Last Days

by Adam Nevill

[layawaydragon]

I won a copy through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

Pros
Dark, creepy, scary horror that had me actively freaked out while reading during the day
Liked the mystery, the suspense,
The premise, the “presences” and what’s behind the curtain..Awesome!
Liked Kyle’s voice and his director’s point of view on things


Cons
I fucking hate the ending. It didn’t finish the story and left it hanging.
It slowed down around the halfway point dragging it along and losing it’s edge
The stereotype use: Finger Mouse and douchebro military man come off as lazy and sloppy. It was down right irritating in the latter’s case.

Kyle is a passionate "I tell it like it is and follow the story" director in financial ruins. I liked Kyle's perspective on settings and people. His voice is authentic and I found myself rooting for the underdog with integrity over the mainstream movie media. Duh, who wouldn’t? Dan, Kyle's long term bro and camera man, is the "I will deny any paranormal activity until it punches me in the face" type. This brings balance and contrast when the questioning of people's sanity starts. Max, the aging producer, delivers Kyle the story to make a once in a lifetime movie and the means to get it done right. Kyle recruits his usual team: Dan and Finger Mouse (the biggest stereotype of the basement dwelling, non-showering, society shunning nerd), who happens to be a video editor. The story is turning out better than anyone could've hoped. This is their big break. Now, if only the settings weren't becoming interactive and Max was as free with the truth as he is with money....

Last Days is about atmosphere and suspense rather than hack ‘n slash gore like Chainsaw Massacre, which works wonders for me. I was intrigued but struggled with the writing style in the opening scene. It does set the terrifying mysterious tone for what follows though. I don't know if it was just me adjusting or an actual change in style but I didn't have a problem with the writing after that prologue. I like the little details being brought out describing the odd things people notice when their brain is scrambling to find a foothold in reality. I was hooked by chapter one and couldn’t wait to find out what happens next. It doesn't take long for things to get going and I was falling for Last Days in all its creepy, horrific, glory. I was seeing things in the corner of my eyes, and jumping at every sound. While I was reading it in the morning no less.


Around page 230, I noticed it was going slower, then soon enough I was skimming over passages, specifically where the smells and sights were being described for the millionth time. I just didn't retain the same fear. My eyes were glazing over due to the redundancy. The action scenes weren't boring or bad but I wanted to get deeper into the story. I wanted the cause, the reasons behind these happenings instead of playing will-they-won't-they for 400 pages. However, the scenes that pulled me back in where the new discoveries, and the subsequent interviews. They gave me what I was looking for. The interview passages were fascinating, and informative all the way through.

My waning interest was remedied when we eventually get to the big reveal of what's behind the curtain. I loved the discovery and found it as horrific, terrifying and creepy as the beginning. This was it. I was back fully hooked into the story and felt my pulse racing again. However, I was disconnected from Kyle because of his reactions. Of course, his actions were in character but I wasn't his biggest fan at that moment. I wanted to yell at Kyle: Just do it. Everything after the reveal was just gravy except the second copy/paste stereotype appearing. Fuck, I hated him, his inclusion. The obvious lazy stereotypes were a let down.

And the ending. I loathe the ending. Specifically, the last fucking paragraph where the story was left hanging. WTF is that bullshit? Is it like another reviewer on Goodreads suggested (I apologize I can’t find the name now) that the ending was a lesson to let sleeping dogs lie like Adam should have? Well, let me tell you (general you), that after 530 pages I deserve a fucking ending. It’s not like Stephen King’s short story The Mist where it’s completely ambiguous. This book and myself could have closure with the addition of one fucking word. One! Yes or no? That’s it. That’s all. And as far as this being a “lesson” ending: If Adam had let sleeping dogs lie with regards to these happenings, that would be a bad thing. As in, a world ending catastrophe if he hadn’t intervened. I call bullshit on this ending. I personally fucking hate it. I do not see the point and do not appreciate being left with a ridiculously stunted cliff hanger on a stand alone novel.

That alone gets -1 star at least for that fucking bullshit.