Last Man Standing

I believe this book is the fifth in a series, but the prologue is welcome to set the stage without having to go back and read the earlier volumes in the series. I found this welcoming and pleasing, and now ready to sit down and enjoy the book.

The problem for me is that there was nothing but battles and conflict. It became tedious; there was no downtime and dialog between the characters; I didn't even find the name of the people in the gangs (Hot Rods and Barbies) amusing. I remember getting to page 120 or so and wondering to myself is if this is all there is. Dystopian Clive Cussler this is not.

Last Man Standing took real work to read, not at all a pleasurable experience and I can't tell if the choice of gang character names was meant to be amusing or lack of originality on the part of the author.

In fairness to the author and publisher, I have not read the earlier books in the series, so my views are tempered solely by what I have read in this volume, which might be different if read in order. I still think this is not Wheel of TIme or Lord of the Rings, though ( )

I was given a copy of Fall of the Cities: Last Man Standing by LibraryThing.

Last Man Standing is part of the series Fall of the Cities. As described in the Prologue, the book is set in a post-apocalyptic future. The story itself takes place in Orchard Close in England, a small self-sufficient community defending itself against outside gangs.

The book is well-written, following a narrative arc. There are many characters, but the focus is on a few brave heroes of Orchard Close. The characters can be funny in the face of danger but they are serious as they defend their way of life. The author also has a bit of fun, for instance, in naming a girl gang The Barbies in which each gang member is named after a Barbie character.

This book is part of a series. I did not need to read prior books in the series to understand the plot or characters, thanks to the prologue and the author's understanding of the characters.

Overall the focus is on dialogue and action. If you like a fast-paced story with a deeply imagined world, a way of life at stake, and a sense of humor, then I would recommend Fall of Cities: Last Man Standing. ( )

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher for reviewing at my request after having read and enjoyed the prior book in the series.

Last Man Standing is well crafted, it commences with a prologue that gives an overview of what has happened to the world thus far, an overview that is more wide ranging than the prior books overview covering other countries as well as the United Kingdom.

Overlapping with the prior novel you step into the book in the midst of the prior books closing battle only from a different perspective which resolves some of the unanswered questions from how things unfolded in the closing of the last book. From there we see the rebuilding of Orchard Close, the strengthening of ties with their neighbours and the lurking danger of an opponent who is slowly gathering strength.

I really enjoyed this and found the closing attack between the two parties was written and structured well, unfolding in a manner that had me staying up to finish the last 20% of the book.

Whilst it would be possible to read this alone, I think you would benefit immensely from reading book 4 at minimum as it gives the setting much greater detail and you have a better understanding of all the characters. I actually skipped the first 3 books which likely decreased my enjoyment of the 4th as I needed to play catch up and picture the world, though I still found it to be very good.

Would recommend this series for fans of post apocalypse / collapse / survival novels. ( )