Endling #1: The Last
The Endling series, Book 1
Katherine Applegate
Harper
Fiction, MG? Fantasy
***** (Great)
DESCRIPTION: The runt of her family, Byx always thought of herself as the least of her dwindling pack: too small, too clumsy, too full of questions.
She never thought she'd be the last. Not just the last of her family or pack, but the last of her whole species, the doglike dairnes.
As the sole survivor of a brutal slaughter by the all-powerful Murdano's human soldiers, Byx finds herself alone in a world that's too big and frightening. Her only companions are a little wobbyx named Tobble and an untrustworthy human girl named Khara - scant help when the Murdano is determined to finish exterminating her kind. Only the most feeble sliver of hope, a half-forgotten legend of an island sanctuary far in the north, keeps Byx from giving up and joining her kin in the afterlife.
Her mother told her it was never wrong to hope... unless the truth says otherwise.
REVIEW: Endling marks noted author Katherine Applegate's first solid foray into high fantasy, a debut that lives up to the high standards set by her other works. Byx makes a reluctant yet determined heroine, weighed down constantly by the tragedy of being an endling: last living example of an extinct race. She struggles with feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and rage, sometimes even unintentionally hurting allies as she tries to process the overwhelming reality of her predicament. Her companions have their own struggles, as well, making for complicated and occasionally strained relationships. The world they inhabit is by turns beautiful and horrible, heroic and tragic, hopeful and embittered, full of original species and races. Humanity's willingness to sacrifice others for our own power and perceived glory is front and center in this story, which tackles a number of thorny topics ranging from extinction to politically-corrupted science. The other governing species are far from perfect, themselves, each with their own cultural and personal hang-ups (not to mention a tendency to pretend that what happens to others is no concern of theirs - until it is, and by then it may be too late.) With lively yet solid characters and a quick-moving plot that doesn't shy away from torture or death (a warning for those considering sharing this book with sensitive readers; nothing exceptionally graphic, of course, but Applegate doesn't blunt edges), Endling makes a great read for fantasy lovers of any age.
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