No awkward and prolonged symptomatic period here. Read the rest of this review over on my website. View 1 comment. May 02, Raegan Butcher rated it liked it. But then this novel has echoes of a lot of other stories and movies too. In the first 50 pages the author kills off the populations of North and South America with a super virulent plague--and that is only the beginning!
The action follows one man as he gets his wife and two sons to the upper northern wilds of Quebec This one has more twists and turns in the plot than a bag of epileptic snakes. Nov 03, rabbitprincess rated it liked it Recommends it for: those who like post-apocalyptic Canada. Shelves: bought-secondhand , , oh-canada. A sudden, extremely lethal plague strikes the southwestern United States. It's deadliest for those downwind of the carriers, and those who contract it die within an hour. Gene Arnprior, an engineer who lives in Montreal, suspects that these deaths could be the beginning of a continent-wide pandemic, so he packs up his wife and two sons and flies them all out to a camp they have visited before in northern Quebec.
This is the story of how he and his family survive in a world with a mysterious and deadly microscopic foe. Where did it come from? Is there a cure? And if there are any other survivors, what might they be like…? I bought this solely on the strength of the title and the kind-of-cheesy back cover blurb; one of my weaknesses at used-book sales is precisely this sort of apocalyptic s-era thriller set in Canada.
As an example of this rather narrow genre, The Last Canadian delivers admirably. In Gene Arnprior we have an eminently sensible, resourceful protagonist who rises to any occasion, even occasions to which people should never have to rise. The plot moves quickly and feels very cinematic we never do find out the mechanics behind the actual plague, but better to not describe it than to trip oneself up with pseudo-medical details.
And it's kind of amusing to read about Arnprior's experiences wandering around deserted cities -- he can have his pick of rooms in the best hotel, drive off with a Rolls-Royce, and traffic is great! Of course one must balance that with the fact that there's nobody else left… Warnings for the sensitive reader: there's an icky part where one woman describes her experience of being forced into a harem and raped. One of the major downsides for women in post-apocalyptic scenarios.
Also, if you don't like to read about game animals being prepared for human consumption, there are a couple of gross bits at the beginning.
Apart from that, the only other quibble I had is that the ending is kind of cheesy, but as a work of entertainment, overall this book did the job quite nicely. Well worth the purchase price I bought it for a dollar. Recommended for those who think the post-apocalyptic world needs more Canada, with a slice of Cold War.
Sep 27, Meredith rated it really liked it. Pretty damn good, especially in this year of all years. You will have an idea of what a real plague would be like. You will be reminded by a voice from of how your mind and actions are being controlled even in It covers a lot of literal ground.
You Pretty damn good, especially in this year of all years. You will be provided with a great of detailed information about the geography and dynamic of Canada and the US, with an interesting unity between the two.
Kind of an inside joke. None of the characters in this book is sacred. The main character lives four different consecutive lives with a very distinct transition between each. The language is a bit dated, given the references to world events that were then in recent memory, and of course women are basically concubines until they pass through the mystical male approval that turns them into wives.
Both are artifacts of 1 science fiction, and 2 when the book was written. The story gets rolling very quickly, and then starts to slow down, then picks up again. There are many interesting details about survival techniques and the mechanics of flying a small plane. But it is not clear how the water keeps running and electricity keeps working even years after a plague wipes out almost everyone.
Mar 23, Dominick rated it really liked it Shelves: science-fiction. A classic. Not particularly well written, and more than a few implausibilities like a protagonist who survives not only a devastating plague but TWO nuclear attacks directed at him personally , but nevertheless a classic of Canadian speculative fiction--if you can find a copy.
Gene Arnpior wanders a devastated North America, eventually setting out to take vengeance on those he blames fo the plague that wiped out his family and his continent. An unconventional, in some respects, take on the typi A classic. An unconventional, in some respects, take on the typical post-apocalyptic scenario. Very Canadian in its political and sociological perspective. Sep 14, Jennifer rated it it was amazing. I can't believe that this book is out of print.
I have been trying to find a reasonably priced copy of this book everywhere so I could read it again in anticipation that I will enjoy it as much as I did in highschool. View all 3 comments. Feb 21, Linda rated it really liked it Shelves: books-i-own , chilling. Re-read May in the middle of a pandemic.
Actually not much seemed different other than the lack of cell phones. Fascinating read - especially at this time. If there was an zombie apocalypse I would grab this book to use for ideas. Same major world players - America, China, Russia, England. This pandemic is just a warning Re-read May in the middle of a pandemic.
This pandemic is just a warning it could be worse just ask Gene. I searched and searched second hand stores until I found a copy again. Dec 08, Peter rated it liked it Shelves: fiction , apocalyptic-fiction. An apocalyptic story: A fearfully fast virus is set loose in the American Rockies foothills. The protagonist, a soon-to-be-ex American in Montreal suspects the worst from initial reports and flees to the north woods of Quebec with his family; of course, some survive to carry the virus; they survive until a carrier happens by; only he survives of his family; he travels the now mostly dead cities of the east coast; he makes contact with a US destroyer off the coast of Florida; the contact is eaves An apocalyptic story: A fearfully fast virus is set loose in the American Rockies foothills.
The protagonist, a soon-to-be-ex American in Montreal suspects the worst from initial reports and flees to the north woods of Quebec with his family; of course, some survive to carry the virus; they survive until a carrier happens by; only he survives of his family; he travels the now mostly dead cities of the east coast; he makes contact with a US destroyer off the coast of Florida; the contact is eavesdropped by a Soviet submarine and the chase is on.
Set in the cold war times of the seventies it is an interesting look at the perils of the times: mutual assured destruction, Soviet vs free-world etc. Generally a good, but not inspiring, read. Aug 05, Carolyn rated it really liked it.
An interesting roller coaster ride of a read. Planes, boats, plague, survivalist skills,nuclear warheads, spies, secret laboratories,Soviet Subs,even a bit of sex for good measure, you name it, Heine crammed it in and everything comes full circle to the very last line. Even though this was written in the early 70's,readers of today's popular novels like that of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code would most certainly enjoy this story.
That said, Heine's character development and writing skills do outra An interesting roller coaster ride of a read. Modernity in Canada, stretching from the turn of the century to the s, is a period marked by unprecedented urban and industrial growth, by urban and rural immigration from around the world, and by unique changes in power between regions, classes, races, and sexes.
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