Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff
Post Apocalyptic Zombie novels continue to fancy me. While there are just a handful out there that truly buck the trend (Of being the typical predictable zombie novels that read like one-dimensional companion reads for Walking Dead ) - Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff seemed intriguing.
The Road set in Ireland? Ooh, count me in. The story is centred around Orpen, a young girl dragging her friend(sister?) Maeve in a barrow on a road through a densely wooded area, surrounded by rolling calm hills. It's gradually revealed that most of humanity is dead. In fact, in brief flashes of the past, we find out that Orpen has actually been living in an isolated island off the coast of Ireland, brought up by her mother, Mam and Maeve. The cause of the apocalypse is never revealed but there is the looming threat of creatures called Skrake ( good old walking dead zombies) whom she's been warned about. Early on on the mainland, she gets a feel of the grim reality that defines this landscape. But Orpen has been training her whole life for this. And she turns out to be a badass with her knives and physical prowess built over her whole young life. Her life on the island was one of discipline, a repeat of push ups, fighting with staves and knives, tending to the chickens. But Orpen has a secret : She's been hoarding newspapers and comics from the older times and she's gotten bit by this bug of getting a taste of the real life out there. Including meeting up with these all-women vigilantes known as Banshees who are saving the world from the undead and all other sorts of evil.
But the real question is, why is Maeve in a barrow and what is Orpen doing here in the mainland, searching for mythical city called Phoenix City? The threat of Skrake is real, as Orpen has just found out. And there could be not just the undead here, closer to the city that are a threat.
The narrative is spliced into the past and present, both seamlessly merging towards the later half of the novel as we figure out the motivations that drive Orpen to this mainland infested with zombies. It is told from the first person POV of Orpen and her fears and misgivings are very well etched out. Orpen is a brave young girl, a tad bit unaware of the realities that make up this world but she's driven by this burning need to peel off the protective layers that have, for long kept her blind to these hideous truths. But despite the relentless training, reality is a completely different beast altogether. Fear and confusion don't help either. I certainly didn't warm up to Orpen but I appreciated the realistic picture that Sarah draws up of her. On the other hand, I absolutely loved Maeve - a hard, focused and ruthless trainer who's hell bent on making Orpen a living weapon, fit enough to survive out there. Maeve's relentless focus on just this one goal is commendable and scary at the same time.
With just a handful of characters and a slim page-count, the book is paced very well and is easy enough to follow through. There is a decided anti-male animosity that bristles throughout the narrative. Men are evil. Men are bad news. Keep off - But curiously enough, Orpen finally meets one survivor - a male and this makes for an interesting confrontation, opening up a whole new emotional turmoil within Orpen who has never met a male before. Maturely handled, that part. While it is set in Ireland, I unfortunately didn't get a real sense of this being in Ireland. Other than the city names or the rolling green hills, I felt there wasn't a real sense of the 'place'.
While this book certainly doesn't add anything novel to the genre of zombie novels, I really liked the literary feel of the writing. It's minimal but very evocative. There are lots of details that are left unexplored - the myriad dangers of this post apocalyptic world but the focus is not on the world, but on Maeve's coming-of-age and her discoveries of what real life means, away from her protected existence on the island. And that is very tautly done and it feels pretty natural.
All in all, Last Ones Left Alive is a deftly written, taut and thrilling book that traces the rude and realistic coming-of-age of a young girl, on the brink of her adulthood, navigating her way through a world gone to hell. It certainly keeps the reader guessing, with a few twists and turns. Fits well enough into the literary dystopian genre, the mood is sombre and settings pretty scary. If you are in the mood for a quick read in this space, Last Ones Left Alive is certainly a great choice.
The Road set in Ireland? Ooh, count me in. The story is centred around Orpen, a young girl dragging her friend(sister?) Maeve in a barrow on a road through a densely wooded area, surrounded by rolling calm hills. It's gradually revealed that most of humanity is dead. In fact, in brief flashes of the past, we find out that Orpen has actually been living in an isolated island off the coast of Ireland, brought up by her mother, Mam and Maeve. The cause of the apocalypse is never revealed but there is the looming threat of creatures called Skrake ( good old walking dead zombies) whom she's been warned about. Early on on the mainland, she gets a feel of the grim reality that defines this landscape. But Orpen has been training her whole life for this. And she turns out to be a badass with her knives and physical prowess built over her whole young life. Her life on the island was one of discipline, a repeat of push ups, fighting with staves and knives, tending to the chickens. But Orpen has a secret : She's been hoarding newspapers and comics from the older times and she's gotten bit by this bug of getting a taste of the real life out there. Including meeting up with these all-women vigilantes known as Banshees who are saving the world from the undead and all other sorts of evil.
But the real question is, why is Maeve in a barrow and what is Orpen doing here in the mainland, searching for mythical city called Phoenix City? The threat of Skrake is real, as Orpen has just found out. And there could be not just the undead here, closer to the city that are a threat.
The narrative is spliced into the past and present, both seamlessly merging towards the later half of the novel as we figure out the motivations that drive Orpen to this mainland infested with zombies. It is told from the first person POV of Orpen and her fears and misgivings are very well etched out. Orpen is a brave young girl, a tad bit unaware of the realities that make up this world but she's driven by this burning need to peel off the protective layers that have, for long kept her blind to these hideous truths. But despite the relentless training, reality is a completely different beast altogether. Fear and confusion don't help either. I certainly didn't warm up to Orpen but I appreciated the realistic picture that Sarah draws up of her. On the other hand, I absolutely loved Maeve - a hard, focused and ruthless trainer who's hell bent on making Orpen a living weapon, fit enough to survive out there. Maeve's relentless focus on just this one goal is commendable and scary at the same time.
With just a handful of characters and a slim page-count, the book is paced very well and is easy enough to follow through. There is a decided anti-male animosity that bristles throughout the narrative. Men are evil. Men are bad news. Keep off - But curiously enough, Orpen finally meets one survivor - a male and this makes for an interesting confrontation, opening up a whole new emotional turmoil within Orpen who has never met a male before. Maturely handled, that part. While it is set in Ireland, I unfortunately didn't get a real sense of this being in Ireland. Other than the city names or the rolling green hills, I felt there wasn't a real sense of the 'place'.
While this book certainly doesn't add anything novel to the genre of zombie novels, I really liked the literary feel of the writing. It's minimal but very evocative. There are lots of details that are left unexplored - the myriad dangers of this post apocalyptic world but the focus is not on the world, but on Maeve's coming-of-age and her discoveries of what real life means, away from her protected existence on the island. And that is very tautly done and it feels pretty natural.
All in all, Last Ones Left Alive is a deftly written, taut and thrilling book that traces the rude and realistic coming-of-age of a young girl, on the brink of her adulthood, navigating her way through a world gone to hell. It certainly keeps the reader guessing, with a few twists and turns. Fits well enough into the literary dystopian genre, the mood is sombre and settings pretty scary. If you are in the mood for a quick read in this space, Last Ones Left Alive is certainly a great choice.
Comments