What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Walk Out: A Tribal Space Opera
The catastrophic Abunga virus has wiped out everyone on Earth except for a few scattered souls with natural immunity.
Other humans escaped this Apocalypse by fleeing to other parts of the Solar System, populating and exploiting its moons and planets.
A thousand years on, those now living on these distant outposts still can't return but secretly confine and observe the survivors as a combination of social experiment and nostalgic entertainment.
Their former home is now a ‘holopark’, a new Eden, a Heaven on Earth. It’s a chance for the human race to start all over again.
There, Gibbous Moon, a 70-year-old tribal story-teller and seer, is leaving his settlement on a solitary Last Walk Out.
Except that he is not alone. Reluctantly he has to accept animal company in the shape of a determined dog he names Yellow.
And then his daughter-in-law Paintbrush and her baby Skyman suddenly appear after their clan is brutally massacred by rivals on the reservation.
Could it be possible that this small renegade band could now form an unlikely alliance, the basis of a real New Beginning?
" The Last Walk Out is a story that satisfies on many levels – compelling and adventurous, with engaging characters including strong and individualistic women, it investigates the wisdom and contradictions mankind has confronted across history." - Amazon Review
David Helton was born in San Francisco, graduated from the University of Texas and has spent most of his working mainly as a freelance journalist and documentary scriptwriter. He has won or been nominated for several international awards and has written one other novel, King Jude. He now lives in England.
Other humans escaped this Apocalypse by fleeing to other parts of the Solar System, populating and exploiting its moons and planets.
A thousand years on, those now living on these distant outposts still can't return but secretly confine and observe the survivors as a combination of social experiment and nostalgic entertainment.
Their former home is now a ‘holopark’, a new Eden, a Heaven on Earth. It’s a chance for the human race to start all over again.
There, Gibbous Moon, a 70-year-old tribal story-teller and seer, is leaving his settlement on a solitary Last Walk Out.
Except that he is not alone. Reluctantly he has to accept animal company in the shape of a determined dog he names Yellow.
And then his daughter-in-law Paintbrush and her baby Skyman suddenly appear after their clan is brutally massacred by rivals on the reservation.
Could it be possible that this small renegade band could now form an unlikely alliance, the basis of a real New Beginning?
" The Last Walk Out is a story that satisfies on many levels – compelling and adventurous, with engaging characters including strong and individualistic women, it investigates the wisdom and contradictions mankind has confronted across history." - Amazon Review
David Helton was born in San Francisco, graduated from the University of Texas and has spent most of his working mainly as a freelance journalist and documentary scriptwriter. He has won or been nominated for several international awards and has written one other novel, King Jude. He now lives in England.
506 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2014
123 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 19, 2017
Normally I don't care for space operas but this one intrigued me so I gave it a try. The author's writing style is reminiscent of classic science fiction authors of old while still bringing a new spin to the genre. I loved the characters and huzzah for strong female characters! I did find the sex scenes oddly placed in this sci fi book but it worked for this gal. I look forward to reading more from this author.
My Rating: 4.5 stars
My Rating: 4.5 stars
August 31, 2020
English Review Below.
دي أول "سبيس أوبرا" أقرأها وخصوصا أني مش من كبار قراء الخيال العلمي ومش بقرأه بكثرة عشان أقدر أقارن العمل ده بحاجات تانية شبيهة به، ولكنه كان ممتع فعلا. الرواية بتبدأ بشخصيات محدودة ومع كل فصل بنتعرف على شخصيات كتيرة ومتنوعة وتدريجيا بنبدأ نفهم العالم اللي بتدور في الرواية.
الرواية بتدور أحداثها في المستقبل بعد ما البشرية هجرت كوكب الأرص بسبب فيروس بيقتل البشر، وبقت الكواكب والأقمار والمحطات الفضائية هي موطن البشر الجديد. ولكن اللي أغلب البشر دول ميعرفهوش أن فيه لسة بعض البشر على الكوكب اللي عندهم مناعة ضد الفيروس وعايشين أسلوب حياة قبائلي شوية، شبيه ببشر العصر الحجري، ودول ميعرفوش حاجة عن الفيروس أو أن كان فيه بشر غيرهم وسابوا الكوكب. بتبدأ القصة لما واحد من الشخصيات الرئيسية "غيبوس"، وهو راجل عجوز بيقرر يخوض واحدة من تقاليدهم وهي الرحلة الطويلة، وفيها أنه بيسيب قبيلته لما بيحس أن نهايته قربت عشان ميبقاش عبء عليهم، ويخوض مغامرة أو رحلة أخيرة. وفي رحلته الأخيرة دي كل حاجة بتتغير.
الرواية فيها نقاش عميق ومكثف عن السياسة وعن الدين ووجهات نظر المتطرفين وتاريخ البشر والطبيعة البشرية وبتطرح سؤال، هل بعد آلاف السنين ممكن نغير تصرفاتنا ولا هنرجع نرتكب نفس أخطائنا تاني؟ فيه شخصيات كثيرة مثيرة للاهتمام، ولكن كان في بعض الأجزاء في الحبكة اللي محبيتهاش وساعات الوصف كان ممطوط ومطول جدا، ولكنه كان في بعض المواضع لطيف. الرواية رغم أنها خيال علمي وأغلبها بتدور في الفضاء لكن فيها تجسيد واقعي جدا للبشر. لكن منصحش بيها للي عايزين رواية سريعة جدا.
This is my first Space Opera and I'm not an avid sci-fi reader, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but this was definitely a ride. It starts off with minimal cast of characters and with each chapter we get introduced to more characters, and get a bigger picture of this world.
It's far into the future and humanity has deserted Earth because of a virus that killed everyone, so other planets, moons and stations became the new habitat for human. Also unknown to them, there are some humans left on the planet who are immune to the virus and who are living a tribal, almost stone age-ish life, not knowing anything about the virus and the vast humanity that left the planet. The story begins with one of our main characters, Gibbous, an old man going out on the traditional "walk out", which is leaving his tribe when he feels that he's ready to die and going on a final trip, and on that trip, everything changes.
There's a lot of discussion in politics, religions and its fanatics, human history and human nature and the possibility of repeating our mistakes after thousands of years. A lot of interesting characters, but there were some parts I could do without (that messy lesbian subplot? It should've been done better), and some descriptions went on for too long sometimes, though sometimes those long-winded descriptions were interesting.
I thank Netgalley and Lume Books for the digital ARC.
دي أول "سبيس أوبرا" أقرأها وخصوصا أني مش من كبار قراء الخيال العلمي ومش بقرأه بكثرة عشان أقدر أقارن العمل ده بحاجات تانية شبيهة به، ولكنه كان ممتع فعلا. الرواية بتبدأ بشخصيات محدودة ومع كل فصل بنتعرف على شخصيات كتيرة ومتنوعة وتدريجيا بنبدأ نفهم العالم اللي بتدور في الرواية.
الرواية بتدور أحداثها في المستقبل بعد ما البشرية هجرت كوكب الأرص بسبب فيروس بيقتل البشر، وبقت الكواكب والأقمار والمحطات الفضائية هي موطن البشر الجديد. ولكن اللي أغلب البشر دول ميعرفهوش أن فيه لسة بعض البشر على الكوكب اللي عندهم مناعة ضد الفيروس وعايشين أسلوب حياة قبائلي شوية، شبيه ببشر العصر الحجري، ودول ميعرفوش حاجة عن الفيروس أو أن كان فيه بشر غيرهم وسابوا الكوكب. بتبدأ القصة لما واحد من الشخصيات الرئيسية "غيبوس"، وهو راجل عجوز بيقرر يخوض واحدة من تقاليدهم وهي الرحلة الطويلة، وفيها أنه بيسيب قبيلته لما بيحس أن نهايته قربت عشان ميبقاش عبء عليهم، ويخوض مغامرة أو رحلة أخيرة. وفي رحلته الأخيرة دي كل حاجة بتتغير.
الرواية فيها نقاش عميق ومكثف عن السياسة وعن الدين ووجهات نظر المتطرفين وتاريخ البشر والطبيعة البشرية وبتطرح سؤال، هل بعد آلاف السنين ممكن نغير تصرفاتنا ولا هنرجع نرتكب نفس أخطائنا تاني؟ فيه شخصيات كثيرة مثيرة للاهتمام، ولكن كان في بعض الأجزاء في الحبكة اللي محبيتهاش وساعات الوصف كان ممطوط ومطول جدا، ولكنه كان في بعض المواضع لطيف. الرواية رغم أنها خيال علمي وأغلبها بتدور في الفضاء لكن فيها تجسيد واقعي جدا للبشر. لكن منصحش بيها للي عايزين رواية سريعة جدا.
This is my first Space Opera and I'm not an avid sci-fi reader, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but this was definitely a ride. It starts off with minimal cast of characters and with each chapter we get introduced to more characters, and get a bigger picture of this world.
It's far into the future and humanity has deserted Earth because of a virus that killed everyone, so other planets, moons and stations became the new habitat for human. Also unknown to them, there are some humans left on the planet who are immune to the virus and who are living a tribal, almost stone age-ish life, not knowing anything about the virus and the vast humanity that left the planet. The story begins with one of our main characters, Gibbous, an old man going out on the traditional "walk out", which is leaving his tribe when he feels that he's ready to die and going on a final trip, and on that trip, everything changes.
There's a lot of discussion in politics, religions and its fanatics, human history and human nature and the possibility of repeating our mistakes after thousands of years. A lot of interesting characters, but there were some parts I could do without (that messy lesbian subplot? It should've been done better), and some descriptions went on for too long sometimes, though sometimes those long-winded descriptions were interesting.
I thank Netgalley and Lume Books for the digital ARC.
March 19, 2019
Paintbrush was a good dreamer. She'd predicted at least two deaths ... a lot of minor accidents, and the sighting, last year, of a skyman. Nobody had seen a skyman around here for a generation, and then Paintbrush dreamt about one and told everyone about it the next morning, and that afternoon Breeze looked up and saw a skyman way over on the south Gorge rim. For a long time he looked down at the settlement through that big eye of his ... [p. 8]
Storyteller Gibbous Moon is seventy years old, and doesn't want to enter the slow decline of old age: instead, he has decided to adopt the old custom of the Long Walk Out, abandoning his settlement and heading into the unknown. Little does he realise that he's about to become a 'holopark' star, caught on a holo-camera and broadcast to colonies all over the solar system.
And the humans in those colonies begin to question whether the virus that made Earth uninhabitable so long ago is still a threat ...
Gibbous Moon, together with his daughter-in-law Paintbrush and her baby son (and a dog named Yellow) encounter a skyman named Allaby, who's beginning to realise that not everything he's been told is true. His colleague and long-distance lover, Jenny, finds herself involved in rebellion, and nominated for a desperate mission. And the religious factions -- the Keepers of Jerusalem, the Lazarines, the Pilgrims -- all have different ideas about what a return to Earth might mean for their followers.
This was a surprisingly entertaining read, though some of the characters occasionally reverted to archetype. (Jenny in particular sometimes reminded of a woman in a Sixties space opera. Accidental lesbianism! Self-indulgence with a side-order of nakedness!) Gibbous was a delight, and certainly the most likeable person in the book. The juxtaposition of hunter-gatherers and planet rangers fuelled a great deal of merriment -- The Last Walk Out is often very funny -- while emphasising the underlying theme, that humans are humans wherever you put them.
I found it hard not to read that catastrophic virus as benign ... but that's probably just my inner misanthrope at work.
November 20, 2017
Great Read Until the End!
Exciting, fast-paced with characters you care about. It's a look from a very different angle at an earth almost no advanced humans can live on. When the story ends, it's as though the author didn't know where to go with it anymore. Nothing whatsoever was resolved! One of the most disappointing , do-nothing finales I've ever come across! The characters and their readers deserved a lot better!
Exciting, fast-paced with characters you care about. It's a look from a very different angle at an earth almost no advanced humans can live on. When the story ends, it's as though the author didn't know where to go with it anymore. Nothing whatsoever was resolved! One of the most disappointing , do-nothing finales I've ever come across! The characters and their readers deserved a lot better!
October 10, 2017
This book was an unusual book but it was really interesting. The main characters were really amazing. I also enjoyed their different religious beliefs and how it intertwined with the subject. I'd like to know if there is going to be a book two because it seemed like so much was left unanswered.
May 20, 2020
The catastrophic Abunga virus has wiped out everyone on Earth except for a few scattered souls with natural immunity. The only other living humans are ones who already inhabit other planets and moons in the Solar System – people manning various scientific stations.
A thousand years on, those now living on these distant outposts still cannot return but secretly confine and observe the survivors as a combination of social experiment and nostalgic entertainment. Their former home is now transmitted as ‘holoparks’. It is seen as a new Eden, the place where some day the human race might start all over again.
——
Quite different read compared to what I usually go for and this might be the reason why I keep finding flaws with this book.
The start of the book was amazing, I loved the writing style and the storyline itself, but started having very mixed feeling as I was reading further...
I loved the characters; strong, relatable and exciting! Definitely the best thing about this book.
BUT
Some of the chapters were a little slow for my liking; I felt I had to skim through them, so I wouldn’t get bored and get to the good parts.
The ending was a little disappointing, leaving readers with many unanswered questions. Is there going to be a sequel? If the answer is yes, I would consider giving a better score, but for now, 3.5/5 is at best.
A thousand years on, those now living on these distant outposts still cannot return but secretly confine and observe the survivors as a combination of social experiment and nostalgic entertainment. Their former home is now transmitted as ‘holoparks’. It is seen as a new Eden, the place where some day the human race might start all over again.
——
Quite different read compared to what I usually go for and this might be the reason why I keep finding flaws with this book.
The start of the book was amazing, I loved the writing style and the storyline itself, but started having very mixed feeling as I was reading further...
I loved the characters; strong, relatable and exciting! Definitely the best thing about this book.
BUT
Some of the chapters were a little slow for my liking; I felt I had to skim through them, so I wouldn’t get bored and get to the good parts.
The ending was a little disappointing, leaving readers with many unanswered questions. Is there going to be a sequel? If the answer is yes, I would consider giving a better score, but for now, 3.5/5 is at best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2020
Every so often I like to get away from my usual genres and read a sci fi, but I prefer human characters that I can relate to rather than aliens. This didn't disappoint. The idea is so inventive, and eerily topical. A pandemic deadly to humans sweeps the Earth, and many centuries later we have human civilisations inhabiting several planets and moons in our solar system. Of course, being human, inter-planetary rivalry and predjudices are well established by this time.
The Earth, meanwhile, has managed very well without us. Animals and plants thrive, and scenes of Earthly wonder are transmitted to the human civilisations trapped on their less inviting planets through holospheres positioned on Earth . Viewing these scenes is entertainment for the populations of each planet, until the impossible happens. A camera positioned by a suited up park ranger picks up the image of an old man living and breathing Earth atmosphere without and protection.
What follows is an exciting race for all the rival groups of humans to get back to Earth and claim the most productive land, while on Earth the simple life of the old man is also not what it seems.
The Earth, meanwhile, has managed very well without us. Animals and plants thrive, and scenes of Earthly wonder are transmitted to the human civilisations trapped on their less inviting planets through holospheres positioned on Earth . Viewing these scenes is entertainment for the populations of each planet, until the impossible happens. A camera positioned by a suited up park ranger picks up the image of an old man living and breathing Earth atmosphere without and protection.
What follows is an exciting race for all the rival groups of humans to get back to Earth and claim the most productive land, while on Earth the simple life of the old man is also not what it seems.
June 16, 2019
Its been a while since I finished reading this book and it had slipped down the list of books-to-be-reviewed. I remember having mixed feelings about it as the story progressed but the writing at the start was phenomenally good and I loved the characters.
Some aspects were not as well developed, but overall the freshness of the story was such a relief after turgid, formulaic romances and 'blokey' sci-fi books and frankly inane 'fantasy' stories featuring improbable teenage girls that it full deserves 5 stars because, now I have rediscovered this book, I am going to read it again!
Some aspects were not as well developed, but overall the freshness of the story was such a relief after turgid, formulaic romances and 'blokey' sci-fi books and frankly inane 'fantasy' stories featuring improbable teenage girls that it full deserves 5 stars because, now I have rediscovered this book, I am going to read it again!
September 21, 2020
This was an ok read. I'm not a big sci/fi reader and this one didn't endear itself to me. Not sure the sex scenes were needed and the ending left me a little lost. 70 year old Gibbous Moon has decided it's time to die so he starts out on the Last Walk. usually Last Walks are solitary but Gibbous is accompanied by a woman and a dog. When he returns to the village after his adventure the people are astounded and think he's dead. I did like the characters and their interaction. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
January 9, 2020
Loved the premise, and my only real gripe is there was a tremendous amount of world building that did not end up being relevant to the story at all. There's a religious component that's important, but the level of detail led to middle portion of the book becoming a slog. The first and final act are great. Great set up, great finish, got lost in the weeds in the meat of the book. I'd def recommend this to friends of sci-fi novels, because the finale is worth it.
February 7, 2020
This book is phenomenal. Great characters, excellent world-building, fun plot. An awesome space opera, well-executed and endlessly fun to read.
With the exception of a (perhaps forgivable in-universe) misunderstanding of horse training and some tone-deaf handling of female sexuality, there are almost no downsides.
Please read this book.
(BONUS: If you’re a fan of Martha Wells’ Raksura books, especially of Stone and Moon, please PLEASE read this book—NOW—so we can talk about it.)
With the exception of a (perhaps forgivable in-universe) misunderstanding of horse training and some tone-deaf handling of female sexuality, there are almost no downsides.
Please read this book.
(BONUS: If you’re a fan of Martha Wells’ Raksura books, especially of Stone and Moon, please PLEASE read this book—NOW—so we can talk about it.)
November 21, 2017
One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this book was the author’s style of writing. The characters are fantastic, and the setting is well-developed. The direction that the narrative took in a few places felt a bit unnecessary; I personally do not feel that it added to the story as a whole. Overall a brilliant and enjoyable read.
November 28, 2019
This was a great story
This was a joy to read. I had some great laughs. Helton does a really excellent job conveying how we communicate with each other and how each of us thinks differently about things. I highly recommend this book. New and refreshing science fiction with a down to earth (pun) spin. Relevant read for our times. Please read this book.
This was a joy to read. I had some great laughs. Helton does a really excellent job conveying how we communicate with each other and how each of us thinks differently about things. I highly recommend this book. New and refreshing science fiction with a down to earth (pun) spin. Relevant read for our times. Please read this book.
July 17, 2020
Very intriguing, sometimes confusing, but satisfying novel. I’m not sure I’d call it space opera because very little takes place in space. It’s more post-apocalyptic from thousands of years in the future. There’s a bit too much digression as the two main characters think about what’s going on. It should give us all thought about what the future could hold if we run wild with our present course.
October 5, 2023
"A Tribal Space Opera" really summed this up. It seemed like some sort of tribe (Neanderthal times?) but set in space. It seemed like the idea had potential, so I stuck with it for a while, but it just didn't work for me at all. The author described this book as "distractingly haphazard" which I'm sure was a huge part of the issue.
November 30, 2017
Well written and original
This story was unlike any I've read before. It was a very original approach to a post apocalyptic world. The editing was not perfect, and the prose was a little cumbersome at points, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.
This story was unlike any I've read before. It was a very original approach to a post apocalyptic world. The editing was not perfect, and the prose was a little cumbersome at points, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.
September 6, 2018
I enjoyed this although some of the events were contrived (man who has only ever watched from a distance someone speaking another language picks up other language in a night). But it was enjoyable peice of light reading.
March 27, 2019
Interesting and Unique
It kept me reading to see what happened next. It was a bit heavy on description. It was an enjoyable. I really appreciate seeing the planet through the eyes of the old man.
It kept me reading to see what happened next. It was a bit heavy on description. It was an enjoyable. I really appreciate seeing the planet through the eyes of the old man.
March 29, 2019
Loved it!
Charming and well done comes to mind (not my quote). Really enjoyed the contrast of ancient and modern thinking and emerging logic. A wonderful ramble through philosophy and religion. I will look for more of his works!
Charming and well done comes to mind (not my quote). Really enjoyed the contrast of ancient and modern thinking and emerging logic. A wonderful ramble through philosophy and religion. I will look for more of his works!
June 18, 2020
Although a little flawed, a good book overall. It gets bogged down a times with detail, is otherwise mostly engaging. I enjoyed the writing style and most of the characters and the premise which is rather unique along with some good twists. Recommended.
Thanks very much for the review copy!!
Thanks very much for the review copy!!
October 24, 2017
Was a rather strange book. I enjoyed the characters. Some parts of th story I had to skip our as they were too silly and confusing.
November 28, 2017
An adventure from start to end.
Unexpected twist and surprises. I found it refreshing and filled with hope. Yellow was an added bonus and I felt like I was along for the long walk.
Unexpected twist and surprises. I found it refreshing and filled with hope. Yellow was an added bonus and I felt like I was along for the long walk.
February 6, 2018
I enjoyed the inner dialog in this book. Well thought out.
March 23, 2019
I loved this book. It was a fun read. Very unique plot.
June 30, 2019
What a refreshing g premise based on the post apocalypse.
June 10, 2020
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I found this book to be kinda strange but in a good way, it is witty and funny and I really enjoyed reading it. 4 stars.
August 15, 2022
Entertaining. Lacking depth of character but interesting exploration of the origin of religious belief in primitive societies.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews