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The Last Supper
The world ended not with a bang, but with a grain of pollen on a puff of wind. People called them serpent weeds, and they consumed all the crops and eventually entire cities and civilization itself. A power rose from the ashes calling itself the Divine Rite, and they asserted a deadly new order in this ravaged world. Putting survivors to the test in a most literal way, they devised a yearly test called Justification. Pass and you can live. Fail, and you receive your Last Supper. This is the only life John Welland ever knew. But after his wife receives her final feast, he gradually immerses himself in a new rebellion, with a group of underground revolutionaries fighting to escape the Divine Rite s reach. But the farther they travel across America s haunted landscape, the more surreal and alien everything becomes. Not just the weeds, or the creatures with extraordinary powers, but John himself.
"Marrying speculative, realistic, and fabulist traditions to dystopian formula, Dickson’s paean to individualism both breaks and strengthens the heart." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Marrying speculative, realistic, and fabulist traditions to dystopian formula, Dickson’s paean to individualism both breaks and strengthens the heart." Publishers Weekly, starred review
369 pages, Paperback
First published December 13, 2014
2 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Allison M. Dickson
38 books301 followersAllison M. Dickson is the author of several well-reviewed independently published novels and short stories covering everything from horror and sci-fi to suspense.
Her major debut thriller, THE OTHER MRS MILLER, is due out from Putnam on 7/16/19! Learn more at her work at allisonmdickson.com.
Her major debut thriller, THE OTHER MRS MILLER, is due out from Putnam on 7/16/19! Learn more at her work at allisonmdickson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 19, 2014
I don’t read dystopian fiction. It probably sounds weird coming from a horror nut like me, but usually, dying-world stuff is just too depressing. That’s one of my favorite things about horror: the good guys usually win. There might be a few casualties along the way, but usually, the terrifying thing is killed or banished or in some way shut down.
Not so with dystopian fiction. It usually begins after what I consider to be the real story, after the good guys have lost, and the world has been destroyed. Sometimes it’s fun, like in Bird Box, because the event that brought about the end of the world was just so weird and so out-there, I was able to just relax and enjoy the ride.
The Last Supper is a horse of an entirely different hue. For starters, the world has been ravaged not by aliens or monsters but by our own stupidity and greed. The mega-fertilizers and genetic modification applied to the corn have led to mutations in the plant life, and destroyed nearly all of our food supplies. The governments have fallen, and been replaced by a religious sect (The Divine Rite) that periodically tests the citizens to make sure they are following the rules, and if they don’t, they are poisoned by the titular Last Supper.
John Welland is good man, a rule-following man, until his wife fails her exam, and dies after eating her Last Supper. Something within him breaks, and suddenly, he sees what he’s been missing for so long: how can a society that ostensibly is devoted to maintaining a clean food supply and keeping its citizens alive kill those citizens for the smallest of infractions?
He begins rebelling in small ways at first, defacing posters, sampling forbidden alcoholic beverages, keeping a journal of all of his “wrong” thoughts (shades of 1984, anyone?). He eventually joins a small group of rebels who seek to bring down the Divine Rite, including one of his twin daughters, Kaya, the beautiful Genevieve, Christoff, who can fix anything, Turpin, who always has booze, and Genevieve’s father, Harry.
Sure, it doesn't sound like my usual brain-candy, but I know that Allison Dickson is a terrific author, so I’ll probably like it, right?
Wrong.
Don’t get me wrong. This is a great book. The pacing is, as always, Ms. Dickson’s greatest strength. She knows how to throw some crazy-quick action at you, then let you catch your breath with scenes that showcase her skill in characterization. Did I mention how amazing the characters are? They really are the high point of this book. Whether they are mourning or laughing, you’re doing it right along with them. She also knows just how to reveal secrets, in great bursts, and in small, slowly growing increments.
I also Capital-L Love the references to other myths. Anansi was an obvious one, but there were also shades of poor cursed Cassandra, doomed to be able to foretell the future, but not to be believed.
So why didn’t I “like” this book? Probably because I’ve spent the last week reading reports of how our own government systematically tortured hundreds of people, at least one to death, and many of which were innocent. It might have something to do with the fact that a few jagoffs with computers half a world away may have irreparably damaged a major movie studio just by making a few vague threats. Or maybe it’s the way some of our leaders are fighting harder and harder to take away the rights of people who don’t share their religious beliefs, and in some cases, they are winning. Perhaps it’s the far-too-many stories of police officers killing unarmed men because they “looked threatening”.
It’s hard to enjoy a book in which the people are cattle, and the government is out of control, and innocent people are killed for just the barest appearance of wrongdoing, and our food is slowly poisoning us, when, well, I’m getting the same things on my news feed. This may be the first “fantasy” novel I’ve read that was actually pretty honkin realistic. I don’t think that this was necessarily a black mark against The Last Supper, however, more a commentary on the state of the world today.
My only real gripe was that the first part of the book was kind of an info-dump. It took me a while to get hip to the lingo, and I had to keep backtracking to double-check various terms. Of course in a book like this, it’s necessary, when the world changes, so does our language (selfie, I’m looking at you), but it broke up the rhythm of the early part of the book for me. Also, the ending was a bit ambiguous, I'm still not 100% sure exactly what happened. But damn, the final words were powerful.
The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS
Not so with dystopian fiction. It usually begins after what I consider to be the real story, after the good guys have lost, and the world has been destroyed. Sometimes it’s fun, like in Bird Box, because the event that brought about the end of the world was just so weird and so out-there, I was able to just relax and enjoy the ride.
The Last Supper is a horse of an entirely different hue. For starters, the world has been ravaged not by aliens or monsters but by our own stupidity and greed. The mega-fertilizers and genetic modification applied to the corn have led to mutations in the plant life, and destroyed nearly all of our food supplies. The governments have fallen, and been replaced by a religious sect (The Divine Rite) that periodically tests the citizens to make sure they are following the rules, and if they don’t, they are poisoned by the titular Last Supper.
John Welland is good man, a rule-following man, until his wife fails her exam, and dies after eating her Last Supper. Something within him breaks, and suddenly, he sees what he’s been missing for so long: how can a society that ostensibly is devoted to maintaining a clean food supply and keeping its citizens alive kill those citizens for the smallest of infractions?
He begins rebelling in small ways at first, defacing posters, sampling forbidden alcoholic beverages, keeping a journal of all of his “wrong” thoughts (shades of 1984, anyone?). He eventually joins a small group of rebels who seek to bring down the Divine Rite, including one of his twin daughters, Kaya, the beautiful Genevieve, Christoff, who can fix anything, Turpin, who always has booze, and Genevieve’s father, Harry.
Sure, it doesn't sound like my usual brain-candy, but I know that Allison Dickson is a terrific author, so I’ll probably like it, right?
Wrong.
Don’t get me wrong. This is a great book. The pacing is, as always, Ms. Dickson’s greatest strength. She knows how to throw some crazy-quick action at you, then let you catch your breath with scenes that showcase her skill in characterization. Did I mention how amazing the characters are? They really are the high point of this book. Whether they are mourning or laughing, you’re doing it right along with them. She also knows just how to reveal secrets, in great bursts, and in small, slowly growing increments.
I also Capital-L Love the references to other myths. Anansi was an obvious one, but there were also shades of poor cursed Cassandra, doomed to be able to foretell the future, but not to be believed.
So why didn’t I “like” this book? Probably because I’ve spent the last week reading reports of how our own government systematically tortured hundreds of people, at least one to death, and many of which were innocent. It might have something to do with the fact that a few jagoffs with computers half a world away may have irreparably damaged a major movie studio just by making a few vague threats. Or maybe it’s the way some of our leaders are fighting harder and harder to take away the rights of people who don’t share their religious beliefs, and in some cases, they are winning. Perhaps it’s the far-too-many stories of police officers killing unarmed men because they “looked threatening”.
It’s hard to enjoy a book in which the people are cattle, and the government is out of control, and innocent people are killed for just the barest appearance of wrongdoing, and our food is slowly poisoning us, when, well, I’m getting the same things on my news feed. This may be the first “fantasy” novel I’ve read that was actually pretty honkin realistic. I don’t think that this was necessarily a black mark against The Last Supper, however, more a commentary on the state of the world today.
My only real gripe was that the first part of the book was kind of an info-dump. It took me a while to get hip to the lingo, and I had to keep backtracking to double-check various terms. Of course in a book like this, it’s necessary, when the world changes, so does our language (selfie, I’m looking at you), but it broke up the rhythm of the early part of the book for me. Also, the ending was a bit ambiguous, I'm still not 100% sure exactly what happened. But damn, the final words were powerful.
