The Last Days
by Scott Westerfeld
Published by Razorbill
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cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Mark Owen
(Geared to sci fi fans)
Sometime in the future in New York City, mysterious black water pulses from beneath the streets and normal people suddenly start acting crazy, throwing away their belongings and becoming overly sensitive to light. Rats linked to the plague from the Middle Ages have overrun neighborhoods and are thought to be a source of the infection. One by one, people change.
It is in the center of this mayhem that an intriguing group of young adults decide to form a rock band. They have the Big Riff, and they seek the new sound, and of course, a record deal. Their vocalist of choice is a sensual peep, a parasite positive, more closely aligned with vampires than humans, and she hungers. Is it her voice and the music summoned by the band that can provide hope for humanity?
Westerfeld paints a compelling story in The Last Days that is sure to appeal to young adults who enjoy dark suspense novels. The characters are interesting in that they each have unique personalities that clash and meld giving the story momentum. Readers will appreciate the youthful descriptive writing that outlines the scenes and paints the dialog. Even a few new words are thrown in for good measure.
The book is written in a rotating first-person perspective, and each chapter is labeled with a name to help the reader lock on to who is speaking. Many readers will struggle a bit with the second chapter until they realize the speaker has changed from a male to a female, but after that it seems to work. The style certainly opens the door to more elaborate and detailed descriptions of people and places, each seen differently by the speaker of the chapter.
Armchair Interviews says: The Last Days is a solid book that can be devoured by young adults.