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Light a Last Candle
LIGHT A LAST CANDLE is so jam-packed with so many rich ideas, so many new concepts, so many differing cultures, layer on layer, that in the hands of a less terse writer its material might have encomapssed several novels.
Here is a world full of strange creatures - some that are offshoots of mankind and others that seem utterly Alien. And some that really are. Here are societies totally primitive, others that live a subterranean life, Mods living a happy, bucolic existence, and something that dwells in a shining, quivering crystal as large as a city. And still more.
Through it all runs a thread of excitement and danger that is capped with an ultimate defiance.
Welcome, Vincent King!
Here is a world full of strange creatures - some that are offshoots of mankind and others that seem utterly Alien. And some that really are. Here are societies totally primitive, others that live a subterranean life, Mods living a happy, bucolic existence, and something that dwells in a shining, quivering crystal as large as a city. And still more.
Through it all runs a thread of excitement and danger that is capped with an ultimate defiance.
Welcome, Vincent King!
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
217 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 2, 2023
Quite a novel by King; this was his first novel released in the US in 1969, but he had/has a cult following in Britain. Light a Last Candle unfolds like an onion; as soon as you think you know what is going on, King tosses in a doozy that flips the script, giving the prior story new meaning. Also, this, like The Word for World Is Forest, serves as a oblique critique of the misadventure in Vietnam.
Our main protagonist narrates the story in the first person and it reads almost like a diary, chronicling events as they unfold in a linear manner. I don't think his name was ever mentioned, although people called him Ice Lover as he hails from the frozen tundra up North. The tale starts with Ice Lover being hunted by beings in a 'hoverer'-- a small, anti-grave vehicle. Are the hunters aliens or their 'Mod' minions? Ice Lover does not know, and manages to take them out and destroy the hoverer. Knowing that this will bring undue attention, he decides to head south to the borderlands to lay low for a spell...
This reads primarily as an adventure novel, as Ice Lover faces one hair raising trial after another, escaping death by the skin of his teeth time after time. We gradually, via King's sparse prose, get a sense of the world, but King lets the suspense build. We know off the bat that aliens have conquered the world about 300 years before and Ice Lover is a 'free man', or unmodified human. It seems most humans have been modified genetically by the aliens, giving them an outer carapace, but more importantly, transformed into almost insect-like hive members. Some Mods are warriors, some farmers, some breeders, etc.
The frenetic pacing really moves the story along, with reveal after reveal all the way to the end. Most modern scifi authors would have made this story a huge trilogy, but King tells the tale in just over 200 pages. Fun, fast, and some excellent thoughts on the human condition (and yeah, obliquely that little war thing in Asia). 4 solid stars!
Our main protagonist narrates the story in the first person and it reads almost like a diary, chronicling events as they unfold in a linear manner. I don't think his name was ever mentioned, although people called him Ice Lover as he hails from the frozen tundra up North. The tale starts with Ice Lover being hunted by beings in a 'hoverer'-- a small, anti-grave vehicle. Are the hunters aliens or their 'Mod' minions? Ice Lover does not know, and manages to take them out and destroy the hoverer. Knowing that this will bring undue attention, he decides to head south to the borderlands to lay low for a spell...
This reads primarily as an adventure novel, as Ice Lover faces one hair raising trial after another, escaping death by the skin of his teeth time after time. We gradually, via King's sparse prose, get a sense of the world, but King lets the suspense build. We know off the bat that aliens have conquered the world about 300 years before and Ice Lover is a 'free man', or unmodified human. It seems most humans have been modified genetically by the aliens, giving them an outer carapace, but more importantly, transformed into almost insect-like hive members. Some Mods are warriors, some farmers, some breeders, etc.
The frenetic pacing really moves the story along, with reveal after reveal all the way to the end. Most modern scifi authors would have made this story a huge trilogy, but King tells the tale in just over 200 pages. Fun, fast, and some excellent thoughts on the human condition (and yeah, obliquely that little war thing in Asia). 4 solid stars!
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September 28, 2012here is a copy of the review I wrote for this on Amazon in 1997....
Light a Last Candle By Vincent King. The term classic SCI-FI is often used to describe the great Techniques used in this genre during the 50's and early 60's.Light a Last Candle is a classic in this manner but it also punches the reader with a hypnotic blend of action and the bizarre in a way i have never seen equalled in any other work of fiction. Literally , by the end of the first page you will find yourself hopelessly involved with the cynical hero and his resigned sense of humour, the atmosphere created by Mr King will surround you with a literal fog of inventive creations and his observations of the most ridiculous aspects of human nature will make you gasp with a delicious horror at the depths humanity allows itself to plunge if that's what it takes to remain popular. Still ahead of it's time.... Beyond the ability of most actors to convey....( Maybe Richard E. Grant?) Utterly brilliant.
Light a Last Candle By Vincent King. The term classic SCI-FI is often used to describe the great Techniques used in this genre during the 50's and early 60's.Light a Last Candle is a classic in this manner but it also punches the reader with a hypnotic blend of action and the bizarre in a way i have never seen equalled in any other work of fiction. Literally , by the end of the first page you will find yourself hopelessly involved with the cynical hero and his resigned sense of humour, the atmosphere created by Mr King will surround you with a literal fog of inventive creations and his observations of the most ridiculous aspects of human nature will make you gasp with a delicious horror at the depths humanity allows itself to plunge if that's what it takes to remain popular. Still ahead of it's time.... Beyond the ability of most actors to convey....( Maybe Richard E. Grant?) Utterly brilliant.
January 14, 2024
WOW!
Hard to know what to say about this book. Right from the beginning it was pretty clear this guy’s a good writer. His vivid descriptions, and compelling character voice are engaging from the start. Initially, I was a little put off by his lack of playfulness and humor, but that feeling went away pretty fast.
The world Vincent King puts us in is pretty unique. I don’t remember reading anything like it, except, maybe Sam Delaney. But unlike Delaney, who sometimes lets his artsy stream of consciousness get out of hand, with this writer you always know exactly where you are and why you are there.
We meet the narrator, Ice Lover, in the frozen tundra far to the north, in a post apocalyptic earth… maybe. He is one of the few remaining free men alive. Most of humankind have been “modified” after the defeat, when the aliens, overran humankind last defenses 300 years ago. The Free Men are the few who have managed to escape genetic modification by the aliens, and are hated by both aliens and mods alike.
The thing about this book, about every 50 pages or so, just when you think you have a handle on what this whole world is about, the writer goes and flips the script, turning everything upside down with some new revelation, casting everything that went before in a new light. He does this right up to the very last page. Everything comes together so seamlessly, so elegantly, it’s hard for me not the rave about it.
Towards the end, it becomes very clear that he is making an oblique reference to the American involvement in Vietnam. But there is absolutely nothing ham fisted about it. He does it in such a clever and understated way it does not feel dated or forced at all.
Absolutely recommend. It’s a shame this writer only wrote a handful of novels. I wonder whatever happened to him?
Hard to know what to say about this book. Right from the beginning it was pretty clear this guy’s a good writer. His vivid descriptions, and compelling character voice are engaging from the start. Initially, I was a little put off by his lack of playfulness and humor, but that feeling went away pretty fast.
The world Vincent King puts us in is pretty unique. I don’t remember reading anything like it, except, maybe Sam Delaney. But unlike Delaney, who sometimes lets his artsy stream of consciousness get out of hand, with this writer you always know exactly where you are and why you are there.
We meet the narrator, Ice Lover, in the frozen tundra far to the north, in a post apocalyptic earth… maybe. He is one of the few remaining free men alive. Most of humankind have been “modified” after the defeat, when the aliens, overran humankind last defenses 300 years ago. The Free Men are the few who have managed to escape genetic modification by the aliens, and are hated by both aliens and mods alike.
The thing about this book, about every 50 pages or so, just when you think you have a handle on what this whole world is about, the writer goes and flips the script, turning everything upside down with some new revelation, casting everything that went before in a new light. He does this right up to the very last page. Everything comes together so seamlessly, so elegantly, it’s hard for me not the rave about it.
Towards the end, it becomes very clear that he is making an oblique reference to the American involvement in Vietnam. But there is absolutely nothing ham fisted about it. He does it in such a clever and understated way it does not feel dated or forced at all.
Absolutely recommend. It’s a shame this writer only wrote a handful of novels. I wonder whatever happened to him?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2023
A short but very sweet slice of late '60s SF, with Earth invaded by aliens, and human factions (some of them mutated, some 'Modified' by the aliens) fighting over scraps. The protagonist's apparent aimlessness and lack of direct agency provides a travelogue through the post-apocalyptic landscape, deepened when questions of who owns the planet—and what planet it actually is—in the first place, at which point a neat Vietnam/colonialism satire emerges, just in the time for the hero to pick sides.
April 10, 2020
There is a lot going on in this little paperback! This is indeed a small epic. There are humans vs aliens vs modified humans all fighting each other. There are ethical dilemmas to consider. And finally, there is some science in this science fiction.
December 8, 2024
Having been a fan of King's novellas I was very excited to see what he would do with a full length novel. As such I was very disappointed, this reads more like a cut-price adventure story with added misogyny and lame twists.
A real shame/
A real shame/
August 20, 2018
Older sci-fi, but it is still very enjoyable.
August 4, 2021
Nice lates 60s critic of the vietnam war and a satarucal viewing of hippies and american gun fetisishm. ;P
August 11, 2021
Well... This was interesting. Vivid and rich in ideas - possibly too many to cram into less than 190 pages.
The story was pretty good, the ideas were cool and it kept me reading. But the writing is clunky and the characterisation is shallow. There are 3 or 4 twists laid on the reader in the second half of the book which should really have you going: "NO WAY!", but instead had me going: "Huh. That's quite cool." - they had me acknowledging and appreciating the idea rather than blowing me away and turning my world upside down.
The whole thing reads like a summary of events rather than a story being told and you never feel truly involved. So, the problem is pretty much all in the writing. The ideas are all there and from what I can see this could have been an epic and gripping story, but King just didn't flesh this out enough and was very inconsistent with his character's personalities.
If you're like me and you read science fiction for the ideas then it's worth a read. This was Vincent King's first novel so I should probably cut him some slack. I read "Another End" (King's 3rd novel) a short while ago and that was pretty decent, though it suffered from different problems to this. I'm still pretty keen to read "Candy Man" since it's become a bit of a cult hit. Maybe that one will have done his ideas justice.
The story was pretty good, the ideas were cool and it kept me reading. But the writing is clunky and the characterisation is shallow. There are 3 or 4 twists laid on the reader in the second half of the book which should really have you going: "NO WAY!", but instead had me going: "Huh. That's quite cool." - they had me acknowledging and appreciating the idea rather than blowing me away and turning my world upside down.
The whole thing reads like a summary of events rather than a story being told and you never feel truly involved. So, the problem is pretty much all in the writing. The ideas are all there and from what I can see this could have been an epic and gripping story, but King just didn't flesh this out enough and was very inconsistent with his character's personalities.
If you're like me and you read science fiction for the ideas then it's worth a read. This was Vincent King's first novel so I should probably cut him some slack. I read "Another End" (King's 3rd novel) a short while ago and that was pretty decent, though it suffered from different problems to this. I'm still pretty keen to read "Candy Man" since it's become a bit of a cult hit. Maybe that one will have done his ideas justice.
December 31, 2025
Really enjoyed this when I read it. It's not going to win many prizes for writing style, and some of the imagery isn't entirely clear, but it's so readable and gripping! You're dissapointed when it ends because it could have gone in so many different directions.
Top effort and accessible science fiction from a previous era.
Top effort and accessible science fiction from a previous era.
January 19, 2011
I read this quite some time ago (and have re-read it since). The early part of the book is quite gripping - humans hiding from alien invaders, but the second half provides a surprising twist!
September 9, 2014
Full of action and intrigue with a storyline that is easy to follow but strong in depth considering how slim this book is
July 13, 2020
A good read for any fan of post apocalyptic mutant fiction. There are a lot of ideas jammed in here but it doesn't feel over burdened or bloated.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews