The Last Man on Earth by Raine Weaver
Samhain Publishing
Contemporary Suspense
ISBN: 1-59998-923-9
Reviewed by Val




It’s Halloween night … and what could be better than a roaring fire inside, a roaring storm outside, and your best friend by your side? Russell Carr and Iris Foley are just settling in for a horror movie marathon when things take a turn for the hair-raising. Russell’s huge, old house is plunged into darkness and the TV dies, but not before broadcasting a strange warning message. Suddenly all those cheesy zombie movies aren’t quite so funny. And just what is that weird sound coming from the basement?

What, with possible alien invasion creeping closer, this is hardly the time for Iris to notice just how tall, dark and handsome her surrogate brother is, or for Russell to begin looking at her in a decidedly un-brotherly way. Then again, if the world really is about to come to an end…

The Last Man on Earth is a delightful blend of comedy and suspense with more than enough genuine chills thrown in to keep me up turning pages late into the night. Who knew the end of the world could be so much fun?

Raine Weaver clearly knows her horror movies. She sets the stage for chills in classic horror-style. I loved the sense of isolation in Russell’s house on the hill. In the best thriller tradition, there always seemed to be new places to be trapped, pursued, or just plain petrified.

Iris is suitably frightened much of the time, but like any modern movie heroine she’s got plenty of backbone when it counts. Meanwhile, Russell is just the kind of man you’d want around when the wind is whipping through the eaves and the only thing holding back the dark is a dying flashlight. Together they’re a delicious pair. I wouldn’t have minded one more romantic scene between them, but it’s always nice to be left wanting more. In fact, I plan on taking another trip to that house on the hill one dark and stormy night, popping some popcorn, turning the lights down low, and getting the shivers all over again. I’d call The Last Man on Earth a definite Recommended Read.