9 Answers2025-12-16
There’s a good Wikipedia article about this: “Ingersoll Lockwood”. The book is from 1896 and is a satirical/panic novel from the election year of that. The ‘why’ is explained in sufficient detail by the historical context of the Populist Movement and the Gold Standard vs. Free Silver issue. The author portrayed the Banking/Industrialists’ fear of farm inflation in currency form via this novel. And trust me, it’s not that hard to read and understand. It’s a very short book, out of print, and out of copyright. You can easily download and read it online (which contains much period-specific language and style). I would definitely not read this expecting some sort of prophetic masterpiece. It’s a partisan tract written in a flash. Most of the current fascination with this novel by Internet weirdos is due to the coincidence of the author’s name.
4 Answers2026-04-07
Note that The Last King series proper consists of five “official” books, but diehard fans like myself will tell you to read the companion short story “The Black Herald” between Book 4 and Book 5. It is the best way to experience the true development of the protagonist from a tough, rough-around-the-edges-outlaw-type to a noble, reluctant leader. And the last book’s cover art, with the broken-up crown, still sends shivers down my spine.
7 Answers2025-12-08
After finishing the TV series as well as the book by William Brinkley, I saw the ending of ‘The Last Ship’ in a completely different light. The TV series went far beyond the ending of the book. Instead of a bleak and philosophical ending of the novel where the crew of the Nathan James finally finds a place to start rebuilding after the nuclear war, the viewers were taken on a multi-season journey of action, drama, and even comedy. In the end, after many years the crew finally returns to the United States as a stabilized country. The cost in human lives, however, was immense. Captain Chandler made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the future of his crew as well as the cure they had been carrying. The final scenes show Chandler’s son, who had grown up during the journey, taking up the mantle of responsibility as he embarks on a new journey of his own, carrying on the legacy of duty that had been given to him by his father. The ending was bittersweet but hopeful.
I remember really being happy with the characterization in the final episodes of the series, especially Slattery’s, but losing Chandler in the final moments was painful.
3 Answers2026-04-25
I loved the emotional whiplash of the end of 'The Last Empress'. The empress worked for years to achieve her goal of sitting on the throne, but when she finally achieves it, after a long and difficult journey, she resigns in a dramatic and powerful speech that details the emptiness of power. The rest of the novel follows her journey as she leaves the throne behind and sets out to cross the seas on a merchant ship. There is something so powerful and beautiful about the way the wind is blowing in the scent of salt not incense. We hear from a sideline character in a diary entry found years after the fact that the empress has gone on to found a school. But we never know for sure what happened to her, and in a very profound way that doesn't matter. She founds a school. That is her legacy. Is legacy about ruling or changing lives in subtle yet profound ways? She chooses the latter, and it is so devastatingly beautiful.
11 Answers2025-11-10
'Cloud Sky' by unknown author is the other novel I’ve been reading. It’s a power fantasy from the worst possible angle but it’s written well enough that I won’t list out all the things that the author is avoiding in order to get to the id of his readers and feed it to them without judgment.
10 Answers2026-03-27
It’s a perfect balance of hope and realism. Yes, he does make it, but he is very battered and worn, and a bit of him will never be the same. The relief of victory is not set up to be one of those fairy-tale happy-ever-after moments that eradicate all the horrors of what happened to him before. No, he is battered and worn out, and the cold of Siberia will remain in his bones for the rest of his life – literally and metaphorically. And the recognition of the cost to him of this hard-won battle (and the continuing war against nature and against the state) is at once sublime and of a maturity and weight that is not typical of most adventure stories.
4 Answers2025-07-27
‘Legacies’ is a tie-in novel for the TV series. Written by Julie Plec (writer of the show), ‘Legacies’ explores the backstories of some of the show’s main characters, and then follows them on new adventures. It has the same energy and the same supernatural feel as ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘The Originals’, and it’s the perfect read for fans of the series. It adds a whole new layer to the show.
5 Answers2025-12-05
This book has wrecked me. ‘The Last 10 Years’ is more than another terminal illness story of love, it’s a deep exploration of the unassuming regret and appreciation of life. Although I’ve seen people compare this to ‘Me Before You’ it’s a vastly different read focusing more on self-forgiveness rather than romance. Most reviews of this book either love it or find it too heavy to handle but that’s basically life too so grab a box of tissues and dive in.
3 Answers2026-04-27
One of the most unexpected characters in The Last Kingdom is Sigtryggr. He is one of the few ‘good’ Vikings in the show. Unlike many of the other Viking characters, he is not brutal for the sake of it and is even willing to bend tradition in order to be flexible. The way that Sigtryggr forms an alliance with Uhtred’s daughter is also a sign that he is open to the possibility of combining cultures. He is also a great leader because he is ruthless when he needs to be but he is not glory hungry like so many of the other Viking leaders. I found his downfall to be particularly tragic because it highlighted the point that even the most elite warrior can not escape conflict and the show seemed to be making the point that Sigtryggr was trying to rise above.
4 Answers2025-11-11
'One Last Summer' ends with Clara on a train watching the lake disappear in the distance. She is crying with a faint smile on her lips as if she is grateful for the chaos of it all. There are so many unanswered questions throughout the story which is wonderful as they have been lingering in my head for days. I like to think that Alex chases Clara down the years when she is older and less afraid.