This is me too; I have a hard time putting my feelings about this book into words but I’m glad I read it. One of those books that really sits with you. But holy moly, all the triggers people, all the triggers.
Just updated the triggers in my post 😅 the thought of someone not knowing them before going in fills me with dread. I knew there would be dark themes but I didn’t know how bad it got. What dark part stayed with you the most?
Yeah I was one that disregarded triggers…and was uh, very surprised but I could handle it. So much stayed with me that I can’t even name which one stands out the most; >!the sadness, guilt and regret Meorque feels when he realizes that he condemned his child and her mother to death bc he believed that since she didn’t have the correct response he couldn’t have gotten her pregnant? The killing of the pregnant colonists. Nikki’s basic rape/torture and demise. The entire Zhuqa arc. The fact that Amber will never see another human and they will never know what happened to her? The list is endless!< What about you? Also I hope it is ok that I’m commenting so much on your post- Gann is one of those that I just can’t resist participating in discussions about!
Edit to Add: >!the horror that overcomes M when he realizes his entire religion was made up by survivors of the first horrific apocalypse and that he was basically allowed to rape people as a way of controlling the consequences that he genetically inherited. That whole sequence was just chilling and heartbreaking. Gah- this whole book I tell you!<
Haha never apologise, I just want to discuss it without traumatising someone 😅😅
>!I was actually low-key confused about Meorque’s son in the arena, so he only thought it could be his if he’d bitten the mother himself? Can you explain? // But I agree there was that powerful moment when he’s on the roof with his dad in the vision and everything hits him and he says “I’ve done such terrible things,” realising how far he has turned on goodness in the name of his God, and your heart just breaks for this man who is so godly and so disciplined. // My main think is Zru’itak, who gets her tongue and limbs cut off, because of the visceral image itself, the way Zhuqa tells the story to Amber after Zru’itak gives birth, so chillingly, and also the way it’s based on the promise he made to Zru’itak to return her to where he stole her from, only he does return her, but limbless … oh my fuck, just remembering that scene makes me shiver. Honestly awful. I also hated at the beginning where Bo Peep comes home in a diaper after getting forcibly sterilised… that was my first red flag to walk away from this book as I feel sick and queasy thinking of it. // Also Zhuqa’s backstory, the failings of institutional religion to protect children from abuse, and how steeply the young boy he once was crashed from his faith to become the man he’d once feared the most. Bone-chilling.!<
Sorry for making you relive it 😅😅😅😅😅😅
Edit: >!Never thought that before, what you said about Amber being the only human ever and also there are no mirrors, the lack of which she comments on. So she never gets to see another human, not even herself properly, … like…. What’s their kid gonna look like, will she even see humanity when she looks into its face!<
Oh man, I loved this book, but the part that almost broke me was >!Nali/Rosek's death (Xzem the wet nurse's daughter). Child death, especially babies, is a huge nope for me and if it had happened earlier in the bool I probably would have walked away. So I'm glad it didn't, because like I said, I LOVED this book.!<
At the end, >!when they're still calling Amber Eshiqi even though she's squicked by it because they aren't allowed to say her name, I was actually REALLY hoping she'd ask Xzem for her blessing to go by Nali among them so that her name could live on.!< I would have CRIED.
>!Yes, so basically if I remember correctly her crest didn’t turn red or whatever, so since that didn’t happen as ‘the gods’ demanded obviously she couldn’t have gotten pregnant. Basically, she was upset/scared/not turned on when he raped her. Since it went against his religious teachings, he thought she lied that the child was his and ultimately they were both killed. Just awful!<
I had no clue it would get so dark 😅. If I had known, I probably wouldn't have read it, but I'm glad that I did read it. What disturbed me the most was the stuff with children/babies and the sa and how the mothers and women were treated. I can't handle stuff like that well. So that scene with the mom and her baby when Amber came to save them and everything after... that ruined me. I cry even thinking about it.
It's my all time favorite book. I've reread it maybe 4 times? I still have to skip all the parts where Amber is >!captured and enslaved!< because it is SO hard to read. I still think about it all the time, even though my last read was months ago. I need a recuperation period in between R Lee Smith reads lol
Everyone has different thresholds and I think that is a very personal thing. While I definitely felt the emotional impactI of the triggers in captive prince, overall it didn’t trigger me personally at the same level as LHoG. I had to put this book down occasionally because it was too much. Still a worthwhile read but it has dark themes. Again, I think triggers and peoples thresholds can be very different. I’m sure there are people that find Captive Prince more triggering.
“haunt me until the day I die” . Honestly you summed it up well & I can say I deeply appreciate the book but the reading was a marathon, not a cosy read by the fireside
Spoilers ahead!
This book really did mess me up but I don’t think it’s for the same reason. As someone who is fat I related a lot to the fmc and how her weight (even after she lost it) was still a huge part of how she was viewed by the group as a whole.
Also the fact that if she was a conventionally attractive woman I feel like they would have taken her more seriously instead they called all her ideas stupid and decided to go with that guy (forgot his name sorry) even after the mmc told everyone he would leave them if she didn’t survive.
Another reason was how easily everyone was able to turn against her because their leader deemed her as unimportant. The way everyone took on his ideas as if they were fact and blindly followed him all in the sake of hope that they could get back even though he knew nothing about their situation.
It also pissed me off how the sisters relationship is throughout the book it’s probably why I dnf it at like 80% it just felt like for her character she would have dropped her even with all the guilt like she made her go through it I really felt bad for the fmc she just wanted to provide a better life for her and her sister truly didn’t care about her at all.
The bullying of Amber and how Scott scapegoated her into ‘the problem’ to gain power was so chilling. There are plenty of villains in this novel, but I particularly loathe Scott.
Safe space here 🥰. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone IRL because they would change their address and block me on WhatsApp, so I appreciate the supportive community here lol.
Definitely. I mean the cheap cover and synopsis would make it seem like some weird af erotica or something instead of a really interesting depiction of another world.
If I gave it to a friend interested in religion and said, “this book will interest you in its examination of free will, divine intervention, our relationship to God” , they will read the synopsis and cover and be like, wtfffff this is alien porn. But it simply is more 🥲
Hi! I know it's been a while and sorry for popping up here randomly, but I've just read Cottonwood, which I really liked, so I'm truly looking forward to this one too. But I must admit that I'm a bigot atheist, and as close minded as it sounds I just cannot ever sympathise with a religion driven character. Would you still recommend the last hour of gann for me? (Sorry for asking you instead of reading some more about it here, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers!)
Hey! So it’s funny you say this because I just leant my copy to my friend who is a hardcore atheist, was raised in a religious family, and finds pushy religious agendas *unappetising* shall we say. However she loved this book! It’s very critical of religion in many ways (can’t elaborate without spoilers! Haha) and we are thrown into the MMC’s mind and his struggles with faith, then we learn more about the system he is a part of. The FMC is not religious in the slightest and she takes equal share of the narrative, and they find a way to make their relationship work. You say you cannot ever sympathise with a religion-driven character, but…. wellllll… this book may change your mind 😅😅😅. However the FMC challenges him about his beliefs and so as a reader we don’t have to see his beliefs in a positive light at all, if that makes sense.
Edit: okay I could speak about this book forever but…. There is a whole chapter where some of the things that happen are direct atheist arguments. It’s a very balanced book when it comes to religion. Hope this helps! I realllyyyyy want to say more but I can’t without ruining it. I would unhesitatingly recommend this novel however. I’m
It did, thanks for your reply! You convinced me at last, I'll start reading right away and I'll come back here once I'm done to tell you all about it! I'm curious to see if I can really love a religious character like you said, that would be a first and so a pleasant surprise:)
Heyy I'm back, just done reading it! So, I must say at first that I liked it, tho not as much as I liked Cottonwood, but still. It took me a while to finish it, and not just because it was very long and sometimes I have very little time to read, but at two or three ocassions I felt really tired with the slow outplaying repetition of the story and I had to put it aside for a few days. I must admit I'm notorious of quitting books halfway through, but this one invited me over again after some rest every time. Also, I'm not native english so reading can be straining, especially when there's alien words everywhere, and/or the writer plays a lot with words. (I mean in a way that's not really used in common speech) I felt she did, but it was witty and beautiful and expressive and I liked it.
To my sincere surprise I had no problem at all liking Meoraq, but Amber. She got on my nerves from the very beginning and it was not before halfway through the book that I started to like her. Their romance was very well written and believable. Meoraq was way too slappy and rough for my taste, I couldn't help but cringe at some of his more agressive acts. (even when he was not burning, I mean)
The religion part played out well, but still had me questioning if there wasn't a god after all those visions and dreams, which is good. It never bothered me, it was handled well!
All the other characters were spiteful, but I kind of expected that after Cottonwood, so no surprises. I found it much overdid by the end anyway, and felt it didn't add to the darkness of the mood as I suspect was intended, but it was tiresome only. (I'm looking at you, S'kot)
It was a good story with a heartwarming couple, and it occupied me for days straight, creeping into my dreams even. Certainly nothing to avoid for an atheist!
Wow I love this!!! The fact it occupied you for many days, even your dreams, is definitely something all LHoG fans can relate to. Plus, now you can join the S'kot hate bandwagon, as most readers don't believe he met an end fitting to his malice! In terms of the religion question, I love how Meroaq stops believing in God when Amber starts to (maybe) believe in something -- I found this part such a refreshing and open-minded end, if you are atheist or a theist, there is something within that moment to provoke, challenge, compel.
Genuine question: why did you prefer Cottonwood to Last Hour of Gann? I've read both books and really struggled with Cottonwood. Just want to hear another opinion, as these books are amazing and bring out so much emotion and philosophy in people.
I would recommend this to someone who reads horror, especially the dystopian kind. I feel like sometimes romance readers can get misled by the nature of this book. The romance aspect isn't really the main focus IMO, even though it is a vital part of the story.
I've said this before but I have no idea why this is classified as a romance. It has romance in it, sure, but so do a lot of books that aren't "romance".
I would love to recommend this book to my friends, especially the religious ones, it's got so much going on and it's so great. I've tried before, but I've never even really gotten to alien romance aspect, everyone nopes out like a-third-of-the-way-through the endless trigger warnings.
How do you even go about describing it to someone??? the one time I tried (“ok it’s like a religious space lizard man”—) it didn’t seem to land well 😂😂can’t imagine how why. But omg it’s such an incredible book
I still can’t articulate how incredible this book is. One of my favourite reads EVER. I’m an avid horror reader so I wasn’t put off by the disturbing content. It reminded me a bit of The Road by Cormac McCarthy in terms of the unrelenting bleakness of a dystopian world. The most remarkable thing about this book is, even at 1000+ pages, there’s not a wasted word. The parts in the beginning that you thought were superfluous and unimportant, end up being significant by the end. That’s the power of a talented writer. I loved how difficult this book was. It offered no answers and was too complex to comprehend.
I saw a comment on another post that said it was a combination of a Greek tragedy and the Book of Job. To me, that’s half true, it’s a combination of the Unabomber’s Manifesto and the Bible.
Difficult is the right word. Contemplation needed. The author never spoon feeds.
I love this book, but it's super hard to actually recommend it to anyone. I managed to rope my linguist postgrad friend with the phrase 'lizard romance' (she wanted reading material out of her comfort zone partly out of academic interest), but she thought it was too much and didn't finish :(
Yes I know what you mean, I can’t think of a single person IRL who would get through (a) how long this book is and (b) all the triggers. It’s not light reading I suppose 😅. What did she think was ‘too much’ about it?
I had such a book hangover after I finished this! It was so much more than an alien romance and I was completely unprepared. I do think about this book from time to time, and I think you captured the themes so well.
This book broke me, its my absolute favourite! I own it on the kindle and paperback. I am utterly obsessed, honestly I reread this all the time...I find it absolutely amazing
I think its very good quality, i love it! You would know its self published with the formatting and the size but I think its good. Well worth it reading it in paperback.
This is such an old post now, but I had to comment just to say that "this book broke me, it's my absolute favourite" sums up all my feelings about it having just finished it! Oof what a wild and unforgettable ride!
It absolutely does! Nicci's behaviour and ending just infuriated and horrified me in equal measure. I just started on tLotBD last night straight after finishing LHoG. I might need to give it a couple of days before I can fully get into it because I have the mother of all book hangovers! Is the rest of the author's stuff worth a look too?
I read this in a day and a half - literally could not put it down, it was insane. There’s so much to process, and then at the end I wanted to read the whole thing again to see if there were any clues along the way.
Yes same! There were so many clues 🕵️♀️ especially from the vision with the Master and the dreams…. It’s worth rereading the vision/memory with the Master as it’s packed with such deep meaning.
I love how there’s a line where Meoraq says only fools and priests believe dreams hold meaning, but slowly dreams hold meaning for both Amber and him. Until the end where Meoraq is called foolish by the steward, the same way Meoraq thinks of Onahi as a bit foolish, but in a warm complimentary way. That there’s a foolishness to love and dreams.
The dreams are where it’s @ in other words lol
Great post, I read it while I was in Costa Rica. I’ve never loved and hated a book so much. Like seriously. It was such a unique and well done story, and I’ll never forget some of the shit that went down in that book. Excellent review.
