Customer Reviews

The Last Town on Earth: A Novel

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This novel is all about fear and what it does to human beings. For fear of catching the deadly 1918 "Spanish flu" the people of the town of Commonwealth block the road to their town and refuse entry to outsiders. When one wanderer manages to talk his way past a teenage sentry (Philip) who is guarding the road, the townspeople imprison him for fear that he will either infect them with the virus or that he is a German spy. The fact that it is highly unlikely that their town, located in the middle of the Pacific Northwoods, would be a place of interest to a spy doesn't appear to enter their minds. Fear has so distorted their view of reality that they fail to respond rationally to any circumstance that is out of the ordinary.

And there is a great deal about the time in which this novel is set (the fall of 1918) that is not ordinary. The First World War is raging and people are dropping like flies from a viscous influenza that nothing seems to stop or cure. The worst part is the randomness of who gets infected and, once infected, who lives or dies. Young children and the elderly are often spared, while healthy young adults in the prime of life fall ill and die. The characters in this novel are very well drawn and through them author Thomas Mullen shows the many ways that fear leeches away their humanity, making them suspicious even of old friends and loved ones.

A very interesting facet of the plot is that Commonwealth was founded by unionists and socialists as a utopian village where work and wages are shared far more fairly than was the case in most of the Northwest lumber towns. Those who are the informal leaders of the town seem to view themselves as a cut above those who live in neighboring villages, specifically Timber Falls, which is a short distance down the road. The Timber Falls folks are far more conventional and classist and, in their turn, look down on Commonwealth residents as "reds" and "radicals." While this animosity between the villages is contained in better times, the events of 1918 put so much stress on relations between the two groups of people that they ultimately come to blows.

Timber Falls has a chapter of the American Protective League (APL), a group that actually existed in the US during the WW I years. The APL was created by the federal government to promote the war and, incredibly, to inform on neighbors who did not appear to sufficiently support the war effort. During this time the feds also instituted a draft and passed the Alien and Sedition Act, which effectively suspended First Amendment rights of speech and the press. It also put a lot of pressure on Americans who were of German descent and, de facto, encouraged ostracism and even oppression of those with German surnames. This is all factual and I was aware of it, but reading about the effects of this legislation in The Last Town on Earth made is scarily immediate and real. It's appalling to know that the United States could sink this low.

A group of Timber Falls vigilantes from the APL come to Commonwealth to arrest young men who they believe to be draft dodgers, with predictable bad results. I don't want to include any spoilers in this review, so suffice it to say that intolerance and fear between the two groups leads to the novel's climax, as well as to an awakening for the story's young hero, Philip. Several of the other characters, notably Philip's parents and his friend, Graham, also come to know more about themselves than perhaps they would prefer to.

Although all of this might make The Last Town on Earth sound like a depressing book, it's not. I found it hopeful in that it shows how people are able to survive not only dreadful external conditions, but difficult internal challenges. Also, I have been very concerned of late with the erosion of civil liberties in the US, particularly in relation to the Iraq War. This novel highlights a time in history when liberties actually were suspended, and yet the nation was able to bounce back from that dark vision of the Wilson Administration. It gives me hope that we can turn around our present circumstances and that America can begin to play a more constructive role in world events than we have done in the recent past.

I am not exactly sure which I found more shocking - the fact that there actually were armed guards protecting the borders of a town from a deadly virus, or that this is only Thomas Mullen's first novel. The Last Town on Earth is easily the most fascinating and intense book I've read this year. The vivid, relentless descriptions of the infection are truly terrifying and they managed to keep me in constant fear throughout. Mullen does an excellent job showing how an entire town could justify something that on the surface, seems fundamentally wrong. How far would you go to protect your family and your own life? Is it worth killing for? Would you be willing to turn your back on your freedom, your country? The Last Town on Earth explores the ramifications of such choices to their inevitably grim conclusions. Wholeheartedly recommended, you will not be disappointed!

I was amazed to find out this was Mullen's first novel. His writing style could be described as quietly brilliant, the kind of style that, when it's done perfectly, calls no attention to itself, and allows you to just slip seamlessly into the world he has created. Like getting into a really comfy bed with silk sheets, it's just a wonderful experience.

Within the first ten or so pages of chapter one, I was hooked. After I was hooked, the novel hauled me into the boat and beat me with the oar - I was completely under its power. It's the kind of book that makes you forget that you're reading a book. I ripped through it in about three days, and then I went back to re-read it a week later. Ridiculously engaging.

The characters, far from being the usual caricatures you see in so many books, all behave in very real, very believeable ways. Mullen does an incredible job of subtly putting the reader in each character's mind, and you realize that they are all making very honest, difficult decisions about severely morally challenging issues. He ends up, through his characters, indirectly asking the reader, "What would YOU do in this situation?" The characters all behave and make choices, surprisingly, like honest, real people, and not like characters in a novel. This is the sort of thing that is infinitely rewarding about this book, and really places it above and beyond anything else I've read lately. The author has some serious talent, and the world should experience it.

I eagerly await Mullen's next work, and I hope to be reading him for decades to come. You are depriving yourself if you do not read this book. In a word, stellar.

I was attracted to this novel because I was curious to learn more about the history of the 1918 influenza epidemic. As the author's own afterword points out, I might have been better served reading a non-fiction book on the subject. Certainly it's clear Mullen has done his research on not only the epidemic, but also on the early labor and social movements of the early 20th Century, as well as the anti-war sentiments during World War I, with implicit parallels to the Iraq War. But overall the novel's scope concerning the flu felt rather limited.

I found Mullen's tale more 'highly readable' than page-turning. His prose strains to acheive a literary quality, often feeling overly self-conscious with obscure word choices. The novel constantly switches character points-of-view, which is the most difficult structure to pull off and this results in occassional awkwardness. Oddly, while first filling us in on the backstories of numerous more minor characters, Mullen only teases with hints on how his central character, a 16-year-old orphan named Phillip came to live with his adoptive family. Phillip is a cripple, who is missing one of his feet -- a trait Mullen strangely ignores when it doesn't suit his purpose, at one point Phillip is described getting out of bed without having to secure the boot he needs to walk!

My grandfather was in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I. In battle he came face-to-face with an enemy soldier, and they pointed their rifles at each other. But my grandfather said he just couldn't shoot the man, and later the enemy soldier said he also just couldn't pull the trigger. Finally, my grandfather's sergeant shot the man in the leg and they captured him. Later in life, my grandfather and this man lived in the same town in Poland and they became good friends. The dilemma faced by the protagonist, Philip, in The Last Town on Earth reminded me of this nugget of family lore. The Last Town on Earth is a brilliant novel filled with moral dilemmas where the line between right and wrong is a definite gray. Thomas Mullen created a world that got me intensely involved in the many conflicts, and the climax was so suspenseful that I had to finish the last fifty pages in one sitting, making supper late.

The book has relevance too. I could see the similarity in the paranoia about spies during World War I with that of today about terrorists. And the excesses of heavy-handed misguided patriotism was not unlike that of post 9-11 politicians unclear about the concept of constitutional rights. On the surface the flashback tale of one soldier being held captive seems to be a corny attempt to make that character seem noble, but I thought about that tale within a tale and wonder if the scene meant something more. It's book club discussion-worthy.

Though a great novel, I didn't give it five stars. Some of the back story flashbacks are unnecessary because Mr. Mullen already fleshed out the characters enough. Therefore, they slow the pace of the novel down too much.

The editing is superb, and I hope to some day work with an editor of this caliber, but I did find some mistakes. Mr. Mullen is sloppy with his minor characters. For instance the editor lets him get away with describing Wozniak as the Pole. I think most readers are smart enough to figure out that someone with the name, Wozniak is of Eastern European descent.

Despite these minor flaws, The Last Town on Earth is a near masterpiece.

Mark Gelbart, author of Talk Radio, the book feared by radio talk show hosts. Available here.

This week I read Thomas Mullen's The Last Town on Earth which impressed me. OK, I loved it. Sure, it pushes some of my interest/fetish buttons (plague [the 1918 influeza epidemic], WWI, the Wobblies, war resistance, utopian communities, the Northwest U.S.) but it's a remarkable novel which, if it has a fault, it's that it tries to do too much. But, that worked out fine by me; I was avid for all its tangents. It's a different sort of read, highly recommended. I can't wait to read more from Mullen's pen, er, keyboard. I expect it's not polite to say: Hurry Up.

The Last Town on Earth begs to be added to your high school's summer reading list or, better yet, to your curriculum! The Last Town on Earth presents many opportunities to discuss the very essential questions our high school students should be exploring: How far should we go to protect our freedom and safety, and at what cost? How do we fit into our community and into society at large? The well developed themes, and characters, as well as the fascinating plot that Mullen has carefully crafted make this book a rare gem, one that can easily draw you in and mesmerize you from the first glance.

Mullen has found the perfect balance between history and fiction. Your students will be so captivated by the suspenseful plot that they will learn about the historic details relating to the labor conflicts, civilians' sentiment towards WWI, and woefully lacking medical knowledge during this time without even realizing that they are learning about history. The details Mullen has included about the effects of the flu provide just enough `blood and guts' for the modern teen while remaining, all the while, high school appropriate. Your students will love this book and so will you. Just be sure to have them read it before the movie comes out!!

Before starting this book I read most of the reviews here. I was expecting the first few chapters to be fantastic, then waited for the author to drop the ball, as a bunch of reviewers here said he did. However, I don't think he did. Yes, after the first few chapters, things slow down for a while, but stick with it. About the middle of the book is when things really start to get good.

I can't help but wonder if the reviewers who admitted to never finishing this book, yet still rated it poorly, would have given it the same rating if they'd actually READ it. Now, I'm not going to summarize the story here, as it's already been done many times, but if you're interested in reading this, I absolutely recommend it. It's a fascinating, and scary look at what can happen to a town, to friends and neighbors, when tragedy and illness hit. The fingers that start pointing, the accusations that are tossed around, and people showing their true colors when they feel their lives are being threatened.

I think Mr. Mullen did a wonderful job with this book. I found it to be well written, and the few main characters were very well developed. Don't let yourself be swayed by negative reviews from folks who didn't even finish the book, like I almost was. Just read it for yourself, and you'll see what a great story this is. I definitely look forward to more from this talented author.

I'm in line with the other 1 and 2 star reviews. I went with 2 stars because the topic is so good and I was able to finish it (what a relief).

If you're going to start out your novel on a plague with a quote from Camus - you better deliver. This novel did not.

The characters are shallow stereotypes. The plot is painfully predictable while at the same time being juvenile and unrealistic. In the authors opinion people who would take reasonable steps to protect themselves and their families from a deadly plague are foolish and wrong. Count me as one person who would keep the kids home from school while a deadly plague like that of 1918 is rampaging through the community!

The authors ignorant view of humanity is well matched by his writing ability.

I don't know where Thomas Mullen has been hiding all these years, but judging from his first novel I think it's safe to say this is not the last we will see of him. The Last Town on Earth is a very well-thought out, thoroughly researched, and well-written story. The main characters in this book find themselves in an absolutely impossible situation created by the war, the influenza outbreak, economic realities, and other factors. The result is a tragic story all the way around. It's always great to come across a writer as adept at his profession as Mullen is.