The Last Battle at the End of the World

by Jeffrey Alan Love

128 pages, Hardcover

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Jeffrey Alan Love is an award-winning artist and writer. He is the author-illustrator of Notes from the Shadowed City and the recipient of a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Reviews

[Bree Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Last Battle at the End of the World” stands out for its hauntingly beautiful art — every page captures an eerie, apocalyptic mood that lingers long after you’ve finished. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t quite match the strength of its visuals. While the atmosphere is chilling and immersive, the plot feels underdeveloped, leaving the stunning artwork to do most of the heavy lifting. A visually striking but narratively thin experience.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I liken my narrative work to drone music -- subtle notes repeating, layering, building and receding. Not every song needs a chorus and bridge, and not every story needs to follow an imposed system and structure."

I love Jeffrey Alan Love's visual storytelling -- he's a master of mood. The barest suggestion of features creates expressive faces. He makes excellent use of dramatic full page illustrations. Sometimes, gestural exaggeration conveys action in single panels, and sometimes simple actions gain weight by echoing across several panels. Ample white space gives the story a feeling of both expansiveness and deliberation. Glimpses of epic landcapes create a vast world. With just black and white, using simple geometric shapes, the art is yet organic and lively.

He plays with the same archetypes in many of his stories, yet they carry new emotional resonance in each. A bare handful of words carries the story, leaving room for the reader to co-create.

The printing of this book is excellent, with paper of a nice weight and luscious blacks. I enjoyed the bonus materials with artist notes, thumbnails, and sketches.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Battle at the End of the World is a bit less compelling than the other works I've read by the same author. As always, Jeffrey Alan Love's imagery is breathtaking, and this is not the sort of book you can easily complete in a single session: there is just too much to linger over in the wonderfully dense visuals. But the story (loosely based on the legend of King Arthur) is a bit straightforward, despite some unexpected diversions along the way. Not Love's best work, but not a complete disappointment either.