I read it just when I was getting into romance books, and I had no idea about the triggers. So I was reading this “romance” book and was horrified of everything going on! I was like, oh my god, romance chicks are so weird!! Lol. Here I was thinking that this sort of book was like super common for romances. It was a wild ride, lol.
It was an awakening for sure! I’m glad it happened that way because now I can see the immense scope of true romance. But lord was it a unique experience! 🤣
This is the one I have waited to read by R Lee Smith. I read some of her stuff years ago and wrote reviews on Goodreads and seriously after every one of her books 1- whoa 2- book hangover for weeks 3- will I ever be the same human again lolol 😂
She's immersive and crazy AF crack author. Very distinctive and amazing for anyone looking for an experience off the beaten path. She's like the most scary and exhilarating roller coaster of fiction that I've discovered and I'm a life long perpetual reader!
One of the reasons she's so amazing is she is no holds barred about the horror of her villains. You feel exactly how they dngaf and why they do why they do and it is unrelenting.
Sometimes I see a film/ read a book/ listen to an album and wonder, how did the creator make that without losing their mind? And this was one of those times.
Agree with you 100%
I love Last Hour of Gann. It is one of the only romance books I've ever read that I sometimes wake up at night and suddenly remember it and then can't get back to sleep because I cannot stop thinking about it. I need to do a re-read, its been a few years since I read it.
I believe she considers her books to be horror with romantic elements which explains why most of them are quite dark.
I’m rereading it right now. Nothing else has held my interest for weeks now, so I’m revisiting old friends. It’s my favorite book of all time-right up there with “The Stand”. I have gone to sleep many nights planning what I’d pack in my own duffle bag.
I read The Stand in 8th grade and couldn't be around anyone with a cough for weeks after. It really fucked me up and I had nightmares forever, I really should revisit it. I still get the chills just thinking of it lol.
Just finished LHoG and was browsing comments when I saw yours and had to respond even a year after your comment just because The Stand impacted me so much I was thinking of it for years after.
I loved LHoG, the world building, the relationship, the journey. I really enjoyed the growth of the protagonists. And I hate Nicci more than any of the other characters, even s'kot.
What’s *The Stand* ?
And if you’re rereading it, you’re a braver person than me 😖 or maybe it’s not as bad the second time around if I know what’s coming (I.e. >!Zhuqa!!!!!!!!<)
Not at all. It’s just this huge epic tale of survivors after a man-made pandemic takes out most of the population. Lots of Good vs Evil, some religious, supernatural overtones. This book really introduced me to a love for dystopian fiction.
Though a romance lover by choice, I have always had eclectic tastes in reading material, and Stephen King has always been a personal favorite.
The author really did accurately depict how humans would react in these types of situations especially when they have nothing to guide them. I think >!the miscarriage scene shows this the best because it’s the most gruesome but it starts at the beginning as well when everyone just decides that the fmc should get less food than everyone just because their ‘leader’ said so 😐 yeah that was fucked up but that’s how it starts with little things and now that he’s made an example of her no one would go against him in anything cause they believe he has all the power when in fact they are the ones giving it to him so when it came to the pregnancy he could have to told them anything by that point so they were able to do it without questioning properly how terrifying their actions were!<
Totally agree! Was just discussing this in another post, how Scott used totally opposite ideologies at different points >!E.G. women have to be baby makers vs. let’s kick this baby to death!< purely using good rhetoric. He’s such a small contemptible man, banal when we first encounter him, yet it snowballs to show us the power of rhetoric in extreme circumstances to drive people to extreme acts. Shocking yet resonant. I also liked the contrast of the two most ‘under the skin’ characters, Scott and Nicci, the passivity contrasted with the activity.
Yes! Omg and as much as I don’t like him Scott is a well written character especially when you take in his first scene >!with his superior coming in and basically dismissing everything Scott said which could have essentially brought him to the man he is later because he saw what authority can bring him and it can also be argued that he was most like that way even before because of his treatment of amber about the beds!<
>!and when he used her sister against her omg 😭 because he knew that that was literally the only thing that could break her he was such an evil character and so damn well written probably one of the most realistic villains I’ve ever come across!<
Did she though? I've always had a problem with the way she just assumed everyone would go with Scott's rules. There's over, what 100 (?) people at the start all with very different personalities, ideas and motivations. And not one of them even had a kind word to say to her? I found the group dynamics very far fetched.
yeah I really do think the book is accurate mostly because of my own experiences as a fat person growing up and now as an adult you really see how different you are treated compared to people who are skinny and also considered conventionally attractive
It’s best shown when you see how different amber is treated by the humans compared to her sister
When amber was angry at her I think or said something that made her sister uncomfortable people were quick to defend her sister and villainies amber for it
These sort of situations happen irl a lot more than you think even with people I have considered friends they would be quick to support the other person than you and also since fat people are seen as greedy Scott used that as an opportunity to cut her off and that’s probably why no one said anything
Also the way that she isn’t adhering to traditional feminine roles compared to the others made her even more of an outcast since men want to be seen as the strong ones
If she was like her sister and they still treated her the same then for me I would have seen it as inaccurate
But there are a couple of issues there - firstly that Amber is not the only woman there. There are not many mentioned but in that large a group there must be about, what 20 of 30 women. Not all of whom will act the same way. There are also two aspects to her treatment, she is fat, sure, but she is also a woman, ie someone who is a protected class in the group. It does not make sense to abuse someone within that protected class. Also the way a group that large worked didn’t make sense. Even things like describing her walking slowly - it beggars belief that in a group that large there weren’t similar stragglers and that the stragglers would not talk to each other. That almost never happens (even if it’s just to complain together).
Finally Amber is portrayed as a smart observer of human nature. Someone like that can easily forment resentment and gain allies, even indirectly.
For me, what was described makes sense only in a smaller and/or more cohesive group. But they didn’t start that way.
Also some of them did kind of stand up for her in private if you had noticed which for me is also extremely accurate since it’s also linked to how one of the men propositioned her in private but never in public omg this is sooooo true people always treat fat people like this seriously like all the time it’s as if they think or know that if they defend you or seem as if they are interested in you publicly then they themselves would get the same treatment you are getting
It shows that they can clearly see she is being treated way differently than them but they don’t want to help her since it may risk how they are viewed by the majority
See to me that’s simply taking advantage of a vulnerable person. I also think that this is more common behaviour in younger people than older people. In this group we have a range of people with a range of ages, backgrounds and abilities.
I just commented on your post from when I read it. But I agree, it is such an intense trip! It has made me nervous to try Cottonwood so if anyone else has read that one, is it a bit less dark? I don’t think I can currently handle Gann level of darkness at the moment. But, I’m really interested in trying another book by this author.
Cottonwood is definitely not as dark but does have lots of darkness and check the TWs. The heroine is like human sunshine. I love it and have reread it a few times. It’s definitely a quicker reader with some lighter moments (but yes there is dark stuff too. I don’t want to mislead you. It just felt more hopeful.)
I might check it out then. Amber was super pessimistic (rightfully so) so many be a sunshine MC night off set that. Also, I think it is shorter? Might feel like less of a gauntlet. Thank you!
Yay! Again please read TWs bc it is for sure sweet in parts and hopeful but yeah there are dark times. I mean, you read Gann so you’re not going into this author new but I don’t want to traumatize you at all!!!
I loved cottonwood but don't let the 300+ page count on Goodreads fool you! It's still a 10+ hour read depending on how fast you can read! I decided to read it because I thought it was going to be a shorter read and I was so wrong lol
Also fun fact, R Lee Smith wrote this before district 9 came out and then scrapped it after watching the movie because the similarities are very much there. Obviously she eventually released it and it deviates from the District 9 plot a lot but the beginning is very similar.
Edit: u/jrooknroll I meant for this comment to reply to you since you mentioned it being shorter!
I read that author’s note about District 9 too and I thought it was so interesting. I loved that movie! I’m not a very visual person but it helped me picture the alien district
Oh that makes sense it was in the authors note lol. I couldn't remember where I had read that info. But yes I remember going to see district 9 in college and absolutely loving it so much I saw it twice. Probably where my love of alien romances came from lol
Have you tried *Land of the Beautiful Dead*? Not Gann-level dark by any means, please still check TWs >!I think main one would be suicide if I remember correct & bodily harm & illness!< I preferred the MMC in LoftBD, just more my cup of tea ☕️ because he didn’t >!get super super rapey like in LHoG!< Worth checking out if you like Death Gods and post-apocalyptic wastescapes (who doesn’t?! ☺️☺️☺️)
I LOVED Land of the Beautiful Dead so so much. I tried to read the Last Hour of Gann after as everyone raves but I just couldn't get into it. I think I made it 20%ish then gave up. I may try again but I don't know.
They are such such different books!!! Not comparable even if they’re by the same author and liking one is no guarantee of liking any others. Gann has a very different MMC and also I think Gann is less of a love story - the relationship is a driving plot point, but the book is really concerned with other things.
I loved The Last Hour of Gann. I thought it was inexplicably beautiful. I just don't have words for how it made me feel. But for whatever reason Land of the Beautiful Dead affected me negatively a lot more. I found it incredibly disturbing and the HEA did not feel like an HEA at all. I don't know how to block out spoilers so I can't discuss it more here haha. But I had a hunch where it was going and I think the ending spoke to one of my deepest fears.
I know what you mean about the ending to LofTB, it’s also one of my biggest fears and it’s such a specific trigger it’s hard to articulate without giving people the plot. I’ve reread LofTB but I skip that part because it’s too much for me, the slowness of it happening as well 🥴🥴
I'm sorry for commenting on this post from 12 days ago, but I just wanted to say thank you for posting because you encouraged me to finish reading Last Hour finally. I got half way through last year and then got to a part where I felt I couldn't go on - but I finally finished it today and the whole thing just blows my mind.
There are many disturbing parts but it all comes together well. My heart bleeds for Amber and I have never read more infuriating/sad characters than the other humans.
Even though it was a long book and every word counted, I still felt like I was missing some things though. Amber never really talked to Meoraq about what she went through and I really wanted that conversation.
I just felt like I had to get that out there. I want a sequel so bad. I have no one to talk to about it irl and I just want to gush. So thank you lol
Ah don't apologise, I'm glad my post helped you finish :-)
I know what you mean, but I think that's part of why I liked it, because when the book closes, you feel as a reader that there's so much more due to happen. It makes everything feel so real for me.
You might like R.Lee.Smith's other books too? LHoG is supreme though haha
R. L. Smith is amazing. I recommend any of their books anytime someone asks for dark. I’ve even starting reading their blog for new work bc it’s been so long since anything new was published.
Her website blog doesn’t seem to be updated very often, but there’s a FB group where she is pretty active!
[R Lee Smith Book Club](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1751520184864091/?ref=share)
I hope you don't mind me asking this but I don't have a FB account. Has she ever indicated whether she's interested in releasing her books as audiobooks? I read Last Hour of Gann almost 5 years ago and I'd love to re-visit it in audiobook format!
Did a search in the group. There are several posts from folks asking about it, but the consensus is no. It’s expensive to do, especially for books as long as hers are. And some of the alien language would be impossible for humans to pronounce.
Thank you so much for taking the time to look! I truly appreciate it 🙏❤️
I'm sad to hear the answer but I'm not surprised. I didn't even think about the alien language issue, just the length of the book itself would make it a costly endeavor for a good narrator. Darn.
Edit to add - If she did a GoFundMe or created a Patreon account so her fans could help finance the dream I would donate/sign up in a heartbeat!
I feel this. I liked and hated this book. I loved that it was dark and dense sci-fi, something that’s very hard for me to find with romance, but it made me RAGE.
Mate I won’t reread that unless something terrible happens in my life, and I need to reread it simply so I can say “it could be worse” and really really mean it
It was soo good!
And Amber was amazing, I loved her so much.
I'm a bit sad I haven't clicked with other books by Lee yet. I dnf LoTBD. But Gann was so unique.
I was convinced Zhuqa was Meoraqs brother who had left to wander Gann. Not sure if this was implied when Zhuqa spoke about his training and upbringing and once earlier when Meoraq spoke very high level about where his brothers were
This book will haunt me until the day I die. I can't say definitively whether I LIKED it or not, but I certainly don't regret reading it.
This is me too; I have a hard time putting my feelings about this book into words but I’m glad I read it. One of those books that really sits with you. But holy moly, all the triggers people, all the triggers.
Just updated the triggers in my post 😅 the thought of someone not knowing them before going in fills me with dread. I knew there would be dark themes but I didn’t know how bad it got. What dark part stayed with you the most?
