Review by Blue-siren -- The Last City of America
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Blue-siren
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Review by Blue-siren -- The Last City of America
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Last City of America" by Matthew Tysz.]
3 out of 4 stars
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After a virus, called Hephaestus, sends American into a post-apocalyptic era, the world is left in ruins and cities are filled with poor, who continue to live, even though they have lost hope for a brighter future. The cities are controlled by the people with the most power and citizens live in fear of them. The Last City of America by Matthew Tysz is extremely interesting because this work of Sci-fi/Fantasy explores the themes of faith, death, and power.
Following multiple points of view, the reader learns more about the people and many organizations that inhabitant the cities, especially Chicago. The numerous points of view, which Tysz has created, allows the reader to be introduced to more than five characters who are fleshed out and each have their own background and lifestyle. The chapters are told from the character's point of view, in the third person, and create a tone unique to the characters. Tone, which is serious, sad, informative, or informal, is one of the aspects which Tysz does an excellent job.
Tysz also has a fantastic way of using words. His diction is very descriptive and creates a clear picture within the mind. Though the chapters tend to be wordy, events that happen within the book keep interest, and even though the pacing is slow, especially at the beginning, once events start to unfold, you must see how things play out.
While the story was engaging and worth reading, I found that I had to stop at various places in the book to reread sentences that didn't make sense to me for many different reasons. For example, on page 59, the phrase "as Adam to expedite the search" was too complicated when it didn't need to be. It is a good idea to expose readers to new words but in this case 'to expedite' makes the sentence have a weird flow, and it is probably better to go with a simpler word.
Another example of where I had to reread a sentence is on page 47 with "Prostitutes unaffected by Hephaestus were often required by the city to trick their customers into getting them pregnant, rewarded with some money and maternity leave." With this sentence I understood what was said but when I got to "rewarded with some..." I was confused by the structure of the sentence. I feel this sentence would need a revision to make the sentence flow more natural and clearer.
Also, the sentence "he slid one of his pack straps off and rubbed the shoulder it had been pulling on back on, switched shoulders," found on page 65, did not make sense. The wording felt scrambled and then on page 66 with "only the supervisors were expected to show up every day, who made sure the farmers were working," the passive voice made the sentence complex, and a rearrangement of words would benefit the sentence.
Lastly, "the door was unlocked and the group entered. An office with many machines" is a fragment sentence and while the whole book contained a lot of fragment sentences, they assist with the tone, but in this case, the two sentences would be better as one. Though the author could also place a comma right after ‘unlocked’.
The spelling in the book was excellent, but some places could be punctuation error. First off "Adam was overjoyed laced his fingers around..." would flow better if there was a comma between 'overjoyed' and 'laced.' Or perhaps a revision or adding more to the sentence would make it more understanding. Another place that could use a comma is the sentence on page 68: "Above this amusing beldam on the lower floor was a weapon factory." There is a comma that is needed between 'bedlam' and 'on' and also between 'floor' and 'was.'
Overall, once you get past the mistakes, the story is an excellent read with fantastic diction and a severe but informal tone. Though I would like to point out, there is swearing within the book, but it is used modernly and helps get the tone across to the reader. The world building is detailed and nicely developed. I would recommend this book to those who like to see how humans react when they are trying to survive or to those that like post-apocalyptic stories. 3 out of 4 is what I would rate the book. Even though I love The Last City of America, having to stop and reread sentences made the book feel longer to read. Matthew Tysz did a wonderful job at telling an interesting story that gives the reader much to think about.
******
The Last City of America
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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After a virus, called Hephaestus, sends American into a post-apocalyptic era, the world is left in ruins and cities are filled with poor, who continue to live, even though they have lost hope for a brighter future. The cities are controlled by the people with the most power and citizens live in fear of them. The Last City of America by Matthew Tysz is extremely interesting because this work of Sci-fi/Fantasy explores the themes of faith, death, and power.
Following multiple points of view, the reader learns more about the people and many organizations that inhabitant the cities, especially Chicago. The numerous points of view, which Tysz has created, allows the reader to be introduced to more than five characters who are fleshed out and each have their own background and lifestyle. The chapters are told from the character's point of view, in the third person, and create a tone unique to the characters. Tone, which is serious, sad, informative, or informal, is one of the aspects which Tysz does an excellent job.
Tysz also has a fantastic way of using words. His diction is very descriptive and creates a clear picture within the mind. Though the chapters tend to be wordy, events that happen within the book keep interest, and even though the pacing is slow, especially at the beginning, once events start to unfold, you must see how things play out.
While the story was engaging and worth reading, I found that I had to stop at various places in the book to reread sentences that didn't make sense to me for many different reasons. For example, on page 59, the phrase "as Adam to expedite the search" was too complicated when it didn't need to be. It is a good idea to expose readers to new words but in this case 'to expedite' makes the sentence have a weird flow, and it is probably better to go with a simpler word.
Another example of where I had to reread a sentence is on page 47 with "Prostitutes unaffected by Hephaestus were often required by the city to trick their customers into getting them pregnant, rewarded with some money and maternity leave." With this sentence I understood what was said but when I got to "rewarded with some..." I was confused by the structure of the sentence. I feel this sentence would need a revision to make the sentence flow more natural and clearer.
Also, the sentence "he slid one of his pack straps off and rubbed the shoulder it had been pulling on back on, switched shoulders," found on page 65, did not make sense. The wording felt scrambled and then on page 66 with "only the supervisors were expected to show up every day, who made sure the farmers were working," the passive voice made the sentence complex, and a rearrangement of words would benefit the sentence.
Lastly, "the door was unlocked and the group entered. An office with many machines" is a fragment sentence and while the whole book contained a lot of fragment sentences, they assist with the tone, but in this case, the two sentences would be better as one. Though the author could also place a comma right after ‘unlocked’.
The spelling in the book was excellent, but some places could be punctuation error. First off "Adam was overjoyed laced his fingers around..." would flow better if there was a comma between 'overjoyed' and 'laced.' Or perhaps a revision or adding more to the sentence would make it more understanding. Another place that could use a comma is the sentence on page 68: "Above this amusing beldam on the lower floor was a weapon factory." There is a comma that is needed between 'bedlam' and 'on' and also between 'floor' and 'was.'
Overall, once you get past the mistakes, the story is an excellent read with fantastic diction and a severe but informal tone. Though I would like to point out, there is swearing within the book, but it is used modernly and helps get the tone across to the reader. The world building is detailed and nicely developed. I would recommend this book to those who like to see how humans react when they are trying to survive or to those that like post-apocalyptic stories. 3 out of 4 is what I would rate the book. Even though I love The Last City of America, having to stop and reread sentences made the book feel longer to read. Matthew Tysz did a wonderful job at telling an interesting story that gives the reader much to think about.
******
The Last City of America
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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