Last Things [Hardcover]

David Searcy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2002

David Searcy's first novel, Ordinary Horror, earned him critical acclaim across the country. Publishers Weekly hailed Searcy's debut as "audaciously original," and Laura Miller in Salon.com compared the book to "a Stephen King novel written by Joseph Conrad." Now, with Last Things, David Searcy offers readers another taste of his special brand of literary horror.

A strangely warm, depleted autumn brings to the little East Texas town of Gilmer a sleepless sense of dread. As toddlers, poultry, and peace of mind begin to vanish and gruesome scarecrows appear in the countryside, the townsfolk heed the garish neon summons of the apocalyptic Last Days Covenant Church. All the while, in an empty field beyond town, in a small ramshackle trailer, Luther Hazlitt begins to construct a series of traps to capture the Holy Spirit itself . . .

Delivered in lyrical and atmospheric prose reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor, Last Things is a suspenseful psychological drama that will mesmerize readers right up to its shocking final revelation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jean-Luc Godard meets Joe R. Lansdale somewhere near Upshur County, Tex., in this dark and disturbing novel, Searcy's second after Ordinary Horror (2001). Strange things are happening in a small East Texas town. "Scarecrows" stuffed with the decaying remains of small animals appear hanging in trees. The sheriff catches a 300-pound catfish. A little girl disappears. Those inclined to the miraculous find portents of the Rapture in it all. The end of the world, they say, need not be a single cataclysmic event; the world can end a little at a time. Luther Hazlitt, a self-sufficient type who lives in an abandoned camper in a cow pasture and scrounges a living taking care of cattle, doesn't believe in a piecemeal Apocalypse. He's not sure what's going on, but he knows there's no "Holy Spirit" involved. As the damage mounts, Luther builds a series of traps to define and capture whatever is causing the problems. He's assisted by Yurang, his big red chow dog, and no-nonsense Agnes Peeler, whose yard is a raked Zen garden. Eventually, Deputy Willis Beagle joins Luther and Agnes to ensnare what neither characters nor readers know much about other than "it ain't a simple thing." This novel ain't that simple either. As in Ordinary Horror, Searcy employs present-tense, poetic (and occasionally convoluted) prose and intentional ambiguity to build his weird atmosphere, but this time he provides sympathetic three-dimensional characters for it to swirl around. Fans of high-end horror are in for a treat.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Similarities between Searcy's new offering and his first novel, Ordinary Horror, are not difficult to find. Both books feature male protagonists who have been ostracized by local society and who become aware of an unseen and unnamable menace threatening that society. Each man takes it upon himself to find a way to combat the unknown enemy. In Last Things, the enemy is erecting gruesome scarecrows consisting of severed body parts. As these monstrosities appear in the fields surrounding the ramshackle trailer Luther Hazlitt calls home, Luther's meager stock of poultry diminishes. Unaware of the magnitude of his undertaking, Luther devises a series of traps for the culprit. In this work, Searcy has begun to show a greater sense of the story as a whole and of his characters' place within it. However, its slow pacing works against both plot and character development. For larger horror collections.
Nancy McNicol, Whitneyville Lib., Hamden, CT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1St Edition edition (September 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670031321
• ISBN-13: 978-0670031320
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,506,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, January 29, 2003

By 

Octavius Absinthe (Belmopan, Belize) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Things (Hardcover)

Always looking for "new" horror, I read several professional reviews of this and "Ordinary Horror" that all seemed to indicate a possibility that Mr. Searcy might have what I was looking for. I cannot speak for his first book, but "Last Things" was unexpectedly pedantic, and, frankly, boring. I found myself consistently falling asleep every time I sat down to read it.
This is truly unfortunate, because there is some good language in here, and intimations of signs of what could be good psycho-surreal horror, but it never arrived.
The book begins well, though I got the feeling that Mr. Searcy's editor ultimately dropped the ball and let the author meander incessantly. Many of the sentences in this book could not be read without losing one's breath, and the voice of the narrator often clashes violently with the character being followed.
I believe that if you were in just the right mood and just the right kind of person this book might work for you, but it simply didn't for me. Perhaps his first book is better.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual book, very scary!, February 3, 2006

By 

E. A. Ha "Forever Reading" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Things (Hardcover)

If you like horror books and have an open mind I think you will enjoy this book. I liked it very much, it is different from anything else I've ever read.

I'm not easily scared but I was terrified at the imagery presented in this book. The author did a fantastic job evoking moods, images, feelings. Things always leave a bigger impression when they aren't spelled out completely- let the reader fill in the blanks. It was very satisfying and unusual read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing happens, but I DID finish it...!, November 1, 2005

By 

Derek Jager (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Things (Paperback)

Read this and his first novel, ORDINARY HORROR, and feel unmoved by both.

Both have a "plot" -- ORDINARY HORROR: Man buys strange plant to help prevent rodents from bothing his roses. Then...stuff happens but it's never clear. Then it's over.

LAST THINGS-- chickens and people die/disappear in a small town and an "end of days" church begins and then...stuff happens but it's never clear. Then it's over. Reminded me a bit of Peter Straub's FLOATING DRAGON. But not really!

I wish I could say both books had great and memorable characters -- but neither did. I wish both were so plot driven that I couldn't wait to turn the page. But neither is that compelling.

But I DID finish both books -- that in itself says something since we have so many reasons NOT to finish his books--dreadful pacing, long and uniwielding pacing, many loose ends. However, the reason I finished them was because I was hoping some thing would happen.

I think the problem is his books are being mis-marketed so we come in with an expectation that isn't fulfilled.

No, I won't read anymore books by him but he IS a good writer -- I'm just not clear what he's writing about.