’ balls to decrease their T, or testosterone, or aggression.
They even have an alternate creation story (as most cultures do) but the male protag reads it in horror because it goes against that Stone Age book called the Bible where a woman dooms humanity to death by eating an apple.
So the male (victim class) & female (oppressor class) protagonists fight until he overpowers, hurts and kidnaps her. (Wonder what all that damned female caution was for??) They wander the wilds till they kiss and then she saves his life and they overthrow the evil castle.
Men wish it was that easy smh. It’s not like men have *actually* been using religion to oppress, breed, and k*ll women for literal centuries. Keep playing the victim, you sad little cishet boys—your time is up, and you know it, and it scares you.
——
Some of the most laughable quotes:
“We become our best only alongside males.”
“Testosterone gives them drive and energy and courage. All humanity needs that.”
As if women don’t also have testosterone. As if strength of mind, body and character are simply granted to you by virtue of p3nis, not actually something you work at and cultivate. Lmao this book is so ridiculous 🤦🏽♀️ Hard pass.
——
(The book’s main arguments are summarized in the below quotes if anyone cares to read that drivel.)
“We make the T cease.”
“The T?”
“You know,” Nora lowers her voice, as if someone were listening. “Testosterone.”
“But it’s only a hormone. It’s natural.”
“T is the source of all the world’s evil. Just look at what’s happened to me since I met you.” She motions to her chafed wrists, torn dress, and swollen ankle.
“It wasn’t all my fault. It’s been an adventure.”
“It’s been a struggle. Men fight. They start wars. They kill.”
“Not all of them. Many made the world better.” Jude remembers Ma’s words. “One good man can save the world.”
“There are no good men.”
“Haven’t you read anything from history?”
“Your old books are full of men’s lies.”
“How about our favorite composer, Tchaikovsky?”
“A woman could have written his works. Women could have done everything men did. Men wouldn’t let them. They used their violence and power to dominate for far too long. We’d have a thousand female Tchaikovsky’s for the one that happened to break through men’s terrible reign. How else do you explain the world wars, the genocides? Were women ever the cause of them?”
Jude searches for an answer. “Helen of Troy?”
“She wasn’t the cause! She was only the subject. That’s what women have been through history: the subject of men. But no longer at the Convent. Our society was created to transcend this evil history. And we have succeeded. We live in peace.”
“You live in an artificial bubble. It’s not real.”
“How can you say that? You’ve been there. You performed with me before the Convent. You saw our beauty. Our harmony.”
“It’s not natural.”
“It could have been . . .” Nora sounds hurt. “You had a chance to pair with me. You ruined that.””
——
“Like I’ve said, the Convent is the best humanity has come up with.”
“No. Not for boys.”
“But it is. You know about the world outside. You’ve read the books and heard the stories. Full of wars and tragedy and death, right? That’s what testosterone did. The Convent saves us from that.”
“Only by twisting nature. We were made to be different.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s best.”
Jude sighs. They’ve debated this a dozen times. “God created them male and female. The devil tempted Eve, and she ate the forbidden fruit. That’s what cursed us all.”
“The devil is testosterone.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“What do you think the devil is?” Nora asks.
“An angel who rebelled and was thrown out of heaven.”
“Just as we throw testosterone out of the Convent.”
“The Convent is built on lies.”
“There are many shades of truth.”
July 17, 2022
I was lucky enough to have received an advance copy and it was an excellent and fast-paced read! The interplay between the two very different worldviews and perspectives of the main characters keeps you interested and on your toes while trying to guess what might come next. If I had started it earlier in the day I would have read it straight through, but I finished it the following morning! I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and am glad that it doesn’t leave a cliffhanger at the end, but rather a quick glance at what the future might hold.
September 2, 2022
I really liked this book, it was easy to read, very interesting plot and overall concept. Kind of like a reverse Handmaid's tale as the women are in charge this time, with Testosterone or "T" being the ultimate evil having been the cause of wars, violence; pretty much everything wrong with the world has been blamed on "T." It is to me a cautionary tale of what might be done in the name of "safety" or security. Sure, the residents are safe, but at what cost?? Check it out along with J.J. Simmons other books, I have enjoyed them all.
July 15, 2022
The battle of the sexes? Our need for order versus our need for mystery and adventure? An exploration of where violence and war began and how to deal with it? Another dystopian love story? The first volume of this series raises a lot of questions and is also just a really good read. I look forward to seeing where it is going to go and I recommend this book
April 22, 2023
Great dystopian novel!
A unique dystopian tale! It took me a bit to "get into it"... but once I did- it was so hard to put down!
I love creative and original stories and this one did not disappoint!! A definite bonus was that it was clean and without swearing! I am looking forward to book 2!
A unique dystopian tale! It took me a bit to "get into it"... but once I did- it was so hard to put down!
I love creative and original stories and this one did not disappoint!! A definite bonus was that it was clean and without swearing! I am looking forward to book 2!
July 9, 2022
I received an advance copy to read. I read it in one sitting. The story moves quickly. The premise is interesting in today’s anti-man culture. I enjoyed the interspersed bits of truth and wisdom.
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July 12, 2022I have read all JB Simmons book. This one was an enjoyable and fast read. I would recommend this and any of his books. I liked the fact that it did not leave you hanging even though it was the first in a trilogy. Looking forward to book 2
July 13, 2022
J.B. Simmons does it again. I was glad to be able to pick up an advance copy of his latest work. This was a great story about two completely different worlds colliding and as an extra bonus you were able to experience it from two different viewpoints. A great read and I would highly recommend.
August 3, 2022
J.B. Simmons gives us a world where women want to create peace. How?, you ask. They are eliminating men. They are preventing boys from having T, which is trouble and provokes war and violence. Are these women truly peaceful? Meet Nora and Jude and journey with them to The Convent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2023
I love a great adventure. I like it even more when it's interwoven with deep questions and truths. I found this a thoroughly engrossing story. I look forward the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews