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The Last Man: The Fantasy Series of Enlightenment - Complete Trilogy
This is an alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B00KMFBKAC.
Embark upon the fantasy story of enlightenment through these seven surreal worlds.
Test your bravery to pass the land of fear and pain.
Resist temptations to pass the land of pleasure.
Clear your mind to pass the land of illusion.
Trust your heart to pass the land of love and loss.
Keep your word to pass the land of truth and lies.
Know yourself to pass the land of identity.
Forsake the world to pass the land of attachments.
All the while pursuing a desperate course to the center of the Earth where a primordial force awaits its freedom with the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
An epic and insightful adventure filled with magic, monsters, dragons, betrayal, and transcendence!
Embark upon the fantasy story of enlightenment through these seven surreal worlds.
Test your bravery to pass the land of fear and pain.
Resist temptations to pass the land of pleasure.
Clear your mind to pass the land of illusion.
Trust your heart to pass the land of love and loss.
Keep your word to pass the land of truth and lies.
Know yourself to pass the land of identity.
Forsake the world to pass the land of attachments.
All the while pursuing a desperate course to the center of the Earth where a primordial force awaits its freedom with the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
An epic and insightful adventure filled with magic, monsters, dragons, betrayal, and transcendence!
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
646 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2017
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Tobias Wade
51 books210 followersFormer neuroscience researcher, born again horror writer. During my studies, it struck me as odd that I could learn so much about why humans behave without understanding the intricacies of human nature. It occurred to me that I learned more about the depths of human experience from reading Dostoyevsky than I ever had from my text books, and I was inspired to write.
Download my horror collection for free and see all my publications at:
TobiasWade.Com
Download my horror collection for free and see all my publications at:
TobiasWade.Com
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 29, 2017
Grandmother Rochette always warned of the monsters in her stories, but Farris didn’t see them for anything but fantasy until her younger brother, Tom was taken and those monsters became far too real. Now guilt and the desperate need to save her brother will send Farris on a journey of both the mind and body as she dares to travel deep into the bowels of the earth through untold dangers. For Farris, there will be a price to pay, but both her guilt in not believing and her need to find young Tom is worth any cost. What Farris didn’t see coming was the personal growth she would achieve, the truths and lies she would uncover and the value in the journey itself. For a young girl who was once too wrapped up in her crush and growing up, this journey would forever change who and what she will become, but what will it do to Tom, if he can survive his captors? Why was he chosen to be taken? Is it his youth, his innocence or his belief in the stories from Grandmother? Enter a world where names and naming have power and other races live far from the realm of humans.
Follow Farris’ journey along with her unlikely allies, her goat, a talking fish and Sasha, a young man she once cared for, but can no longer remember. Heroes will dies, truths will be uncovered and lessons will be learned as riddle after riddle are presented and Farris is forced to ferret out their meaning in order to continue her quest.
Tobias Wade’s THE LAST MAN: THE FANTASY SERIES OF ENLIGHTENMENTTrilogy often brought to mind the Beatles’ song, “Come Together” with its mystical and surreal feel. Books one and two were centered around Farris as we witness an envious, child, too caught up in her own world to see beyond what she can see and touch become a young woman, fierce in her convictions to brave the unknown to save the brother who often was a thorn in her side. Definitely not quick or light reading, the writing is both thought-provoking and intense.
Book three really had me, hook, line and sinker as Farris comes even closer to finding Tom, who now plays the role of a participating character, as opposed to the unknown “quest.” Sometimes life’s journey shows us truths we would rather not see, but it does make us stronger for all we go through and everyone is a product of their own journey with a path that differs from ours.
Fantasy characters, levels of reality and the magic of storytelling all make this trilogy one that begs to be savored, lived and believed in, if only for a while! Tobias Wade pays particular attention to creating his world with a keen sense of mystery and a feeling that if we blink, we will lose an important point in his sometimes dizzying puzzles to solve, but suddenly hours have gone by and I never even noticed!
I received this copy from Tobias Wade!
Complete Trilogy: The Last Man: The Fantasy Series of Enlightenment
Publisher: Tobias Wade (May 27, 2014)
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Genre: YA Coming of Age - Fantasy
Print Length: 646 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Follow Farris’ journey along with her unlikely allies, her goat, a talking fish and Sasha, a young man she once cared for, but can no longer remember. Heroes will dies, truths will be uncovered and lessons will be learned as riddle after riddle are presented and Farris is forced to ferret out their meaning in order to continue her quest.
Tobias Wade’s THE LAST MAN: THE FANTASY SERIES OF ENLIGHTENMENTTrilogy often brought to mind the Beatles’ song, “Come Together” with its mystical and surreal feel. Books one and two were centered around Farris as we witness an envious, child, too caught up in her own world to see beyond what she can see and touch become a young woman, fierce in her convictions to brave the unknown to save the brother who often was a thorn in her side. Definitely not quick or light reading, the writing is both thought-provoking and intense.
Book three really had me, hook, line and sinker as Farris comes even closer to finding Tom, who now plays the role of a participating character, as opposed to the unknown “quest.” Sometimes life’s journey shows us truths we would rather not see, but it does make us stronger for all we go through and everyone is a product of their own journey with a path that differs from ours.
Fantasy characters, levels of reality and the magic of storytelling all make this trilogy one that begs to be savored, lived and believed in, if only for a while! Tobias Wade pays particular attention to creating his world with a keen sense of mystery and a feeling that if we blink, we will lose an important point in his sometimes dizzying puzzles to solve, but suddenly hours have gone by and I never even noticed!
