James Matlack Raney’s Last is a gripping post-apocalyptic tale of survival, hope, and the stubborn resilience of humanity in a world overtaken by machines. It follows Win, a boy raised in a dwindling world where humans are no longer the dominant force. With his father gone in search of survivors and his mother struggling with illness, Win clings to the belief that he can fix what’s broken. But as time passes and the weight of loneliness grows, he is forced to confront the stark reality of his world. The novel captures the tension between survival and hope, between fear and courage, as Win makes the life-altering decision to seek answers in the very place he was warned to avoid, the city of robots.

From the first pages, I was hooked by Raney’s vivid writing. The descriptions of Win’s home, the ruined farmhouse brought back to life by his parents’ determination, felt so tangible I could almost smell the sunflowers in his mother’s garden. The dialogue between Win’s father and mother was especially poignant. The father’s relentless optimism and belief in rebuilding contrast beautifully with the mother’s quiet understanding that sometimes, hope is a dangerous thing. This contrast hit hard, especially in scenes where Win, still just a boy, starts questioning whether the world is fixable or if his father’s dream is just a fantasy.

Win himself is an incredible protagonist. His growth from a wide-eyed child to a hardened teenager is gut-wrenching yet believable. The book doesn’t shy away from loss as people disappear, his father’s voice fades into static, and one by one, the figures in his life dwindle. Yet Win keeps going, driven by promises carved into his bedroom wall: stay by Mom’s side, look after Nan and John, stay away from robots, fix what’s broken. The tragedy, of course, is that by the time he’s grown, the list no longer makes sense. His mother is gone. The people he vowed to protect are buried under the oak tree. And the final rule to stay away from robots must be broken if he wants to find answers. It’s a powerful commentary on how the ideals we cling to as children rarely survive into adulthood.

The robots themselves are fascinating in their mystery. Unlike typical sci-fi stories where AI is either an existential threat or benevolent savior, Last presents them as something stranger, unknowable, indifferent, builders of a new world where humans are, at best, an afterthought. This makes them even more unsettling. One of the most haunting scenes is when Win hides in the refrigerator as drones scan his home, completely unaware of or perhaps uninterested in the last boy left behind. That moment cemented the book’s atmosphere for me: humans aren’t being hunted; they’re being replaced, erased, and forgotten.

By the time I reached the final pages, I felt the weight of Win’s journey pressing on my chest. The ending isn’t a triumphant victory or a devastating failure, it’s something in between, something much more real. Last isn’t just about surviving in a world lost to technology; it’s about what it means to be human when everything human is fading away. It’s for readers who love character-driven stories with heart, those who appreciate a slow burn of tension and introspection. If you enjoyed The Road by Cormac McCarthy or The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, you’ll likely find Last just as haunting and unforgettable.

Pages: 333 | ASIN : B0DVLW1W73