Last Stop

The Diamond Knife #1

by Django Wexler

From the author of the epic Shadow Campaigns saga comes a new action-adventure sci-fi series set in a dangerous world in which one must fly—or die . . .When his older sister, Quedra Sa-Yool, was brought down by her political enemies, ne’er-do-well and pilot extraordinaire Zham followed her into exile. Quedra, a military genius once known as the Diamond Knife, now commands the mercenary airship Last Stop and its motley crew, and Zham leads its tiny air wing—when he’s not roistering in bars and dodging moneylenders, that is.The one thing keeping this ragged outfit together (besides Quedra’s blistering stare) is everyone’s desire to survive on the edge, even if that means smuggling, battling pirates, and flying too close to the solid floor of clouds known as the Layer, below which the merciless insectoid mantids hold sway. Indeed, few who dare to venture there ever return . . .But when the Last Stop is enlisted to search for a lost expedition that may have discovered a haven for humans beneath the Layer, it’s the chance of a lifetime. What awaits Zham and team at the end of this dangerous mission might just change their lives—and their world—forever. Then again, it might mean the end of both.Last Stop is the first book of a thrilling new series from the critically acclaimed creator of Burningblade & Silvereye and the Forbidden Library—perfect for fans of Firefly.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Adventure, Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk

204 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2024

About the author

Django Wexler graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not planning Shadow Campaigns, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts.

Reviews

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...

As you can see, though the stakes are high and the atmosphere can be tense, the Last Stop is not without any humor. In fact, there’s more than enough to offset what can be a decently dark story, at times. A planet lost to humanity. A humanity that continues to squabble amongst themselves. Governments, mercenaries, and pirates all fight for supremacy of the skies, while bloodthirsty, giant mantids roam the planet below. It’s dark, yes, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel, too. If one can just survive long enough to reach it.

Honestly, this has a pretty compelling and comprehensive story for something that’s but a novella. And yet it’s not complete. Really it reminds me of Laputa (Castle in the Sky; the Miyazaki/Ghibli movie) insofar as it tells a full story (with beginning, middle, and end) but without filling in all the bits that a full-length novel would. In fact, I found my imagination had to do a lot of the heavy lifting (not a problem for me, but). I more than once found myself skipping back to reread a bit, sure I’d just overlooked some key detail, but no. Some people we meet (or even converse with) in the world aren’t described. There are a few points where we run around on the planet and the description is bare-bones at best. Even the lost expedition itself is left largely sans detail. The big reveal moment is near entirely filled in via imagination, rather than described, as the author instead opts to devote this section to conversation, with yet another dose of action.

Which brings us to the pacing. No problems here. None. A perfect blend of action and rest throughout. We never go too long without, and the often tense or uneasy atmosphere helps tide one time into the next. There’s certainly a lot of action in lieu of detail, and while I (as a seasoned slow-burn, high fantasy or space opera fan) might’ve appreciated more of the former, the latter has its appeal. You probably won’t dwell overly much on this tale. It’s impactful, yes, but not too deep—especially being the sole entry in the series thus far. Perfect for a rainy day or two, or to be read between working or studying something else.

And yet, a little bit more fleshing out, a little more detail, some more character development… and this would possibly even be on par with Laputa itself, rather than a cheap, if darker, knockoff of the concept instead. Don’t get me wrong—I very much enjoyed the Last Stop. But I didn’t love it. It’s just not deep enough for that.

TL;DR

The Last Stop gives shades of Laputa (Castle in the Sky), without managing to capture the appeal of the original film. Too much action, not enough description. While the characters are interesting and the plot thrilling, I would’ve liked to hear more about them and the world itself. I’m fine with a bit of detail being skipped over to let the reader’s imagination fill in the gaps, but the Last Stop often excluded the description of major reveals in lieu of conversations, or even more action sequences. And yet, with a thorough plot and entertaining story—especially for a novella—I’d still heartily recommend this. Perfect for a rainy afternoon, or read in a few night prior to bed. Anticipating the next one, and yet, I’d still like to see more out of its sequel.

[Brianna - Four Paws and a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

I love Django Wexler's characters, and even in a shorter story, they still shine off the page. The world was unique and I wish we would have had more depth in that, especially with the creatures, but understand you only have a limited space.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird premise (airplanes on another planet???), but the indigenous mantids are properly alien and scary, hotshot pilot Zham is a sturdy pov character, and Niko is the sort of hilarious wild card that pulls an adventure story up into the top flight zone. Hope sequels aren’t long in coming.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...I liked the characters...the kind of rag tag found family concept. The mission they were on was...fine...didn't really draw me in but nothing wrong with it. I just didn't connect emotionally with this one and there were several opportunities where that should have been a slam dunk...particularly with a character with a disability that seemed like it was similar to what I have myself. But alas...I did not. So this was was fine but not something I see myself reading again or a series I plan to continue with.

[Lowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pure pulp in the best way. Sky-Captain and the World of Tomorrow meets Indiana Jones by way of airship mercenary companies in spitfires and mustangs. Oh, and with absolutely massive preying-mantis type bugs.

Loads of fun.

[Eric Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tale!

What a very cool world the author created. Very unique and interesting. The characters are interesting and diverse. My only complaint is I want another book in the series!

[Cornelia Johansson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, fast-paced, with delightfully entertaining yet heartfelt characters. I also appreciated that while there was a romance, the more central relationships were a platonic one and a familial one.

[Jorge · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I finished this book in two days. It is really easy to read, there only one "but": but this is almost the same world setting as The Cinder Spires Series from Jim Butcher, isn't it? Yes, jim Butcher is more magic related and this world is more 1930's, but it is almost the same. Even the enemies: mantids on the ground. So enjoyable book, but not really original.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zham is an ace pilot and works for his sister's mercenary company. When we meet him, he's broke and drunk, having completely forgotten that he's supposed to be going to collect the newest member of their crew. The company, and their carrier airship, the Last Stop isn't in great condition, so Zham goes behind his sister's back to take on a big job that could solve their money woes, a job that involves taking the Last Stop below the mountainous terrain that Humanity clings to, into the giant-bug infested lowlands.

This feel like an alternate 1930s, but isn't recognisable as our world, beyond some names, even ignoring the mindless giant insects who inhabit the lowlands, making them deadly to humans. There are (bug blood powered) airships, cars, and cinema but all in nation states that cling to mountains, above where the bugs can't get at them.

When we meet Zham and the rest of the crew, they're at a bit of a low point. His sister Quedra was a war hero, but was sent into exile as a scapegoat for an operation that went disastrously wrong. They're only just scraping by at the moment and Quedra has lost any appetite for risk.

The rest of the crew is fairly small, and, other than newbie Niko, we don't really get to know them well. Interestingly, as well as engineer Karl, his twin eleven year old daughters are also on the Last Stop, making the feel of the ship a bit different from other found family stories.

An appropriate description for this adventure would be "rip-roaring". It's great fun, very pulpy, but with a modern feel to it, in terms of representation. The crew is multinational, multi-gendered and satisfyingly diverse. Unfortunately most of the crew don't get a huge amount of character development, but I hope this is something that will be rectified by future instalments in the series. The end is satisfying, but is clearly leaving room for sequels, and I shall be looking out for them.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall review: a well-written story with strong characters each with their own voice.

There wasn't much complexity in the behavior of the mantids other than being mindless predators (like the creatures in the Alien movie series); I guess they didn't need to be more complex, I was just wondering after than one scene with the warrior where it didn't attack Zham and Nico. I felt like there could be more there. I couldn't tell whether the warrior mantids looked like praying mantis' or not; mantid, mantis, you say Tomato, I say Tomatoe.

The "dog fight" scenes were well choreographed. No dogs were injured in them.

Two small nits: character names are very subjective. I didn't really like the protagonist's name: Zham Sa-Yool. I have no clue ethnically what kind of a name it is and maybe that's why I didn't digest it very well. Character names on different worlds shouldn't have to map back to nations and cultures on Earth. Anyway, it's a nit and its on me, not the author.

Second nit: the concept sounded like something the author's agent presented them with and they just went ahead and wrote it.

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh....a new Wexler books. In fact a series.
I devoured this tale in a day.

This is about...bugs. A world where ships sail above the Layer, below live giant bugs. They use the bug blood for fuel, there are cow type bugs that are harvested (flesh is edible also) and nasty attacking type bugs too. They hop in their fighter planes and fight them off...hopefully. As well as pirates.

Zham and his sister, Quedra Sa-Yool, own and run the mercenary airship Last Stop and its motley crew, and Zham leads its tiny air wing. The one thing keeping this ragged outfit - mostly a family - together (besides Quedra’s blistering stare) is everyone’s desire to survive on the edge, even if that means smuggling, battling pirates, and flying too close to the solid floor of clouds known as the Layer, below which the merciless insectoid mantids hold sway.

Last Stop is enlisted to search for a lost expedition that may have discovered a new haven for humans beneath the Layer

It's pretty much non-stop action from then on.
I'll be reading book 2.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can feel ok about giving this four stars-- I liked the pacing and the characters, although the backstory and world-building were both a little slim.

The setting is never exactly specified. It seems like an exoplanet where humanity has settled and then experiences a technological regression, but you could just as easily make a case for it being a far-future earth with societal/technological loss, or an alternate universe earth. Knowing which wouldn't change the story, but I would have appreciated it-- I spent probably more time than necessary and/or more than the author intended trying to figure it out, which distracted a bit from my reading experience.

Short and quick, good for readers who like the speediness of Murderbot books (All Systems Red and following) or who are interested in something that's sci-fi but not in space.

[Marco Landi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro carino ma niente di più..
Se avesse tenuto toni più adulti sarebbe stato migliore.. Non è uno YA ma è davvero una sci-fi molto semplice e basica..
Un pianeta fatto di jungla piena di enormi mantidi volanti assassine, navi portaerei che volano sopra le nubi, e alcune rare città sui picchi di montagna che superano la quota a cui volano le mantidi..
Una tecnologia a base di sangue di mantide che permette di volare..
Il tutto carino ripeto, ma senza davvero il dovuto approfondimento..
Si basa sull'azione più che altro, con una trama abbastanza lineare, scontri aerei divertenti, personaggi senza praticamente approfondimento caratteriale anche se le varie dinamiche tra la crew di mercenari sono piacevoli..
Insomma, un libro non brutto, ma nulla di che, che ha un suo finale e non continuerò nei prossimi volumi..

[Mike Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So while it was a bit generic though well written in the beginning, it got good towards the end. I say generic because the main character is that, a simple indulger in debauchery in the beginning. The change of heart is a bit on the fast side but not unbelievably so. The other characters are also likeable and well written so you're actually rooting for them, something lacking in a good number of books now. What raises this to five starts is the adventure towards the end and set up for a series. 82/100

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, this is the type of fantasy I prefer calling "alternative universe" fiction, because there is no hokus-pokus, spell casting or anything of that nature. Fast paced action than never let up--well, except for the obligatory dialogue, character introduction and scene setting. Cliched group of ragtag, oddball, outcast soldiers-of-fortune, but so well done and entertaining.

Heretofore, I'd never heard of Django Wexler, but he's written a boatload of books. This is the first in his latest series.

[Adán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una pasada, simplemente. El mundo es interesante, los personajes se hacen querer (especialmente Niko, que es una gremlin) y la acción es muy buena. Añade a eso que está en un género relativamente infravalorado (es básicamente dieselpunk con un par de ingredientes extra) y la verdad es que hay muy pocas cosas que se le puedan comparar ahora mismo. Quizás Tales of the Ketty Jay, pero no he leído ninguno de esa serie.

