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The Speaker Series #1
The Last Speaker
The man out of time.
The foreman who takes him in.
The widow who makes the harvest a home.
The six drifters who repay her in magic.
When the world was young, Joe was advisor to emperors, could challenge gods—he even succeeded in cheating death. Now Joe is the last speaker of magic.
Or so he believes.
Penniless, and hopping a train, he meets three hoboes who don't just show him the ropes of riding the rails. They show him magic hasn't faded out of the world the way he thought…
Working as a farm laborer with them, and keeping his own abilities secret, it feels like he's found his people again, and for the first time in eons he's shocked to discover he has something to lose.
Unfortunately, as Joe knows so well, very little lasts forever. Now, if he can't help hold his newfound friends together, he'll have to show them what he can do to make their remaining time unforgettable.
***
A moving story about surprise renewal, about finding your people again after long loneliness, a standalone cozy fantasy in which the magic moves hand to hand around the dinner table.
The foreman who takes him in.
The widow who makes the harvest a home.
The six drifters who repay her in magic.
When the world was young, Joe was advisor to emperors, could challenge gods—he even succeeded in cheating death. Now Joe is the last speaker of magic.
Or so he believes.
Penniless, and hopping a train, he meets three hoboes who don't just show him the ropes of riding the rails. They show him magic hasn't faded out of the world the way he thought…
Working as a farm laborer with them, and keeping his own abilities secret, it feels like he's found his people again, and for the first time in eons he's shocked to discover he has something to lose.
Unfortunately, as Joe knows so well, very little lasts forever. Now, if he can't help hold his newfound friends together, he'll have to show them what he can do to make their remaining time unforgettable.
***
A moving story about surprise renewal, about finding your people again after long loneliness, a standalone cozy fantasy in which the magic moves hand to hand around the dinner table.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2023
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Lee Burton
12 books21 followersLee Burton is a Percy Janes First Novel Award winner, and a finalist in The Writers of the Future contest. In 2023, he'll be publishing the first of his Speaker Series stories.
He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland, where for the past ten years he has worked as an author and freelance editor. Though his stories are diverse, they all revel in the music of words and celebrate imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 8, 2023
(I received an advance review copy of this novel from the author via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily)
This was a really poignant and thoughtful story to read, touching on themes of loneliness, belonging, and the impact other people can have on our lives. Joe is an intriguing protagonist and I enjoyed experiencing the story from his perspective. This author does a brilliant job of building the world of the story, which drew me in immediately without needing pages and pages of exposition. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a gentle read, perfect for a quiet afternoon.
This was a really poignant and thoughtful story to read, touching on themes of loneliness, belonging, and the impact other people can have on our lives. Joe is an intriguing protagonist and I enjoyed experiencing the story from his perspective. This author does a brilliant job of building the world of the story, which drew me in immediately without needing pages and pages of exposition. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a gentle read, perfect for a quiet afternoon.
September 19, 2023
Lee Burton is one of my favourite authors, and this book does not disappoint. Burton takes a chance with his measured, intimate portrayal of early-20th-century characters reminiscent of Steinbeck's major works, and he absolutely nails it.
The story starts out meeting the title character as he hops a train and meets a group of other down-and-out travellers, who, as it turns out, are headed in a direction that might appeal to our speaker. They all end up together on a secluded farmstead, working together and making a little family for a little while, taking the time to nurse the wounds the world has given them.
If that was all, it would be a lovely story well-told. But alongside this slice of life, we learn that the speaker is an immortal wizard of sorts, with access to supernatural abilities, and a lonely one at that, the last of his kind. But slowly it becomes apparent that the farmstead and its residents have a kind of hedge magic of their own. As the main character tries to understand what that means, both to the world and to his own place, we get to lavish in the richness of the setting and the relationships between characters, and to wonder what other spectacular revelations might await in books to come.
I may have already said too much about the book, but it's hard not to with a story this good. I hope you'll take the time to read it.
The story starts out meeting the title character as he hops a train and meets a group of other down-and-out travellers, who, as it turns out, are headed in a direction that might appeal to our speaker. They all end up together on a secluded farmstead, working together and making a little family for a little while, taking the time to nurse the wounds the world has given them.
