The Last

By: Hanna Jameson

Narrated by: Anthony Starke

This propulsive post-apocalyptic thriller “in which Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None collides with Stephen King’s The Shining” (NPR) follows a group of survivors stranded at a hotel as the world descends into nuclear war and the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks.

Jon thought he had all the time in the world to respond to his wife’s text message: I miss you so much. I feel bad about how we left it. Love you. But as he’s waiting in the lobby of the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland after an academic conference, still mulling over how to respond to his wife, he receives a string of horrifying push notifications. Washington, DC, has been hit with a nuclear bomb, then New York, then London, and finally Berlin. That’s all he knows before news outlets and social media goes black—and before the clouds on the horizon turn orange.

Two months later, there are twenty survivors holed up at the hotel, a place already tainted by its strange history of suicides and murders. Jon and the rest try to maintain some semblance of civilization. But when he goes up to the roof to investigate the hotel’s worsening water quality, he is shocked to discover the body of a young girl floating in one of the tanks, and is faced with the terrifying possibility that there might be a killer among the group.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with discovering the truth behind the girl’s death. In this “brilliantly executed...chilling and extraordinary” post-apocalyptic mystery, “the questions Jameson poses—who will be with you at the end of the world, and what kind of person will you be?—are as haunting as the plot itself.” (Emily St. John Mandel, nationally bestselling author of Station Eleven).

Couldn’t put it down

I loved this book. Scary, dystopian, page-turning perfection. The narrator was AMAZING. I’m so glad I read it, so bummed it over now.

End of the world meets The Cecil Hotel

Good but not great. I wouldn't listen to/read it again. If you know the story of The Cecil Hotel, then you know one of the major plot points of this story. There are times where the story gets interesting but it was rather disappointing overall.

Intriguing and sublimely written

There is such a special quality to the writing of this author. The story is very intriguing and i loved the social aspect of the book. The ending is a bit disappointing mainly because it is abrupt. The author could have easily written a few more chapters before ending the book. Pity she hasn’t.

The Last should be your 1st apocalyptic novel

A truly great Performance of this unusual, strange book. It is amazing how Mr. Starke can transform his voice into so many characters with perfect foreign accents. Bravo.

A Wild Ride

Interesting set up with occasional problems. A murder mystery that felt somehow unfinished even after the truth was revealed, a paranormal element thrown in for atmosphere more than payoff, and several characters who seemed to exist purely to give our protagonist something to write and think about beyond his own fears and very human flaws. At times the side plots felt like nervous distractions from a strong core story that was fascinating enough on its own. There were a few action scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, but as many have said, a rushed ending that didn't entirely satisfy.

The narrator of this audio book was excellent. Anthony Starke knew precisely how to play the dramatic tension woven with occasional beats of startling humor throughout the novel. And his talent for switching smoothly between multiple characters, all with different national accents, throughout many emotional switches and dialogue-heavy scenes was truly impressive.