The Last of Earth

by Deepa Anappara

From the award-winning author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line comes a stunning historical novel set in nineteenth-century Tibet that follows two outsiders—an Indian schoolteacher spying for the British Empire and an English “lady” explorer—as they venture into a forbidden kingdom.

1869. Tibet is closed to Europeans, an infuriating obstruction for the rap¬idly expanding British Empire. In response, Britain begins training Indians—permitted to cross borders that white men may not—to undertake illicit, dangerous surveying expeditions into Tibet.

Balram is one such surveyor-spy, an Indian schoolteacher who, for several years, has worked for the British, often alongside his dearest friend, Gyan. But Gyan went missing on his last expedition and is rumored to be imprisoned within Tibet. Desperate to rescue his friend, Balram agrees to guide an English captain on a foolhardy mission: After years of paying others to do the exploring, the captain, disguised as a monk, wants to personally chart a river that runs through southern Tibet. Their path will cross fatefully with that of another Westerner in disguise, fifty-year-old Katherine. Denied a fellowship in the all-male Royal Geographical Society in London, she intends to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa.

As Balram and Katherine make their way into Tibet, they will face storms and bandits, snow leopards and soldiers, fevers and frostbite. What’s more, they will have to battle their own doubts, ambitions, grief, and pasts in order to survive the treacherous landscape.

A polyphonic novel about the various ways humans try to leave a mark on the world—from the enduring nature of family and friendship to the egomania and obsessions of the colonial enterprise—The Last of Earth confirms Deepa Anappara as one of our greatest and most ambitious storytellers.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Literary Fiction, India, Adult, Asia

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 13, 2026

About the author

Deepa Anappara was born in Kerala, southern India, and worked as a journalist in India for eleven years. Her reports on the impact of poverty and religious violence on the education of children won the Developing Asia Journalism Awards, the Every Human has Rights Media Awards, and the Sanskriti-Prabha Dutt Fellowship in Journalism.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up for a slow moving, but informative, historical fiction book. It is set in 1869 Tibet, at that time independent from China. Both Britain and Russia are eager to explore Tibet, in what the British call "The Great Game." However, Tibetans know what happened to India and Bhutan, once the British took over. Therefore, Tibet is closed to all Europeans.
To get around this prohibition, the British trained Indians to do their surveying for them, and sent them into Tibet. While the characters in this book are fictional, Britain did actually train Indians to do survey work, and there are records of their Tibetan surveys.
There are five main characters in this book:
An English surveyor, disguised as an Indian, identified as the Captain
Balram, a trained Indian surveyor, accompanying the Captain
Katherine, an Englishwoman, determined to explore Tibet as an adventure. While she considers herself English, she is actually a mixed race person, with an English father and an Indian mother, born out of wedlock. Despite her mixed race heritage, she looks down on native Indians. Katherine was denied a fellowship in the all male Royal Geographical Society and wants to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa, capital of Tibet.
Mani, an Indian servant and guide, that Katherine has hired to accompany her.
A man who calls himself Chetak, and goes back and forth between the two separate parties.
Balram has a hidden goal: to free Guyan, a surveyor friend who has been imprisoned by the Tibetans when they discovered that he was surveying their land.
The author cites sources of books by Indian trained surveyors and of English woman explorers who actually explored Tibet during this period.
One quote: "For Hindus and Buddhists and Jains and those who practiced the Bon religion, Tibet was as holy as Jerusalem; on the peaks of Tibetan mountains resided gods and, in the waters of its lakes and rivers, absolution could be found."
#TheLastofEarth #NetGalley
Thank You Madison Dettlinger at Random House for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

Pub Date Jan 13 2026

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1869 Tibet is closed to Europeans which is not an ideal situation for the expending British Empire. As a result, Britain hires native people to cross borders and spy for them. One such spy is Balram, an Indian schoolteacher who previously worked for Britain alongside his friend Gyan who is missing now. There is a rumor that he might be imprisoned within Tibet. Desperate to rescue his friend, he agrees to guide an English captain. The captain, disguised as a monk, wants to chart a river crossing Tibet. It’s not something that sits well with Balram, to be deceiving Tibetans, but life is about choices and he needs to make the one that feels right for him.