If that was all, it would be a lovely story well-told. But alongside this slice of life, we learn that the speaker is an immortal wizard of sorts, with access to supernatural abilities, and a lonely one at that, the last of his kind. But slowly it becomes apparent that the farmstead and its residents have a kind of hedge magic of their own. As the main character tries to understand what that means, both to the world and to his own place, we get to lavish in the richness of the setting and the relationships between characters, and to wonder what other spectacular revelations might await in books to come.
I may have already said too much about the book, but it's hard not to with a story this good. I hope you'll take the time to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2023
I received a free ARC of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story but I found myself enthralled with the characters. The writer takes their time in both introducing and fleshing out the characters which helps the reader to feel more engaged with their story. By the end, I felt like I had made a lot of new friends.
It does come at a cost though. I’d say the actual plot-plot doesn’t really kick in until about 40% in which is a really long time to just meander about. Don’t get me wrong, the characters are fun to do that with but I think the story could have been stronger if some more plot elements were woven in earlier on.
The story is a master at perspective though. It will have questioning how you look at things, how you interpret them and what you do with that information.
Any book that makes you think is worth at least one read through and the characters will insist you come see them again.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story but I found myself enthralled with the characters. The writer takes their time in both introducing and fleshing out the characters which helps the reader to feel more engaged with their story. By the end, I felt like I had made a lot of new friends.
It does come at a cost though. I’d say the actual plot-plot doesn’t really kick in until about 40% in which is a really long time to just meander about. Don’t get me wrong, the characters are fun to do that with but I think the story could have been stronger if some more plot elements were woven in earlier on.
The story is a master at perspective though. It will have questioning how you look at things, how you interpret them and what you do with that information.
Any book that makes you think is worth at least one read through and the characters will insist you come see them again.
June 23, 2024
Subtle, mysterious, slow (in a good way), quiet, thoughtful... honestly not sure why I picked this one up, but glad I did.
Next. There was always a next. Next had come to be a word that plagued him. Next had chased him across deserts and oceans like a shadow. There was no escaping next.
"Not nothing", said Joe carefully. "Nothing is like the emptiness inside a box. It still implies that somewhere there's a box, or something to put in there. That place is where nothing ever was, but everything could be."
"You gonna come play with us tonight, or you gonna stand out here in the dark like a weirdo again?"
It's like rubbing a strange cat's belly, you don't know what you're gonna get.
Believing someone's story because you believe in the person isn't the same thing as seeing someone's history carved plain upon their skin.
Next. There was always a next. Next had come to be a word that plagued him. Next had chased him across deserts and oceans like a shadow. There was no escaping next.
"Not nothing", said Joe carefully. "Nothing is like the emptiness inside a box. It still implies that somewhere there's a box, or something to put in there. That place is where nothing ever was, but everything could be."
"You gonna come play with us tonight, or you gonna stand out here in the dark like a weirdo again?"
It's like rubbing a strange cat's belly, you don't know what you're gonna get.
Believing someone's story because you believe in the person isn't the same thing as seeing someone's history carved plain upon their skin.
December 6, 2023
This book is cozy magic.
I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely piece of magical realism. This isn't Joe's epic adventure, it's the "after:" how does an immortal find his place in the world centuries later? This concept could easily become dull, but Burton writes these characters with such charm that I was invested the entire time. I loved how each character has their own fascinating story to tell, but first Joe must earn their trust. They've grown and changed since then, and we get to know the people they are now before the people they used to be. Just lovely.
Thank you so much for the chance to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely piece of magical realism. This isn't Joe's epic adventure, it's the "after:" how does an immortal find his place in the world centuries later? This concept could easily become dull, but Burton writes these characters with such charm that I was invested the entire time. I loved how each character has their own fascinating story to tell, but first Joe must earn their trust. They've grown and changed since then, and we get to know the people they are now before the people they used to be. Just lovely.
Thank you so much for the chance to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
August 30, 2023
I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I am glad it came into my life to read! Magic is basically gone until Joe is on a train and meets these characters, which well developed and pulls you along for more. I learned a lot about perspective from this and can’t wait to read more from this author.
I received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/opinions above are my own!
I received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/opinions above are my own!
August 18, 2025
I knew I'd like this based solely on how I felt about Burton's later work The Lion but the premise of 'The Last Speaker' in and of itself didn't entice me. Steinbeck-influenced magic realism? Dude, I don't remember liking Of Mice and Men as a book. It's just been too long. Heck, I barely remember the movie. Of Mice and Men was one of the few American novels we had to study at a high school level in Australia in the 90s, and we did so with the usual reluctance afforded ratty little penguin-marked books we were told were Classic and Worth Examining Closely For Their Themes. I definitely haven't read Grapes of Wrath and my lack of interest in the whole Great Depression era is only slightly eclipsed by how indifferent I was to that other Classic We Were Made To Read depicting the waste and opulence that came before it.
But as it turns out, a little magic offering the down-on-their-luck transients of the Steinbeck-defined era a measure of comfort can go a long, long way...especially in the hands of a master storyteller.
'The Last Speaker' answers a question I feel more people should ask: how little water does it take to save a person dying of dehydration...and how little more does it take to possibly drown them? When the world has lost all of its magic, a mere spark of wonder can turn a hovel into a haven. A farm into a palace. A long-distant memory into a reassuring dream.
The elegant restraint Burton would later show in 'The Lion' is born here. We are not invited into the main character's head but we are told and shown that it is an ancient, almost limitless space. 'Joe' is a hesitant, withdrawn receptacle of millennia, most of them best left precisely where he left them. More time is spent examining the people he encounters, our proxy Lennies and Georges who, in an act of supreme authorial mercy, have found with each other a circular bond that is both intimate and inviting. Magic does not cavort or riot through Burton's world but simply insists its way into being in the quiet spaces between the myriad cruelties and injustices. We aren't shown its workings, just the results and impact. This is a very smart move on Burton's behalf: overt magic would eradicate the core reason to use rural America circa The Great Depression as a setting in the first place. Magic can't fix the world, but it can provide respite from it.
And as the protagonist later admits (to precisely no one's surprise I imagine), too much magic can tear people apart.
Obligatory nitpicking: there are a few dangling participles that bothered me, and some passive voice usage that might be Steinbeckian in style (like I said, I barely remember a word of his work). This isn't as tightly paced as 'The Lion' and the opening scenes are a little meandering and aimless (I get it, they're hoboes, but still). This leisurely pace extends into some of the farmyard scenes, especially at the dinner table, and I found myself a little impatient for what I knew was coming: the aloof, inaccessible but clearly very potent protagonist joining the circle, as he must because the circle is there. Perhaps most annoyingly, Burton seems dedicated to keeping it safe. He introduces a truly vile couple of characters but when I think they're going to get theirs, he pulls back, allowing them a sort of exit, not pursued by any bears. And the ending, while a fitting closing of the circle, explicitly leans on a 'your favourite characters will return!' note after a fairly rushed denouement that I felt cheapened the completion of the story.
BUT I know Burton stayed true to his word and wrote the speaker's origin story 'The Lion' and its sequel 'Strayed' as a continuation of the last speaker's story if not 'The Last Speaker's discrete plot. I don't know if I can recommend one before the other; I found 'The Last Speaker' a perfect follow-up reading-wise to 'The Lion' but there's no denying Burton refined his skills and found his voice somewhere between 'The Last Speaker' and 'The Lion'. This book handles the blend of Steinbeck's satisfying farmwork and Tuck Everlasting's hidden magic very well, but 'The Lion' is on a different level as a truly Burtonian work, if you will. If pressed, I'd say read 'The Lion' first to be stunned at Burton's expertise and then 'The Last Speaker' to see where it came from, BUT they both achieve what they set out to do.
A truly great writer can make a reader care about something they otherwise wouldn't; between shepherd boys and shucking corn, Burton is two for two. I have great faith he can write about anything and, on the strength of his prose alone, I'll be first in line to read it.
But as it turns out, a little magic offering the down-on-their-luck transients of the Steinbeck-defined era a measure of comfort can go a long, long way...especially in the hands of a master storyteller.
'The Last Speaker' answers a question I feel more people should ask: how little water does it take to save a person dying of dehydration...and how little more does it take to possibly drown them? When the world has lost all of its magic, a mere spark of wonder can turn a hovel into a haven. A farm into a palace. A long-distant memory into a reassuring dream.
