The Last Conversation

by Paul Tremblay

[Quirky Cat]

Paul Tremblay’s The Last Conversation is the fifth novella in the Forward Collection – a project created by six different authors. The entire idea of the project was to showcase a far-flung future, all written with the hopes of getting the reader (or listener) to think.
The world has changed. Not that Dr. Kuhn’s patient knows that. They woke up in this contain room, and they remember nothing before this time. Imagine living in a world so small, where you would be forced to trust your caregiver to tell the truth about every facet of your being.
That is the world created in Paul Tremblay’s writing. It is by far the most horror-esque novella in the series, with dark and disturbing tones liberally strewn throughout.

“What does the knowing imply about your person, your interests prior to your being here?”

The Last Conversation is a chilling novella. It’s without a doubt the darkest novella from the Forward Collection. And yet it’s also a fascinating study on love, loss, and the nature of guilt. And it hits oh so close to home for so many readers.
Perhaps that is why it is so eerie and chilling. To add to that effect, the strong sense of the unknown lurking just out of sight is foreboding, telling the readers that there is something wrong with the world we’ve been introduced to. That the narrative has been intentionally obfuscated for some ulterior motive. It’s deliciously dark and twisted.
As mentioned above, The Last Conversation is part of a collection of novellas. I’ve already read the others, so I can safely say that they’re all quite different from one another. But they’re all worth the read – especially if you’re interested in some food for thought.

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