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The Last Polar Bear
Part wildlife thriller, part nature narrative, The Last Polar Bear is the thought-provoking story of the Arctic's last polar bear and the Inuit woman who tries to save it: In 2040, as poachers close in on the last polar bear on earth, an Inuit scientist named Nuli must use her abilities to save the bear’s life, even at the risk of her own.
Nuli feels caught between two cultures, but when she develops a shamanic gift to communicate with the bear she calls Anuk, her mystical revelation is mind-blowing; Anuk has a plan of her own.
Nuli feels caught between two cultures, but when she develops a shamanic gift to communicate with the bear she calls Anuk, her mystical revelation is mind-blowing; Anuk has a plan of her own.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 18, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 15, 2025
Set in the year 2040, The Last Polar Bear imagines a future in which a single polar bear remains on Earth, and a scientist determined to save its life. Dana Rodney’s novel is a quiet but powerful meditation on extinction, responsibility and the limits of human intervention in a warming world.
One of the book’s most striking and successful choices is its willingness to centre the perspective of the polar bear itself. This is a narrative angle that remains rare in climate fiction, and Rodney handles it with care and seriousness rather than sentimentality. The novel resists turning the animal into a mere symbol; instead, it invites readers to consider what survival, memory and loss might mean beyond the human frame.
Although the novel has been marketed as a thriller, it reads much more convincingly as a nature narrative. Its strength lies not in suspense or rapid pacing, but in its reflective tone and ethical engagement with environmental collapse. At times, I found it challenging to fully connect with the characters (human and non-human alike) but this distance may also reflect the difficulty of imagining intimacy across species and across a radically altered future.
What remains clear throughout is the depth of research underpinning the novel, particularly in its depictions of Arctic environments, climate science and conservation debates. The Last Polar Bear is an important and timely work that deserves wider attention, especially within discussions of climate fiction and more-than-human storytelling.
Thank you to the author for sending me a digital review copy!
"The vast frozen lands of the north were the last to be invaded by humans. Until Anuk’s time, the intense cold kept most of them away. But as the earth warmed and the humans consumed the trees and water and underground riches of more convenient places, they began to reach even into these frozen lands. They brought their machines to drill through the permafrost and under the sea, exploding the eardrums of dolphins and confounding the echo-location of whales. They tore roads through the fragile tundra to build conduits carrying the liquid poison they dredged from the belly of the earth to feed their insatiable machines" (page 91)
"You must understand that fresh water is the key to all life" (page 107)
"The sea ice had been her people’s highway and food source for thousands of years. With the sea ice receding, she felt her culture receding. They were a people born of the sea ice. Without it, who were they?" (page 109)
One of the book’s most striking and successful choices is its willingness to centre the perspective of the polar bear itself. This is a narrative angle that remains rare in climate fiction, and Rodney handles it with care and seriousness rather than sentimentality. The novel resists turning the animal into a mere symbol; instead, it invites readers to consider what survival, memory and loss might mean beyond the human frame.
Although the novel has been marketed as a thriller, it reads much more convincingly as a nature narrative. Its strength lies not in suspense or rapid pacing, but in its reflective tone and ethical engagement with environmental collapse. At times, I found it challenging to fully connect with the characters (human and non-human alike) but this distance may also reflect the difficulty of imagining intimacy across species and across a radically altered future.
What remains clear throughout is the depth of research underpinning the novel, particularly in its depictions of Arctic environments, climate science and conservation debates. The Last Polar Bear is an important and timely work that deserves wider attention, especially within discussions of climate fiction and more-than-human storytelling.
Thank you to the author for sending me a digital review copy!
"The vast frozen lands of the north were the last to be invaded by humans. Until Anuk’s time, the intense cold kept most of them away. But as the earth warmed and the humans consumed the trees and water and underground riches of more convenient places, they began to reach even into these frozen lands. They brought their machines to drill through the permafrost and under the sea, exploding the eardrums of dolphins and confounding the echo-location of whales. They tore roads through the fragile tundra to build conduits carrying the liquid poison they dredged from the belly of the earth to feed their insatiable machines" (page 91)
"You must understand that fresh water is the key to all life" (page 107)
"The sea ice had been her people’s highway and food source for thousands of years. With the sea ice receding, she felt her culture receding. They were a people born of the sea ice. Without it, who were they?" (page 109)
December 23, 2022
The Last Polar Bear by Dana Rodney is a story about the impending doom of the polar bear and climate change. It might be a venture into the mind of the unknown, but it raises important questions regarding our ways of dealing with climate change. There is a combination of facts, fiction, and mysticism in this book. It begins with the story of Anuk, the polar bear, and continues to explore the effects of climate change and further changes through his point of view and others.
The writing style of the book is engaging and fast-paced. The beginning with the struggle of survival keeps the readers hooked and curious throughout the story. The author has also explored the Inupiaq culture and how they are closer to nature in their understanding. The author has also tried to explore the human world and human actions through the eyes of a polar bear. This new point of view provides a very enthralling experience for the readers. I was amazed to read about the simplest of things being described in a new light. It somehow drew attention to the natural and the man-made in our lives. The number of changes brought about on earth due to human advancements is infinite. The impact is now visible even on the big picture. We need to be aware of the challenges, or we will lose everything we cherish.
Overall, this book is a peek into the current condition of the earth. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The polar bear’s point of view, the myths and stories connecting the Inua to them, the voice of the earth, the Inupiaq culture explored through layers in the story, and much more. This book takes us into the ways of people in polar regions and shows us the strength of nature. Humans need to read this to decenter themselves and look at the earth. This is also the story of the few passionate people who are hell-bent on saving these species even in the face of denial by others. I recommend this book to people who are aware of climate change and want to understand the drastic impact our activities have on other lives.
The writing style of the book is engaging and fast-paced. The beginning with the struggle of survival keeps the readers hooked and curious throughout the story. The author has also explored the Inupiaq culture and how they are closer to nature in their understanding. The author has also tried to explore the human world and human actions through the eyes of a polar bear. This new point of view provides a very enthralling experience for the readers. I was amazed to read about the simplest of things being described in a new light. It somehow drew attention to the natural and the man-made in our lives. The number of changes brought about on earth due to human advancements is infinite. The impact is now visible even on the big picture. We need to be aware of the challenges, or we will lose everything we cherish.
Overall, this book is a peek into the current condition of the earth. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The polar bear’s point of view, the myths and stories connecting the Inua to them, the voice of the earth, the Inupiaq culture explored through layers in the story, and much more. This book takes us into the ways of people in polar regions and shows us the strength of nature. Humans need to read this to decenter themselves and look at the earth. This is also the story of the few passionate people who are hell-bent on saving these species even in the face of denial by others. I recommend this book to people who are aware of climate change and want to understand the drastic impact our activities have on other lives.
June 5, 2023
This book really affected me and will stay with me. As critic Larry O'Connor writes, "it is a...heartbreaking cry for change in the rapidly arming north". The book is set in 2040 and tells the story of what is happening in the global-warming arctic from the point of view of the earth and its wildlife-a young polar bear. As poachers approach to kill the last polar bears on earth, an Inuit scientist, Nuli, and her partner, Jud, use their abilities to try to safe the polar bear and his mother's life. Nuli discovers she has inherited shamanic gifts from her grandmother and therefore, can somehow communicate with the young polar bear. The reader is made aware of the brutal reality of life in the arctic at the very start of the book but also of the motherly care of the animal world and also of our fragile earth in sustaining life. The author researched both Arctic wildlife and the Inupiaq culture in order to write this moving book. After reading this book, you will become much more aware of the issue of global warming and the importance of slowing it before it is too late for our civilization.
February 11, 2024
Not Exactly Thrilling....
So I was looking for one of those magical nature based stories. You know with the time spent out in nature with the animals and everything is described very vividly? That is what I mean by "magic" not magic as in wizards. But that is not what this is. There are a few scenes out on the ice or in the water but it wasn't enchanting at all. This book had a totally different feel to it. If anything it was dark and gloomy.
The book says its a thriller but it wasn't thrilling either. There was no fear, suspense or danger to the characters. Well, there was one brief scene near the very beginning of the book but after that it was drab and kind of dull. Lots of talk.
There is lots of environmental stuff in here. Which is ok. But the story itself it not all that interesting. Lots of politics too.
The end is only gloomy.
The majority of the book is spent indoors and not out on the ice \ tundra. That is because the ice is gone. Due to global warming. So the book is quite dark and depressing. Just so you know.
So I was looking for one of those magical nature based stories. You know with the time spent out in nature with the animals and everything is described very vividly? That is what I mean by "magic" not magic as in wizards. But that is not what this is. There are a few scenes out on the ice or in the water but it wasn't enchanting at all. This book had a totally different feel to it. If anything it was dark and gloomy.
The book says its a thriller but it wasn't thrilling either. There was no fear, suspense or danger to the characters. Well, there was one brief scene near the very beginning of the book but after that it was drab and kind of dull. Lots of talk.
There is lots of environmental stuff in here. Which is ok. But the story itself it not all that interesting. Lots of politics too.
The end is only gloomy.
The majority of the book is spent indoors and not out on the ice \ tundra. That is because the ice is gone. Due to global warming. So the book is quite dark and depressing. Just so you know.
November 24, 2022
“You can’t ignore nature. You are nature.”
This important book, set in 2040, has many beautiful moments that effectively dramatize the last few polar bear’s plight against a backdrop of stark beauty. It elicits sympathy for the animals destroyed by climate change, while sounding the alarm for all beings who have the ears to hear, all without minimizing the danger of wild animals.
Entertaining, disturbing, and interesting information about polar bears and other arctic wildlife is interspersed with human drama involving a range of characters including two scientists, a counter-culture helicopter pilot, a shaman, and his twin brother. Their personal challenges weave through the narrative, told through multiple POVs, including that of a female polar bear and the force of life herself.
Yes, there are a lot of points of view, and plot twists, including political ones I can’t reveal without spoilers. The ending surprised me, in a good way.
An impressive debut novel.
This important book, set in 2040, has many beautiful moments that effectively dramatize the last few polar bear’s plight against a backdrop of stark beauty. It elicits sympathy for the animals destroyed by climate change, while sounding the alarm for all beings who have the ears to hear, all without minimizing the danger of wild animals.
Entertaining, disturbing, and interesting information about polar bears and other arctic wildlife is interspersed with human drama involving a range of characters including two scientists, a counter-culture helicopter pilot, a shaman, and his twin brother. Their personal challenges weave through the narrative, told through multiple POVs, including that of a female polar bear and the force of life herself.
Yes, there are a lot of points of view, and plot twists, including political ones I can’t reveal without spoilers. The ending surprised me, in a good way.
An impressive debut novel.
January 17, 2023
In a brilliant mix of thriller, myth, economics, and politics, Dana Rodney’s novel, The Last Polar Bear, delivers a tale of Alaskan nature under siege. Set in the near future, the novel depicts a U.S. president hellbent on slaughtering the last, living polar bear, and a young, indigenous, female photographer who strives to stop him. The Last Polar Bear is told from the viewpoints of Nula (photographer-come-shaman), polar bears, and Inua, an earth deity who oversees it all. This is a must-read novel. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put down. ~ Karl Kadie, author of Revenge of Nature and The Burning House.
July 21, 2023
Interesting topic and enjoyed the first person narrative from the many perspectives.
December 28, 2024
This story provides an interesting relationship of nature and mankind good and bad. Today's news reminds all of us of facts about our changing environment which we are responsible for. Anyone who watches or reads about animal rescues can enjoy the interactions with Anuk and her cubs. The conditions in this story are relative to what we are experiencing today. Nicely done , Dana Rodney
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews