A progressive community buckles under a double whammy: the 1918
Spanish flu epidemic and the hatreds stirred by American
participation in WWI.Deep in the evergreens north of Seattle, a
company town revolves around its timber mill. Owner Charles Worthy
founded Commonwealth in 1916, and two years later, the town is
thriving. The workers own their homes and set the rules, dispensing
with police. After nearby Timber Falls is hit by the flu, a
majority of Commonwealth's residents decide to quarantine the town.
Armed volunteers guard the one access road. Worthy's adopted son,
16-year-old Philip, is on guard duty with Graham, an older man he
regards as a big brother, when a disheveled soldier emerges from
the woods and ignores orders to stop. Graham shoots him dead. Some
days later, Philip is the lone sentry when a second soldier
appears. After a skirmish, Philip and the soldier are detained by
another guard, also deemed a possible carrier. Meanwhile,
Commonwealth has its first flu death: a Canadian who snuck into
Timber Falls for some liquor. The sickness travels with astonishing
speed; fear and suspicion infect the town along with the epidemic.
As supplies dwindle, the store and community gardens are plundered.
Mullen has a good premise for a disaster story, but a fatal
weakness for melodrama. Graham kills the imprisoned soldier,
believing him to be the original carrier. Philip, back home but now
stricken himself, rises from his sickbed to confront Graham, then a
delegation of lawmen and goons from Timber Falls forces its way
into town to arrest draft-dodgers, including the sick and
contagious.Mullen's debut gets mileage out of the gruesome epidemic
and contains some interesting historical nuggets, but it fails to
mesh its grim subject matter with convincing individual narratives.
(Kirkus Reviews)
Set against the dual backdrop of World War I and the devastating
1918 influenza epidemic, "The Last Town On Earth" is a brilliantly
drawn tale of morality and patriotism in a time of upheaval. Deep
in the evergreen woods of Washington State lies the mill town of
Commonwealth, a new community founded on progressive ideals, and a
refuge for workers who have fled the labour violence in the
surrounding towns. When rumours spread of a mysterious illness that
is killing people at an alarming rate, the people of the uninfected
Commonwealth vote to block all roads into town and post armed
guards to prevent any outsiders from entering. One day two guards -
Philip Worthy, the 16-year-old son of the town founder, and his
friend Graham Stone, a hardened survivor of vicious strikes - are
confronted with a moral dilemma. A starving and apparently ill
soldier attempts to enter the town, begging them for food and
shelter. Should Worthy and Stone admit him, possibly putting their
families at risk? Or should they place their lives above his and
let him die in the woods? The choice they make - and the reaction
it inspires not only in their town but in the neighbouring town's
league of suspicious patriots - sets into motion a series of events
that threaten to tear Commonwealth apart. From the rich threads
running through this period of history, Thomas Mullen has created a
truly gripping tale, which grows in tension and suspense as the
panic and conflict within the town take hold. A sweeping cinematic
novel, with a compelling cast of characters, "The Last Town On
Earth" powerfully grapples with the tensions of individual safety
and social responsibility, of moral obligation and duty in the face
of forces larger than oneself.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