I received this copy from Tobias Wade!
Complete Trilogy: The Last Man: The Fantasy Series of Enlightenment
Publisher: Tobias Wade (May 27, 2014)
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Genre: YA Coming of Age - Fantasy
Print Length: 646 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
October 16, 2017
Firstly I'd like to thank the author for sending me an email and giving the opportunity to read 'The Last Man'. Honestly I had great time reading it and I do not regret any minute I've spended with this ebook. Honestly you should give it a try and read it like me and I don't think you'd be disappointed... anyway try it and have a lot of fun :)
February 22, 2018
COMPLICATED, INTRI9NSICALLY COMPLEX, LABYRINTHINE
This is a strange story merging together several genres or lines. It could be seen as a fantasy story though most of the story is in worlds that are not materially real, under, over, behind, beyond and through the normal world, even any normal material fantasy world, as if the Hobbit was able to cross into three or four worlds hidden behind some looking glass.
It could be considered as a multiplied vision à la Stephen King in his Dark Tower, with a long trip in a World beyond the surface but starting from the surface where some cataclysmic catastrophic apocalypse is happening and forces some “enlightened” people to look for the enlightenment they need to change this sorry state of affairs.
It could also be compared to the magical world and worlds of Harry Potter with many underground and behind-the-wings worlds of magic, black magic particularly and with deadly enemies who are not your enemies really but they have been cursed into believing anyone coming from anywhere is necessarily an enemy.
What’s more, this story is based on a present that has no meaning if it is not connected with an unknown past that has to be completely rebuilt, reconstructed, rediscovered and freed of some curse that took place and was cast some many years ago.
When you add to that some kind of a mythology about some kind of a magic Brass Orb of some kind of power invested in descendant of some past characters, this descendant having the power of light and fire, the power of naming things in order to bring them back to normal existence, to inoffensive existence that will guarantee peace in the valley.
When you like such elements you can start entering the universe of this book. Be sure that all dangerous elements for the real world are invested in some underground force that destroys the surface cyclically and that this cyclicity corresponds to some mythological predictions that will be fulfilled and can only be controlled if the proper trip is taken to liberate those who were enslaved in the past, cursed for eternity till their savior comes. This savior is a woman first who has to go on that beyond reality, surreal and even surrealistic world and her first task is to bring together a team. The team is haphazard and yet of course controlled, but certainly not by the savior herself.
She is Farris and she is looking for Tom, her brother, who has been abducted by the deepest forces from the ever evil underground realms. She will select Riften, then Sasha, then Bumble, some kind of doglike pet, who will swallow a magic fish Gloria who thus will be able to go along the way. Farris will have to capture the attention and the help of many strange beings like Darkness and so many others; She will have to go on a long trek down into abysses, up to the top of towers, through walls of fire and so many other dangers that she should have died within five minutes but she has the power of her mythological ancestors. This power is the power of naming, Elestar.
When she gets something evil under control she names it and then she controls it. I will not tell anything beyond the first volume not to spread too many spoilers or spoiling rumors. You will have to get into the book for details.
In the first volume after dying nearly twenty times and having her friends destroyed a couple dozen times, she takes control of life and names it Elestar Varai and then of light by naming it Elestar Porsai. She manages to free the Grackens of their destructive, cannibalistic and nihilistic curse and along with them their leader, King Barrister who provides the means for the next stage of the chase.
The mythology is more or less accurately based on a certain emperor Jorvan and his wife. They have a son Javel who is a pain in the backside, a spoiled tyrant who requires the wife of the main general of the Empire, which he is able to get and he makes her pregnant with a son Lolaran who is known as Lolaran Malhalion, the Ghost of God. He is banned by his father to go around the whole world of the seven kingdoms. When he comes back he is late and his father is already dead. Yet he is able to take the Brass Orb, the symbol of what his father had achieved: the peaceful unity of the seven kingdoms. But this orb is cursed and ends up dropped in a fathomless lake where it is seized by three sisters who become the three Wyrd Sisters.
You can of course consider these three Wyrd Sisters are the three witches in Macbeth, who were anyway the three Greek Furies or Erinyes who were maybe cruel earth goddesses who symbolized divine vengeful or rewarding/repaying power of Gods who had entrusted these three ladies with the severe and useful task of measuring and limiting human life. These Erinyes were three sisters: Alecto ("the angry one"), Megaera ("the grudging one") and Tisiphone ("the avenging one"). The first one span the thread of life, the second one measured it for every mortal and the third one cut it for each mortal. They are also the pattern or Gestalt behind the triple Goddess of great fame in so many religions, mythologies, and traditional legends. In Greece, they were Selene, the Goddess of the Moon and the night, the realm of lovers; Diana, the goddess of life, pregnant women and animals, of forests in the daylight; and finally Hecate, the goddess of the underworld, of eternal night, of the dead.
Tobias Wade made it a constant point to mix various patterns and Gestalten into figures and constructs that are supposed to be suspenseful, and they are, and frightening, but I guess I am beyond being frightened by some monstrous being who can at the most eat up a character or destroy a fictional world. My mental world is full of destroyed fictional universes and the cosmos cannot exist without a myriad of cannibalistic black holes of anti-matter.
That’s the interest I find in Tobias Wade’s imaginary fictional fantasy. It titillates our imagination though it reduces love to sister and brother. The relations between Farris and the other characters are extremely businesslike, efficacious but certainly not empathetic and loving, except ùmaybe with Gloria, the magic fish, and Bumble, the magic mammal.