The elegant restraint Burton would later show in 'The Lion' is born here. We are not invited into the main character's head but we are told and shown that it is an ancient, almost limitless space. 'Joe' is a hesitant, withdrawn receptacle of millennia, most of them best left precisely where he left them. More time is spent examining the people he encounters, our proxy Lennies and Georges who, in an act of supreme authorial mercy, have found with each other a circular bond that is both intimate and inviting. Magic does not cavort or riot through Burton's world but simply insists its way into being in the quiet spaces between the myriad cruelties and injustices. We aren't shown its workings, just the results and impact. This is a very smart move on Burton's behalf: overt magic would eradicate the core reason to use rural America circa The Great Depression as a setting in the first place. Magic can't fix the world, but it can provide respite from it.
And as the protagonist later admits (to precisely no one's surprise I imagine), too much magic can tear people apart.
Obligatory nitpicking: there are a few dangling participles that bothered me, and some passive voice usage that might be Steinbeckian in style (like I said, I barely remember a word of his work). This isn't as tightly paced as 'The Lion' and the opening scenes are a little meandering and aimless (I get it, they're hoboes, but still). This leisurely pace extends into some of the farmyard scenes, especially at the dinner table, and I found myself a little impatient for what I knew was coming: the aloof, inaccessible but clearly very potent protagonist joining the circle, as he must because the circle is there. Perhaps most annoyingly, Burton seems dedicated to keeping it safe. He introduces a truly vile couple of characters but when I think they're going to get theirs, he pulls back, allowing them a sort of exit, not pursued by any bears. And the ending, while a fitting closing of the circle, explicitly leans on a 'your favourite characters will return!' note after a fairly rushed denouement that I felt cheapened the completion of the story.
BUT I know Burton stayed true to his word and wrote the speaker's origin story 'The Lion' and its sequel 'Strayed' as a continuation of the last speaker's story if not 'The Last Speaker's discrete plot. I don't know if I can recommend one before the other; I found 'The Last Speaker' a perfect follow-up reading-wise to 'The Lion' but there's no denying Burton refined his skills and found his voice somewhere between 'The Last Speaker' and 'The Lion'. This book handles the blend of Steinbeck's satisfying farmwork and Tuck Everlasting's hidden magic very well, but 'The Lion' is on a different level as a truly Burtonian work, if you will. If pressed, I'd say read 'The Lion' first to be stunned at Burton's expertise and then 'The Last Speaker' to see where it came from, BUT they both achieve what they set out to do.
A truly great writer can make a reader care about something they otherwise wouldn't; between shepherd boys and shucking corn, Burton is two for two. I have great faith he can write about anything and, on the strength of his prose alone, I'll be first in line to read it.
February 17, 2025
I want to start by saying I read
The Lion
and
Strayed
by Lee Burton before The Last Speaker. This was sort of an accidental decision rather than a conscious one, as I'd come across The Lion first, and found its premise and cover reminiscent of books I read as a kid. Having said that, I now kind of wish I'd started with Speaker, and will likely go back and re-read the other two, as there are some details and nods I probably missed.
The narrative primarily follows a recently-vagrant man, who hides a plethora of secrets under the false name and face of just a regular Joe. He joins up with three other men illegally riding a freight train to get to a different town, and the friends and job waiting for them there. Despite some misgivings and suspicions, he is invited to join them working for Mrs. Miranda for the season, and there learns that every single one of the farm's inhabitants is hiding almost as much as he is.
While this novel in Burton's catalog doesn't quite have the same level of clean writing and sharp editing as its prequels achieved, there are still a large number of downright poetic lines worked into the narration. I was particularly fond of a mean old cuss of a cat being described as "purr[ing] like an engine that ran on a gasoline of hate". The rhythm of the prose does not lag and the story's pacing is steady and well-measured. There are no uneven hiccups and no rushing towards a climax, here. The few "issues" I had with anything were personal pet peeves rather than anything that objectively detracts from the overall quality of the story or its execution and enjoyment.
As with its prequel story, The Last Speaker has a straightforward plot but a more meaningful story layered into its telling. What starts as a Steinbeckian slice-of-life tale of downtrodden, oft-exploited working men winds itself into a larger exploration of the many kinds of grief, loneliness, and found family. It examines trust and betrayal, as well as the oft-debated concept of what makes a "good man". Somewhat meatier in its material than its prequels, Speaker's narrative covers many themes: the costs of one's past mistakes, the weight of personal sin versus indoctrinated religion, the competing notions of what is "good" versus "legal", and the mixed joy-and-pain of longing for what you once had. The whole of the story is underpinned with the magic that Joe finds is still alive just beyond his grasp (or perhaps even closer if he'd only reach out), leading to a renewal of his very soul and his hopes for the world.
The story itself has an open, yet hopeful ending in line with Joe's changing feelings at the end of the novel, which I feel is one of the most important aspects of the overall narrative. Hope in the story isn't something dangling just out of reach to tantalise the men as they struggle. They have a chance to triumph in minor, personal victories and relish regained freedom. Burton's hoboes start as tramps of the railways and byways, but in their unity climb closer to divinity than the supposedly godly hypocrites that prey upon their desperation.
The afterward of the book promises more of Joe and Slim to come, which I very much look forward to reading.
The narrative primarily follows a recently-vagrant man, who hides a plethora of secrets under the false name and face of just a regular Joe. He joins up with three other men illegally riding a freight train to get to a different town, and the friends and job waiting for them there. Despite some misgivings and suspicions, he is invited to join them working for Mrs. Miranda for the season, and there learns that every single one of the farm's inhabitants is hiding almost as much as he is.
While this novel in Burton's catalog doesn't quite have the same level of clean writing and sharp editing as its prequels achieved, there are still a large number of downright poetic lines worked into the narration. I was particularly fond of a mean old cuss of a cat being described as "purr[ing] like an engine that ran on a gasoline of hate". The rhythm of the prose does not lag and the story's pacing is steady and well-measured. There are no uneven hiccups and no rushing towards a climax, here. The few "issues" I had with anything were personal pet peeves rather than anything that objectively detracts from the overall quality of the story or its execution and enjoyment.
As with its prequel story, The Last Speaker has a straightforward plot but a more meaningful story layered into its telling. What starts as a Steinbeckian slice-of-life tale of downtrodden, oft-exploited working men winds itself into a larger exploration of the many kinds of grief, loneliness, and found family. It examines trust and betrayal, as well as the oft-debated concept of what makes a "good man". Somewhat meatier in its material than its prequels, Speaker's narrative covers many themes: the costs of one's past mistakes, the weight of personal sin versus indoctrinated religion, the competing notions of what is "good" versus "legal", and the mixed joy-and-pain of longing for what you once had. The whole of the story is underpinned with the magic that Joe finds is still alive just beyond his grasp (or perhaps even closer if he'd only reach out), leading to a renewal of his very soul and his hopes for the world.
The story itself has an open, yet hopeful ending in line with Joe's changing feelings at the end of the novel, which I feel is one of the most important aspects of the overall narrative. Hope in the story isn't something dangling just out of reach to tantalise the men as they struggle. They have a chance to triumph in minor, personal victories and relish regained freedom. Burton's hoboes start as tramps of the railways and byways, but in their unity climb closer to divinity than the supposedly godly hypocrites that prey upon their desperation.
The afterward of the book promises more of Joe and Slim to come, which I very much look forward to reading.
February 22, 2024
I came across The Last Speaker unexpectedly and it's like finding a hidden treasure. The story is simple but captivating, the mystery intriguing until the last moments, and the characters deep and believable. The way magic works in the world feels organic, simple, and yet profound.
I read a lot of books across many genres and honestly, I found the writing refreshingly different at a time when so many books feel like clones built to sell.
I’m looking forward to reading more about the Speakers and delving into Lee Burton’s other works.
Highly recommended.
I read a lot of books across many genres and honestly, I found the writing refreshingly different at a time when so many books feel like clones built to sell.
I’m looking forward to reading more about the Speakers and delving into Lee Burton’s other works.
Highly recommended.
“He couldn’t help but feel a wry smile shoving onto his face at that. Next. There was always a next. Next had come to be a word that plagued him. Next had chased him across deserts and oceans like a shadow. There was no escaping next.”
Burton, Lee. The Last Speaker (The Speaker Series)
February 18, 2024
This tale is unusual in many aspects. It focuses on a friendship that forms between drifters hopping trains as they travel in search of agricultural work. However, this group of hoboes possesses a subtle magic, and one of their number is not what he seems to be. The setting, depression era North America, is vividly depicted. The characters are emotionally complex. And the story touches on themes of mortality, loneliness and isolation, and the power of memory and friendship. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews