4 out of 4 stars
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The Last Village is a science fiction thriller by R M Hughes. Amharfarn is a tiny village on the North Wales coast occupied by fewer than 100 people. However, this little village has a far larger significance to the world. During a fierce electrical storm, a man dies at a compound embedded in the mountain overlooking Amharfarn. Next, Emily Norton arrives at a "safe house" in the village, greeted by Andy Lock, who uses coded phrases to verify her identity. All of the inhabitants of the house - Lock, Norton, Gwenda Evans, Banes, and Hardcastle - work for an organisation called Circus. But what is Circus? And what are these operatives doing at their compound in the mountain? Wyn and Mair Ellis, their nosy neighbours, would love to find out...
This book captured my attention immediately. The opening scene was beautifully worded, succinctly evoking a stormy night and multiple lightning strikes over the sleepy village. From this moment on, the scenes all seemed realistic, brought to life with vivid, colourful description. I got the sense that Hughes saw everything clearly in his mind as he described it. A good example later in the book was: "Fingers of light stretched from between the clouds, generating reflections from the wave-splashed masonry of the Amharfarn sea wall." There were many other examples of high-quality writing, verging on the literary, in The Last Village.
Hughes also used a strict version of the "show, don't tell" principle, which maintained the sense of mystery throughout the book. Unlike other fiction, I couldn't see inside the character's heads and hear their thoughts. Instead, I saw only what they saw, and learned only through the actions and dialogue of the characters. This mechanism fostered a strong sense of intrigue right from the beginning. I found myself keen to read on to know more about the compound in the mountain and what was really going on there. While The Last Village was a long book, I found it nicely paced. The mystery unravelled slowly at first before the pace quickened in the second half, where the science fiction aspect of this story really kicked into gear. I actually enjoyed the "cosy" feel of the first half, where I got to know some of the villagers before the more serious action began.
The book featured a large cast of characters, but, given its length, I got to know them all fairly well. It might have been nice to have some of the subplots - such as a potential romance between two of the younger characters - explored a little more; however, given the length of the book, I can understand why Hughes didn't. There was certainly plenty of main plot to cover without complicating it further. Some of the village locals were quite colourful. Ventriloquist Jack "threw his voice" - usually quite unintelligibly - for any visitor he met, lips almost unmoving, then pretended he had no idea who had spoken. This nice little gimmick added realism to his character.
The editing of this book was also exceptionally good. Overall, I was unable to find anything about the book that I really disliked. The Last Village was an excellent sci-fi thriller combined with a real spy element, boasting plenty of amazing technology and incredible events. I really enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the writing itself. Therefore, I have no hesitation in awarding it 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to any fan of science fiction, especially those who enjoy well-written novels with a slow initial build-up to an epic conclusion.
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The Last Village
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I also like the idea of it being based in a town so small. Did it have a lot of the typical small town culture? Thanks for reviewing!