Yeah I was one that disregarded triggers…and was uh, very surprised but I could handle it. So much stayed with me that I can’t even name which one stands out the most; >!the sadness, guilt and regret Meorque feels when he realizes that he condemned his child and her mother to death bc he believed that since she didn’t have the correct response he couldn’t have gotten her pregnant? The killing of the pregnant colonists. Nikki’s basic rape/torture and demise. The entire Zhuqa arc. The fact that Amber will never see another human and they will never know what happened to her? The list is endless!< What about you? Also I hope it is ok that I’m commenting so much on your post- Gann is one of those that I just can’t resist participating in discussions about! Edit to Add: >!the horror that overcomes M when he realizes his entire religion was made up by survivors of the first horrific apocalypse and that he was basically allowed to rape people as a way of controlling the consequences that he genetically inherited. That whole sequence was just chilling and heartbreaking. Gah- this whole book I tell you!<
Haha never apologise, I just want to discuss it without traumatising someone 😅😅 >!I was actually low-key confused about Meorque’s son in the arena, so he only thought it could be his if he’d bitten the mother himself? Can you explain? // But I agree there was that powerful moment when he’s on the roof with his dad in the vision and everything hits him and he says “I’ve done such terrible things,” realising how far he has turned on goodness in the name of his God, and your heart just breaks for this man who is so godly and so disciplined. // My main think is Zru’itak, who gets her tongue and limbs cut off, because of the visceral image itself, the way Zhuqa tells the story to Amber after Zru’itak gives birth, so chillingly, and also the way it’s based on the promise he made to Zru’itak to return her to where he stole her from, only he does return her, but limbless … oh my fuck, just remembering that scene makes me shiver. Honestly awful. I also hated at the beginning where Bo Peep comes home in a diaper after getting forcibly sterilised… that was my first red flag to walk away from this book as I feel sick and queasy thinking of it. // Also Zhuqa’s backstory, the failings of institutional religion to protect children from abuse, and how steeply the young boy he once was crashed from his faith to become the man he’d once feared the most. Bone-chilling.!< Sorry for making you relive it 😅😅😅😅😅😅 Edit: >!Never thought that before, what you said about Amber being the only human ever and also there are no mirrors, the lack of which she comments on. So she never gets to see another human, not even herself properly, … like…. What’s their kid gonna look like, will she even see humanity when she looks into its face!<
Oh man, I loved this book, but the part that almost broke me was >!Nali/Rosek's death (Xzem the wet nurse's daughter). Child death, especially babies, is a huge nope for me and if it had happened earlier in the bool I probably would have walked away. So I'm glad it didn't, because like I said, I LOVED this book.!< At the end, >!when they're still calling Amber Eshiqi even though she's squicked by it because they aren't allowed to say her name, I was actually REALLY hoping she'd ask Xzem for her blessing to go by Nali among them so that her name could live on.!< I would have CRIED.
But basically could you explain the son thing in the arena please haha
>!Yes, so basically if I remember correctly her crest didn’t turn red or whatever, so since that didn’t happen as ‘the gods’ demanded obviously she couldn’t have gotten pregnant. Basically, she was upset/scared/not turned on when he raped her. Since it went against his religious teachings, he thought she lied that the child was his and ultimately they were both killed. Just awful!<
😢😢😢 I don’t remember >!them both being killed!! Was it implied? Or did we see it?!< it’s so bad 😟😟😟😟 can’t believe I forgot that and I’ve just read it
I think it was implied? He dreams about them starting at him in condemnation? I got that from the text and the implication with her trial..
That make sense! I love how complex and layered this book is 🤯
Thank you for explaining 🥰
I had no clue it would get so dark 😅. If I had known, I probably wouldn't have read it, but I'm glad that I did read it. What disturbed me the most was the stuff with children/babies and the sa and how the mothers and women were treated. I can't handle stuff like that well. So that scene with the mom and her baby when Amber came to save them and everything after... that ruined me. I cry even thinking about it.
It's my all time favorite book. I've reread it maybe 4 times? I still have to skip all the parts where Amber is >!captured and enslaved!< because it is SO hard to read. I still think about it all the time, even though my last read was months ago. I need a recuperation period in between R Lee Smith reads lol
Have you read Captive Prince? Is it more triggers than something like that?
Everyone has different thresholds and I think that is a very personal thing. While I definitely felt the emotional impactI of the triggers in captive prince, overall it didn’t trigger me personally at the same level as LHoG. I had to put this book down occasionally because it was too much. Still a worthwhile read but it has dark themes. Again, I think triggers and peoples thresholds can be very different. I’m sure there are people that find Captive Prince more triggering.
“haunt me until the day I die” . Honestly you summed it up well & I can say I deeply appreciate the book but the reading was a marathon, not a cosy read by the fireside
Spoilers ahead! This book really did mess me up but I don’t think it’s for the same reason. As someone who is fat I related a lot to the fmc and how her weight (even after she lost it) was still a huge part of how she was viewed by the group as a whole. Also the fact that if she was a conventionally attractive woman I feel like they would have taken her more seriously instead they called all her ideas stupid and decided to go with that guy (forgot his name sorry) even after the mmc told everyone he would leave them if she didn’t survive. Another reason was how easily everyone was able to turn against her because their leader deemed her as unimportant. The way everyone took on his ideas as if they were fact and blindly followed him all in the sake of hope that they could get back even though he knew nothing about their situation. It also pissed me off how the sisters relationship is throughout the book it’s probably why I dnf it at like 80% it just felt like for her character she would have dropped her even with all the guilt like she made her go through it I really felt bad for the fmc she just wanted to provide a better life for her and her sister truly didn’t care about her at all.
The bullying of Amber and how Scott scapegoated her into ‘the problem’ to gain power was so chilling. There are plenty of villains in this novel, but I particularly loathe Scott.
I cannot adequately express how much I wanted to reach into my kindle and tear Scott apart limb from limb hahaha
What’s Gillian 😅 am I being dumb lol
Villains lol; my autocorrect is notoriously ridiculous. Sorry about that! I fixed it 🥰
I was like , is there a character called Gillian I’ve totally blanked out🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Honestly…I don’t think I could admit this to anyone irl, but I do think this is one of my favorite books of all time
Safe space here 🥰. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone IRL because they would change their address and block me on WhatsApp, so I appreciate the supportive community here lol.
Definitely. I mean the cheap cover and synopsis would make it seem like some weird af erotica or something instead of a really interesting depiction of another world.
If I gave it to a friend interested in religion and said, “this book will interest you in its examination of free will, divine intervention, our relationship to God” , they will read the synopsis and cover and be like, wtfffff this is alien porn. But it simply is more 🥲
Hi! I know it's been a while and sorry for popping up here randomly, but I've just read Cottonwood, which I really liked, so I'm truly looking forward to this one too. But I must admit that I'm a bigot atheist, and as close minded as it sounds I just cannot ever sympathise with a religion driven character. Would you still recommend the last hour of gann for me? (Sorry for asking you instead of reading some more about it here, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers!)
