The end of the world is near
From the very first pages of the Last Hourwe feel that the heroes will have a hard nut to crack in front of them. The time of mankind is relentlessly flowing in the divine hourglass … and there is no mercy. But Alex flips the news and doesn’t get ready for the end, he’s busy working in a secret agency that rarely lets him stay in one place for long. This time the goal of his mission is in Amsterdam, but before he has any time to prepare for his task, another cataclysm unfolds over the city. The weather turmoil leads to a powerful storm and strong lightning strikes. As the townspeople frantically seek refuge, Alex comes across a young woman, Mercy, on her way. It is not known who saves whom from this oppression, but the heroes find out that they did not come out unscathed.
The devil is in the details
It is the little things that complete the story of the Last Hour and bring it to life in the world of imagination. In my opinion, it would not be possible to properly present all these impressions in the film, although perhaps in the series? The relations between the characters, their past and present are so extensive that they make the reading in three dimensions. I am not tempted, however, by the vision of a film adaptation, because this bulky volume, dressed in an elegant and symbolic cover, holds up very well in my hands.
We read the characters in the third person singular and, depending on the narrative, we approach each of them. To my joy, the construction of characters, both in the foreground and background, is the strongest point of the book, because each of them introduces something necessary and credible. Not only do I know their motivations and understand their logic, but I also smile many times thanks to the fast dialogue. Alex and Mercy are completely different – although I personally come closer to the attentive and orderly young doctor, Alex is not lagging behind. I highly appreciate the dosage of information, the threads of individual events are well combined, which is why our perception of the plot is constantly evolving.
Angels and Demons
The description dedicated on the Internet and on the back cover smells something familiar, and for me it is the scent of Dan Brown, with his Angels and demons under his arm. And if you look closely, it is actually two characters that lead us through the story – male and female, of course – there is the perspective of the main antagonist and the novel’s theme oscillating around religion and culture. What I missed most in the Last Hour was this expertise, present in every work by the author of The Code Leonardo Da Vinci. The plot suffers losses in “extraordinary” scenes, where instead of reliable descriptions and explanations, we have to settle for something simply naive. I feel unsatisfied with terminology, flavors and curiosities resulting from amazing phenomena that would only add credibility. Of course, Dan Brown has already had many bestsellers known around the world, while the authors of The Last Hour are now enjoying their debut.
And I have the impression that this debut work is flooded with stereotypes and well-known patterns much more sparingly than in the items mentioned. The first example is the pace of the action – you don’t always have to rush blindly, faster and faster to breathe only with the last page. The authors show a fantastic sense and delight with their writing skills. I really felt that I was in England or Amsterdam and I enjoyed the difference of each of the places presented.
We will come across many very good moments, although I did not manage to read the whole “in one sequence”. Sometimes the action slows down, which is usually smart, but sometimes it is a matter of too detailed descriptions. I wonder why some traces have not been pulled further at all, and some themes have been introduced earlier in order to weave even more scenarios about where all this is leading to. If, however, more tips and hot spots were added, it might turn out that there is just another hustle and bustle that leaves no room for our own thoughts. My final accusations are directed to the characters shrouded in the greatest mystery – these are initially the tastiest morsels, which unfortunately lose their value with time, which I attribute here to the aforementioned lack of professionalism in describing fantastic threads.
I would by no means describe the last hour as predictable or single-track – this is an original idea, although it is based on the well-known and liked theme of the end of the world. I expected a dynamic turn of events and a fast pace, like in Angels and Demons , while the ending is surprising and will remain in my memory as something unusual. I was also taken by some valuable sentences – here we have space to develop our own interpretations and thoughts, especially observing what is currently happening in the world.
Midnight in Amsterdam
The last hour is a pleasure to read, mainly thanks to well-constructed characters that you can get to know and like. The story has an intriguing start, but as it unfolds, the pace slows down. Despite the already developed style, the ability to transfer the reader to many different places and a whirlwind of events – the credibility of fantastic themes is weakened. In my opinion, certain scenes do not sound or make a proper impression, which means that the plot is lost somewhere, and the characters, relations between them and their emotions remain. Despite my comments, I highly rate the book and recommend it to readers of all ages. The last houris a successful debut that charmed me with the creation of heroes, natural dialogues and writing style. The first half is read with bated breath, and then instead of rushing action, the authors pour a lot of sensitivity and ideas onto the paper, which remain in the reader.