Their path crosses with Katherine who was denied a fellowship in the all-male Royal Geographical Society in London, and intends to be the first European to reach Lhasa. She is a very captivating character. She grabbed my attention the most.

Throughout the story brief characterizations are woven which are interesting and poignant. However, as the story is character-driven I wished for more of character-development and less of descriptions of daily progress which are vividly portrayed. However, long descriptions made the pace a bit slow for me.

The novel explores the theme of ambition. What it means for an individual person which is a fascinating premise. It is written with striking prose, and there is some tension and suspense.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dona's Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ p198

I grabbed this book because I read some good reviews of it, and because the publisher's description sounded like something I would enjoy.

Unfortunately this book is *so* dry, for page after page. And then at the two thirds mark, the author uses unforeseen descriptive skill on a harrowing animal cruelty scene.

I really hate animal cruelty in fiction. I hate it even more when an animal cruelty scene occurs with no trigger warning, no foreshadowing, and no subtext.

not surprisingly, I'm an outlier on this book, so please check out other reviews beyond this one.

Thank you to Deepa Annapara, Random House, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE LAST OF EARTH. All views are mine.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although historical fiction is not one of my favorite genres, I found this account to be totally immersive and haunting. Even if the characters seemed a little thinly drawn, the set pieces and discriptions of the Tibetan landscape were breathtaking. Took me a while to get into, but once in, I was invested.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tibet, in all its majesty, beauty, mystery and danger, are beautifully portrayed in this novel. The novel is set in 1869, a time at which Tibet was virtually unknown and unexplored by white Europeans; however, it was a time of “exploration”, and the British colonizers of India were intrigued by the unknown country adjacent to their colony. One of England’s large goals was to “survey” the unknown world, and the British government sponsored many survey expeditions – one of which is the subject of this novel. The Tibetans felt threatened by both Russia and India/England, and they had strict rules prohibiting foreigners from entering their country, except for Indian traders and pilgrims, who could enter on a temporary basis.
The novel follows two main characters, Balram, an Indian who is guiding a survey expedition of the Tsangpo River led by an Englishman known only as “the captain” in the novel. (Not referring to his given name is quite intentional, of course!) Balram is also in Tibet to rescue his closest friend, Gyan, who was imprisoned when he was recognized as a foreigner while on a previous survey mission for the captain. Balram’s/the captain’s group enters Tibet with 16 bearers, sheep, a horse, a compass, guns and money. Of course, the captain cannot appear to be English, so he dyes his body and hair (and it isn’t the best dye job!).
The second main character is Katherine, a 60 year old woman who has entered Tibet in order to fulfill a life goal of seeing the city of Lahsa. Katherine is accompanied by only one young man, Mani. When entering Tibet, Katherine claims to be a pilgrim and Mani her son. We learn that Katherine is the daughter of an English man and an Indian woman and that she was brought up in England under emotionally difficult circumstances as a result her skin color and heritage.
The novel follows the treks of Balram and Katherine through Tibet. Their journeys are full of terrible – although very expected – danger and violence. Things go very wrong for both groups. The author makes it clear that the tragic events are caused just as much by human beings as by nature. BUT – in the midst of the challenging events that befall the travelers, the author paints the majesty of Tibet very powerfully.
I had a little trouble getting into these two parallel stories, but once I did, I couldn’t let them go. The writing is lovely, the descriptions of a magnificent, secluded country are amazing, and I so wanted Katherine to see Lahsa.

[Ashli Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

One mission. One map. Three lives forever altered in the shadow of empire. Colonialism, friendship, obsession, and survival—this sweeping historical novel had me trekking across forbidden Tibet alongside spies, scholars, and snow leopards. 4 stars for the tension, the heart, and the history.

[Monica Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Last of Earth transports you to Tibet in the late 1800s. The setting and problems the characters faced were fascinating and I learned a lot, but I wanted more from this novel.

The two major characters are Balmram and Katherine. Balram is an Indian guide for the Captain, an English surveyor who is trying to map a river in Tibet. Balram has ulterior motives and wants to rescue his friend, who he believes has been imprisoned in Tibet as a spy. Katherine is trying to reach Lhasa, a city that is forbidden to people from England. She is trying to impress the Royal Geographical Society into accepting her as a woman. She is also happiest when she is traveling. These two characters face many trials and tribulations and each must find a creative way to solve their issues in order to reach their goals.

I did struggle at the beginning of this book trying to get used to all of the names and places. I did find it a little hard to follow as I was unfamiliar with many of the terms used. I also found it a little distracting that the two stories barely had a connection. I did really love the setting and the descriptions of what it took to try and travel to Tibet in the late 1800s. I definitely learned a lot about this part of the world. Katherine was my favorite character. She was a 50 year old woman who didn't let her age or gender stop her from her goals. She did something that many people today would find impossible. Overall though, there were parts I found slow and I really wanted more from the ending. I do think this book is worth reading if you are interested in this time period and Tibet.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of novel that defies categorization and won't appeal to every reader. But since I like literary fiction and historical fiction from the perspective of colonized people, this book was right up my alley. It has a slow, meandering pace that suited the oppressive desolation of the unforgiving landscape, which was hard to get into at first but suited the narrative structure. In the end it managed to fold in some intriguing thriller elements as well.

The novel is told from intertwining perspectives of very different explorers. It was inspired by the author wondering how native guides could have stayed loyal to Englishmen who saw them as subhuman scoundrels. None of the varied cast of characters was particularly likable, but they were all complex and interesting characters and I was compelled by their reasons for adventuring on this dangerous journey, even when they were selfish reasons.

Katharine is a half-caste woman, who was raised as a white Englishwoman, whose father had a dalliance with an unnamed native woman who might have been her ayah. Her racist mother dumped abuse on her at every turn but her sister, Ethel, treated her with sisterly affection. Never feeling like she truly belonged anywhere, restless Katharine travels to the ends of the earth. When she runs out of money she marries an Englishman, but has affairs on her travels. Self-loathing, she denies her Indian half and feels ashamed of her ethnicity, that neither Indians nor the English really accept. She's fifty, which is an age I don't read enough of in female characters and provides for an interesting perspective. This story would have been veey different had she been 26.

Along the way she meets an attractive scoundrel who calls himself Chetak, rumored to be a Robin Hood style bandit who steals from the English. I had to roll my eyes a little at their dalliance, which couldn't be called a romance, but it suited their characters.

Her destination is Lhasa, in Tibet, which she has been thwarted from conquering for the last 10 years. She is doubly cursed, because her gender prevents her from achieving her dream of being recognized by the Royal Geographical Society.

Then there's Balram, who is a surveyor accompanying an English captain who is illegally making his way into Tibet for the Royal Geographical Society. But Balram has other designs. He wants to rescue his friend Gyan, another surveyor who was lost on an expedition and whom he's in love with. Their ragtag group of bearers and servants is beset by troubles, including a mysterious snow leopard or phantom that keeps attacking their group. But despite some elements of magic realism and psychological thriller, this book is too slow and too subtle to fully inhabit either genre. That is, however, what I liked about it.

I also liked the complex camraderie of Balram's group as they grow closer on their mission. Their reasons are more layered than fear of death and imprisonment if they desert; I liked the difficult love story between two of the men that mirrored Balram's own star-crossed love.

Despite the uneven pace, the characters really drew me in and I found it fascinating seeing the perspective of colonized people on the dawn of colonization trying to prevent the inevitable. There was complexity as well to the English villains in this story. And the writing was quite descriptive; while it focused on the relationships of the characters, I could easily picture the stark wasteland on the way to Tibet and the perils faced at every turn from a white man's hubris.

This was an adventure story, but it was an adventure through a harsh land that refused to be mapped and measured.

I can't say I enjoyed this book, but I really liked this author's writing style and I'll be checking out her other works.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kamis · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my biggest dreams is to fly to Nepal and hike to Everest Base Camp. Reading this gave me so much imagery for that, though the characters in this are journeying to Tibet. It is very image driven - there are so many descriptions of the landscape and weather, you really feel as if you are there.

Back in the late 1800's, Tibet was closed to all outsiders except for Indians looking to trade goods and make pilgrimages. During this time, many foreigners tried sneaking across the border, whether for their own ambitions and glory, or because they were hired by their governments to spy. The book follows two parties that are heading to Tibet, both of which have a foreigner trying to sneak in. One features Balram, who is guiding an English captain who wishes to map the Tsangpo River. Along with them are several other bearers, who help to carry the supplies, shepherd the sheep brought along, cook the food, and whatever else is necessary to complete the trip. The second follows Katherine, a half English, half Indian woman who wishes to be the first woman to see Tibet. She has hired a guide by the name of Mani to help her.

The story can be incredibly slow at times, as it is very character and image driven. Though there is the plot of each team trying to reach Tibet, it's almost second to the characters themselves. You learn a lot about Balram and his bigger reason for joining the captain, Katherine and how she's felt out of place for much of her life, and a mysterious man named Chetak, who appears to help both parties at times. There are so many descriptions of the landscape and the trials of traveling through such harsh land. There were no modern conveniences that people today would have available; it is all tents (if everyone was lucky enough to sleep in one), carrying all the supplies and food for the entire trip, no other modes of transportation besides walking. Even mountain trekkers today generally have the luxury of towns along the way with inns and fresh food. There is tension and a few accidents, but for the most part there is very little action.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the land and hardships of trekking. The characters were all well done and you could really understand their reasonings for what they do. It's a great book for anyone who enjoys descriptive, character driven historical fiction, but those wanting a faster pace may struggle with this.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Deepa Anappara's recently released novel The Last of Earth because I loved her Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line and wanted to read more by her.

The Last of Earth is a much different story than the Djinn Patrol. It takes place at the height of The Great Game in 1869 when Tibet has closed its doors to foreigners, and both the English and the Russians want to find a way in.

The story shifts between two sets of travelers an expedition led by an English Captain aiming to map the Tsangpo which runs through Lhasa and an English woman explorer who wishes to be the first English woman to enter Lhasa.

Guiding the expedition is Balram who has journeyed to Tibet previously to chart the land with his friend Gyan, whom was captured and Balram hopes to rescue.

The story shifts back and forth between Balram and the English woman.

I love books with quests and journeys, so this was right up my alley. There is an air of danger throughout and we see the characters suffering doubts and hardships.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it- just right for my Tibet loving heart. Katherine reminded me of adventurer and travel writer Alexandra David-Neel. A beautifuly written, meditative novel which completely transports you in time and place. I really felt that I accompanied them on their journey.

[Sacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This historical novel is fully about the journey versus the destination. Readers will do well to have this in mind before they crack this and expect an adventure with a thrilling payoff. No one is going to be screaming for Dr. Jones or swinging from the rafters here, but they are going to be exploring landscapes, experiencing physical ailments, and living in constant contemplation.

One element of this that I loved artistically but found frustrating as a reader is the pacing. Annappara uses one of those wise authorial tricks and slows the pacing way down, which is hard to do with snow leopards on the scene. Of course, this puts readers in an empathetic position to the characters. We are also on a slow journey we can't control that has its moments of shock and also a lot of just...moving along. I came into this expecting a bit more adventure and associated rapidity, and that impacted my overall experience, I'm certain.

The characters possess distinct motivations and identities, and most readers will find themselves peering through windows versus looking in mirrors. These characters' outcomes and opportunities are very much determined by the period and location, so they're more of a learning opportunity for modern audiences. That noted, they experience elements of the human condition that are certainly timeless. What I wanted more of is a connection between these characters. These voyages feel parallel versus intersecting, and I found myself often wanting more depth.

This is my first book by this author. I loved the chance to look into this location at this time, and I appreciate some of the aesthetic choices here. I am definitely interested in reading more from Anappara and recommend this to folks interested in the period and location.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Madison Dettlinger at Random House Marketing for this widget, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Ricki Brodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1869, Britain has imposed colonialism on parts of Asia. Tibet has been one area that they want to conquer. Tibetans have other ideas! A British officer uses colonial labor to infiltrate Tibet while employing ridiculous makeup and dye to appear “native.” The leader of the baggage handlers and cook is trying to find his fellow mapmaker imprisoned in Tibet. At the same time, a western woman denied entry into the male world of Royal Geographical Society employs a guide to act as her son so as to be the first woman tot each the forbidden city of Llasa.

I understand the motives behind each character ‘s desire to reach their goal. I found the portrayal of officer buffoonish. There were several questions of morality, treatment of and threats to people deemed to be second-class citizens and human rights. There were issues of feminism and the right to choose how to live. All of these were faced during a journey, that if discovered, the penalty was death. Unfortunately, I found the story and pacing as slow as the journey. I was interested in this slice of history but it left me wanting something more.

Thank you NetGalley and random House for this advance copy.

[Jifu · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)

The Last of Earth proved to be a gripping experience as I followed its cast through the mountains and watched them deal with struggles both external and internal. Deepa Anappara crafted his characters with such a vivid richness that by the end it made me feel as if I had known these fictional women and men closely in real life. It was with equal skill that he made the landscape and inhabitants of 18th century Tibet come so fully to life that his words were practically a time machine that transported my directly there.

An absolutely top-notch historical read overall - and I would not hesitate to call that an understatement.

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book and very pleasant read! The prose is gorgeous and entertaining - although a large portion of the book is understandably dedicated to descriptions of the landscape it was never boring and thanks to the detail each scene was very easy to imagine. Every character in this book was distinct and fleshed out, even those with minor roles. Anappara clearly has a talent for building a human character in just a few sentences. The pacing of the book was good and I enjoyed how tension was built throughout the entirety of the narrative. I also appreciated the more untraditional aspects of the writing, such as Durga and Gyan speaking through Balram and the strikeouts in Katherine's journal. These admittedly were overplayed at times and came off a little cliché, which is my only real criticism of the book, as these moments interrupted the otherwise impressive sensitivity with which Anappara told a story principally about rebellion and duty.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was well-written and I have no complaints, but it was just not for me. I didn’t enjoy reading it, even though I felt like it had a nice plot.

I received an early copy through Netgalley but all opinions are my own

[Catie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried, I really tried but I was so uninterested in the story after reading 36%. I rarely DNF but I almost dreaded reading this. There were two main stories that started completely separate and they just didnt capture my interest at all.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were things I appreciated about this book and things that I had trouble with. I should perhaps start by saying that although I love historical fiction, I always have more trouble with the type of book I would categorize as literary fiction and this is one of them. I really like character-driven books, and while we do get a chance to get to know Katherine and Balram, the rest of the characters are not as fleshed out, which left me wanting more. Katherine was an interesting character who was always looked down upon because of her mixed heritage, but also because she was born out of wedlock and her dad basically made his wife raise her. But in part because of the way she's been raised, she looks down upon natives, which I initially found jarring and which made me not like her. But as we get to know more about her background and the things she's experienced, it makes a lot more sense--in some ways it's like that self-loathing that was instilled by the people raising her, who should have loved her. In any case, as the book progressed, I was really pulling for her to reach Lhasa with Mani. Balram was the other very interesting character, who was on this trip with the captain because he secretly wanted to find his best friend who had gotten captured while on work for the captain. He spent his life being subservient to the British, but you can see, over the course of this journey, the strain starting to show, and the rebellious streak peeking out now and again.

As an aside, it's one thing for me to have realized in the past ten years just how bad Western colonization was for the native people. But reading things that Katherine and the captain thought and said about anyone who was not British made me want to gag, and as I said, it took me some time to get past that with Katherine. On the other hand, the captain could have been shot, and I wouldn't have shed tears.

What made this book challenging for me, though, was that the two stories barely connected, except in the commonality that they were westerners who did not belong in Tibet. They had different purposes for their journey, and it was only because of Chetak that their paths even crossed. I think this is a book that I would have to read again, now that I have a better understanding of the big picture, and just immerse myself in the writing, which was beautifully done.

I think this is a book that will resonate with some people and not with others. I am glad I read it, and would be interested in future books by this author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Last of Earth" by Deepa Anappara is a sweeping story of adventure, colonialism, and survival, told through multiple storylines. "It's in the nature of white men to believe they own the world, that no door should be shut to them." This single line sums up the plotline about an Englishman who disguises himself as an Indian in order to enter and map the rivers of Tibet, a land where no white person is permitted to enter. He is a man who views his ambition as the highest calling, more valuable than anything else, including the lives of the Indian men hired to be his bearers. His purpose is solely to find fame. Balram, the Englishman's Indian guide desires not to make a name for himself, but to find his friend who is rumored to be imprisoned as a spy in a Tibetan monastery. Fifty-year-old Katherine, who is half Indian and half English, desires to find herself in the mystical, unforgiving landscape, with only a young guide at her side.

This is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel . It is a profound exploration of identity, with complex characters who lead readers on a perilous journey based on ambition and desire. We come to know the characters intimately in this character-driven narrative, and each character is richly wrought and multi-faceted. It is not an easy, quick read, and I absolutely savored every word. While reading I was completely immersed in the setting and the detailed descriptions of the mountains of Tibet brought to life a part of the word I have never seen. This novel is both intimate and epic in nature. While it won't appeal to everyone, readers who gravitate toward literary historical fiction will love this book as much as I did.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this tremendous work, my first five star read of 2026!

[Kelsey Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit- the cover of this book at first gave me alien vibes and that is literally not the vibe of this book at all. The story looks at two different perspectives of two travels trekking to Tibet under disguise as Tibet was off limits to non-Tibetans, especially white Europeans. What I loved about this story was the beauty of the writing. I really felt I was there trekking in the rocky mountains and glacier lakes. I loved that the two POVs were NOT a white male perspective- in fact the main "captain" is simply referred to as "captain". The POV is from Balram who is the guide for "the captain" who is hoping he can rescue his friend from a Tibetan prison. The other POV is Katherine- who hopes to be the first English female to trek to Tibet and is under the disguise of a pilgrim traveling with her son. Her story is beautiful- and I wish that her chapters were just as long as Balram's haha.

I really loved learning about this time period of exploration- and I couldn't help but think how funny Western colonial culture is that people were seeking "to discover" these places that have already been autonomous and occupied for thousands of years. I also really loved the twist on Katherine's story and I loved her connection with the mysterious Chetak.

There is death, bandits, religion, a lot of snow, snow leopards, and pining for dreams maybe unattainable.

I really loved it and it was an easy 5 stars for me. The length is long- and I would say it is a much slower paced book than I expected, but it delighted me.

A special thanks to NetGalley and to Random House for the ARC!

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Last Of Earth by Deepa Anapara, I really enjoyed the author‘s last book but this one is just not a book for me I love historical fiction but this book went as fast as paint dries. It is about Catherine in Indian woman who wants to become a fellow in the English geographical society because she cannot she now travels for the joy of it and as a spy for England. The other main character is Balram, he is a guide and is helping a pompous Englishman map out a river but he also wants to find his missing childhood friend who took his place and guiding another Englishman years before and never came back to the village. Catherine‘s guide is Mani who is going to be a monk and their relationship which was a friendship because she is in her 50s and he is much younger was one of my favorite things about the book. I think because I wasn’t familiar with not only the situation in the Himalayas I knew the British had colonized a lot of of the Middle East but wasn’t aware of the tiny nuances in the situation plus a lot of the places mentioned like Laos Lois whatever it was called I just wasn’t familiar with them nor was there a map previously in the book which would’ve been very helpful or at least a description of the area but either way won’t say the writing wasn’t good and her character depiction with General Montgomery and Catherine was very well done I just found it hard to stay interested in the book I always hate giving a negative review about a book but I’m not saying this book is bad I’m just saying it wasn’t for me. #NetGalley, #TheReviewer, #MyHonestReview,

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This is the kind of book that I would not normally pick up, but I really enjoyed it. It is told from the perspective of two 19th century explorers in Tibet, a time when Tibet had closed itself from foreigners to prevent the same fate that befell India. One of the explorers is a surveyor leading an Englishman determined to map a Tibetan river and the other is a mixed race woman coming to terms with her Indian parentage and her half sister's death. The book is extremely well-researched and the descriptions of Tibet are gorgeous. The understanding of the relationships between the English and the locals is surgical. There is not a lot of plot in the first half, and the relationship between the two points of view telling the story is tangential. However, it still works because of the descriptions of Tibet and the rich inner monologues of the protagonists, who struggle with their places in a universe where they do not completely fit in. Highly recommend.

[Janelle Aimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rugged, atmospheric journey with an intriguing premise, this novel follows two wanderers making their way across the treacherous Tibetan landscape—in search of something, whilst undercover. If you enjoy a slow burn with rich, descriptive imagery of a desolate landscape, interspersed with bandits, wolves, and explorers, this book is for you.

That said, the story didn’t fully land for me. The plot had all the ingredients for something gripping, yet the execution felt a bit thin. I kept waiting for the characters to deepen or for the tension to tighten, but the emotional payoff never quite arrived. Even the encounters along the journey—bandits & wanderers—felt like missed opportunities to enrich the story.

Still, the prose is undeniably beautiful. For readers who value atmosphere over pace and are willing to settle into a long, contemplative read, this book may be well worth the time.

[Geonn Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. An excellent book, well written, but sometimes unbearably dry. It felt like a nonfiction travel account at times but just a little livened up to put a spark on it. I almost put it down a few times but the writing quality was just enough to pick it up again and keep going. I don't regret reading it, but I have a feeling it's not going to stick in my head for very long.

[Rusha · Rating 2 out of 5]

As slow moving as Himalayan glaciers

[Alesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating novel! It’s the story of two small groups traveling from India into Tibet in 1868. The first is a British captain trying to map the biggest river in Tibet. He’s arrogant, confident that his dyed skin and native robes will conceal his real identity (since Tibet is closed to all foreigners except for Indian pilgrims and traders). He has a big group of guides, surveyors, sheep, shepherds and porters. He has little concern or respect for all of the Indians helping him to attain his goal.

The second is an Indian-Englishwoman, Katherine, despised by her stepmother for being her husband’s bastard. Her goal is to be the first Western woman to reach Lhasa. She’s 50 years old, accompanied by a young guide she pretends is her son.

As each group struggles onwards through the mountains of Tibet, they face brigands, snow leopards, and always the threat of detection by Tibetan authorities, the punishment for being found being death.

However, this is not an adventure novel. It’s a splendid blend of many genres, the foremost being literary. The author thrills readers with descriptions of trekking in Tibet in the most gorgeous fashion, such that you can almost feel the cold of the air on your skin, or see the different colors of blue in the sky. The author tantalizes us with many deep questions. What does it mean to explore (both without and within)? What is friendship worth? Who is worse, the Indian bandit or the British who steal the riches of an entire country? What is loyalty, to a friend, superior, country or fellow traveler?

At first, trying to remember the people in each of the two parties was a bit of challenge, as chapters alternate between one and the other. But after I saw what the author was doing, I couldn’t put the book down. I felt I was traipsing along narrow mountain passes, worried about slipping into a raging river far below, or fearing wild animals in the night. Such a grueling experience! Way more pleasant to read about it than to contemplate such a trip myself. What the heck was colonial glory about? Why were mountains, lived in since time immemorial, considered nameless until seen by white men?

Here are a few of the gorgeous passages I underlined:

“Was the savage the general who had attacked another country, or the Tibetan who defeated him and carved up his body as if at a butcher’s table? Were the English officials who had their way with native women in their bedrooms and on mountainsides men who surrendered their wits to passion, or men who coerced the weak into submission?”

“Above them the sky curved bald and smooth, an upturned blue bowl that seemed to have trapped them inside.”

“He liked hearing the murmurs of the landscape. Walking alone under clouds silvered by the sun, pas fields yellow with rápese and pewter mountains striated with snow, he felt his heart beat to the rhythms of the world: the lapping of the waves of a river, the wind whistling down hills, even the sun sorts of a yak or the rustle of grass as a startled hare leaped toward its hiding place. Only in those moments did he feel wholly himself and also one with the world.”

“I did not understand then that our best selves need not be shown to, or appreciated by, others. Those who serve silently, at home as in the battlefield, without desire for fame, without plaques engraved with their names, are no less worthy of praise than a general whose chest is decorated with medals or the adventurer after whom maintains, rivers or islands are named.”

This book is highly recommended for readers interested in the colonial experience, outdoor struggles, discussions of race and gender, or India and Tibet.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

[Cyndi Smith (the.curly.bookworm) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I quit The Last of Earth at 33%, which says a lot because I usually love historical fiction. Set in 1869 Tibet, this follows Balram, an Indian surveyor-spy working for the British, and Katherine, a British woman desperate to reach Lhasa. The premise should have gripped me, but it never did. The pacing felt glacial, the polyphonic structure distancing, and when a character died, I genuinely didn’t know who it was or care. A third of the way in, the two main characters still hadn’t met. For me, it was all ambition and atmosphere, with none of the emotional pull.

[Stephanie (aka WW) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not driven by a strong plot. What it offers, however, is immersion into a time and place that few will be familiar with. The time is 1869 and the place Tibet. European (white) explorers are forbidden from entering country for surveying or other expeditions. Two Europeans – an English captain disguised as a monk and a 50-year-old English “lady”, who is part Indian – are determined to make their ways into Tibet, the captain aiming to be the first to map a river through the southern part of the country, and the woman wanting to be the first European woman to reach the city of Lhasa. They are on parallel tracts, crossing at one point, neither recognizing the existence of the other. The two traveling parties are each made up of trained Indian explorers, who are legally permitted to enter Tibet.

The traveling is hard, mostly taking place in the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas, and the two groups face unexpected, and often life-threatening, challenges. The descriptions of the bleak surroundings in this book are beautifully written and immersive, opening up a world known not familiar to most. The plot(s), while relatively simple in nature, drive the story(ies) compulsively toward their end(s). Along with travel, themes of family and friendship are explored. I raced through the pages to see if either the captain or the woman, or both, managed to reach their goals, and at what cost. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the early days of global exploration and surveying.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me access to this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Dash A]

DNF

I was intrigued by this one and liked the prose. It was detailed but in a way that worked for me. I read a review that mentioned explicit animal death and that’s a hard no for me.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for an adventurous historical fiction novel set in the nineteenth century then this is the story for you. The setting is setin Tibet who have put an embargo on Europeans from coming into the country. This is mostly because of the British Empire colonizing India. However, the British end up being very crafty because with the colonization in India they have started training the Indians to sneak into Tibet to engage in illegal survey expeditions.
Again it is just so interesting how one country feels the need to interfere in the livelihood of another country just so they can get ahead for themselves not caring who they hurt in the process. Overall it's a very lovely read because it gives you the opportunity to go there without having travel there yourself. The plot and the characters are so wonderfully written.
One of our characters is a man from India who is a spy for the British named Balram is trying to find his friend who went missing. He goes there with a ship captain in hopes that they will both find what they are looking for. Along the way they meet Katherine who is traveling in disguise who wants to be the first accomplished woman to travel across the globe alone. From there all three will embark on the adventure of the lifetime.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.