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BY PENNY FREEMAN
The recurring criticism one hears about works like The Hunger Games is, “Why don’t they take all the money they spend on all that amazing technology and feed the people?” That’s the point, isn’t it? Dystopian books, at their finest, turn the lens onto ourselves and demand answers to questions we don’t want to ask.
Shadow of the Last Men is one such book. Author J. M. Salyards never pulls his punches when he illuminates the road down which our society mindlessly hurtles. The result is stark and brutal, but the light of hope and truth he shines into our darkest places make the journey incomparable.
Salyard allows his dead-on insight into the human condition to drive this book, creating rich, multifaceted and dynamic characters. His protagonists are flawed, his antagonists despicable but still possessed of strong veins of humanity too easily identified in ourselves. He swings from sage and profound to disturbing and violent at such speed, he keeps the reader constantly off-balance.
Salyard’s debut novel must be read and reread to fully appreciate the imagery and artistry of his prose, his mastery of the language, and his ability to layer his message deeply within the many folds of a purely entertaining novel. Based on the post-apocalyptic setting and the paramilitary window dressing, one initially assumes this a “man’s book.” However, I strongly recommend it to anyone who appreciates true literature.
Warning: staring the truth of ourselves in the bare and brazen face may cause serious self-reflection.
Join us September 2-6 on our NEXT MAN SAGA BLOG BLAST and Rafflecopter Giveaway. Share, post, LIKE, tweet for a chance to win a Xchyler t-shirt, a cover poster, or an autographed copy of Shadow of the Last Men by J.M. Salyards.
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