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The Last Plague #3
The Last Soldier
Her name is Florence, and she did not cry when the world ended.
Two years after Great Britain is devastated by an alien virus, a young girl and her ex-military guardian are drawn back to the mainland for reasons only known to the dark gift inside her head. It’s a gift neither she nor the old soldier trusts entirely, and their only hope is to obey its call into the wastelands. But is it a blessing or a curse? And will it deliver salvation or lead them to death?
Two years after Great Britain is devastated by an alien virus, a young girl and her ex-military guardian are drawn back to the mainland for reasons only known to the dark gift inside her head. It’s a gift neither she nor the old soldier trusts entirely, and their only hope is to obey its call into the wastelands. But is it a blessing or a curse? And will it deliver salvation or lead them to death?
199 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 4, 2017
"This trilogy, especially books one and three, have convinced me that this is exactly what it would be like, and to be honest? It scares the absolute shit clean out of me."
See here for the full review:
The Last Soldier
See here for the full review:
The Last Soldier
March 20, 2016
Rich Hawkins concludes his immense Plague Trilogy, with The Last Soldier. And what a finale it is.
If this series has proved one thing, it's that Rich Hawkins is a huge talent. You don't just read a Rich Hawkins book, you live it. He grabs you and throws you into his world. Such is his descriptive gift.
I found this book the darkest of the three, and in parts is utterly horrifying. The world is a black decaying heart, slowly beating its final tune. Very few authors i have read can capture loneliness, barren emptiness, decay, infection, death, and torment, quite like Rich Hawkins. A literary artist who has perfectly honed his skills with a palette of the darkest colours. He will achieve great things, i'm sure.
The Lovecraft influence is very much evident in this series, but Rich Hawkins has removed the rigidity of some of those old stories, and treated them to a much more subtle touch. The horror is there, but within a world that feels so much more palpable and familiar.
If this series has proved one thing, it's that Rich Hawkins is a huge talent. You don't just read a Rich Hawkins book, you live it. He grabs you and throws you into his world. Such is his descriptive gift.
I found this book the darkest of the three, and in parts is utterly horrifying. The world is a black decaying heart, slowly beating its final tune. Very few authors i have read can capture loneliness, barren emptiness, decay, infection, death, and torment, quite like Rich Hawkins. A literary artist who has perfectly honed his skills with a palette of the darkest colours. He will achieve great things, i'm sure.
The Lovecraft influence is very much evident in this series, but Rich Hawkins has removed the rigidity of some of those old stories, and treated them to a much more subtle touch. The horror is there, but within a world that feels so much more palpable and familiar.
August 21, 2019
The 3rd book in Rich Hawkins' The Last Plague series, easily the 2nd best book in the trilogy after the 1st book and beating out the 2nd book. The flow of the writing in this book had me finished in just under 4 hours, yet it felt like 5 minutes. The pacing was top notch as to be expected from Rich, and the new characters that were introduced were once again fully fleshed out and completely likeable and relate able.
Rich never lets up and his writing technique is incredible, always giving enough information to paint a solid picture in your mind yet not absolutely bombarding you with unneeded details as to detract you and pull you out of the immersion.
**********SPOILERS BELOW**********
For me personally however, I did like the ending, don't get me wrong. I felt like I had absolute closure upon reading the final chapters with the outcome of Morse and Florence and felt Morse lived up to his word in protecting Florence; And I really did enjoy the take Rich took with Florence's story ark in this book.
However.... I personally would have perhaps enjoyed it more if, when Florence offered Morse the opportunity to be Florence's Guardian when she Ascends to be an emissary of the Dark Gods for other planets, that he took her up on the offer and swore to protect her till the end of time. This is my personal opinion, but I'm getting slightly bored when in these scenarios the main protagonist sticks to his sheer will and manages to defy against the antagonists (in this case the dark gods), and I crave for a book to come along where the protagonist goes against this stereotypical trope and actually succumbs to the antagonist. Who knows this might have actually setup a good premise for a 4th book that shows the infected world form the Dark Gods point of view from the point of view of Florence as an emissary with Morse being her ultimate protector.
All in all though I absolutely loved this book but there's always that nagging feeling about the ending that will bug me, I'd still give it a 5/5 though and thoroughly recommend the entire trilogy.
Rich never lets up and his writing technique is incredible, always giving enough information to paint a solid picture in your mind yet not absolutely bombarding you with unneeded details as to detract you and pull you out of the immersion.
**********SPOILERS BELOW**********
For me personally however, I did like the ending, don't get me wrong. I felt like I had absolute closure upon reading the final chapters with the outcome of Morse and Florence and felt Morse lived up to his word in protecting Florence; And I really did enjoy the take Rich took with Florence's story ark in this book.
However.... I personally would have perhaps enjoyed it more if, when Florence offered Morse the opportunity to be Florence's Guardian when she Ascends to be an emissary of the Dark Gods for other planets, that he took her up on the offer and swore to protect her till the end of time. This is my personal opinion, but I'm getting slightly bored when in these scenarios the main protagonist sticks to his sheer will and manages to defy against the antagonists (in this case the dark gods), and I crave for a book to come along where the protagonist goes against this stereotypical trope and actually succumbs to the antagonist. Who knows this might have actually setup a good premise for a 4th book that shows the infected world form the Dark Gods point of view from the point of view of Florence as an emissary with Morse being her ultimate protector.
All in all though I absolutely loved this book but there's always that nagging feeling about the ending that will bug me, I'd still give it a 5/5 though and thoroughly recommend the entire trilogy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2017
A brilliant conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. I think one of the strongest aspects of this trilogy is how they shirk the stereotypical plot structure from book to book. I've often said that while there is a narrative thread that runs throughout, you could read them in any order and still get a lot out of them.
I liked that the main character in this is a soldier as it provided insight and a point of view we didn't have as much in the previous two. And I have no idea if Hawkins has military experience himself but I thought he did a great job with the little details, especially regarding weapons and equipment.
I also appreciated that this book offered some more glimpses into the overall picture, where "plague Gods" has now become part of the standard language. And of course his description of these incredibly inventive monsters is top notch.
It's a heavy book and while I prefer Last Outpost, there is still a lot here to love. The level of gore is perfect. The action and pacing is great.
I've read these books twice now and actually liked them more the second time through. I don't know if we will ever get more installments in this series but if we do, I'm definitely on board.
I liked that the main character in this is a soldier as it provided insight and a point of view we didn't have as much in the previous two. And I have no idea if Hawkins has military experience himself but I thought he did a great job with the little details, especially regarding weapons and equipment.
I also appreciated that this book offered some more glimpses into the overall picture, where "plague Gods" has now become part of the standard language. And of course his description of these incredibly inventive monsters is top notch.
It's a heavy book and while I prefer Last Outpost, there is still a lot here to love. The level of gore is perfect. The action and pacing is great.
I've read these books twice now and actually liked them more the second time through. I don't know if we will ever get more installments in this series but if we do, I'm definitely on board.
July 30, 2024
A trilogy which got better with each book. The end of the world is not for the faint hearted. These days, I find most horror novels a bit naff, but this is magnificent in its desolation. I reckon this would make a great film trilogy although the Yanks would probably add a mawkish vomit inducing happy ending, rather than the nicely done final chapter in this incredible series.
February 22, 2021
Quite good final book in the series. Very grim in tone, but still quite interesting. Best so far
July 3, 2017
This was exactly what I'd been looking for. The last in Rich Hawkins' Plague Trilogy, The Last Soldier could be the best. Correction, it is the best.
I loved The Last Plague, gave The Last Outpost a generous 4 stars, but this one... wow!
This could have been the sequel to The Last Plague, following on from the events in that book. But in saying that, this one ends by bringing the whole thing together and the way it's done is both frightening and tragic.
The monsters, the 'infected', are up to what they do best, tearing apart the luckless humans in more and more brutally grotesque methods. The beasts are more horrific than ever, with spines erupting from backs, tendrils sprouting from mouths, and necks opening up into sharp-toothed bloody maws. There are even monsters that seem to be spawning into abominations much more terrifying than merely 'the infected'. All good stuff.
The story follows Morse, an ex soldier travelling across England with Florence, a young girl he thinks of as his daughter. They're desperate to find other survivors although as things go along this seems less and less likely.
The plot is well paced and the battles unrelenting. But it's the ending that really makes this novel stand above the rest. Without giving too much away it seems that the whole outbreak that's consumed the world is part of something much bigger, and almost Lovecraftian in nature.
I was really impressed with this book. After the second, The Last Outpost, I though that maybe Rich Hawkins had put everything he had into the first book. But he's definitely back on form here!
A brilliant book!!
I loved The Last Plague, gave The Last Outpost a generous 4 stars, but this one... wow!
This could have been the sequel to The Last Plague, following on from the events in that book. But in saying that, this one ends by bringing the whole thing together and the way it's done is both frightening and tragic.
The monsters, the 'infected', are up to what they do best, tearing apart the luckless humans in more and more brutally grotesque methods. The beasts are more horrific than ever, with spines erupting from backs, tendrils sprouting from mouths, and necks opening up into sharp-toothed bloody maws. There are even monsters that seem to be spawning into abominations much more terrifying than merely 'the infected'. All good stuff.
The story follows Morse, an ex soldier travelling across England with Florence, a young girl he thinks of as his daughter. They're desperate to find other survivors although as things go along this seems less and less likely.
The plot is well paced and the battles unrelenting. But it's the ending that really makes this novel stand above the rest. Without giving too much away it seems that the whole outbreak that's consumed the world is part of something much bigger, and almost Lovecraftian in nature.
I was really impressed with this book. After the second, The Last Outpost, I though that maybe Rich Hawkins had put everything he had into the first book. But he's definitely back on form here!
A brilliant book!!
August 11, 2016
A Satisfying End to a Significant Post-apocalyptic Trilogy
The Last Soldier brings to a close the 'Last' instalment to what has been a trilogy of significance for this particular reader. This book does well as tying up the evolutionary loose ends of The Plague, and its ultimate in tensions, with an inventive story arc concerning the young girl Florence; a character established in the first book who can now commune with the infection itself.
Whilst this volume has the same bleak outlook laid down in the previous books (and brought to effective fruition in the simply brilliant The Last Outpost) the pacing returns to a faster, action based narrative as Morse, the titular character, seeks to protect and then find Florence when she is abducted by a fanatical post-apocalyptic cult.
Overall a satisfying end to a great trilogy that I highly recommend.
The Last Soldier brings to a close the 'Last' instalment to what has been a trilogy of significance for this particular reader. This book does well as tying up the evolutionary loose ends of The Plague, and its ultimate in tensions, with an inventive story arc concerning the young girl Florence; a character established in the first book who can now commune with the infection itself.
Whilst this volume has the same bleak outlook laid down in the previous books (and brought to effective fruition in the simply brilliant The Last Outpost) the pacing returns to a faster, action based narrative as Morse, the titular character, seeks to protect and then find Florence when she is abducted by a fanatical post-apocalyptic cult.
Overall a satisfying end to a great trilogy that I highly recommend.
October 28, 2020
The last of a damned fine trilogy which has got better with each book. Florence is drawn back to Great Britain, accompanied by ex-soldier, Morse. She is enticed back due to a dark gift she has been given by the plague monsters. Suffice to say the overland trip, having landed near Eyemouth in Scotland, down to south west England is somewhat fraught. Does mankind survive? Is there a happy ending? Read it and find out.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
March 20, 2016
The perfect end to a great trilogy.
March 22, 2016
A DAMN SAD FINALE IT IS...
Hello, I gave this one 4 stars because it was just too damn sad. I mean, whatever happened to a good ending. Great story though. Thanks.
Hello, I gave this one 4 stars because it was just too damn sad. I mean, whatever happened to a good ending. Great story though. Thanks.
May 23, 2016
A fitting end to the plague trilogy. Gruesome, horrific, monstrous, yet curiously thoughtful to the very last.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews