This book was written in the 1980s when nuclear war was the biggest threat facing the world. There are still thousands of nuclear warheads in service, so although the threat seems to be on the back burner these days, it is still there and it is very scary to contemplate.
This is the story of the USS Nathan James. It receives instructions to shoot its nukes into Russia and that is the last communication it gets from "civilization'. Apparently, the rest of the world shot off its nukes too because, from what the crew of the Nathan James see, the world is destroyed. They cruise all over the world and see destruction on a scale never before scene. They also see very few survivors, who are in terrible condition from the explosions and the radiation. There is nothing they can do for these people, so they leave some food and supplies and move on. There is a "radiation officer" aboard who tells them what the radiation levels are and how long they can stay ashore. The way these encounters is described is horrific, which is how they would be if this ever occurred.
They eventually determine that there is nowhere left for them to go and they are low on fuel. They need to find somewhere to live that will provide food, water, and safety from the radiation. They also meet up with a Russian submarine. The Russians are in somewhat better condition than they are because they were under water since the war. The two captains decide they will work together. The Russians head off to find some nuclear fuel and the Nathan James heads to the Pacific to try to find an uninhabited island they can call home.
They do find an island and are able to make it livable. Then a most pressing issue occurs--they may be the last people on earth (along with the Russians) and if the human race is to continue, they need to start having babies. The Nathan James has women onboard because the US Navy was integrated, so the women come up with a set of rules for how they want to handle the whole procreation business, but nothing works. They determine the men are infertile due to the radiation doses they have received, so it is up to the Russian men to continue the human race.
There is a horrible accident and they are forced to leave the island and live on the sub. They still circle the globe looking for any signs of survivors. As they do, the two crews integrate, learn each others' languages, and learn to live together, which they do quite nicely and some babies are conceived. So what began as global nuclear war between the two countries ends with the remnants of each country trying to salvage humanity.
Many people have commented on the writing style. It is different. There are paragraphs that are pages long (it seems), but it really didn't distract me from the story being told. The story is incredibly poignant and moving as they all realize everyone they've ever known is dead. There are some of them that can't handle that truth--or don't believe it--so there are some problems between two groups of people on The Last Ship.
The writing style didn't bother me at all, and I don't think it should be a reason to give the book just one star. They style of writing doesn't matter as much as the content of the writing.
One particular episode of the ship exploring Africa really got to me and made me think. This is somewhat of a spoiler, so stop if you don't want to hear this. While exploring Africa, they come to a grove where there are groups of animals that should never be together. Predators and prey. What brought them together is the radiation sickness. They are all dying: lions, giraffes, monkeys, etc. The crew opens fire and puts the animals out of their misery.
This made me think about all the "survivors" they met along the shores. The people were dying terribly from their burns and radiation sickness, but the crew left the people behind to suffer and die. Wouldn't it have been more humane to also put them out of their misery. I guess the answer was no because they left them there to suffer and die, but then they spared the animals the same indignity. Shouldn't the surviving people (and there was no doubt they were going to die) have been shown the same mercy? Shouldn't they at least have been given the option? They ended the suffering of the animals, but allowed the people to die terrible deaths. I think this is very similar to how people are treated in the US today. People who are dying are given treatments to prolong their lives by weeks or months and they suffer through those treatments. Yes, they are given the choice and some choose not to get treatment, but there are others who are unable to convey their wishes and have other people make the decisions for them and sometimes those people think of whats best for themselves and not the dying person. No, you don't want your grandmother to die, but do you want her to suffer? It's an issue we don't know how to deal with.
I would definitely recommend this book. It is far better than the TV show of the same name. Naval protocol is described intricately in this book and it is definitely not adhered to on the TV show. It is not an easy read because of the topic and because of the writing style, but it is a worthwhile read to see what we have so far been able to avoid. When I was a kid, I used to have nightmares of nuclear war all the time and they were very much like this book. If a book can serve as a deterrent, this is the one to do it.
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Reviews with images
An awesome story.
An incredible story leaving you bloated. Melville and Faulkner fused. A study on how to frustrate readers with artificial suspense. Wanted to reach for Brinkley's throat and throw him over the edge of that cliff on the island! Dude! The story is good, why the need to embellish! Still, I recommend it; an awesome story.
Top reviews from other countries
Shabbyhouse
Multi-layered, gripping.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2022
Probably the best book i have read in a very very long time!
The complete exploration of human fears and hop!
Reviewed in Australia on June 14, 2023