The Last Star at Dawn: Book Three of the Lightbringer Trilogy

by Oliver Johnson

Book Overview

With the sun's light waning, humankind has divided itself into the worshippers of the God of Light and the servants of Eternal Night, with both factions preparing to do battle to the death, in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451456459
• ISBN13: 9780451456458
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Roc
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Delightfully ghoulish

Mr. Johnson really knows how to tell a ghoulish, yet engaging tale. A fascinating trilogy, one should start with book one "The forging of the shadows", then "The nations of the night" before tackling this one. Otherwise it leaves gaps in the flow of the story, although the author does "update" one within the first few chapters. I felt enormous empathy toward the badly burned, utterly isolated priest of Reh (their sun god of Light). The priest, Urthred, is forced to wear a mask and special gloves to cover his burned face and hands and is the wonderful hero of this saga. His devastating experience with such immense pain has created within him a wellspring of compassion and strength that are remarkable in contrast to Thalassa, the self absorbed heroine whom prophecy has foretold would be the Lightbringer. Her task is, through some great act, to reanimate the dying sun caused by the evil forces in their world. Personally I prefer strong women and for me Thalassa, so full of doubt and self pity was the one weak link in an otherwise strong cast of characters.The only other problem I had with these otherwise excellent books is Mr. Johnson's use of words that force a reader to grab the dictionary. However, I very much liked the mix of primitive culture contrasted to the sci fi notion of the "gods" coming from the stars in their "metal dragons" (a metaphor for space ships). The war of good vs evil/light vs darkness is enhanced by the author's facility in not hammering religion down one's throat on the assumption that everyone in the (readers') world is a christian or whatever. There is a subtle injunction for the reader to look at self accountability vs being an unwilling participant tossed about by the everchanging whims of the gods.The story illustrated the power of the individual's "ego" (free will) to make choices based upon the drives of his/her "id" (the subconscious mind or baser levels of humanity) and make them real for better or for worse. For example: as the archetypal bad guy, Faran Gaton Nekron if filled with rampaging jealousy, resentment, hatred and warped lusts. He manifests his vindictive revenge and sick needs into hideous annhilation of everyone whom he cannot conquer. He claims that he is doing the Worm God Iss' will, but in fact it is Faran's own dark and destructive desires disguised as "religion". This conflict creates an astonishing amount of tension which is so vital to the tenor of excellence in a horror story.This saga shows the shadow or nihlistic part of human nature (jealousy, greed, hate, revenge, etc.) as contrasted to the higher nature of mankind's drive toward the light and love that creates and sustains all life. There are many layers to Mr. Johnson's genius and this trilogy, albeit more than gruesome at times, that indeed stimulates deeper levels of thought, plus rereading in the future.

Breathtaking!

This book blew me out of the water. It is a great adventure that everyone (excluding little kids) should read.

Fantasy for grown-ups

A thrilling conclusion to a great fantasy trilogy. There are action set-pieces in these books that stand up as among the best in fantasy literature. Oliver Johnson is not afraid to take some real narrative risks, and they certainly pay off! For example, the action of the first book takes place over a single night. The second book refuses to pander to the cliffhanger ending of the first, but instead re-introduces its heroes in an unexpected and intriguing way. And the third book is told from a perspective of many years afterwards - I can't say more without giving the game away, but these are characters you really care about and the conclusion of their adventures will have you on the edge of your seat right up to the last page.