Title: The Last
Author: Hanna Jameson
Publication: April 9, 2019
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Thriller, Terrorism Thriller, Ghost Thriller
Pages: 353
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear war—along with twenty other survivors—who becomes obsessed with identifying a murderer in their midst after the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
The Last by Hanna Jameson was not at all what I had been expecting, but so much more than I had thought I’d get at the same time.
The story follows an American Historian at a hotel in Switzerland when the world goes crazy and nuclear war begins. It seems all the major cities are gone, the skies turn orange, and a majority of the hotel guests flee in hopes to finding out what happen and getting home.
Jon is the main character here and we see everything from the point of view of his writing. He is telling us what is happening. Documenting, if you will. A small group of twenty or so people have stayed at the hotel. Months go by and links to the outside are slim. On top of the obvious problem of nuclear war, possible radiation poisoning, shortening of food and supplies, and feeling trapped, there are other crazy things happening. A young girls body is found and Jon gets embroiled in finding out who did it.
I liked all the different characters and learning about their personalities and quirks from Jon’s perspective. I thought that was very unique in how you see someone. A lot of times it’s just an overview of how someone looks and what they act like, but there was an opinion behind every description. Made it more realistic. You see a ton of books and movies about the end of the world or another World War and I felt like this was very realistic if I had to imagine what it would actually be like. Threats from every side, all while trying to grow and maintain new relationships. Jameson did a great job making me believe this is how nuclear war would play out.
My biggest issue with the story is that for the most part it was realistic. This could happen. But then they threw in the ghost twists and they felt out of place. It was as if they were just put there to make the book more exciting, but honestly it just made them more confusing. I would have much preferred the story without those. I also felt there were many times the story lulled to a point where I almost lost interest, but it always picked up right when I was gonna give up reading it. Not many, but there were enough of these instances that had me question finishing it at points.
With that being said, overall it was a good book. Definitely not like anything I have ever read before. Definitely for someone who likes thrillers, likes end of world type books, and like a little science fiction mixed in. I’ll be looking to check out the next book from Hanna Jameson.
STAR RATING: 3/5
Pick up your copy of The Last by Hanna Jameson on Amazon and your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. Make sure to check out more novels by author Hanna James on Amazon HERE.
