The Last Skinweaver

The Book of Ruin #4

by W.G. Hladky

To escape his father’s despotic claw, Roge Callan changes his name to serve as a sergeant under a banished RangerKnight. They live among former enemies, the Skinweavers, who seek help to find a path out of their barbaric tribal past.

But the benevolent Widow Witches and their sentient Yetis have gone missing, and only someone with Widow Witch blood can find and rescue them. Unbeknownst to Roge, he has the blood and is the League of American Castles’ only option. In a hobbled and sabotaged swiftship called the Drunken Stork, Roge pulls together a small crew of misfits and travels from Mitteleuropa to Russia to the Middle Kingdom. They confront along the way ambushers, pestilence, vicious chimeric predators and titanic storms.

However, Roge is not the only one with problems.

Thousands of dead Han soldiers keep disappearing after battling brutal steppe invaders. Plus, alien-looking outlanders are stalking the Middle Kingdom in powerful skyships no one can match. All the while, court intrigue, well-guarded secrets and backstabbing keep Luminous Emperor Zhong Ren from learning the meaning of his diviner’s mysterious predictions.

447 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2022

Reviews

[S. Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's get this out of the way. The Last Skinweaver is hilariously, unbashedly, bad. It's best read as an adolescent fantasy adventure, but it goes about it in such a unapologetic way that I can't bring myself to be mean-spirited towards it. Set on a far-future Earth in the centuries after an electromagnetic disruption called "the Flash" toppled civilization, it depicts an epic-in-scale conflict adorned with bioengineered human-animal hybrids, airships, forced gender switching, deadly nanite infestations, and sentient, murderous trees. The protagonist, Roge Callan (aka Lovell Weir), is serving a RangerKnight in exile. He's been avoiding his tyrannical father and enjoying his life, especially the company of his sexually insatiable teenage maidservant. The novel's title character is Roge's friend and assistant, Jacques, a member of a tribe that uses nanite technology to assign its members to strict castes. This becomes important further down the line, when events conspire to force Jacques to confront the effects of his cultural heritage. When the enigmatic Widow Witches vanish along with their Yeti companions, Roge and Jacques are sent to look for them using the airship The Drunken Stork and her crew.* Meanwhile, a parallel story of political intrigue and attacks from a mysterious enemy develop in post-Flash East Asia (I found this second storyline a bit more compelling than the first, mostly due to its comparatively rich setting). As the dual plots move towards convergence, there are battles and revelations, as hidden family connections come to the surface and enemies fall away to uncover greater enemies. Juvenile and graceless though it may be, I can't accuse it of being dull.

I should also mention there is one small subplot some readers may find off-putting. There is some sexual interaction between a man clearly meant to be read as neurodivergent and a neurotypical teenage girl (who's understanding of the situation is limited). The way this is resolved is uncomfortable no matter which angle you examine if from, and since it had no bearing on the main plot, I'm not even sure why it had to be included. I'm not making any statements about my personal response one way or the other. I'm just putting it out there.

My ultimate verdict is that the final volume of the Book of Ruin series lacks all in the way of literary merit, but if you should find appeal in the elements I listed above, then by all means read and enjoy without shame.

*It's at this juncture that Roge meets a female ship's engineer whose coveralls, naturally, fail to hide her curves. This seems to be a frequent problem. Go a size up and only wash once a week, I guess?

[Aditya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love my share of sci-fi fantasy and if it is a part of an ongoing series then it's even better. There is a unique charm to the books in the series, be it harry potter or Lord of the Rings. So here I am with my views on this book.

There are no spoilers of any kind in the review below.

The plot is engrossing. I am sure you must have read the synopsis and it yells mystery, intrigue, adventure, and overall high entertainment value. And you will not be disappointed. I loved the pace of the story fast where it needed to be, slow where it required. The world-building is detailed considering this is the third book in the series.

The characters are very well written. I loved their development throughout the book. Their struggles seemed real from the perspective of the book and overall a solid take on creating sci-fi characters who can make a difference.

I won't bore you more with the review, so in a nutshell, this book is worth its price tag, maybe even a steal in a way (though it's my personal take). Either way, if you love sci-fi fantasy with good characters and an engrossing story, well, what are you waiting for go read the book. Thank you to the author for writing this book.

Thank you
Happy Reading

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hladky’s fourth book The Last Skinweaver is a culmination of a series that represents war, greed for power, and internal conflicts which features Roge Callan united with the Skinweavers on a quest to sort out their tribal past. However, the journey is not smooth as the Widow Witches are roaming around. Roge comes from the bloodline of witches making him the only one with the power to save them. He assembles an army and embark on a journey across the seas where wars ensue marred with storms and predator attacks. The gruesome scenes are vividly captured where victims die at the hands of their attackers who drink blood. The sci-fi series is a rollercoaster with many twists and thrilling events. The characters find themselves in dangerous environments while fighting personal battles. Presence of alien-resembling creatures make the story even more horrifying. Credit to the author for correct geographical and political history of nations and only highlights them for purposes of narrating the story without an in-depth analysis to divulge readers’ interests. Hladky narrates a nerve-wrecking suspense story that makes the Last Skinweaver a must read for fantasy and sci-fi lovers.

[Manish Gaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Skinweaver is the conclusion of a series about the journey of Roge Callan, power, and war. If you want to ride the sci-fi fantasy series rollercoaster, start with Book 1: The Book of Ruin to enjoy the mind-blowing fantasy land. The mind voices that the writer has written like "You are male and female. Only through practice will you learn how to intertwine your male and female sides," or "Good warriors do not go to the enemy. They make the enemy come to them" are like Aristotle or Socrates's philosophical words. Characters like the Skinweavers, the RangerKnight, and the Widow Witches are compelling and remind me of those in Star Wars.

The way the writer has shown current affairs—for example, naming a city after Obama—as prehistoric events are commendable. Writing sci-fi is difficult because you have to build everything, like the world, politics, day-to-day rituals, and the language, and W.G. Hladky has done it exceptionally well. The book is a little slow as the story is spread across 4 books, so go through all of them to enjoy the action-packed, deeply immersive adventure.

[Octavia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Last Skinweaver by W.G. Hladky is one of those novels that will surprise any reader. That's mostly due to the fact that there's a lot more stuff that goes on while reading this story. What drew me to this story was its summary. It sounded like a story that I would love and get excited about. However, that wasn't the case. Although I like how the story goes and the main plot is nice, there were other details that I wasn't fond of. I kind of wish there was some kind of trigger warning at the beginning of it. Some of the things that happened in this story are things that I'm not a fan of at all. Not to mention, everything was moving at a very slow pace. There were times where I wanted the story to pick up a bit more. That didn't stop me from continuing to read the story, though. I do recommend that if readers were to read this story that they should read the previous books in this series beforehand. I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

[Hiren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the twists in the story at the end of most of the chapters. They leave readers guessing about what might happen next, even though the plot's end is predictable. Although the story (and especially the vehicle used by the main characters) is presented as a work of fiction, one can't help but notice many similarities to names , places and customs that are prevalent in the real world.

There is also a bit of stereotyping involved in each character's development, often being inspired from historical and geographical references. This however reduces the mental effort required on the part of the reader to constantly visualize a map that would have otherwise been totally imaginary, as it often happens with many fictional works.

The meaning and importance of the title of the book becomes clear toward the end of the story. Some of the chapters are pretty short. There are a few occasional instances of humor too but I would have liked to see more of them.

[Steven Rosenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Last Skinweaver” by W.G.Hladky is a good read. It is also an example of how the passage of time brings much change, and different ways of doing things, but basic human nature will always remain the same. While I found the book to be a page turner, the pace of the story appropriately changes to match the scene. The narration is highly descriptive, so that we are able to really know the well developed characters and the world in which they live, to the point that we feel like we are right there watching events unfold first hand. The book is listed as science fiction/fantasy, however it falls into several sub categories such as action, adventure, thriller, and war story. The prologue does a nice job of setting the scene. This book is well worth your time, although you would benefit from reading the first three titles in the “Book Of Ruin” series beforehand. Enjoy!

[Saleem Ahmad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Skinweaver is the fourth and last book in the Book of Ruin series. Fast-paced and exhilarating, yet serious and refined, WG Hladky takes the readers on a trip in the universe after the Fall. This work continues the narrative of the Weir family line in a complicated imagined future world replete with fascinating characters, daily struggles, and dangerous challenges. The narrative consists of not one but several small plots within a large plot which makes it more intricate and addictive to read.

If you haven't read the first three parts of the book, I would suggest reading them first to get acquainted with the futuristic world and hybrid-people world. The author has done a wonderful job to get readers to read all the subsequent parts with so much enthusiasm.

[Lg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth book in the Book of Ruin science fiction series does not disappoint. Fast paced and exciting, yet thoughtful and sophisticated, WG Hladky has continued our journey in the world after the Fall. This novel continues the story of the Weir family line in an intricate and imagined future world filled with complex characters, daily challenges, and deadly threats. WG Hladky has done a wonderful job of unveiling this new and ever changing world and the denizens who inhabit it. I highly recommend you take this amazing journey of adventure and brotherhood, battles and betrayals, empires and subterfuge. Everything I want in a good read.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a very interesting book, and one that should appeal to many fans of the genre.

I would suggest starting with the earlier books in the series, if possible - the author has set out to create a very rich universe and cast of characters for the books; the downside of this is that it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the phrases and terminology. One other (minor) gripe I have, is that some of the names used by the characters can come off as a little puerile - not a big problem in the main, but on occasion it can detract from the story when an insulting nickname appears repeatedly on one page, throughout an otherwise gripping exchange.

[Charles Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just completed reading,"The Last Skinweaver by W.G. Hladky. This was his fourth novel in his, Book of Ruin Series.
As in his previous three novels I throughly enjoyed the book! Speaking for myself I put myself into the book along with the characters. The plot carried me through all the twists and turns flawlessly.
The characters were engaging and the different religious and cultural differences were fascinating to follow.
Duty, honor and the bond between friends and comrades are an ever-present theme.
Read the book you won't be disappointed.