In a world where animals no longer exist, twelve-year-old Kester Jaynes sometimes feels like he hardly exists either. Locked away in a home for troubled children, he's told there's something wrong with him. So when he meets a flock of talking pigeons and a bossy cockroach, Kester thinks he's finally gone crazy. But the animals have something to say. And they need him. The pigeons fly Kester to a wild place where the last creatures in the land have survived. A wise stag needs Kester's help, and together they must embark on a great journey, joined along the way by an overenthusiastic wolf cub, a military-trained cockroach, a mouse with a ritual for everything, and a stubborn girl named Polly. The animals saved Kester Jaynes. But can Kester save the animals?
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
Last Wild - A Promising Beginning
By James Marsh
Disclaimer: I am a 33 year old married man. I am also an ecclesiastical leader, so I try to read material that I think would be appropriate for the young men and women in our youth group.I was given a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.The Last Wild is a fanciful tale set in a dystopian world where almost all animal life has been wiped out by a mysterious virus.The world is populated by a colorful cast of characters, both human and animal.The main character spends almost all of the book mute, and this introduces both complications and clever workarounds.The animal cast and the world they explore together bring a great deal of color and humorous touches to the narrative. (I especially enjoyed the white pigeon and the wolf cub.)It’s imaginative, thrilling, fun and the pace of the story increases with every chapter.The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but the story does reach a satisfying conclusion to several plot threads.I can’t wait for the next one!Content:The language was decent throughout.Violence: Guns are pointed, threateningly at characters - both animal and human. There are some animals that fight each other, some are shot at, including fatally. Some show symptoms of the virus, and some even die of it. One is lost and presumed dead. It is all handled with tact and given the due gravity it deserves.I would say it is comparable to a PG and would not have any trouble handing it to anyone over the age of 8.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.Where Wild Things Roam
By C.E.
"The Last Wild" is a YA novel that tells the story of a future where mankind has destroyed the planet, destroyed the wilderness, and released the Red sickness upon all who remain.Hopping on the "humans are bad and killing the earth" bandwagon, we have a novel of a dystopian future in which people don't eat real food, cities are abandoned, and animals are all but missing. A post industrial wasteland of filth and broken dreams.Enter our hero: Kester. Mute. Alone. Institutionalized. But the boy has a gift. He can call to the animals and they, in turn, can talk to him. Of this desperate gift a plan is hatched: Kester must escape and find the cure for the animals, as they are the last Wild remaining.The novel is full of fun and fantastic imagery that brought a smile to my face: the General (a cockroach) and the Stag. Proud wolves, addle-brained Pigeons, and a host of other charming characters make up our ragtag band of adventurers. Along the way, Kester will meet friends and foes alike, he will experience doubt, loss, pain, and know true sacrifice.The book reads well, is quick and holds my attention well. I compare it to "The Graveyard Book" by Gaiman as it is something that appears much more simple on the outside than it really is. I am sure that middle readers will enjoy it, and it presents a gentler, more lyrical option to the current crop of derring-do YA novels of a blasted future. Well done, and it left we wistfully wanting to read more of the adventures of Kester and the last Wild.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent idea, not particularly well executed
By Jennifer Miller
Summary:Told in 6 parts, this tale looks at Kester Jaynes, a troubled boy that is locked up in a home. In his world, animals do not exist. When a cockroach starts talking to him and he is able to communicate back, he thinks he has truly lost his mind. Regardless, he listens to the small group of animals that surround him. With his small group, Kester is set off on a journey to save the animals. Along the way he makes some new friends and learns a lot.My thoughts:Honestly I was hoping for so much more in this book than what I received. Torday has a very simple writing style which fits very well for a middle grade book. There is nothing that will pull the reader out of the story, and very little British slang. It was a perfectly good story. It just didn't really pull me in like others have. The idea and premise are brilliant. I love that are damaged hero is being fixed with the love and care of animals, especially since I'm a huge fan of animal therapy. He's a sweet child that definitely becomes something more than he started out as. There just wasn't that extra bit of magic that made me really want to share this book. I guess it just wasn't imaginative enough for me. Some of the descriptions I felt were flat and the pacing was even enough that I didn't feel excitement at any particular area. There is a bit of a cliffhanger, but things are wrapped up quite easily. The conflict while enormous in theory is not shown with the same enormity within the book. It just wasn't outstanding. It's just good.
