The Last Hero

Rating:
Summary: 1st-quality Saint.
Review: (Also known as The Saint Closes the Case.) This book takes place in the early days of the Saint's career, when Scotland Yard still had no proof of his identity, and he still had the last of his original crew of adventurers (the other "wearers of the halo") with him: Roger Conway, Patricia Holm, and Norman Kent. The Saint in those days still pursued his career mainly for love of "battle, murder, and sudden death" - that is, adventure for adventure's sake. "He also...had heard the sound of the trumpet, and had moved ever afterwards in the echoes of the sound of the trumpet, in such a mighty clamour of romance that one of his friends had been moved to call him the last hero, in desperately earnest jest." This book introduces Prince Rudolf (later seen in Getaway), and is also the first appearance of Rayt Marius (international arms dealer, although the term doesn't do him justice). Briefly, Marius is trying to acquire a new, horrible weapon from an English scientist to sell to the prince. Templar and the other Saints are trying to prevent *anyone* from getting the weapon...

If possible, this should be read before The Avenging Saint (a.k.a. Knight Templar), which is a continuation of the story begun by The Last Hero. Both books are part of The Saint: Five Complete Novels (Avenel, 1983), if you can find a copy.

Rating:
Summary: The Most Thrilling Adventures of the Young Saint
Review: This is the first round of the Saint vs his arch-enemies Rayt Marius & Prince Rudolf, continued on "Knight Templar" (a.k.a. "The Avenging Saint").

Although this "The Last Hero" still has the shortcoming that the style is rather long-winded, I bet it is the best of the Saint stories. I really enjoyed adventure after adventure of young Simon Templar and his jolly friends. Anyway it is much better than its continuation. In "Knight Templar", the enemy's plan was rather vague that made the whole story less thrilling. But in "The Last Hero", the subject is plain and simple; a fight for a devilish invention of a mad scientist. The story is much more thrilling and full of actions and wits. And the characters are much more vivid; Simon is so youthful and dynamic, his friends are so amiable, Marius is so ferocious and formidable, and Prince Rudolf's inhuman calmness heightened the tension of the climax.

Rating:
Summary: The Most Thrilling Adventures of the Young Saint
Review: This is the first round of the Saint vs his arch-enemies Rayt Marius & Prince Rudolf, continued on "Knight Templar" (a.k.a. "The Avenging Saint").

Although this "The Last Hero" still has the shortcoming that the style is rather long-winded, I bet it is the best of the Saint stories. I really enjoyed adventure after adventure of young Simon Templar and his jolly friends. Anyway it is much better than its continuation. In "Knight Templar", the enemy's plan was rather vague that made the whole story less thrilling. But in "The Last Hero", the subject is plain and simple; a fight for a devilish invention of a mad scientist. The story is much more thrilling and full of actions and wits. And the characters are much more vivid; Simon is so youthful and dynamic, his friends are so amiable, Marius is so ferocious and formidable, and Prince Rudolf's inhuman calmness heightened the tension of the climax.