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Last Ones Left Alive
Watch your six. Beware tall buildings. Always have your knives.
Growing up on a tiny island off the coast of a post-apocalyptic Ireland, Orpen's life has revolved around physical training and necessity. After Mam died, it's the only way she and her guardian Maeve have survived the ravenous skrake (zombies) who roam the wilds of the ravaged countryside, looking for prey.
When Maeve is bitten and infected, Orpen knows what she should do--sink a knife into her eye socket, and quickly. Instead, she tries to save Maeve, and following rumours of a distant city on the mainland, guarded by fierce banshees, she sets off, pushing Maeve in a wheelbarrow while accompanied by their little dog, Danger. During the journey, Orpen will need to draw on all of her training and instincts as she fights repeatedly for her life. In the course of it, she will learn more about the Emergency that destroyed her homeland, and the mythical Phoenix City--and discover a startling truth about her own identity.
Growing up on a tiny island off the coast of a post-apocalyptic Ireland, Orpen's life has revolved around physical training and necessity. After Mam died, it's the only way she and her guardian Maeve have survived the ravenous skrake (zombies) who roam the wilds of the ravaged countryside, looking for prey.
When Maeve is bitten and infected, Orpen knows what she should do--sink a knife into her eye socket, and quickly. Instead, she tries to save Maeve, and following rumours of a distant city on the mainland, guarded by fierce banshees, she sets off, pushing Maeve in a wheelbarrow while accompanied by their little dog, Danger. During the journey, Orpen will need to draw on all of her training and instincts as she fights repeatedly for her life. In the course of it, she will learn more about the Emergency that destroyed her homeland, and the mythical Phoenix City--and discover a startling truth about her own identity.
280 pages, Paperback
First published January 24, 2019
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September 17, 2019
”I kept looking. I looked all around the island with a hunger in me to know more about how it was when the world was whole. I read everything. In the houses, in old papers, there was more of it, signs of people all gathered up. I went further all the time, out to places I wasn’t meant to go on my own, and I ate up the pictures of businesses and towns and cities and countries. I kept going till I first read the word ‘banshee,’ and that was only the start, so it was.”
For all of her short life, Orpen has been told what to be afraid of and how to fight what she must be afraid of. The civilized world has come to a screeching halt through an apocalypse of great magnitude. Orpen, with her mom and her mom’s partner Maeve, live on an island off the coast of Ireland. ”From here you can see what remains of the old bridge, a long road over sea between our island and the mainland, built with cement and steel and wire. It used to stretch the whole way to Ireland, and even now it’s packed full of cars, like massive dead beetles, relics from a time long past, all quiet and finished but not a single one empty. Everyone thought a little place like this was a good idea, across water, away from the cities and towns. The bridge is ruined, chopped in half by something so big, something disastrous.”
Orpen sometimes paddles out in a boat far enough to see the coast of Ireland. She has a hunger to know what lies beyond, in places she has only read about and gleaned from parents reluctant to talk about what came before. They train her relentlessly every day to prepare for monsters she has never met.
There are the standard monsters...men who are assumed to all be potential rapists and killers.
There are the walking dead monsters called Skrake, who want to eat human flesh.
There are superheroes called the banshee, women warriors, who fight the Skrake.
Orpen wants to be a banshee, but more importantly, she wants to see what has become of the world.
The Skrake are not the slow, shuffling, George A. Romero type zombies. They are more like Max Brooks type zombies from World War Z. They are fast, strong, and vicious. They are difficult, even with training, for one adult person to put down.
If you are not a fan of zombies, don’t worry; they are more of a looming, background threat for most of the book. The real story is about the relationship between Orpen, Mam, and Maeve and how they have learned to cope on their own. There is ongoing conflict as Orpen gets older and feels more and more constricted by island life. She is frustrated by the silence with which her questions are met. Her need to know more is burning her up. The dangerous horizon beckons, and it is only a matter of time before she goes, with or without Maeve and Mam. The battle, of course, is between those who knows what lies out there and one who must see it for herself. This conflict leads to disastrous consequences. Imagine a windswept scene on the mainland with Orpen pushing an unconscious Maeve in a wheelbarrow as she searches for banshees to help her.
Yeah, something went really wrong.
Interestingly, Orpen meets only one male character in the course of this novel, and because of what she has been told about men, she is immediately in flight or fight mode. He turns out to be a really great guy, but she nearly kills him in the process of figuring that out. I think we all struggle with how much caution to implant into our children. It is a dangerous world even before it becomes a post-apocalyptic world. We want them to be careful and learn how to survive without crippling them with fear and anxiety. We want our daughters and sons to be powerful and self-assured, but also compassionate and helpful. Finding the sweet spot is always a challenge.
I must say, I didn’t really like the characters. I never warmed to Orpen, but then without the benefit of normal social interactions, I think she is depicted realistically, so no points off for that. Davis-Goff does a good job of showing the benefits of training hard, but also the difference between training and real life survival. Orpen freezes at several critical stages. Her mind overwhelms her muscle memory. I knew superstars in basketball practice who struggled under the bright lights of game time.
The banshees appear near the end of the book and are fascinating. I want more insight into their day to day life. There is certainly a continuous, anti-male thread through the book. I like the way the author pushes back on that with the realizations Orpen makes regarding the one man she meets. Still, the book feels unbalanced with the lack of male characters. In a post-apocalyptic world, it would seem more believable to see more of a mix. I certainly have read many books where I identified with a female character, but maybe my need to see more male characters is to increase the chances of finding a character I could identify with? I distrust that feeling. I did find myself beginning to really like one of the banshee characters, but her time in the book is too short to forge a connection. This is certainly a feminist novel, and maybe it is weighed down with a social agenda that keeps it from rising to the level of those two recent, amazing, post-apocalyptic novels Station Eleven and Good Morning, Midnight.
I want to thank Flatiron Books for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
For all of her short life, Orpen has been told what to be afraid of and how to fight what she must be afraid of. The civilized world has come to a screeching halt through an apocalypse of great magnitude. Orpen, with her mom and her mom’s partner Maeve, live on an island off the coast of Ireland. ”From here you can see what remains of the old bridge, a long road over sea between our island and the mainland, built with cement and steel and wire. It used to stretch the whole way to Ireland, and even now it’s packed full of cars, like massive dead beetles, relics from a time long past, all quiet and finished but not a single one empty. Everyone thought a little place like this was a good idea, across water, away from the cities and towns. The bridge is ruined, chopped in half by something so big, something disastrous.”
Orpen sometimes paddles out in a boat far enough to see the coast of Ireland. She has a hunger to know what lies beyond, in places she has only read about and gleaned from parents reluctant to talk about what came before. They train her relentlessly every day to prepare for monsters she has never met.
There are the standard monsters...men who are assumed to all be potential rapists and killers.
There are the walking dead monsters called Skrake, who want to eat human flesh.
There are superheroes called the banshee, women warriors, who fight the Skrake.
Orpen wants to be a banshee, but more importantly, she wants to see what has become of the world.
The Skrake are not the slow, shuffling, George A. Romero type zombies. They are more like Max Brooks type zombies from World War Z. They are fast, strong, and vicious. They are difficult, even with training, for one adult person to put down.
If you are not a fan of zombies, don’t worry; they are more of a looming, background threat for most of the book. The real story is about the relationship between Orpen, Mam, and Maeve and how they have learned to cope on their own. There is ongoing conflict as Orpen gets older and feels more and more constricted by island life. She is frustrated by the silence with which her questions are met. Her need to know more is burning her up. The dangerous horizon beckons, and it is only a matter of time before she goes, with or without Maeve and Mam. The battle, of course, is between those who knows what lies out there and one who must see it for herself. This conflict leads to disastrous consequences. Imagine a windswept scene on the mainland with Orpen pushing an unconscious Maeve in a wheelbarrow as she searches for banshees to help her.
Yeah, something went really wrong.
Interestingly, Orpen meets only one male character in the course of this novel, and because of what she has been told about men, she is immediately in flight or fight mode. He turns out to be a really great guy, but she nearly kills him in the process of figuring that out. I think we all struggle with how much caution to implant into our children. It is a dangerous world even before it becomes a post-apocalyptic world. We want them to be careful and learn how to survive without crippling them with fear and anxiety. We want our daughters and sons to be powerful and self-assured, but also compassionate and helpful. Finding the sweet spot is always a challenge.
I must say, I didn’t really like the characters. I never warmed to Orpen, but then without the benefit of normal social interactions, I think she is depicted realistically, so no points off for that. Davis-Goff does a good job of showing the benefits of training hard, but also the difference between training and real life survival. Orpen freezes at several critical stages. Her mind overwhelms her muscle memory. I knew superstars in basketball practice who struggled under the bright lights of game time.
The banshees appear near the end of the book and are fascinating. I want more insight into their day to day life. There is certainly a continuous, anti-male thread through the book. I like the way the author pushes back on that with the realizations Orpen makes regarding the one man she meets. Still, the book feels unbalanced with the lack of male characters. In a post-apocalyptic world, it would seem more believable to see more of a mix. I certainly have read many books where I identified with a female character, but maybe my need to see more male characters is to increase the chances of finding a character I could identify with? I distrust that feeling. I did find myself beginning to really like one of the banshee characters, but her time in the book is too short to forge a connection. This is certainly a feminist novel, and maybe it is weighed down with a social agenda that keeps it from rising to the level of those two recent, amazing, post-apocalyptic novels Station Eleven and Good Morning, Midnight.
I want to thank Flatiron Books for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
June 17, 2020
Better than McCarthy's "The Road," (ooooh-verrated!) in that there is a smudge of hope amid the bleakness. I give full credit to the matriarchal badassery of the survivors in this apocalypse. Of late, this genre has grown like a mushroom out of the wet fears of our collective consciousness of late.
This one is taut and real. The zombies in this one terrify, and the purpose of surviving is shared by everyone. Orpen is a true heroine in that she has hardened herself into a shell containing, literally, the last vestments of/likenesses to past humanity.
Read this! Discover this new, original voice.
This one is taut and real. The zombies in this one terrify, and the purpose of surviving is shared by everyone. Orpen is a true heroine in that she has hardened herself into a shell containing, literally, the last vestments of/likenesses to past humanity.
Read this! Discover this new, original voice.
August 27, 2019
Last Ones Left Alive brings the zombie-genre to Ireland. Orpen, the daughter of Muireann and Maeve, spends her life training, running, and learning to throw knives. The end has come and humanity has, for the most part, been wiped out by zombie-like creatures called "skrake."
"I'm to put away the stories about the monsters that are not real and to hear about the others. They've got worse as I got older; heroes are caught, turned, burned, throttled, they die of hunger and cold. Children same as me." pg 33
Orpen lives a sheltered existence on an island. But she dreams of going to the mainland, once-Ireland, and finding the fabled "Phoenix City," which she learned about through flyers rotting in abandoned buildings. Phoenix City is touted as a paradise with women warriors protecting the walls and weak from the encroaching skrake.
Orpen's mother and Maeve have drilled rules into her head since the day she turned seven. Some of these rules are: Don't go near tall buildings. Count your 'Just-in-Cases'. and Beware people.
"Beware people. I can't stay on my own, though, I can't. If they're men, I will run." pg 71
But is life worth living without the interaction of other people? Orpen doesn't think so. She dreams of the day she'll leave the island... and wanders the land with the skrake.
I enjoyed Last Ones Left Alive but it felt like more of an homage to Ireland than a truly scary horror novel. Much of the gore and scares felt done as readers have been exposed to them all before in such series as The Walking Dead, Book One or Saga, Vol. 1.
The narration is related in two parallel lines with the past woven among the present by alternating chapter. It's not my favorite way to read a story, but I can see how it could appeal to some readers.
The female characters in this broken world are unapologetically strong. Readers looking for books with self-reliant female characters may really enjoy this read. It may also be a great pick for a book club to pick apart and discuss.
Personally, I wanted more details about the dangers this world had to offer rather than focusing on Orpen's journey, which is the main part of the story. There's something to be said for unknown horrors... true. But when you peer deeply into the darkness, there's the feeling that it looks back into you.
That's what I felt was missing in this excellent debut novel by Sarah Davis-Goff. I wanted more looking into the shadows.
Thank you to the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book. The short quotations I cited in this review may vary in the final printed version, which I believe is available today (August 27, 2019).
"I'm to put away the stories about the monsters that are not real and to hear about the others. They've got worse as I got older; heroes are caught, turned, burned, throttled, they die of hunger and cold. Children same as me." pg 33
Orpen lives a sheltered existence on an island. But she dreams of going to the mainland, once-Ireland, and finding the fabled "Phoenix City," which she learned about through flyers rotting in abandoned buildings. Phoenix City is touted as a paradise with women warriors protecting the walls and weak from the encroaching skrake.
Orpen's mother and Maeve have drilled rules into her head since the day she turned seven. Some of these rules are: Don't go near tall buildings. Count your 'Just-in-Cases'. and Beware people.
"Beware people. I can't stay on my own, though, I can't. If they're men, I will run." pg 71
But is life worth living without the interaction of other people? Orpen doesn't think so. She dreams of the day she'll leave the island... and wanders the land with the skrake.
I enjoyed Last Ones Left Alive but it felt like more of an homage to Ireland than a truly scary horror novel. Much of the gore and scares felt done as readers have been exposed to them all before in such series as The Walking Dead, Book One or Saga, Vol. 1.
The narration is related in two parallel lines with the past woven among the present by alternating chapter. It's not my favorite way to read a story, but I can see how it could appeal to some readers.
The female characters in this broken world are unapologetically strong. Readers looking for books with self-reliant female characters may really enjoy this read. It may also be a great pick for a book club to pick apart and discuss.
Personally, I wanted more details about the dangers this world had to offer rather than focusing on Orpen's journey, which is the main part of the story. There's something to be said for unknown horrors... true. But when you peer deeply into the darkness, there's the feeling that it looks back into you.
That's what I felt was missing in this excellent debut novel by Sarah Davis-Goff. I wanted more looking into the shadows.
Thank you to the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book. The short quotations I cited in this review may vary in the final printed version, which I believe is available today (August 27, 2019).
September 9, 2019
Oh My .... what a boring book , really i spent weeks trying to finish it,i have no idea how it could generate so much attention this book, when i discovered it it seems to be the new "Jonathan Maberry" kind of book about Apocalypse and zombie, every reviews was praising it...... did i confuse the right one!?!?!?
The characters were absolutely not interesting, and their behaviour was so depressing!!!
yess, all the story is a triumph od depression and sadness, and yes.....Zombie Saga are not particularly a way to find hilarious baccanal reading, but this was the right book that push you the worst fealing about everything.....
Sorry, just a waist of time
The characters were absolutely not interesting, and their behaviour was so depressing!!!
yess, all the story is a triumph od depression and sadness, and yes.....Zombie Saga are not particularly a way to find hilarious baccanal reading, but this was the right book that push you the worst fealing about everything.....
Sorry, just a waist of time
November 6, 2019
Bleak overall but has small bits of hope. The comparisons to The Road and 28 Days Later are absolutely deserved and definitely give you the right idea for the tone. But as a survival story set a while after a zombie apocalypse it doesn’t bring too many new ideas to the table.
April 24, 2021
3.5 stars
An interesting book with a literary feel to it, and one that grew more on me after I had some time to think about it.
I suppose I can sort of see the comparisons to The Road and Station Eleven, but not really. For me a closer comparison would be to The Reapers are the Angels. Those three books are all favourites of mine, but Last Ones Left Alive does not feel as substantial; it's more like an extra long short story.
That said, I did enjoy this for what it was - the coming of age and test of adulthood/change of life for the main character Orpen. The writing is very good, and after a bit of a slow start I felt quite engaged by the story. Probably my biggest criticism relates to the short story feel I mentioned, which is that the story here is very narrowly focused on Orpen. What she knows and what she experiences first hand. Given that her interactions with other people are extremely limited, the scope of what she knows about the state of things outside her home is very narrow.
I wanted to know more about how things got to be the way that they are, what Phoenix City was and is, and what happens at the end of the book (which comes upon the reader very abruptly). Orpen doesn't know these things, and doesn't learn them in the course of the book, so we don't find out about them either.
So, I liked what I read, and would probably read more if there was a sequel, but I felt kind of unsatisfied with things at the end. Upon reflection though, I wonder if that feeling of restless dissatisfaction with my state of knowledge was the intended outcome? Perhaps the author means for the reader to experience some of the same feelings Orpen has with respect to having so much detail about the world left unavailable to her?
It made me think, anyway, and that is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
An interesting book with a literary feel to it, and one that grew more on me after I had some time to think about it.
I suppose I can sort of see the comparisons to The Road and Station Eleven, but not really. For me a closer comparison would be to The Reapers are the Angels. Those three books are all favourites of mine, but Last Ones Left Alive does not feel as substantial; it's more like an extra long short story.
That said, I did enjoy this for what it was - the coming of age and test of adulthood/change of life for the main character Orpen. The writing is very good, and after a bit of a slow start I felt quite engaged by the story. Probably my biggest criticism relates to the short story feel I mentioned, which is that the story here is very narrowly focused on Orpen. What she knows and what she experiences first hand. Given that her interactions with other people are extremely limited, the scope of what she knows about the state of things outside her home is very narrow.
I wanted to know more about how things got to be the way that they are, what Phoenix City was and is, and what happens at the end of the book (which comes upon the reader very abruptly). Orpen doesn't know these things, and doesn't learn them in the course of the book, so we don't find out about them either.
So, I liked what I read, and would probably read more if there was a sequel, but I felt kind of unsatisfied with things at the end. Upon reflection though, I wonder if that feeling of restless dissatisfaction with my state of knowledge was the intended outcome? Perhaps the author means for the reader to experience some of the same feelings Orpen has with respect to having so much detail about the world left unavailable to her?
It made me think, anyway, and that is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
September 4, 2019
This book is short, but even so I DEVOURED it - it's an amazing read that sped by far too soon.
Set in an Irish future post zombie-apocalypse, this is a minimal tale - Orpen is the only child of a couple living on an otherwise deserted island, and it's absolutely her story. Most of the book is spent with her, her dog, and her wheelbarrow on the road through a deserted land. We do go back and forth between that and her time growing up on the island with her mother and Maeve, and the contrast between the joys of childhood and the emptiness she faces now are used to their fullest.
Because this is such a short novel, we're scant on some details, but it makes sense with the way the story is told. And the writing itself matches the mood of the "current day" portions - minimal, beautiful, and evocative. Spoilers for those who need to know if the dog dies:
A beautiful wee book; considering the time it takes to read, it's more than worth the effort.
Set in an Irish future post zombie-apocalypse, this is a minimal tale - Orpen is the only child of a couple living on an otherwise deserted island, and it's absolutely her story. Most of the book is spent with her, her dog, and her wheelbarrow on the road through a deserted land. We do go back and forth between that and her time growing up on the island with her mother and Maeve, and the contrast between the joys of childhood and the emptiness she faces now are used to their fullest.
Because this is such a short novel, we're scant on some details, but it makes sense with the way the story is told. And the writing itself matches the mood of the "current day" portions - minimal, beautiful, and evocative. Spoilers for those who need to know if the dog dies:
A beautiful wee book; considering the time it takes to read, it's more than worth the effort.
August 13, 2019
Dystopian ✔
Feminist ✔
Great storyline ✔
Quick read ✔
Zombies ✔
Left room for a sequel? Omy I really hope so..
Excellent first novel for this author. I will be looking out for further works from her.
ps The Irish dialect in this book makes it even better and as far as I can tell she nailed it.
Feminist ✔
Great storyline ✔
Quick read ✔
Zombies ✔
Left room for a sequel? Omy I really hope so..
Excellent first novel for this author. I will be looking out for further works from her.
ps The Irish dialect in this book makes it even better and as far as I can tell she nailed it.
August 26, 2019
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I picked up this book because it was described as being like the road (loved) or station eleven (one of the best books ever!) but set in Ireland with zombies and a feminist bent. Sadly I only made it to the 20% mark before giving up on this completely.
I couldn't connect with the main character, Orpen, at all. I thought that Orpen dragging her sick companion around in a wheelbarrow was silly and should have led to her death multiple times during the brief portion of the book that I read. The dog companion was pointless to the plot and basically did nothing useful either.
Even though the setting is Ireland, there was nothing in the story to evoke a feeling of that country. It could have been set anywhere else with little change to the story. I also did not like the first-person narration style or the use of flashbacks for the history of the characters. The flashbacks were jarring.
Then there be the skrakes i.e. zombies. These are super fast zombies that roam in packs and can seemingly track deer by scent. But somehow Orpen manages to only encounter them one on one and dispatch them with some unrealistic hand-to-hand fighting and a couple of knives. Plus of the two she fought in the 20%, one was a small zombie and the other was crippled which helped lead to her victory. That was lucky given that the author reiterates multiple times how much weaker the trek is making Orpen. With the defeat of the second zombie came the realization that this book was not to me taste at all.
Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar and rather formulaic. Check it out and see if ye be on the side of yer Captain or with the crew.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Flatiron Books!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
I picked up this book because it was described as being like the road (loved) or station eleven (one of the best books ever!) but set in Ireland with zombies and a feminist bent. Sadly I only made it to the 20% mark before giving up on this completely.
I couldn't connect with the main character, Orpen, at all. I thought that Orpen dragging her sick companion around in a wheelbarrow was silly and should have led to her death multiple times during the brief portion of the book that I read. The dog companion was pointless to the plot and basically did nothing useful either.
Even though the setting is Ireland, there was nothing in the story to evoke a feeling of that country. It could have been set anywhere else with little change to the story. I also did not like the first-person narration style or the use of flashbacks for the history of the characters. The flashbacks were jarring.
Then there be the skrakes i.e. zombies. These are super fast zombies that roam in packs and can seemingly track deer by scent. But somehow Orpen manages to only encounter them one on one and dispatch them with some unrealistic hand-to-hand fighting and a couple of knives. Plus of the two she fought in the 20%, one was a small zombie and the other was crippled which helped lead to her victory. That was lucky given that the author reiterates multiple times how much weaker the trek is making Orpen. With the defeat of the second zombie came the realization that this book was not to me taste at all.
Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar and rather formulaic. Check it out and see if ye be on the side of yer Captain or with the crew.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Flatiron Books!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
June 18, 2023
Last Ones Left Alive is a very haunting dystopian novel set in a post apocalyptic Ireland. I have to say that I devoured this book any chance I had.
The story goes back and forth and alternates chapters between the present and the past.
It starts off with Orpen, a young adult, traveling on the mainland pushing the woman who raised her in a wheelbarrow. Maeve in the wheelbarrow is obviously sick and Orpen is desperately trying to reach Phoenix City.
Orpen was raised on an island as a warrior by her Mam and Maeve. There is no one else alive, or dead (called shrakes), on the island so Orpen is raised in isolation from other people.
The writing style was interesting and after the first couple of paragraphs, I settled right into it. I found the world intriguing and wanted to know more about the women and men that are living in Phoenix City. I really hope there’s a sequel in the works!
I have a feeling this book is going to stay with me for some time.
*Thank you so much to Flatiron Books for sending me a beautiful finished copy!*
The story goes back and forth and alternates chapters between the present and the past.
It starts off with Orpen, a young adult, traveling on the mainland pushing the woman who raised her in a wheelbarrow. Maeve in the wheelbarrow is obviously sick and Orpen is desperately trying to reach Phoenix City.
Orpen was raised on an island as a warrior by her Mam and Maeve. There is no one else alive, or dead (called shrakes), on the island so Orpen is raised in isolation from other people.
The writing style was interesting and after the first couple of paragraphs, I settled right into it. I found the world intriguing and wanted to know more about the women and men that are living in Phoenix City. I really hope there’s a sequel in the works!
I have a feeling this book is going to stay with me for some time.
*Thank you so much to Flatiron Books for sending me a beautiful finished copy!*
Read
May 7, 2020
September 10, 2019
I just wanted more here--more development of the apocalyptic back story, and more resolution by the end. This kinda felt like watching one episode of a TV show.
April 17, 2019
someone please turn this into a gritty tv miniseries and also give it a sequel!!genuinely feel like i'd read many more books set into this world and i am left wanting more tbh
perfect for fans of The Walking Dead as well as The Girl With All The Gifts
perfect for fans of The Walking Dead as well as The Girl With All The Gifts
August 31, 2019
Very original and enjoyable to read.
Never thought I would come across a zombie type book set in Ireland.
But it was great and very interesting all the way through.
Not till the end of the book to you entirely know what's been going on.
Highly recommend.
Never thought I would come across a zombie type book set in Ireland.
But it was great and very interesting all the way through.
Not till the end of the book to you entirely know what's been going on.
Highly recommend.
September 11, 2018
Cormac McCarthy meets Justin Cronin. Fantastic read.
February 15, 2020
After listening for an hour and the first 10 chapters, I was still waiting for something truly different or unusual to happen. The split timeline is a nice gimmick, bringing Orpen‘s past and present together eventually. The plot is fairly basic, there are no great surprises and it‘s pretty predictable. I‘m assuming the minimalism is on purpose.
The Road comes to mind. With zombies. Orpen is pushing along a wheelbarrow with an incapacitated passenger, on her way East towards Dublin. Trouble lurks ahead.
What also comes to mind: bleak, depressing, violent and cruel. Pretty hopeless. Orpen’s initial goal seems ominous. The story ends on a more positive note that I expected. I liked it, although it‘s abrupt and pretty much wide open.
The story itself didn‘t really do much for me. Zombies, fighting, screaming, infection, a city that might be salvation or hold human horrors, loss, despair, death and maybe a little hope. All bases covered of the usual zombie story.
There are plenty of plot points and characters that are not sufficiently covered or explored. So, can we assume that a sequel is in the works already?
Good audiobook narrator, with a nice Irish tilt (Anne-Marie Gaillard). She sounds very excited and frantic a lot of the time, which makes it a bit challenging emotionally and hard to understand at times.
PS: I hope you haven‘t read too much of the book synopsis yet, it gives too much away of the story. It‘s Ireland and zombies and it‘s grim, that‘s all you need to know going in.
The Road comes to mind. With zombies. Orpen is pushing along a wheelbarrow with an incapacitated passenger, on her way East towards Dublin. Trouble lurks ahead.
What also comes to mind: bleak, depressing, violent and cruel. Pretty hopeless. Orpen’s initial goal seems ominous. The story ends on a more positive note that I expected. I liked it, although it‘s abrupt and pretty much wide open.
The story itself didn‘t really do much for me. Zombies, fighting, screaming, infection, a city that might be salvation or hold human horrors, loss, despair, death and maybe a little hope. All bases covered of the usual zombie story.
There are plenty of plot points and characters that are not sufficiently covered or explored. So, can we assume that a sequel is in the works already?
Good audiobook narrator, with a nice Irish tilt (Anne-Marie Gaillard). She sounds very excited and frantic a lot of the time, which makes it a bit challenging emotionally and hard to understand at times.
PS: I hope you haven‘t read too much of the book synopsis yet, it gives too much away of the story. It‘s Ireland and zombies and it‘s grim, that‘s all you need to know going in.
March 1, 2020
In the aftermath of a long-ago zombie apocalypse, a young woman is raised by two women on an island off of Ireland. We get the story of Orpen as she travels on the mainland with the slowly zombifying partner of her dead mother, interleaved with the story of her childhood.
This is a great version of the zombie story, well-written and from a part of the world we don't usually get to see in this context. However, this is half a book, and there's no warning anywhere in the published copy that there's going to be a continuation of the story. I understand that this is an author and publisher that is not usually involved in genre publishing, so I get why they have made this mistake, but it's still a mistake that seriously detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
In short: I don't recommend reading this, unless you have foreknowledge of a "sequel". (Or as I like to think of it, the rest of the bloody novel).
This is a great version of the zombie story, well-written and from a part of the world we don't usually get to see in this context. However, this is half a book, and there's no warning anywhere in the published copy that there's going to be a continuation of the story. I understand that this is an author and publisher that is not usually involved in genre publishing, so I get why they have made this mistake, but it's still a mistake that seriously detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
In short: I don't recommend reading this, unless you have foreknowledge of a "sequel". (Or as I like to think of it, the rest of the bloody novel).
December 17, 2022
I didn’t enjoy this at all. It’s short and should have been quick but the whole thing was a slog from beginning to end.
I see where the comparison comes to The Road but the brutality is missing from it, and at least with the guy in the road he had the kid, which made me care about them a little, but I never connected to the MC in this at all, and it ends right when it seems like something exciting might finally happen to her.
The setting was poorly described which is a shame in an apocalyptic book, and the action isn’t in a way that makes it exciting so I just didn’t care about this and questioned what the point even was in writing it.
It’s a book that serves no purpose. It’s not scary enough to be horror. It’s not literary enough to deliver symbolism, metaphors, beautiful writing or profound messages, it’s not fun enough to be adventurous, it’s not campy enough to be a “so bad it’s good” kind of book.
It just felt totally pointless.
I see where the comparison comes to The Road but the brutality is missing from it, and at least with the guy in the road he had the kid, which made me care about them a little, but I never connected to the MC in this at all, and it ends right when it seems like something exciting might finally happen to her.
The setting was poorly described which is a shame in an apocalyptic book, and the action isn’t in a way that makes it exciting so I just didn’t care about this and questioned what the point even was in writing it.
It’s a book that serves no purpose. It’s not scary enough to be horror. It’s not literary enough to deliver symbolism, metaphors, beautiful writing or profound messages, it’s not fun enough to be adventurous, it’s not campy enough to be a “so bad it’s good” kind of book.
It just felt totally pointless.
June 7, 2019
Once I started reading, I couldn't put this down, and not just because the atmosphere was so tense that I was white-knuckling my e-reader.
TENSE is the best word for this book. Orpen is never safe, even in the idyllic flashbacks to her peaceful childhood on the zombie(skrake)-free island where she was raised by her mother and her mother's partner, Maeve. And these memories are made all the more tragic by the readers' knowledge that Orpen wouldn't be pushing an unresponsive Maeve through a wasteland in a wheelbarrow unless that bucolic life had come crashing down.
Orpen is brave and remarkably in control despite the complex conflict raging inside her between fearing other people and knowing that the only hope for saving Maeve and finding a better life lies with other people. She has never met anyone other than her mam and Maeve, and finally meeting them brings to life new desires and instincts she had never felt.
And of course, zombies. Lots and lots of fast runner zombies who are bizarrely tough for walking corpses and seem to retain a bit of their memories and reasoning, making them even more dangerous. The scenes of violence are incredibly well-written, and I could clearly imagine myself as Orpen, kicking and stabbing and running for my life.
I loved the unexpected ending, although I'm sure others will hate it instead. There is a nice conclusion to the story, but there remains an opening for further tales, should the author choose to continue.
Recommended for fans of The Stand, The Passage, Walking Dead, suspense/adventure fans.
arc received from the publisher
World Reading Challenge: Ireland
TENSE is the best word for this book. Orpen is never safe, even in the idyllic flashbacks to her peaceful childhood on the zombie(skrake)-free island where she was raised by her mother and her mother's partner, Maeve. And these memories are made all the more tragic by the readers' knowledge that Orpen wouldn't be pushing an unresponsive Maeve through a wasteland in a wheelbarrow unless that bucolic life had come crashing down.
Orpen is brave and remarkably in control despite the complex conflict raging inside her between fearing other people and knowing that the only hope for saving Maeve and finding a better life lies with other people. She has never met anyone other than her mam and Maeve, and finally meeting them brings to life new desires and instincts she had never felt.
And of course, zombies. Lots and lots of fast runner zombies who are bizarrely tough for walking corpses and seem to retain a bit of their memories and reasoning, making them even more dangerous. The scenes of violence are incredibly well-written, and I could clearly imagine myself as Orpen, kicking and stabbing and running for my life.
I loved the unexpected ending, although I'm sure others will hate it instead. There is a nice conclusion to the story, but there remains an opening for further tales, should the author choose to continue.
Recommended for fans of The Stand, The Passage, Walking Dead, suspense/adventure fans.
arc received from the publisher
World Reading Challenge: Ireland
November 26, 2019
Devoured this in two day. Excellent story, and compelling characters.
February 8, 2020
This was an odd one. The writing is good, and has a literary feel. We're dropped into a story with Orpen slogging her way towards Dublin, and hopefully the elusive Phoenix City, with Maeve, one of her mothers, asleep in a wheelbarrow along with some chickens, and their dog Danger trotting along beside her. We don't know much else, but things are tense because Orpen's worried about getting caught by skrake, who unlike the typical shuffling, moaning zombies, are fast and vicious.
We're gradually let into Orpen's story, and how she comes to be on the road and why. There are some good scenes of Orpen's childhood, raised by her Mam and Maeve, and how they both taught her to fight. We also get a sense of Orpen's increasing dissatisfaction with the quiet, safe existence Mam and Maeve have created for her. Eventually, things happen, and lead to Orpen moving down the road, where we start this book.
This is a slow-moving story, and though well-written, was a little too slow for me. The story’s structure is essentially Orpen moving from point A to B, then back to A, then finally back to B, but written in a somewhat emotionally removed fashion. I found myself skimming sections to get to some action or some important emotional scene for Orpen. And then the story ended really abruptly, with a number of questions left in my mind. I'm not sure what the purpose was with this story.
We're gradually let into Orpen's story, and how she comes to be on the road and why. There are some good scenes of Orpen's childhood, raised by her Mam and Maeve, and how they both taught her to fight. We also get a sense of Orpen's increasing dissatisfaction with the quiet, safe existence Mam and Maeve have created for her. Eventually, things happen, and lead to Orpen moving down the road, where we start this book.
This is a slow-moving story, and though well-written, was a little too slow for me. The story’s structure is essentially Orpen moving from point A to B, then back to A, then finally back to B, but written in a somewhat emotionally removed fashion. I found myself skimming sections to get to some action or some important emotional scene for Orpen. And then the story ended really abruptly, with a number of questions left in my mind. I'm not sure what the purpose was with this story.
October 12, 2019
“This road, this hungry road, eating us up”.
A post-apocalyptic novel, set in a bleakly beautiful and desolate Ireland. In the first scenes, we are introduced to the mysterious Orpen who is making her way from the West coast to the East coast together with a grey skin Maeve who is lying unconscious in a wheelbarrow. Why is Ireland abandoned, and who is Open and where exactly does she think she is going? All of these are answered over the course of a fast-paced and quite short novel. Of course, there are even more questions by the end, suggesting that this may be the first in a series perhaps?
This novel has a strong sense of place and characters and both scream Ireland; uses simple but evocative language and description; and cleverly has built a world of human devastation, zombie-like skrakes, banshees, and breeders with what seems like little or no effort on the authors part.
Recommended for those looking for a dystopian post-apocalyptic Irish drama. Maybe something a little different for your St Patricks Day reading.
A post-apocalyptic novel, set in a bleakly beautiful and desolate Ireland. In the first scenes, we are introduced to the mysterious Orpen who is making her way from the West coast to the East coast together with a grey skin Maeve who is lying unconscious in a wheelbarrow. Why is Ireland abandoned, and who is Open and where exactly does she think she is going? All of these are answered over the course of a fast-paced and quite short novel. Of course, there are even more questions by the end, suggesting that this may be the first in a series perhaps?
This novel has a strong sense of place and characters and both scream Ireland; uses simple but evocative language and description; and cleverly has built a world of human devastation, zombie-like skrakes, banshees, and breeders with what seems like little or no effort on the authors part.
Recommended for those looking for a dystopian post-apocalyptic Irish drama. Maybe something a little different for your St Patricks Day reading.
January 13, 2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Last Ones Left Alive is technically a zombie story, but the real focus is survival and the emotional weight of growing up after the end of the world.
The story follows Orpen, who was raised on a small island off post-apocalyptic Ireland by her mother and Maeve, a stepmother figure. She is sheltered from the worst of the outside world but trained relentlessly to survive it. I really liked the dual timeline structure. Watching Orpen venture into the zombie-ridden mainland for the first time while flashing back to her childhood preparation worked well and added emotional depth. You can clearly see how her upbringing shaped every choice she makes.
This is much heavier on introspection than horror. The skrake (zombies) are present and dangerous, but the tension comes more from grief, memory, and survival than from outright scares. That worked for me in the moment, but it also meant the book felt quieter than I expected. There is a lot of reflection on Orpen’s childhood and her relationship with her mother and Maeve, but not much else happening beyond the journey itself.
Unfortunately, I think this is where it lost me a bit. Orpen is trying to reach Phoenix City, rumored to be the only surviving civilization, and the idea of the Banshees, the women warriors she idolizes, was by far the most interesting part of the worldbuilding. I kept waiting for the story to really open up once she reached them, but instead the book felt like a lot of walking in circles until the very end. Ironically, the ending is where the most compelling story seemed to begin.
I didn’t dislike this book, and I was engaged while reading it, but nothing truly stood out in a way that I’ll be thinking about long-term. If you’re looking for an emotionally driven, introspective take on the apocalypse rather than a fast-paced zombie horror, this might work better for you than it did for me.
Last Ones Left Alive is technically a zombie story, but the real focus is survival and the emotional weight of growing up after the end of the world.
The story follows Orpen, who was raised on a small island off post-apocalyptic Ireland by her mother and Maeve, a stepmother figure. She is sheltered from the worst of the outside world but trained relentlessly to survive it. I really liked the dual timeline structure. Watching Orpen venture into the zombie-ridden mainland for the first time while flashing back to her childhood preparation worked well and added emotional depth. You can clearly see how her upbringing shaped every choice she makes.
This is much heavier on introspection than horror. The skrake (zombies) are present and dangerous, but the tension comes more from grief, memory, and survival than from outright scares. That worked for me in the moment, but it also meant the book felt quieter than I expected. There is a lot of reflection on Orpen’s childhood and her relationship with her mother and Maeve, but not much else happening beyond the journey itself.
Unfortunately, I think this is where it lost me a bit. Orpen is trying to reach Phoenix City, rumored to be the only surviving civilization, and the idea of the Banshees, the women warriors she idolizes, was by far the most interesting part of the worldbuilding. I kept waiting for the story to really open up once she reached them, but instead the book felt like a lot of walking in circles until the very end. Ironically, the ending is where the most compelling story seemed to begin.
I didn’t dislike this book, and I was engaged while reading it, but nothing truly stood out in a way that I’ll be thinking about long-term. If you’re looking for an emotionally driven, introspective take on the apocalypse rather than a fast-paced zombie horror, this might work better for you than it did for me.
October 8, 2022
This was mostly a 3-star read for me from the start but once I got a little into it I thought that maybe I can give it a 4-star if the ending is worth it. So I waited until the end, but sometimes I really get a feeling during the book what rating it will have.
Sadly the ending was a little too open and too soon for me. I felt like there were so many things left in the air and not explained. The end felt a little rushed and like it was not time to finish.
I didn't understand, or it was just not explained, what happened to get the world in that state. The only hint we get is that is men's fault but that's it. This is one of the many things I felt were left unfinished.
What really bothered me was that we never get to that city. The whole plot of the book is to get to the city find more people and find a cure for her sister. Another thing left unfinished.
I didn't really see that "fiercely feminist" aspect really. I get the feminist aspect of women fighting and men just being alive but I don't know. I bought it for more. I thought there will be more feminist aspects in this book since it has the word feminist on the cover but meh. I didn't find it feminist because there were only women in this book (except one man), it is not enough. Also making only women fight the "zombies" was still not enough, hinting at men running the world and getting it in this state and women being the only ones left alive, still not enough.
In the end, there were too many questions left in the air so I was not really happy about it.
Sadly the ending was a little too open and too soon for me. I felt like there were so many things left in the air and not explained. The end felt a little rushed and like it was not time to finish.
I didn't understand, or it was just not explained, what happened to get the world in that state. The only hint we get is that is men's fault but that's it. This is one of the many things I felt were left unfinished.
What really bothered me was that we never get to that city. The whole plot of the book is to get to the city find more people and find a cure for her sister. Another thing left unfinished.
I didn't really see that "fiercely feminist" aspect really. I get the feminist aspect of women fighting and men just being alive but I don't know. I bought it for more. I thought there will be more feminist aspects in this book since it has the word feminist on the cover but meh. I didn't find it feminist because there were only women in this book (except one man), it is not enough. Also making only women fight the "zombies" was still not enough, hinting at men running the world and getting it in this state and women being the only ones left alive, still not enough.
In the end, there were too many questions left in the air so I was not really happy about it.
July 21, 2019
Somehow I ended up reading two women driven post apocalyptic stories back to back. Ok, so it isn’t really that surprising, given their proliferation and my predilection for that sort of thing, but still…back to back…that’s pretty bleak. Good thing there were two radically different beasts. This one is starts off like The Road set in Ireland and nicely develops into its own thing. The main protagonist, young woman named Orpen, who has been trained to take on all the dangers of this new hostile life since age 7, finds herself on her own for the first time, her two moms gone, and must make her own way in the world. Orpen, despite all her training, up until now, has led a sheltered existence on a small island. Now she’s ready to meet the world, no great discovery really, ravaged as it is by the zombie like skrakes (great name, but don’t you just hate fast zombies) and other survivors (if only she can learn to trust them). So it’s a girl meets world story/zombie apocalypse survival story. And a very compelling one at that. Good writing, fast pacing and very engaging characters guarantee that. There’s a very nice balance of action and drama, one never overwhelms the other. Such are the great pleasures of literary genre fiction. In fact the only thing that might be somewhat frustrating here is that you never really learn a lot about the apocalypse itself. The author has obviously made a conscious choice to tell a small story set in a large world and through it we get glimpses of the grand picture, but not a lot of details. We know the gender balance has been offset toward a women majority and that women have been divided into Breeders and Banshees. But that’s pretty much it. It would have been so nice to learn more about this dystopian scenario. In fact, this book almost read like one in a series of novels set in a specific fictional universe. Traditionally I’m a huge fan of brevity and have a huge appreciation for stories told in under 300 pages (and this book virtually sped by even for its 288 pages), but in this instance it would have been worth the extra time to enjoy more world building, especially from an author as obviously talented as this one. After all, more world building invites more moral complexity. Very good debut, though, despite its occasional stinginess with information. I enjoyed this book very much. The literary apocalypses don’t often get sequels or at least not with the same reliable frequency as the other, lesser, works, but if this one was to get a continuation, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. At all. So yeah, fans of literary dystopias with a feminist angle, this one’s for you. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
August 13, 2019
Last Ones Left Alive is Sarah Davis-Goff's debut novel. This is a post-apocalyptic zombie novel set in Ireland, which was intriguing since I don't think I've read many books set in Ireland.
This book was a tense read, and the author did a great job with setting the tone of the novel. It's a stressful slow burn. I am not the biggest fan of post-apocalyptic books, so I wasn't totally sure how I was going to feel about this, but it kept me interested enough.
I wish the book would have focused more on the Banshees. I'm not sure that Last Ones Left Alive will stand out that much from other post-apocalyptic zombie stories, but the Banshees were an interesting element. I was pretty curious about them, but felt like there wasn't enough information. I ended up feeling a disconnected from the story, and this was a pretty middle-of-the-road read for me.
Side note, if you're like me & have questions about the dog, you can message me.
This book was a tense read, and the author did a great job with setting the tone of the novel. It's a stressful slow burn. I am not the biggest fan of post-apocalyptic books, so I wasn't totally sure how I was going to feel about this, but it kept me interested enough.
I wish the book would have focused more on the Banshees. I'm not sure that Last Ones Left Alive will stand out that much from other post-apocalyptic zombie stories, but the Banshees were an interesting element. I was pretty curious about them, but felt like there wasn't enough information. I ended up feeling a disconnected from the story, and this was a pretty middle-of-the-road read for me.
Side note, if you're like me & have questions about the dog, you can message me.
February 11, 2025
⭐️
”Despite myself, despite everything. The world ended a long time ago, but it is still beautiful.”
The Last Ones Left Alive was a disappointment for me. I’m sure some will love the writing style of this book, but I felt that it was lacking. Even with the flashbacks to Orpen’s past on the island, I never felt like I really knew who she was or what actually happened to cause the world to be the way it was. I never connected to her, and, therefore, did not care about her journey. This is a zombie apocalypse story, and I never felt the suspense or horror. It all felt way too mellow for me even at the end when the action actually starts picking up. The banshees were the one intriguing part of this story line, and they were hardly mentioned. This may be a great read for some, but it did not work for me.
”Despite myself, despite everything. The world ended a long time ago, but it is still beautiful.”
The Last Ones Left Alive was a disappointment for me. I’m sure some will love the writing style of this book, but I felt that it was lacking. Even with the flashbacks to Orpen’s past on the island, I never felt like I really knew who she was or what actually happened to cause the world to be the way it was. I never connected to her, and, therefore, did not care about her journey. This is a zombie apocalypse story, and I never felt the suspense or horror. It all felt way too mellow for me even at the end when the action actually starts picking up. The banshees were the one intriguing part of this story line, and they were hardly mentioned. This may be a great read for some, but it did not work for me.
March 22, 2019
'REMEMBER YOUR JUST-IN-CASES
BEWARE TALL BUILDINGS
WATCH YOUR SIX'
Last Ones Left Alive is unlike any book I have EVER read. It’s a dystopian novel but it’s set in a post-apocalyptic Ireland!! Now as many of you are already aware I am Irish and to see familiar place names mentioned in the same breath as flesh devouring zombies was a complete freak out. Sarah Davis-Goff has shaken me to to the core and led to one very sleepless night as my dreams were haunted with some variant of these ghoulish creatures.
Orpen is a teenager when she finally gets to step off the island that has been her home forever. Slanbeg is a desolate location off the west coast of Ireland. Surrounded by the sea there is only one way on and one way off, by boat. Orpen lives there with her mother and another lady, Maeve. From an early age, Orpen has wanted to explore and see beyond the confines of the island but her mother and Maeve were adamant that only they would travel to the mainland when necessary. But as the years pass, the seemingly idyllic lifestyle of her early years are quickly replaced by an intense training regime set in place by her two minders. Orpen is in awe when she watches her mother and Maeve practice their weapon skills. These women have been trained and have witnessed something destructive but now they know that Orpen can not be kept on the island forever, so they need to share their knowledge with her.
Ireland is now a desolate place, ravaged by a frightening and grisly foe, the skrake. These demonic creatures infect a human with a poisonous bite, gradually transforming that person into one of their own.
‘A type of spiderweb-like fungus or growth has spread around the worst affected parts of the body: the head, especially the mouth and eyes, and underarms, the groin…..The hair clings in clumps to the scalp but the skrake’s head is just a mess of rot and teeth. The mouth hangs open, the jaw nearly gone, and from it protrudes the wet-looking, slug-like growth, the teeth around it.’
Orpen has only ever heard stories of these menacing beasts but when Maeve is bitten, Orpen has to face her greatest fear and look for help on the mainland. With only a wheelbarrow to carry Maeve and her trusty dog, Orpen is determined to save Maeve before the skrake take her over.
But when Orpen travels the roads of Ireland, she discovers that the devastation of the country is vast and macabre. Orpen witnesses corpses huddled together, towns abandoned but worse she hears the shuffle of the skrake and knows that she must use all her strength to survive.
Last Ones Left Alive is a frightening depiction of a dystopian world left ravaged and abandoned by all who once lived there. The reviews are flying in for this one with Patrick Gale saying ‘I will be cursing Last Ones Left Alive for seriously troubling dreams for weeks to come.' Joseph O’ Connor said ‘it gripped me, and since the last page I’ve been haunted'
It did leave me a little perplexed toward the end but Orpen inhabits a post-apocalyptic world so it was never going to have a closed book finish. The reader is left assaulted and disturbed by the vivid imagery within the pages. Language is sparingly used, with the descriptive prose building the scenes for you. I do feel there could be a book two in this series as the ending definitely lends itself to it.
Last Ones Left Alive is a bleak and brutal read but it is also a story of courage and strength against enormous adversity. I do not tend to read dystopian novels, but I can tell you that this book is recommended to ‘readers of dystopian literary fiction such as STATION 11 or THE END WE START FROM.’
Just published on 7th March with Tinder Press, Last Ones Left Alive is a chilling and sinister debut, with a palpable tension on every single page.
BEWARE TALL BUILDINGS
WATCH YOUR SIX'
Last Ones Left Alive is unlike any book I have EVER read. It’s a dystopian novel but it’s set in a post-apocalyptic Ireland!! Now as many of you are already aware I am Irish and to see familiar place names mentioned in the same breath as flesh devouring zombies was a complete freak out. Sarah Davis-Goff has shaken me to to the core and led to one very sleepless night as my dreams were haunted with some variant of these ghoulish creatures.
Orpen is a teenager when she finally gets to step off the island that has been her home forever. Slanbeg is a desolate location off the west coast of Ireland. Surrounded by the sea there is only one way on and one way off, by boat. Orpen lives there with her mother and another lady, Maeve. From an early age, Orpen has wanted to explore and see beyond the confines of the island but her mother and Maeve were adamant that only they would travel to the mainland when necessary. But as the years pass, the seemingly idyllic lifestyle of her early years are quickly replaced by an intense training regime set in place by her two minders. Orpen is in awe when she watches her mother and Maeve practice their weapon skills. These women have been trained and have witnessed something destructive but now they know that Orpen can not be kept on the island forever, so they need to share their knowledge with her.
Ireland is now a desolate place, ravaged by a frightening and grisly foe, the skrake. These demonic creatures infect a human with a poisonous bite, gradually transforming that person into one of their own.
‘A type of spiderweb-like fungus or growth has spread around the worst affected parts of the body: the head, especially the mouth and eyes, and underarms, the groin…..The hair clings in clumps to the scalp but the skrake’s head is just a mess of rot and teeth. The mouth hangs open, the jaw nearly gone, and from it protrudes the wet-looking, slug-like growth, the teeth around it.’
Orpen has only ever heard stories of these menacing beasts but when Maeve is bitten, Orpen has to face her greatest fear and look for help on the mainland. With only a wheelbarrow to carry Maeve and her trusty dog, Orpen is determined to save Maeve before the skrake take her over.
But when Orpen travels the roads of Ireland, she discovers that the devastation of the country is vast and macabre. Orpen witnesses corpses huddled together, towns abandoned but worse she hears the shuffle of the skrake and knows that she must use all her strength to survive.
Last Ones Left Alive is a frightening depiction of a dystopian world left ravaged and abandoned by all who once lived there. The reviews are flying in for this one with Patrick Gale saying ‘I will be cursing Last Ones Left Alive for seriously troubling dreams for weeks to come.' Joseph O’ Connor said ‘it gripped me, and since the last page I’ve been haunted'
It did leave me a little perplexed toward the end but Orpen inhabits a post-apocalyptic world so it was never going to have a closed book finish. The reader is left assaulted and disturbed by the vivid imagery within the pages. Language is sparingly used, with the descriptive prose building the scenes for you. I do feel there could be a book two in this series as the ending definitely lends itself to it.
Last Ones Left Alive is a bleak and brutal read but it is also a story of courage and strength against enormous adversity. I do not tend to read dystopian novels, but I can tell you that this book is recommended to ‘readers of dystopian literary fiction such as STATION 11 or THE END WE START FROM.’
Just published on 7th March with Tinder Press, Last Ones Left Alive is a chilling and sinister debut, with a palpable tension on every single page.
September 21, 2024
A zombie apocalypse in Ireland. Orpen, a young girl who was raised on an isolated island, is now escorting her mother's ill girlfriend in a wheelbarrow through a barren, haunted landscape seeking the last known safe haven, a city of potential hope and home to a rumored female force called the Banshees.
More heart than horror, Last Ones Left Alive is a solid and engaging read but it isn't bringing anything new to the genre. A similar vibe to Megan Hunter's The End We Start From, the protagonist's optimism and tenacity shine brightly through the dark and sloggy terrain. Orpen's inability to give up, her maddening desire to locate the city, and the rigorous training she received back home make it impossible not to root for her.
The pacing is slow but tolerable, with alternating chapters that bounce between Orpen's current journey on the mainland and the circumstances on the island that led her to flee its relative safety.
I'm ready for a 5 star read, you guys. These 3 and 4 star books I've been reading lately are ok and all but I'm ready to be wowed. (Sigh).
More heart than horror, Last Ones Left Alive is a solid and engaging read but it isn't bringing anything new to the genre. A similar vibe to Megan Hunter's The End We Start From, the protagonist's optimism and tenacity shine brightly through the dark and sloggy terrain. Orpen's inability to give up, her maddening desire to locate the city, and the rigorous training she received back home make it impossible not to root for her.
The pacing is slow but tolerable, with alternating chapters that bounce between Orpen's current journey on the mainland and the circumstances on the island that led her to flee its relative safety.
I'm ready for a 5 star read, you guys. These 3 and 4 star books I've been reading lately are ok and all but I'm ready to be wowed. (Sigh).
September 8, 2018
This book is exquisite, careful and considered, with a beautiful lilt to the language. Through past and present POVs, we are given an insight into Orpen's life on Slanbeg, an island off the west coast untouched by the skrake (zombies). Her life is as hard and unforgiving as the landscape, but it equips her with the skills she needs to survive. An ode to female relationships and feminism, this book is vital, visually and linguistically engaging, and I look forward to getting another copy when it hits shelves in early 2019!
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