Tales of the last man of civilization, Mary Shelley does a remarkable job of showing just how far people would go to escape a plague and find survivors.
This did take me a while to read, strictly on how the wording was. Set in the 21st century, it still had 19th-century aspects like no new technology, medical advances, and similar things. For the most part, I still imagined the story set in the 19th century until I got my reminders every so often.
I also found this amusing to read about (I was supposed to read this book a year ago for class, but just never got to it) due to its closeness with COVID and the current times. While the plague in this book sounded more like the black plague, I understood where the characters, all main, side, and unspoken, were coming from.
Let's begin...
The story is based in England where the main character, Lionel/Verney (I will refer to him as Lionel), soon becomes best friends with the future king of England, Adrian. A lot has changed, their fathers were friends before Debt became Lionel's father and he left. I enjoyed this aspect because they were supposed to be friends, to begin with.
In his life, Lionel eventually won the heart of Adrian's sister, Idris, and later they had kids. Lionel's sister also won the heart of a knight. A lot of awws and romantic tears were shed because it was so cute.
Adrian did not become a king, the monarchy dying with his father, but instead became the "Lord Protector", an appointed leader. A lot of controversy with other characters on this part that was, to me, unnecessary to add on for an author (remember that).
A war happened in Greece and Lionel's sister and brother-in-law went to aid. They eventually won but had passed - they had a daughter they left behind.
Here, we get to the main point - the sickness that captured the people of the world. Winter after winter back in England, more and more people died. People traveled more and it took its toll on the Lord Protector as he eventually made the idea to travel elsewhere to avoid the wintery plague and try to save his people. So, he sent out letters to tell people to travel to other cities and the different traveling groups would be 'picked up' on the move down to Paris, France. On this journey, Lionel's love and one child had fallen ill and died. Here, he left them together. So many tears were shed in these chapters - again. It hit home due to our pandemic but made me so angry.
These events made me angry as in the 2090s, no new medicine or health procedures were in place like we know now. Shelley could have been more imaginative in these aspects - I wonder why she hadn't or what prevented her.
Still, while the groups carried on and arrived in France, one group fell to a false prophet and it appeared were almost brainwashed into believing that this prophet could save them from the plague and that this was the only way. War almost raged but Adrian stopped it in hopes, again, to save his people and keep them together. It did not work through but by the prophet's hand when he ended his own life after being revealed what he does to keep control.
So, the survivors of England and those left of France traveled to Switzerland. They found beauty like the Alps but the plague still followed them. Unfortunately, after some time, it was just Adrian, Lionel, a son, and his niece left of humanity.
A lot happens between Switzerland, Greece, and the end of the book made me put the book away. It was sad and heartbreaking. After a while, Lionel was the last one left. It was revealed that after his trip back to Rome, he decided to write about The Last Man - about his life. The unnecessary storylines I found were simply an autobiography in hopes other survivors would find it and see what the last man of England endured.
3/5
While the storyline was indeed remarkable and the book on my shelf for keep, I can't still help to feel angry that Shelley didn't think about future-izing it. While set in 2070 - 2100, nothing was new. People still talked and wrote as if in a Shakespeare play and letters were delivered on horseback. Horse and buggy were still used as if no thought of what the future may hold was considered. I feel as if the book was held in another universe, still in the 18th century, my anger would be less and more understandable.
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