The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS
January 21, 2020
In this not-so-distant future world created by Allison M. Dickson, we've destroyed our environment and now must depend on the Divine Rite to protect us, both from the dangers of the world outside and from our own dark sins. When his sick wife fails the yearly Justification exam and receives her Last Supper, John begins to question life under the watchful eye of the Divine Rite.
With allegory and mystery Allison M. Dickson takes us on the journey of John Welland, a fearful but loving husband and father swept up in a rebellion that he never expected.
I read this book twice and I enjoyed it even more the second time around. I wanted to read it a second time since my first go around was almost immediately following Ms. Dickson's thriller STRINGS. They are such different books. While STRINGS is a fast-paced, hold onto your seat thriller, THE LAST SUPPER has a slower pace, with a broad, epic feel to it.
A well woven tale, likable cast of characters, and my favorite part: clever and creative religious and political symbolism and social commentary. And of course, AMD left me wanting more, as usual.
With allegory and mystery Allison M. Dickson takes us on the journey of John Welland, a fearful but loving husband and father swept up in a rebellion that he never expected.
I read this book twice and I enjoyed it even more the second time around. I wanted to read it a second time since my first go around was almost immediately following Ms. Dickson's thriller STRINGS. They are such different books. While STRINGS is a fast-paced, hold onto your seat thriller, THE LAST SUPPER has a slower pace, with a broad, epic feel to it.
A well woven tale, likable cast of characters, and my favorite part: clever and creative religious and political symbolism and social commentary. And of course, AMD left me wanting more, as usual.
February 15, 2015
“My Last Supper has a salad. I’ve always hated salad.{…}You can ask any condemned man what he’d like his last meal to be, and if he says salad, there probably was something wrong with him to begin with. But maybe, it’s what I deserve.”-The Last Supper by Allison M. Dickson, pg 1.
I’m never disappointed by anything written by Allison Dickson and this one kept the bar high. If you like dystopian fiction, have wondered what kind of mutant plants will be spawned by Monsanto and their like or just wonder what is going to become of us if nothing changes human behavior, then you’re going to love this addition to the dystopian genre. On the back of the book it says “The world ended not with a bang, but with a grain of pollen on a puff of wind.”
Combine The Road, The Hunger Games, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Big Brother and a distinctive Stephen King touch and this book will make you feel very, very grateful for what you have.
The main character, John Welland is fed up with the strong hand of the Divine Rite. He’s going rogue…
I’m never disappointed by anything written by Allison Dickson and this one kept the bar high. If you like dystopian fiction, have wondered what kind of mutant plants will be spawned by Monsanto and their like or just wonder what is going to become of us if nothing changes human behavior, then you’re going to love this addition to the dystopian genre. On the back of the book it says “The world ended not with a bang, but with a grain of pollen on a puff of wind.”
Combine The Road, The Hunger Games, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Big Brother and a distinctive Stephen King touch and this book will make you feel very, very grateful for what you have.
The main character, John Welland is fed up with the strong hand of the Divine Rite. He’s going rogue…
October 28, 2014
When I learned about this book back in May I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was lucky enough to pick up an early copy from the author at a local comic convention. I enjoyed this book quite a lot. While it is a science fiction book, it is not so sci-fi that it is unbelievable. There are moments of pure emotion that formed a lump in my throat and made my heart want to jump out of my chest. In classic Allison Dickson fashion she has woven a cast of characters you care about, want to know more, and are rooting for. I don't have much time to read these days, and most of my literature is consumed in audio fashion, but I made time to read this book. I didn't have to, I wanted to. I'm not giving anything away to potential readers, but I do hope there will be more from this cast in the future.
October 3, 2015
I love dystopian novels, Kunstler, Atwood, and several YA authors are favorites; I'm now adding Dickson to my watch list. Her writing is authentic, and the plot(a journey through a dystopian world) was riveting and fresh. I did find myself forgetting that the protagonist was not a teen, for some reason.
4 stars because there is a missing period near the top of page 134, and the ending confused me. Still, I'll continue to read and recommend this author.
4 stars because there is a missing period near the top of page 134, and the ending confused me. Still, I'll continue to read and recommend this author.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews