Ratings9
Average rating3.9
Fresh from winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards, Max Gladstone weaves elements of American myth—the muscle car, the open road, the white-hatted cowboy—into Last Exit, a deeply emotional tale where his characters must find their own truths if they are to survive. Ten years ago, Zelda led a band of merry adventurers whose knacks let them travel to alternate realities and battle the black rot that threatened to unmake each world. Zelda was the warrior; Ish could locate people anywhere; Ramon always knew what path to take; Sarah could turn catastrophe aside. Keeping them all connected: Sal, Zelda’s lover and the group's heart. Until their final, failed mission, when Sal was lost. When they all fell apart. Ten years on, Ish, Ramon, and Sarah are happy and successful. Zelda is alone, always traveling, destroying rot throughout the US. When it boils through the crack in the Liberty Bell, the rot gives Zelda proof that Sal is alive, trapped somewhere in the alts. Zelda’s getting the band back together—plus Sal’s young cousin June, who has a knack none of them have ever seen before. As relationships rekindle, the friends begin to believe they can find Sal and heal all the worlds. It’s not going to be easy, but they’ve faced worse before. But things have changed, out there in the alts. And in everyone's hearts. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Reviews with the most likes.
DNF at about 14%.
I really wanted to like this book. But the suicide ideation in the first chapter itself put me off immediately. It's too much of a trigger for me to feel comfortable. I still continued reading but couldn't get into the story anymore. But I have to say that whatever I did read, I found the writing to be very beautiful and I'm sure others who love urban fantasy can appreciate this one better than me.
I see what Max was going for, but I don't think filling a checklist a good book maketh.
Talented author, though.
I'm devastated because I wanted to love this book, but I don't. I read thirteen chapters, got so frustrated that I read the last three chapters in an attempt to hook me, and eventually gave up.
I love the idea of multiple alt worlds, but parallel to this structure, I felt the characters were too one-dimensional. They're all (except June) introduced with a sex scene to, I dunno, give them depth? And they're wallowing in so much self-pity I wanted to punch them. All of them.
I'm sad and I'm sorry.
Tried six times to get into it and it never did it for me. A bit too much random rambling and not enough trying to hook me as a reader in the opening. Was time to move on.