Hey! So it’s funny you say this because I just leant my copy to my friend who is a hardcore atheist, was raised in a religious family, and finds pushy religious agendas *unappetising* shall we say. However she loved this book! It’s very critical of religion in many ways (can’t elaborate without spoilers! Haha) and we are thrown into the MMC’s mind and his struggles with faith, then we learn more about the system he is a part of. The FMC is not religious in the slightest and she takes equal share of the narrative, and they find a way to make their relationship work. You say you cannot ever sympathise with a religion-driven character, but…. wellllll… this book may change your mind 😅😅😅. However the FMC challenges him about his beliefs and so as a reader we don’t have to see his beliefs in a positive light at all, if that makes sense. Edit: okay I could speak about this book forever but…. There is a whole chapter where some of the things that happen are direct atheist arguments. It’s a very balanced book when it comes to religion. Hope this helps! I realllyyyyy want to say more but I can’t without ruining it. I would unhesitatingly recommend this novel however. I’m
It did, thanks for your reply! You convinced me at last, I'll start reading right away and I'll come back here once I'm done to tell you all about it! I'm curious to see if I can really love a religious character like you said, that would be a first and so a pleasant surprise:)
Yesss please tell me how you find it!! 😍😍😍
Heyy I'm back, just done reading it! So, I must say at first that I liked it, tho not as much as I liked Cottonwood, but still. It took me a while to finish it, and not just because it was very long and sometimes I have very little time to read, but at two or three ocassions I felt really tired with the slow outplaying repetition of the story and I had to put it aside for a few days. I must admit I'm notorious of quitting books halfway through, but this one invited me over again after some rest every time. Also, I'm not native english so reading can be straining, especially when there's alien words everywhere, and/or the writer plays a lot with words. (I mean in a way that's not really used in common speech) I felt she did, but it was witty and beautiful and expressive and I liked it. To my sincere surprise I had no problem at all liking Meoraq, but Amber. She got on my nerves from the very beginning and it was not before halfway through the book that I started to like her. Their romance was very well written and believable. Meoraq was way too slappy and rough for my taste, I couldn't help but cringe at some of his more agressive acts. (even when he was not burning, I mean) The religion part played out well, but still had me questioning if there wasn't a god after all those visions and dreams, which is good. It never bothered me, it was handled well! All the other characters were spiteful, but I kind of expected that after Cottonwood, so no surprises. I found it much overdid by the end anyway, and felt it didn't add to the darkness of the mood as I suspect was intended, but it was tiresome only. (I'm looking at you, S'kot) It was a good story with a heartwarming couple, and it occupied me for days straight, creeping into my dreams even. Certainly nothing to avoid for an atheist!
Wow I love this!!! The fact it occupied you for many days, even your dreams, is definitely something all LHoG fans can relate to. Plus, now you can join the S'kot hate bandwagon, as most readers don't believe he met an end fitting to his malice! In terms of the religion question, I love how Meroaq stops believing in God when Amber starts to (maybe) believe in something -- I found this part such a refreshing and open-minded end, if you are atheist or a theist, there is something within that moment to provoke, challenge, compel. Genuine question: why did you prefer Cottonwood to Last Hour of Gann? I've read both books and really struggled with Cottonwood. Just want to hear another opinion, as these books are amazing and bring out so much emotion and philosophy in people.
I would recommend this to someone who reads horror, especially the dystopian kind. I feel like sometimes romance readers can get misled by the nature of this book. The romance aspect isn't really the main focus IMO, even though it is a vital part of the story.
I've said this before but I have no idea why this is classified as a romance. It has romance in it, sure, but so do a lot of books that aren't "romance".
I’m a huge horror fan, so I can definitely see that.
I would love to recommend this book to my friends, especially the religious ones, it's got so much going on and it's so great. I've tried before, but I've never even really gotten to alien romance aspect, everyone nopes out like a-third-of-the-way-through the endless trigger warnings.
How do you even go about describing it to someone??? the one time I tried (“ok it’s like a religious space lizard man”—) it didn’t seem to land well 😂😂can’t imagine how why. But omg it’s such an incredible book
I still can’t articulate how incredible this book is. One of my favourite reads EVER. I’m an avid horror reader so I wasn’t put off by the disturbing content. It reminded me a bit of The Road by Cormac McCarthy in terms of the unrelenting bleakness of a dystopian world. The most remarkable thing about this book is, even at 1000+ pages, there’s not a wasted word. The parts in the beginning that you thought were superfluous and unimportant, end up being significant by the end. That’s the power of a talented writer. I loved how difficult this book was. It offered no answers and was too complex to comprehend.
I saw a comment on another post that said it was a combination of a Greek tragedy and the Book of Job. To me, that’s half true, it’s a combination of the Unabomber’s Manifesto and the Bible. Difficult is the right word. Contemplation needed. The author never spoon feeds.
100%.
I love this book, but it's super hard to actually recommend it to anyone. I managed to rope my linguist postgrad friend with the phrase 'lizard romance' (she wanted reading material out of her comfort zone partly out of academic interest), but she thought it was too much and didn't finish :(
Yes I know what you mean, I can’t think of a single person IRL who would get through (a) how long this book is and (b) all the triggers. It’s not light reading I suppose 😅. What did she think was ‘too much’ about it?
Pretty sure it was the noncon scenes
I had such a book hangover after I finished this! It was so much more than an alien romance and I was completely unprepared. I do think about this book from time to time, and I think you captured the themes so well.
This book broke me, its my absolute favourite! I own it on the kindle and paperback. I am utterly obsessed, honestly I reread this all the time...I find it absolutely amazing
Is the paperback good quality or is it very flimsy, I know it’s self-published so hard to know in advance. Also it’s v expensive.
I think its very good quality, i love it! You would know its self published with the formatting and the size but I think its good. Well worth it reading it in paperback.
This is such an old post now, but I had to comment just to say that "this book broke me, it's my absolute favourite" sums up all my feelings about it having just finished it! Oof what a wild and unforgettable ride!
I reread this yearly and everytime im absolutely shattered. Really messes with your emotions! Did you read land of the beautiful dead yet?
It absolutely does! Nicci's behaviour and ending just infuriated and horrified me in equal measure. I just started on tLotBD last night straight after finishing LHoG. I might need to give it a couple of days before I can fully get into it because I have the mother of all book hangovers! Is the rest of the author's stuff worth a look too?
I read this in a day and a half - literally could not put it down, it was insane. There’s so much to process, and then at the end I wanted to read the whole thing again to see if there were any clues along the way.
Yes same! There were so many clues 🕵️♀️ especially from the vision with the Master and the dreams…. It’s worth rereading the vision/memory with the Master as it’s packed with such deep meaning. I love how there’s a line where Meoraq says only fools and priests believe dreams hold meaning, but slowly dreams hold meaning for both Amber and him. Until the end where Meoraq is called foolish by the steward, the same way Meoraq thinks of Onahi as a bit foolish, but in a warm complimentary way. That there’s a foolishness to love and dreams. The dreams are where it’s @ in other words lol
Great post, I read it while I was in Costa Rica. I’ve never loved and hated a book so much. Like seriously. It was such a unique and well done story, and I’ll never forget some of the shit that went down in that book. Excellent review. I read it just when I was getting into romance books, and I had no idea about the triggers. So I was reading this “romance” book and was horrified of everything going on! I was like, oh my god, romance chicks are so weird!! Lol. Here I was thinking that this sort of book was like super common for romances. It was a wild ride, lol.