As if some Puritan was saying: “Hide this love from my sight, Before I burn it down to your root.” No horror Kama Sutra in this picaresque adventure. The power of Farris comes from her grandmother who taught her some songs and it is these songs that she sings when she reaches an inescapable trap, dead end, or impasse and here is one:
A whisper, just a whisper,
Somewhere in the space of time.
A rhyme, just a rhyme,
Somewhere in the back of my mind.
I find, if I just find,
Somewhere to go and to call mine.
I’m blind, because I’m blind,
I never knew the stars aligned.
A word, just a word,
So that all the world will hear me.
A cry, just a cry,
Of birds above the sea.
A shout, just a shout,
Before the sky has burned out.
A roar, let me roar,
Before they have to do without.
I am the whisper in the darkness,
Before the light has yet grown wise.
I show myself in starkness,
Yet I’m the one who dies.
I am the shouting of the masses,
When they do not wish to see.
I am rushing water kept in glasses,
That will not set me free.
So through the world past it,
And to the other side.
Through ashes you will cast it,
And death will be my pride.
You will go beneath the dark,
And in the dark you wait.
And with the singing of the lark,
The Darkness takes its fate.
And with the lark you will, of course, be nostalgic about the darkness of the night that made Juliet the lover of Romeo and Romeo the lover of Juliet and about all this lark will announce the end of the night, the end of the love-making, the end of the adolescent fantasy of night-time intercourse against all other considerations that could block the teenage caprice of two young people who just want to commit their respective lives to each other; And we know the end. Farris is running after her brother Tom. Will she be able to save him? Will he be able to bring his brotherly love back to her sisterly love? Will this brother and this sister both be able to love each other again and to save the world from that abysmal destruction from some misguided leaders? And the plural is the only solution here because there is more than one ass, meaning donkeys, called Martin or whatever.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
This is a strange story merging together several genres or lines. It could be seen as a fantasy story though most of the story is in worlds that are not materially real, under, over, behind, beyond and through the normal world, even any normal material fantasy world, as if the Hobbit was able to cross into three or four worlds hidden behind some looking glass.
It could be considered as a multiplied vision à la Stephen King in his Dark Tower, with a long trip in a World beyond the surface but starting from the surface where some cataclysmic catastrophic apocalypse is happening and forces some “enlightened” people to look for the enlightenment they need to change this sorry state of affairs.
It could also be compared to the magical world and worlds of Harry Potter with many underground and behind-the-wings worlds of magic, black magic particularly and with deadly enemies who are not your enemies really but they have been cursed into believing anyone coming from anywhere is necessarily an enemy.
What’s more, this story is based on a present that has no meaning if it is not connected with an unknown past that has to be completely rebuilt, reconstructed, rediscovered and freed of some curse that took place and was cast some many years ago.
When you add to that some kind of a mythology about some kind of a magic Brass Orb of some kind of power invested in descendant of some past characters, this descendant having the power of light and fire, the power of naming things in order to bring them back to normal existence, to inoffensive existence that will guarantee peace in the valley.
When you like such elements you can start entering the universe of this book. Be sure that all dangerous elements for the real world are invested in some underground force that destroys the surface cyclically and that this cyclicity corresponds to some mythological predictions that will be fulfilled and can only be controlled if the proper trip is taken to liberate those who were enslaved in the past, cursed for eternity till their savior comes. This savior is a woman first who has to go on that beyond reality, surreal and even surrealistic world and her first task is to bring together a team. The team is haphazard and yet of course controlled, but certainly not by the savior herself.
She is Farris and she is looking for Tom, her brother, who has been abducted by the deepest forces from the ever evil underground realms. She will select Riften, then Sasha, then Bumble, some kind of doglike pet, who will swallow a magic fish Gloria who thus will be able to go along the way. Farris will have to capture the attention and the help of many strange beings like Darkness and so many others; She will have to go on a long trek down into abysses, up to the top of towers, through walls of fire and so many other dangers that she should have died within five minutes but she has the power of her mythological ancestors. This power is the power of naming, Elestar.
When she gets something evil under control she names it and then she controls it. I will not tell anything beyond the first volume not to spread too many spoilers or spoiling rumors. You will have to get into the book for details.
In the first volume after dying nearly twenty times and having her friends destroyed a couple dozen times, she takes control of life and names it Elestar Varai and then of light by naming it Elestar Porsai. She manages to free the Grackens of their destructive, cannibalistic and nihilistic curse and along with them their leader, King Barrister who provides the means for the next stage of the chase.
The mythology is more or less accurately based on a certain emperor Jorvan and his wife. They have a son Javel who is a pain in the backside, a spoiled tyrant who requires the wife of the main general of the Empire, which he is able to get and he makes her pregnant with a son Lolaran who is known as Lolaran Malhalion, the Ghost of God. He is banned by his father to go around the whole world of the seven kingdoms. When he comes back he is late and his father is already dead. Yet he is able to take the Brass Orb, the symbol of what his father had achieved: the peaceful unity of the seven kingdoms. But this orb is cursed and ends up dropped in a fathomless lake where it is seized by three sisters who become the three Wyrd Sisters.
You can of course consider these three Wyrd Sisters are the three witches in Macbeth, who were anyway the three Greek Furies or Erinyes who were maybe cruel earth goddesses who symbolized divine vengeful or rewarding/repaying power of Gods who had entrusted these three ladies with the severe and useful task of measuring and limiting human life. These Erinyes were three sisters: Alecto ("the angry one"), Megaera ("the grudging one") and Tisiphone ("the avenging one"). The first one span the thread of life, the second one measured it for every mortal and the third one cut it for each mortal. They are also the pattern or Gestalt behind the triple Goddess of great fame in so many religions, mythologies, and traditional legends. In Greece, they were Selene, the Goddess of the Moon and the night, the realm of lovers; Diana, the goddess of life, pregnant women and animals, of forests in the daylight; and finally Hecate, the goddess of the underworld, of eternal night, of the dead.
Tobias Wade made it a constant point to mix various patterns and Gestalten into figures and constructs that are supposed to be suspenseful, and they are, and frightening, but I guess I am beyond being frightened by some monstrous being who can at the most eat up a character or destroy a fictional world. My mental world is full of destroyed fictional universes and the cosmos cannot exist without a myriad of cannibalistic black holes of anti-matter.
That’s the interest I find in Tobias Wade’s imaginary fictional fantasy. It titillates our imagination though it reduces love to sister and brother. The relations between Farris and the other characters are extremely businesslike, efficacious but certainly not empathetic and loving, except ùmaybe with Gloria, the magic fish, and Bumble, the magic mammal.
As if some Puritan was saying: “Hide this love from my sight, Before I burn it down to your root.” No horror Kama Sutra in this picaresque adventure. The power of Farris comes from her grandmother who taught her some songs and it is these songs that she sings when she reaches an inescapable trap, dead end, or impasse and here is one:
A whisper, just a whisper,
Somewhere in the space of time.
A rhyme, just a rhyme,
Somewhere in the back of my mind.
I find, if I just find,
Somewhere to go and to call mine.
I’m blind, because I’m blind,
I never knew the stars aligned.
A word, just a word,
So that all the world will hear me.
A cry, just a cry,
Of birds above the sea.
A shout, just a shout,
Before the sky has burned out.
A roar, let me roar,
Before they have to do without.
I am the whisper in the darkness,
Before the light has yet grown wise.
I show myself in starkness,
Yet I’m the one who dies.
I am the shouting of the masses,
When they do not wish to see.
I am rushing water kept in glasses,
That will not set me free.
So through the world past it,
And to the other side.
Through ashes you will cast it,
And death will be my pride.
You will go beneath the dark,
And in the dark you wait.
And with the singing of the lark,
The Darkness takes its fate.
And with the lark you will, of course, be nostalgic about the darkness of the night that made Juliet the lover of Romeo and Romeo the lover of Juliet and about all this lark will announce the end of the night, the end of the love-making, the end of the adolescent fantasy of night-time intercourse against all other considerations that could block the teenage caprice of two young people who just want to commit their respective lives to each other; And we know the end. Farris is running after her brother Tom. Will she be able to save him? Will he be able to bring his brotherly love back to her sisterly love? Will this brother and this sister both be able to love each other again and to save the world from that abysmal destruction from some misguided leaders? And the plural is the only solution here because there is more than one ass, meaning donkeys, called Martin or whatever.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
December 30, 2019
Well, since this is actually three books in one, I find myself very torn about how to rate it. I suppose I shall have to decide by the end of this review though. Here goes.
**I received these books free from the author in return for an honest review.
Book one:
Well, to be honest. I wasn't impressed. The characters did nothing for me except I did mildly like Riften. I kept trying to like Sasha but never really could. He felt too distant and . . . pathetic, I guess. Farris irritated the hell out of me. I couldn't even pretend to like her.
The story line itself held no captivation for me. I wasn't pulled in. I found it very mundane, and to be honest, it bored me. There was little to keep me reading. Other characters were introduced (like a talking fish) but they didn't mean much to me. In fact, sometimes their introduction (like the talking fish) was so random that I wondered what the purpose of their presence was.
By the near end of the book, it did pick up. I'm not sure what changed, but suddenly I was interested and for a brief moment, almost didn't mind Farris. By the end, I was more eager to read book two, hoping it would continue its level of interest for me.
I also liked Riften a whole lot more and was seriously hoping something awesome was to become of him--whether good or evil. He had become my favorite character even though he didn't have as much "screen" time.
My rating was two stars throughout most of this book and then jumped to three by the end.
Book two:
It maintained its level of interest, quite happily I admit, but lost its ease of story line. What I mean is that the story made less sense to me. I wondered why the characters made the decisions they made, wondered why the talking fish even bothered to talk since no one EVER listened to her advice, and had some serious problems with certain elements of the story. But with that said, I enjoyed it a whole lot more than book one. I really loved Riften at this point and was dying to find out what his story was. Unfortunately, my dislike of Farris turned into downright hate, and Sasha became a whining, pathetic wuss in my eyes. I didn't hate him, but I didn't much care for him.
(Also, is it just me, or did it seem very weird that the little spider kid was so gun-hoe, go talk to my mom, she knows everything one minute and then when they walk into (the obvious trap) the queen's (his mom) castle, he's all panicky and like, “Don't give her what she wants!”?
What? If he was helping his mom by luring them into the trap, why regret it later? And not even much later. What changed his heart because I didn't see anything happen that should have made him turn so completely around. It didn't make sense.)
But the end. Oh my word. The end of book two. I LOVED it. I was thrilled by the time I finished and found myself honestly surprised at (spoiler alert!) Sasha's death. I shouldn't have been. It was totally leading up to that, but I guess I kept doubting it until it happened. I can't say that I was emotionally upset about it, but I wasn't happy either. I kind of wanted him to keep living. Poor guy :(
And I didn't expect The Guide to turn out to be so evil. At that point, I accepted that he wasn't as good as I kept trying to make him out to be. It was great. It was really great. I wanted to give the book four stars at this point. I couldn't wait to start book three.
Book Three:
I don't know if she changed or if I just resigned myself to the fact that she was annoying, but Farris didn't bother me as much in this book. Perhaps the story was intriguing enough that I forgot about my disdain for the main character. Or maybe she just turned really annoying whenever Sasha was around and since Sasha was dead, she had no more reason to be annoying. Or maybe Tom overpowered her in annoyance (yeah, I really didn't like him at this point and it never went away. For some reason, the instant the boy showed up in book one, I didn't care for him, and my feelings never improved as the story progressed).
My love for Riften faded into mild like. I felt disappointed in the part he ended up playing even though it turned out similar to what I expected. I wasn't sure what happened, but I think the author downplayed him too much in the end that it felt too much like a neat little conclusion for him. Maybe I hyped myself up too much during the hopeful, waiting-to-see-what-happens time that I set myself up for disappointment. Either way, Riften turned into an unimportant side character.
The story got super exciting, especially towards the end. I was very surprised at its turn out. I was very surprised what happened. I'm a little confused about some things, but I think it's more just me. Like, I want to know what would have happened if Tom had opened the door. Would the real hero have been there, or would it still have been the serpent? Was it the hero that stood behind the door for Farris but he turned into the serpent when she chose . . . right/wrong? Did she choose wrong? I felt like she chose right, but it kind of feels like she made the wrong decision. I don't know. And what would have happened if she did choose to "transcend"? Would the serpent have still won? That's one of the problems I had with this book. Throughout its entirety, Farris always felt like she was making the wrong decisions. She always chose what looked/felt/seemed like obvious evil choices and yet . . . it turned out . . . for the better? She never listened to advice. She always only did what she wanted to do. She lied. She deceived. She risked her friends' lives and then blamed them for being pathetic if they almost died because of it. She was selfish and heartless and claimed to be trying to rescue her brother but I never go the feeling she was doing it for her brother at all. I guess she was the good guy but she didn't really feel like one. And why in the world did her brother turn evil so quickly? And what happened that made him turn back to himself again? And why did Farris suddenly become so good at the end? For once she didn't do what she would have done (and had been doing) throughout the entire series.
I don't know, the messages were confusing. But I think I'm just digging too deep into something I don't think the author meant to be there.
Overall summary:
What I do want to say is that story/plot/character-decision-making, book one made the most sense but bored/annoyed me--until about the end. Book two was a whole lot more exciting but story/plot/character-decision-making made less sense (and pissed me off more when it came to Farris's behavior. Such a brat. I wanted to punch her. Sasha I wanted to slap and yell to man up.) Book three flowed so much more smoothly and was crazy exciting. I found the ending delightful and was very happy with it (also that it turned out not to be what I expected or predicted and was way more satisfying). Plus, Farris no longer bothered me. It was like she suddenly turned into the hero she was meant to be with the attitude a hero should have. Maybe the author intended for her to "grow" into a hero. If so, he could have done a bit better at building her character into coming to that conclusion instead of her suddenly being it the instant her bratty brother arrived.
Since I did have a lot of personal complaints with the series as a whole--though it balanced out mostly with my enjoyment as it progressed (for some reason, The Guide/the serpent/the serpent disguised as I-forget-his-name has become my absolute favorite character, especially now that I finished the series LOL), I conclude this book with 3.5 stars out of 5. Since I can't rate half a star, I'm going to do what anyone who's getting a monetary raise would want and round up. Four out of five stars for this crazy adventure, somewhat weird, not really my kind of book, goodness I love the bad guys better than the good guys, fantasy series. :)
**I received these books free from the author in return for an honest review.
Book one:
Well, to be honest. I wasn't impressed. The characters did nothing for me except I did mildly like Riften. I kept trying to like Sasha but never really could. He felt too distant and . . . pathetic, I guess. Farris irritated the hell out of me. I couldn't even pretend to like her.
The story line itself held no captivation for me. I wasn't pulled in. I found it very mundane, and to be honest, it bored me. There was little to keep me reading. Other characters were introduced (like a talking fish) but they didn't mean much to me. In fact, sometimes their introduction (like the talking fish) was so random that I wondered what the purpose of their presence was.
By the near end of the book, it did pick up. I'm not sure what changed, but suddenly I was interested and for a brief moment, almost didn't mind Farris. By the end, I was more eager to read book two, hoping it would continue its level of interest for me.
I also liked Riften a whole lot more and was seriously hoping something awesome was to become of him--whether good or evil. He had become my favorite character even though he didn't have as much "screen" time.
My rating was two stars throughout most of this book and then jumped to three by the end.
Book two:
It maintained its level of interest, quite happily I admit, but lost its ease of story line. What I mean is that the story made less sense to me. I wondered why the characters made the decisions they made, wondered why the talking fish even bothered to talk since no one EVER listened to her advice, and had some serious problems with certain elements of the story. But with that said, I enjoyed it a whole lot more than book one. I really loved Riften at this point and was dying to find out what his story was. Unfortunately, my dislike of Farris turned into downright hate, and Sasha became a whining, pathetic wuss in my eyes. I didn't hate him, but I didn't much care for him.
(Also, is it just me, or did it seem very weird that the little spider kid was so gun-hoe, go talk to my mom, she knows everything one minute and then when they walk into (the obvious trap) the queen's (his mom) castle, he's all panicky and like, “Don't give her what she wants!”?
What? If he was helping his mom by luring them into the trap, why regret it later? And not even much later. What changed his heart because I didn't see anything happen that should have made him turn so completely around. It didn't make sense.)
But the end. Oh my word. The end of book two. I LOVED it. I was thrilled by the time I finished and found myself honestly surprised at (spoiler alert!) Sasha's death. I shouldn't have been. It was totally leading up to that, but I guess I kept doubting it until it happened. I can't say that I was emotionally upset about it, but I wasn't happy either. I kind of wanted him to keep living. Poor guy :(
And I didn't expect The Guide to turn out to be so evil. At that point, I accepted that he wasn't as good as I kept trying to make him out to be. It was great. It was really great. I wanted to give the book four stars at this point. I couldn't wait to start book three.
Book Three:
I don't know if she changed or if I just resigned myself to the fact that she was annoying, but Farris didn't bother me as much in this book. Perhaps the story was intriguing enough that I forgot about my disdain for the main character. Or maybe she just turned really annoying whenever Sasha was around and since Sasha was dead, she had no more reason to be annoying. Or maybe Tom overpowered her in annoyance (yeah, I really didn't like him at this point and it never went away. For some reason, the instant the boy showed up in book one, I didn't care for him, and my feelings never improved as the story progressed).
My love for Riften faded into mild like. I felt disappointed in the part he ended up playing even though it turned out similar to what I expected. I wasn't sure what happened, but I think the author downplayed him too much in the end that it felt too much like a neat little conclusion for him. Maybe I hyped myself up too much during the hopeful, waiting-to-see-what-happens time that I set myself up for disappointment. Either way, Riften turned into an unimportant side character.
The story got super exciting, especially towards the end. I was very surprised at its turn out. I was very surprised what happened. I'm a little confused about some things, but I think it's more just me. Like, I want to know what would have happened if Tom had opened the door. Would the real hero have been there, or would it still have been the serpent? Was it the hero that stood behind the door for Farris but he turned into the serpent when she chose . . . right/wrong? Did she choose wrong? I felt like she chose right, but it kind of feels like she made the wrong decision. I don't know. And what would have happened if she did choose to "transcend"? Would the serpent have still won? That's one of the problems I had with this book. Throughout its entirety, Farris always felt like she was making the wrong decisions. She always chose what looked/felt/seemed like obvious evil choices and yet . . . it turned out . . . for the better? She never listened to advice. She always only did what she wanted to do. She lied. She deceived. She risked her friends' lives and then blamed them for being pathetic if they almost died because of it. She was selfish and heartless and claimed to be trying to rescue her brother but I never go the feeling she was doing it for her brother at all. I guess she was the good guy but she didn't really feel like one. And why in the world did her brother turn evil so quickly? And what happened that made him turn back to himself again? And why did Farris suddenly become so good at the end? For once she didn't do what she would have done (and had been doing) throughout the entire series.
I don't know, the messages were confusing. But I think I'm just digging too deep into something I don't think the author meant to be there.
Overall summary:
What I do want to say is that story/plot/character-decision-making, book one made the most sense but bored/annoyed me--until about the end. Book two was a whole lot more exciting but story/plot/character-decision-making made less sense (and pissed me off more when it came to Farris's behavior. Such a brat. I wanted to punch her. Sasha I wanted to slap and yell to man up.) Book three flowed so much more smoothly and was crazy exciting. I found the ending delightful and was very happy with it (also that it turned out not to be what I expected or predicted and was way more satisfying). Plus, Farris no longer bothered me. It was like she suddenly turned into the hero she was meant to be with the attitude a hero should have. Maybe the author intended for her to "grow" into a hero. If so, he could have done a bit better at building her character into coming to that conclusion instead of her suddenly being it the instant her bratty brother arrived.
Since I did have a lot of personal complaints with the series as a whole--though it balanced out mostly with my enjoyment as it progressed (for some reason, The Guide/the serpent/the serpent disguised as I-forget-his-name has become my absolute favorite character, especially now that I finished the series LOL), I conclude this book with 3.5 stars out of 5. Since I can't rate half a star, I'm going to do what anyone who's getting a monetary raise would want and round up. Four out of five stars for this crazy adventure, somewhat weird, not really my kind of book, goodness I love the bad guys better than the good guys, fantasy series. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2017
Farris Malhalion undertakes a journey through the seven layers of her world to save her brother Tom who has been kidnapped by creatures from one of the other layers. On her way, she must learn the lessons of life to be able to pass through the various levels.
Farris and Tom’s grandmother has told them tales of ancient days all their lives. There is a story of Javel of Omar, the First Man, who walked this journey to begin with and became a god. His transcendence cracked the sky and the earth and left a power void among the seven kingdoms who had inhabited the surface of the earth before, igniting a war to see who would take over his throne.
To stop the war the three Wyrd sisters get the several rulers to agree to call the sky serpent down to restore order, but something goes wrong, and the serpent threatens to destroy all life. The rulers can’t or won’t face him, but Javel’s bastard son, Lolaran Malhalion, who had been a guard of one of the other rulers, volunteered to fight the serpent and led him into the crack in the earth that had been opened when Javel transcended. There they were locked into a chamber deep in the earth to fight until one of them won, meanwhile leaving everybody else in peace.
The people of the other kingdoms were settled into the various layers of the world, with a layer of stone between each group to separate them and keep them from fighting. And a prophecy was set that the heir of Lolaran Malhalion would eventually journey to the chamber where he and Nidhoggdrasil, the serpent were fighting, open the door, and let the winner out.
An earthquake signals that the contest has ended. As it takes place on Tom’s naming day, grandmother declares that he is the chosen one and bestows the key to Lolaran’s prison on him. Farris is deeply resentful that Tom is declared the heir rather than her, as she is the oldest. But when the Paral-Zakdul, a race of brass-armored people, kidnap Tom and run off to the center of the world with him, Farris resolves to pursue them until she gets her brother back.
There are several layers of betrayals and illusions that must be overcome before things can be settled, and nothing is quite what it seems or what you expect.
As you can see, this is a very complicated story. A little too complicated for me, actually. But if you get into it and want to see where it ends, it is good to have the complete set of all three books at once; otherwise, you are left hanging halfway down the levels of the world without much understanding.
The writing is good, unencumbered by typos or grammatical errors.
Farris and Tom’s grandmother has told them tales of ancient days all their lives. There is a story of Javel of Omar, the First Man, who walked this journey to begin with and became a god. His transcendence cracked the sky and the earth and left a power void among the seven kingdoms who had inhabited the surface of the earth before, igniting a war to see who would take over his throne.
To stop the war the three Wyrd sisters get the several rulers to agree to call the sky serpent down to restore order, but something goes wrong, and the serpent threatens to destroy all life. The rulers can’t or won’t face him, but Javel’s bastard son, Lolaran Malhalion, who had been a guard of one of the other rulers, volunteered to fight the serpent and led him into the crack in the earth that had been opened when Javel transcended. There they were locked into a chamber deep in the earth to fight until one of them won, meanwhile leaving everybody else in peace.
The people of the other kingdoms were settled into the various layers of the world, with a layer of stone between each group to separate them and keep them from fighting. And a prophecy was set that the heir of Lolaran Malhalion would eventually journey to the chamber where he and Nidhoggdrasil, the serpent were fighting, open the door, and let the winner out.
An earthquake signals that the contest has ended. As it takes place on Tom’s naming day, grandmother declares that he is the chosen one and bestows the key to Lolaran’s prison on him. Farris is deeply resentful that Tom is declared the heir rather than her, as she is the oldest. But when the Paral-Zakdul, a race of brass-armored people, kidnap Tom and run off to the center of the world with him, Farris resolves to pursue them until she gets her brother back.
There are several layers of betrayals and illusions that must be overcome before things can be settled, and nothing is quite what it seems or what you expect.
As you can see, this is a very complicated story. A little too complicated for me, actually. But if you get into it and want to see where it ends, it is good to have the complete set of all three books at once; otherwise, you are left hanging halfway down the levels of the world without much understanding.
The writing is good, unencumbered by typos or grammatical errors.
September 29, 2017
Before I begin, let me clarify things just a bit. This review is for the entire series, but the books can be read individually. That being said, I may end up with a few mild spoilers even though I try not to include them in my reviews.
Our main character Farris is quite the unlikely hero. The only reason that she is drawn into this quest is because she wants to save her brother Tom, who has become a victim of the 'chosen one' trope. I will admit, it was quite interesting to see a book from the perspective of someone who disbelieves everything in the beginning, only to be forced on the adventure later. Most of the time, people just blindly except crazy things, so I liked that her main motivation was her brother, rather than saving the world.
Farris must work her way through six different 'layers' of the earth, each containing a species that has long left the surface of the world after a great battle between man and serpent. The two were locked in mortal combat and sealed away, and now Tom has been selected to open it and see who has won after many years.
The series is mostly from Farris' point of view, though we do get a few chapters with Tom, Sasha (Farris' love interest) and with one of their companions on the trip. Farris is also certainly not perfect by any means, and may even seem crazy at times. There's something endearing about a flawed character that makes the story even better.
Also, while there is romance (Farris has been crushing on Sasha for a while at the beginning of the book), her price for beginning the journey is all her memories of him, so that complicates things a bit. The romance is also such a side plot that it doesn't distract at all, which is a very nice change from other YA.
All in all, great series. Loved how it contrasted with the majority of the books and themes I've read recently. Definitely a bit philosophical and hard to decipher at times if, like me, you've had a long day and you're brain dead. But, still worth the read, and highly recommended :)
Our main character Farris is quite the unlikely hero. The only reason that she is drawn into this quest is because she wants to save her brother Tom, who has become a victim of the 'chosen one' trope. I will admit, it was quite interesting to see a book from the perspective of someone who disbelieves everything in the beginning, only to be forced on the adventure later. Most of the time, people just blindly except crazy things, so I liked that her main motivation was her brother, rather than saving the world.
Farris must work her way through six different 'layers' of the earth, each containing a species that has long left the surface of the world after a great battle between man and serpent. The two were locked in mortal combat and sealed away, and now Tom has been selected to open it and see who has won after many years.
The series is mostly from Farris' point of view, though we do get a few chapters with Tom, Sasha (Farris' love interest) and with one of their companions on the trip. Farris is also certainly not perfect by any means, and may even seem crazy at times. There's something endearing about a flawed character that makes the story even better.
Also, while there is romance (Farris has been crushing on Sasha for a while at the beginning of the book), her price for beginning the journey is all her memories of him, so that complicates things a bit. The romance is also such a side plot that it doesn't distract at all, which is a very nice change from other YA.
All in all, great series. Loved how it contrasted with the majority of the books and themes I've read recently. Definitely a bit philosophical and hard to decipher at times if, like me, you've had a long day and you're brain dead. But, still worth the read, and highly recommended :)
September 11, 2020
The author is a very gifted man. I have read a few of Tobias Wade's books and next to School of Rebirth and Reincarnation: Full Occult Trilogy, The Last Man would have to be a favourite.
I have read other reviews that state they have found this Trilogy drawn out and confusing, but I did not find it so. I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what the next challenge Farris was confronted with or who/what she had to do battle with or outsmart. There were times where I could have throttled Farris for her attitude and others where I just wanted to hug her and take away her hurt.
Tobias Wade has created worlds within a world that are so realistic that with only a little imagination on your part, you can become one with the inhabitants. Farris' goal was to rescue her brother Tom, but along the way she also discovered herself. Happy reading. Annemarie
I received a free copy of The Last Man: The Fantasy Series of Enlightenment (Complete Trilogy) from the author and have chosen to leave a review.
I have read other reviews that state they have found this Trilogy drawn out and confusing, but I did not find it so. I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what the next challenge Farris was confronted with or who/what she had to do battle with or outsmart. There were times where I could have throttled Farris for her attitude and others where I just wanted to hug her and take away her hurt.
Tobias Wade has created worlds within a world that are so realistic that with only a little imagination on your part, you can become one with the inhabitants. Farris' goal was to rescue her brother Tom, but along the way she also discovered herself. Happy reading. Annemarie
I received a free copy of The Last Man: The Fantasy Series of Enlightenment (Complete Trilogy) from the author and have chosen to leave a review.
January 15, 2018
I love this book, I don't even know where to begin. This book gave me all the feels, it made me angry, hyped, and sad. The characters are so engaging, I loved how Farris's stubbornness irritates me but at the same time makes me laugh because I somehow see myself in her. I admired the way Riften was introduced in the story, and how Tom's character was unfolded, and how can I ever forget one of my favorite characters, Sasha. The world-building is so intense, I am so amazed how the author was able to describe this world that I can not help but imagine it as if it exists. Not only this book teaches you to the value of friendship and family, but also impresses bravery and courage to carry on no matter what happens.
September 29, 2017
I was asked to read this fantasy and have reviewed parts one and two on Goodreads...so this is an overview of the story as a whole.
It begins as more folklore and legend, where Farris is sceptical, although, her brother, Tom is determined to fulfill a prophecy.
Part two plunges into a wonderland of imagination when...hmm, I don't give spoilers.
Part three is filled with action, adventure and revelations.
This epic fantasy story is well-written and steeped in wisdom, philosophy and enlightenment, which prompt deep thinking and wonderment. Brilliant characters and a fabulous sense of place make this a compelling read.
Extremely well done and highly recommended.
It begins as more folklore and legend, where Farris is sceptical, although, her brother, Tom is determined to fulfill a prophecy.
Part two plunges into a wonderland of imagination when...hmm, I don't give spoilers.
Part three is filled with action, adventure and revelations.
This epic fantasy story is well-written and steeped in wisdom, philosophy and enlightenment, which prompt deep thinking and wonderment. Brilliant characters and a fabulous sense of place make this a compelling read.
Extremely well done and highly recommended.
October 6, 2017
The Last Man is an interesting fantasy read with hints of mythology. I really enjoy the writing style that the author uses and the way the characters are true to who they are. The world is developed in an almost complete way, that I was able to feel like I was in the shells of the world. There are a few odd aspects of the book that make it difficult to understand, but it’s not incomprehensible. I’m still intrigued to know more about just what happens after the events of the story. I recommend that you read this trilogy!
To see my full review: https://www.boundtowriting.com/review...
To see my full review: https://www.boundtowriting.com/review...
October 10, 2017
Where to start?? I absolutely loved this series!!!
The world created by the author is like no other I have ever read. Dare i say a world with many layers, literally!!
The characters well honestly, I wanted to throat punch Farris a few times!! Damn she tried my patience, but I do have to admit that by the middle of the second book, we were pals.
If an adventure fantasy tale is what you are looking for, where nothing and no-one is as it seems then look no further!! This is a book you will enjoy reading again and again!
The world created by the author is like no other I have ever read. Dare i say a world with many layers, literally!!
The characters well honestly, I wanted to throat punch Farris a few times!! Damn she tried my patience, but I do have to admit that by the middle of the second book, we were pals.
If an adventure fantasy tale is what you are looking for, where nothing and no-one is as it seems then look no further!! This is a book you will enjoy reading again and again!
September 29, 2017
A wonderful fantasy fiction with a blend of folklore and mythology! Definitely hard to put down!
October 16, 2017
This series was designed to well written and so intelligent and eloquent it was almost beyond my grasp, and I am not an unintelligent person and I read avidly every night so that is a high compliment.
I thoroughly enjoyed the weaving twisting and turning plot its clear a huge amount of thought and planning has gone into the series. Unlike many self published novels I found zero spelling or grammatical mistakes which made me very happy.
There were deep philosophical riddles and questions posed and solved with extremely high level thought and it was utterly fascinating.
If I had to give any small criticism, which is hard because the books were amazing, it would be that I didn't like the main protagonist. This is strange for me as usual I identify with, like, am fascinated by the main protagonist but this time I really did not like her.
But amazing job extremely well done.
I thoroughly enjoyed the weaving twisting and turning plot its clear a huge amount of thought and planning has gone into the series. Unlike many self published novels I found zero spelling or grammatical mistakes which made me very happy.
There were deep philosophical riddles and questions posed and solved with extremely high level thought and it was utterly fascinating.
If I had to give any small criticism, which is hard because the books were amazing, it would be that I didn't like the main protagonist. This is strange for me as usual I identify with, like, am fascinated by the main protagonist but this time I really did not like her.
But amazing job extremely well done.
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