Friday, June 19, 2015

Book Review: The Only City Left by Andy Goldman

When Allin’s parents died, he made a promise to them to stay alive, but in a city like his, that is far easier said than done.  The enormous city is dying, suffering rolling blackouts as it succumbs to the countless ages it has served as the sole refuge for its inhabitants.  Flesh eating robots, angry ghosts, werewolves, and other strange monsters regularly roam the halls and have long since beaten the human population into triviality.  The only hope Allin has left to cling to is his goal to the reach the roof of the city and see the sun for the first time.  The city seems to have other plans, ever leading him in circles, and always downward.  Before long, he finds himself caught up in a longstanding war between the werewolves and a race of humanoid cats.  On one side, the ghostly leader of the werewolves wants Allin for some secret, horrible scheme, while the cats want him as bait to put an end to the werewolves reign of terror.  Allin must decide whether to continue his life of solitude, or to confront his past and join with the cats to save what’s left of humanity.


The Only City Left is a unique dystopian tale with a rich setting and interesting characters.  The action at times is so frenetic that it left me breathless.  I loved following along with Allin as he explored the city and couldn’t wait to find out what horror awaited him around the next corner.  The city’s desolation serves as a brilliant contrast against the one ray of hope, the tiny sliver of civilization represented by the cats, that begins to change Allin’s point of view.  Thus, even though the subject matter is quite dark, the story doesn’t feel overly heavy or depressing.  Overall, the book is a great combination of adventure, science fiction, and fantasy.

Get it from Amazon

No comments:

Post a Comment