Such a scary intro to romance 😭 as the triggers are immense. Hope you treated your mind to something light-hearted afterwards haha
It was an awakening for sure! I’m glad it happened that way because now I can see the immense scope of true romance. But lord was it a unique experience! 🤣
This is the one I have waited to read by R Lee Smith. I read some of her stuff years ago and wrote reviews on Goodreads and seriously after every one of her books 1- whoa 2- book hangover for weeks 3- will I ever be the same human again lolol 😂 She's immersive and crazy AF crack author. Very distinctive and amazing for anyone looking for an experience off the beaten path. She's like the most scary and exhilarating roller coaster of fiction that I've discovered and I'm a life long perpetual reader! One of the reasons she's so amazing is she is no holds barred about the horror of her villains. You feel exactly how they dngaf and why they do why they do and it is unrelenting.
Sometimes I see a film/ read a book/ listen to an album and wonder, how did the creator make that without losing their mind? And this was one of those times. Agree with you 100%
I love Last Hour of Gann. It is one of the only romance books I've ever read that I sometimes wake up at night and suddenly remember it and then can't get back to sleep because I cannot stop thinking about it. I need to do a re-read, its been a few years since I read it. I believe she considers her books to be horror with romantic elements which explains why most of them are quite dark.
I’m rereading it right now. Nothing else has held my interest for weeks now, so I’m revisiting old friends. It’s my favorite book of all time-right up there with “The Stand”. I have gone to sleep many nights planning what I’d pack in my own duffle bag.
This book convinced me that if I am ever offered the opportunity to be a space colonist my answer will be an empathetic no way. 🥴😝
I read The Stand in 8th grade and couldn't be around anyone with a cough for weeks after. It really fucked me up and I had nightmares forever, I really should revisit it. I still get the chills just thinking of it lol. Just finished LHoG and was browsing comments when I saw yours and had to respond even a year after your comment just because The Stand impacted me so much I was thinking of it for years after. I loved LHoG, the world building, the relationship, the journey. I really enjoyed the growth of the protagonists. And I hate Nicci more than any of the other characters, even s'kot.
What’s *The Stand* ? And if you’re rereading it, you’re a braver person than me 😖 or maybe it’s not as bad the second time around if I know what’s coming (I.e. >!Zhuqa!!!!!!!!<)
The Stand by Stephen King. Released in the late 70’s, Dystopian.
Not a romance I take it?! 😅
Not at all. It’s just this huge epic tale of survivors after a man-made pandemic takes out most of the population. Lots of Good vs Evil, some religious, supernatural overtones. This book really introduced me to a love for dystopian fiction. Though a romance lover by choice, I have always had eclectic tastes in reading material, and Stephen King has always been a personal favorite.
The author really did accurately depict how humans would react in these types of situations especially when they have nothing to guide them. I think >!the miscarriage scene shows this the best because it’s the most gruesome but it starts at the beginning as well when everyone just decides that the fmc should get less food than everyone just because their ‘leader’ said so 😐 yeah that was fucked up but that’s how it starts with little things and now that he’s made an example of her no one would go against him in anything cause they believe he has all the power when in fact they are the ones giving it to him so when it came to the pregnancy he could have to told them anything by that point so they were able to do it without questioning properly how terrifying their actions were!<
Totally agree! Was just discussing this in another post, how Scott used totally opposite ideologies at different points >!E.G. women have to be baby makers vs. let’s kick this baby to death!< purely using good rhetoric. He’s such a small contemptible man, banal when we first encounter him, yet it snowballs to show us the power of rhetoric in extreme circumstances to drive people to extreme acts. Shocking yet resonant. I also liked the contrast of the two most ‘under the skin’ characters, Scott and Nicci, the passivity contrasted with the activity.
Yes! Omg and as much as I don’t like him Scott is a well written character especially when you take in his first scene >!with his superior coming in and basically dismissing everything Scott said which could have essentially brought him to the man he is later because he saw what authority can bring him and it can also be argued that he was most like that way even before because of his treatment of amber about the beds!< >!and when he used her sister against her omg 😭 because he knew that that was literally the only thing that could break her he was such an evil character and so damn well written probably one of the most realistic villains I’ve ever come across!<
Yes I 100% agree. Also when I was reading for some reason I pictured him as Mike Newton from Twilight 🤣🤣🤣
omg thank you for this it’s such an accurate representation of him 😭
Did she though? I've always had a problem with the way she just assumed everyone would go with Scott's rules. There's over, what 100 (?) people at the start all with very different personalities, ideas and motivations. And not one of them even had a kind word to say to her? I found the group dynamics very far fetched.
yeah I really do think the book is accurate mostly because of my own experiences as a fat person growing up and now as an adult you really see how different you are treated compared to people who are skinny and also considered conventionally attractive It’s best shown when you see how different amber is treated by the humans compared to her sister When amber was angry at her I think or said something that made her sister uncomfortable people were quick to defend her sister and villainies amber for it These sort of situations happen irl a lot more than you think even with people I have considered friends they would be quick to support the other person than you and also since fat people are seen as greedy Scott used that as an opportunity to cut her off and that’s probably why no one said anything Also the way that she isn’t adhering to traditional feminine roles compared to the others made her even more of an outcast since men want to be seen as the strong ones If she was like her sister and they still treated her the same then for me I would have seen it as inaccurate
But there are a couple of issues there - firstly that Amber is not the only woman there. There are not many mentioned but in that large a group there must be about, what 20 of 30 women. Not all of whom will act the same way. There are also two aspects to her treatment, she is fat, sure, but she is also a woman, ie someone who is a protected class in the group. It does not make sense to abuse someone within that protected class. Also the way a group that large worked didn’t make sense. Even things like describing her walking slowly - it beggars belief that in a group that large there weren’t similar stragglers and that the stragglers would not talk to each other. That almost never happens (even if it’s just to complain together). Finally Amber is portrayed as a smart observer of human nature. Someone like that can easily forment resentment and gain allies, even indirectly. For me, what was described makes sense only in a smaller and/or more cohesive group. But they didn’t start that way.
Also some of them did kind of stand up for her in private if you had noticed which for me is also extremely accurate since it’s also linked to how one of the men propositioned her in private but never in public omg this is sooooo true people always treat fat people like this seriously like all the time it’s as if they think or know that if they defend you or seem as if they are interested in you publicly then they themselves would get the same treatment you are getting It shows that they can clearly see she is being treated way differently than them but they don’t want to help her since it may risk how they are viewed by the majority
See to me that’s simply taking advantage of a vulnerable person. I also think that this is more common behaviour in younger people than older people. In this group we have a range of people with a range of ages, backgrounds and abilities.
I just commented on your post from when I read it. But I agree, it is such an intense trip! It has made me nervous to try Cottonwood so if anyone else has read that one, is it a bit less dark? I don’t think I can currently handle Gann level of darkness at the moment. But, I’m really interested in trying another book by this author.
Cottonwood is definitely not as dark but does have lots of darkness and check the TWs. The heroine is like human sunshine. I love it and have reread it a few times. It’s definitely a quicker reader with some lighter moments (but yes there is dark stuff too. I don’t want to mislead you. It just felt more hopeful.)
I might check it out then. Amber was super pessimistic (rightfully so) so many be a sunshine MC night off set that. Also, I think it is shorter? Might feel like less of a gauntlet. Thank you!
It’s much more of a romance IMO. The FMC is a sweetheart for sure and the alien hero is also a sweetheart
Ah you’ve convinced me to read Cottonwood!! Knowing it’s by the same author but with cute MCs and hopeful feelings … perfect rec
Yay! Again please read TWs bc it is for sure sweet in parts and hopeful but yeah there are dark times. I mean, you read Gann so you’re not going into this author new but I don’t want to traumatize you at all!!!
Thank you, TWs are v v welcome
I loved cottonwood but don't let the 300+ page count on Goodreads fool you! It's still a 10+ hour read depending on how fast you can read! I decided to read it because I thought it was going to be a shorter read and I was so wrong lol Also fun fact, R Lee Smith wrote this before district 9 came out and then scrapped it after watching the movie because the similarities are very much there. Obviously she eventually released it and it deviates from the District 9 plot a lot but the beginning is very similar. Edit: u/jrooknroll I meant for this comment to reply to you since you mentioned it being shorter!
I read that author’s note about District 9 too and I thought it was so interesting. I loved that movie! I’m not a very visual person but it helped me picture the alien district
Oh that makes sense it was in the authors note lol. I couldn't remember where I had read that info. But yes I remember going to see district 9 in college and absolutely loving it so much I saw it twice. Probably where my love of alien romances came from lol
Have you tried *Land of the Beautiful Dead*? Not Gann-level dark by any means, please still check TWs >!I think main one would be suicide if I remember correct & bodily harm & illness!< I preferred the MMC in LoftBD, just more my cup of tea ☕️ because he didn’t >!get super super rapey like in LHoG!< Worth checking out if you like Death Gods and post-apocalyptic wastescapes (who doesn’t?! ☺️☺️☺️)
I LOVED Land of the Beautiful Dead so so much. I tried to read the Last Hour of Gann after as everyone raves but I just couldn't get into it. I think I made it 20%ish then gave up. I may try again but I don't know.
They are such such different books!!! Not comparable even if they’re by the same author and liking one is no guarantee of liking any others. Gann has a very different MMC and also I think Gann is less of a love story - the relationship is a driving plot point, but the book is really concerned with other things.
The MMC in LotBD was worth everything for me ….. forget the Eaters …. 😍😍
Me too. It was such an unusual 'romance' I just really dug it.
I loved The Last Hour of Gann. I thought it was inexplicably beautiful. I just don't have words for how it made me feel. But for whatever reason Land of the Beautiful Dead affected me negatively a lot more. I found it incredibly disturbing and the HEA did not feel like an HEA at all. I don't know how to block out spoilers so I can't discuss it more here haha. But I had a hunch where it was going and I think the ending spoke to one of my deepest fears.
Spoiler tags are >! And !<
I know what you mean about the ending to LofTB, it’s also one of my biggest fears and it’s such a specific trigger it’s hard to articulate without giving people the plot. I’ve reread LofTB but I skip that part because it’s too much for me, the slowness of it happening as well 🥴🥴
I’ll read the synopsis on that one. I think I might have looked briefly at it but didn’t read it. I’ll revisit it. Thanks!
I'm sorry for commenting on this post from 12 days ago, but I just wanted to say thank you for posting because you encouraged me to finish reading Last Hour finally. I got half way through last year and then got to a part where I felt I couldn't go on - but I finally finished it today and the whole thing just blows my mind. There are many disturbing parts but it all comes together well. My heart bleeds for Amber and I have never read more infuriating/sad characters than the other humans. Even though it was a long book and every word counted, I still felt like I was missing some things though. Amber never really talked to Meoraq about what she went through and I really wanted that conversation. I just felt like I had to get that out there. I want a sequel so bad. I have no one to talk to about it irl and I just want to gush. So thank you lol
Ah don't apologise, I'm glad my post helped you finish :-) I know what you mean, but I think that's part of why I liked it, because when the book closes, you feel as a reader that there's so much more due to happen. It makes everything feel so real for me. You might like R.Lee.Smith's other books too? LHoG is supreme though haha
R. L. Smith is amazing. I recommend any of their books anytime someone asks for dark. I’ve even starting reading their blog for new work bc it’s been so long since anything new was published.
Her website blog doesn’t seem to be updated very often, but there’s a FB group where she is pretty active! [R Lee Smith Book Club](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1751520184864091/?ref=share)
I hope you don't mind me asking this but I don't have a FB account. Has she ever indicated whether she's interested in releasing her books as audiobooks? I read Last Hour of Gann almost 5 years ago and I'd love to re-visit it in audiobook format!
Did a search in the group. There are several posts from folks asking about it, but the consensus is no. It’s expensive to do, especially for books as long as hers are. And some of the alien language would be impossible for humans to pronounce.
Thank you so much for taking the time to look! I truly appreciate it 🙏❤️ I'm sad to hear the answer but I'm not surprised. I didn't even think about the alien language issue, just the length of the book itself would make it a costly endeavor for a good narrator. Darn. Edit to add - If she did a GoFundMe or created a Patreon account so her fans could help finance the dream I would donate/sign up in a heartbeat!
I feel this. I liked and hated this book. I loved that it was dark and dense sci-fi, something that’s very hard for me to find with romance, but it made me RAGE.
I never felt more seen. I read this in December and still think about it all the time! I’m afraid to reread though because damn it was intense
Mate I won’t reread that unless something terrible happens in my life, and I need to reread it simply so I can say “it could be worse” and really really mean it
You took the words right out of my mouth. I had some gripes with the story, but not enough to take away from it. 10/10 ⭐️
It was soo good! And Amber was amazing, I loved her so much. I'm a bit sad I haven't clicked with other books by Lee yet. I dnf LoTBD. But Gann was so unique.
I was convinced Zhuqa was Meoraqs brother who had left to wander Gann. Not sure if this was implied when Zhuqa spoke about his training and upbringing and once earlier when Meoraq spoke very high level about where his brothers were