Book Review: The Last Gods by Adam Brownlie

One Sentence Summary-

“A fascinating and soul-stirring trip as I expected it to be when I picked it.”

Zadan Zarik

If you are going to pick this novel, it will remain in your mind long after you’ve finished reading it because the themes of love, sorrow, faith, humanity, sciences, religions, and so much more have been marvellously added to them. How can this even happen in one good-length novel? It is because of Adam’s deep research and submerged attitude. He was totally absorbed while working on it. If you want to read the full story, you can visit his website, which is attached to his GoodReads Profile.

The words are woven so intricately that I just loved the mind of Adam Brownlie, who has done this masterwork. I already admired his work through his short personal details on his website, and reading his book made it more intense, so I opted to volunteer to promote him further. Though it is branded as science fiction, if you read it, you will think, as I do, it goes beyond science fiction. You will feel like he shares something he sees and feels himself in the spiritual world. Not just this but the time travel, the concept of immortality, religion, faith, the general perception of humanity on love, sorrow, and intense feelings, I mean everything. If you read this book with all your senses engaged, you will gain insights that are at once enduring and critically important.

There is a little spoiler, but I will ensure it doesn’t harm your reading curiosity. Let’s talk about theme, character, and plot:

Key Characters:

  1. Elodie Black is the heart and soul of the story. She is a profoundly relatable protagonist. Her journey from a grieving wife to a transcendent being grappling with humanity’s nature is heartbreaking and awe-inspiring at the same time. Her struggles with faith, identity, and love anchor the narrative. I will credit Adam for making her evolution feel authentic and deeply human, even as she transcends her physical form.
  2. Markus Black is Elodie’s husband and a brilliant neuroscientist. He is driven by a desire to conquer death after nearly losing Elodie in a car accident. His research sets the stage for the novel’s exploration of immortality, but his untimely death early in the story leaves Elodie to navigate the consequences of his work alone.
  3. Coby is a pivotal character in the latter part of the novel, representing the intersection of humanity and technology. His conversations with Elodie explore the philosophical and existential questions that define the book.

Main Themes:

  1. Immortality and Humanity
  2. Faith and Science
  3. Love and Loss
  4. Mind Provoking Questions!

The plot of The Last Gods is both intimate and epic. It begins with Elodie and Markus’s life together, quickly shifting gears after Markus’s death and Elodie’s immersion into his research. She then evolves physically and mentally. The story goes into the evolution of humanity, civilizations, and much more. The narrative is fast-paced, so you will not get bored. With each twist and turn, you will submerge into the novel’s philosophical underpinnings. The ending… I will leave it over to you!

For me, Elodie’s world is attractive, because I am a human who is witnessing the evolution with my own eyes. It captivated me from the first chapter. I will not share what was there and leave it for you. But it is a strange blend of the familiar and the terrifyingly futuristic. The story is emotional. Its underpinning becomes their love as her relationship with her bright but haunted husband, Markus, is depicted with such sensitivity that you will pause and think about Adam and how he did it. After a tragic event forces Elodie to adopt a realistic approach toward practical immortality, her journey reflects our existential concerns (we all have these at some stage of life). Death is certain. Death is a fact. So, the question that always pops up is when we think about the future and advancements in medical sciences, which is the reversing of age and the work on aging cells. We ask how we can live when death is no longer a certainty. Will we be able to maintain our humanity? The question is left for you to answer after reading the book. After we transcend the physical and mental boundaries imposed by nature, who we will be? Gods? The Last Gods? Animals? Angels? Satan? Who?

Adam

Adam’s Research of over 500 Research Papers!

He has done some research, and I just loved it. His investigation into the possibility of eternal life is astounding; it just gave me chills. However, when I did some of my own research, I agreed with him, and the fiction became like an upcoming reality to me. That is the reason I admire his work.

The philosophical and ethical questions raised by the prospect of everlasting existence are not issues he avoids. A lot of the same questions that his character has as she changes leaves her body behind, travels through time, and sees civilizations build and fall are ones that I have been asking myself. Could eternal life be both a boon and a bane? When a body stops being human, does it mean the soul can’t? That there are no simple solutions is part of the novel’s allure. Sitting with uncertainty, facing the contradictions of life, and finding your meaning in the turmoil are all invitations it extends.

The Last Gods’s handling of religion and science is one of its most remarkable features, so I picked it up to read. This is rare to find in this genre. Elodie’s strong religious beliefs are not downplayed or ignored. They are subtly and respectfully included in the story. One of the most endearing things about her is how she fights to balance her religion with the fact that she will live forever. Instead of contrasting religion with science, Brownlie demonstrates how the two can live side by side. Presenting this fact is hard, and balancing it is rare, with each providing a unique perspective through which to comprehend the secrets of life. One of the things that makes this novel feel so new and interesting is the balance, which is unusual in science fiction. Either religion supersedes science or science denies the religious aspects of immortality.

There are passages of breathtaking poetic beauty within the graceful and evocative words. The gentle touch of fiction. The intangible, such as the pain of loss, the impermanence of time, and the delicate beauty of human connection, are all beautifully rendered by him as an author. It evokes a feeling of detachment that reflects Elodie’s personal metamorphosis, the novel’s chronological progression is both startling and captivating. My emotions were a mix of wonder and sadness by the conclusion. I don’t know why I wished it should be a series or that more than 2 quarters of the story should be there. Maybe if I ever contact Adam, I ask him to write some more. But the work he has just done is … superb. As Elodie and Coby face the infinite in their interactions. Brownlie’s talent is on full display when he makes the impersonal seem so intimate. Mesmerizing is one word to tell it. I am just holding not to spoil your reading.

My Point of View!

I used to read a lot of science fiction, especially about time travel, mythical creatures, the Gods and Goddesses of Mythology, Immortality, Genes, and others. There has never been a reading experience quite like The Last Gods, both emotionally and intellectually, which I think is the pure work, the nectar he poured while authoring this novel. Maybe! I am sure that reading this book will force you to contemplate the meaning of life, death, and everything in between. It will answer a lot of your fictional questions. The heart, as well as the concepts in this book, make it memorable. Suppose you have strong imaginative power amidst the boundless. In that case, you will see Elodie’s narrative has served as a poignant reminder that our humanity, our ability to experience love, loss, and hope, is what truly sets us apart.

I also wish to shed some light on Adam, whose work is this. If he has time for his farming business, I will conduct a personal interview with him; otherwise, I will take it slow and proceed slowly, as I will be covering him for one of my other blogs about inspiring souls.

In our Muslim belief system, we have a life hereinafter, just as in Catholics. Where life will be as per wishes, two things that will be exceptional will be that no more death will exist. The 2nd will be the wishes acting as commands. I will not go deeper into this, but I can justify that this novel is a real story for me, woven in fiction, but I believe Adam senses the same. Farmers are too close to nature, and nature gives them a lot of wisdom. The way Mom has schooled him; I can understand the deep-rooted belief system and the efforts of Mama to make him a fine human being.

Finally, back to the book The Last Gods, a novel that will shake you to your core and make you wonder about life and everything. I am incredibly excited to witness Adam Brownlie’s future creations because he has genuinely accomplished something remarkable. Read it, enjoy it, and rate it. Share your thoughts here or with Adam as well.

This is a book I’ll return to repeatedly, each time discovering new layers of meaning. It’s not just a story; it’s a meditation on life itself.

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