Esperando más libros en esta serie. Me da igual si son cortitos o no, necesito más.

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite an interesting setting and well-written action, this novel falls flat in nearly every way. The concept of a narrow stratum of elevation where human settlements can survive is interestingly conceived but largely exists in lip service, as the majority of the novel takes place either indoors or miles in the air. In addition, there are suggestions of character arcs, but even the few characters out of the sprawling cast who actually matter to the story are either too flat for it to have impact or too unlikable for the reader to care. The aerial combat scenes are engaging enough to outweigh the irritating dialogue when they occur, so I wouldn't call this novel particularly bad; it just has very little else to offer.

3/5 (C+), technically competent but frustratingly uncompelling.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Last Stop" was an exciting debut to a new series by Django Wexler. Having familiarity with the writing of the author (I've read most of his series), it's a near instant-buy for anything new he writes. This book wasn't overly lengthy, at just barely over 200 pages, but it creates an exciting setting and an enjoyable cast of characters. The presence of giant insects was impressive too. I'll give this 4.5/5 stars as a read, while keeping an eye out for upcoming works of this series.

[Marc Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, I will leave it to others to detail the plot. I found this initial book in the "The Diamond Knife" series to be a real page turner. The writing is fluid and easy to follow and the pacing keeps you reading. The world building is clear and convincing, and the protagonists are well defined. There is a lot of action packed into a short novel (194 pages). Highly recommended and I am greatly anticipating the following books in the series.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great! It's a very fun little adventure that feels like a full and well developed piece of writing despite the short length. The characters have depth, the world has depth, it's suspenseful and fast paced, and leaves you keen to get the sequel. Nothing stands out as being a weak element; all the aspects are pretty solid. It's worth checking out I think.

[Ashutosh Sahu · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is basically an edgy TaleSpin for morons. I kept reading in horrified fascination wanting to see where things would wind up... this book is a comprehensive how-to guide in what not to do. I won't speculate about AI use, but the publisher should have their head examined, even if they're a vanity press.

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's such a weird thing with this author. He wrote the one really great steampunk-ish series.

And he can still write on a sentence level.

But he seems to have decided to become completely nonserious with his plots, characters, and worldbuilding, and at the moment, he's not producing anything of interest to me.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another new series by Django Wexler? And it's not even my birthday!
This was a fun, fastpaced sci-fi adventure with loads of action, introducing a great cast of fun characters - excellent entertainment all around. I'll have more of this, please!

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Stop was the Wexler I know and love - fun action, exciting characters, great dialogue, and some humor sprinkled throughout. This one struggled to 'grab' me, despite that, so I can't say it's my favorite of his novels, but I really enjoyed the world created here and will be returning.

[Nikola Tasev · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
The beginning almost made me give up, there was a chaotic pointless action scene that took way too long.
But after that it was quite a pleasant read. Flat characters, but the setting and plot setup really intrigued me. I would gladly read more from the same world.

[Benjamin Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this quite a bit; I wish it was a bit longer to flesh out some stuff but still good. If I could have given it a 7/10 I would have so I’ll settle on 3.5, will read the next one when it’s out.

[G. Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under the knife

Loved it. Good characters, interesting story, maybe not the most innovative, but the story doesn't suffer for it, the writing flows smoothly and doesn't disappoint. Found myself cheering for the crew at the end.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recent Reads: Last Stop. Django Wexler's dieselpunk short novel is an airfighter science fantasy, with echoes of the anime Last Exile. Trapped above the clouds by monsters in jungles below, humanity is living on a literal edge. A quest for land puts tramp airship heroes in danger. A ripping yarn!

[Django Wexler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Release day! I hope everyone enjoys these pulp adventures.