Rating: 
Summary: Historical fiction doesn't get any better than this.
Review: Compulsively readable, thrilling story, vivid evocation of darkest Africa and a potrait of Henry Morgan Stanley that leaps right of the page and grabs you by the throat, this story of the insane expedtion to rescue Emin Pasha's people from the conquering dervishes is everything you want a serious book of historical fiction to be. Especially recommended for those interested in the literature of exploration and discovery into land's unkown in the Western world in the 19th century. How many 700+ page books are you sorry to see come to an end? This is such a one. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best biographical period novels I have ever read
Review: don't have the time or motivation to write a contest quality review-just want to say that I highly recommend this book. I love Forbath's writing and the scope of the story he relates is quite engaging. I liked it so much that I have been trying to locate copies to give to friends as gifts. Help from anyone who reads this would be much appreciated
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read, wish highschool history was written this way
Review: I actually picked this book out of a Supermarket discount bin. After I read it I sent it to most of my framily. Great novel. Strongly suggest reading it for psuedo history buffs and fiction/adventure fans.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Writing and Characterization
Review: I won't repeat what others have said, but this is the most well-written historical fiction--or fictionalized history--I can remember reading. I'd love to see it made into a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Writing and Characterization
Review: I won't repeat what others have said, but this is the most well-written historical fiction--or fictionalized history--I can remember reading. I'd love to see it made into a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Seldom, if ever, does a book capture you this thoroughly...
Review: Not many novels have the effect of this one. If I have to pick a 'prequel' to Robert Ruark's _Something of Value_ than it is surely this one. If you like Forbath's, then read Ruark's!
_The Last Hero_ sweeps you away to a time when honor and ego and plain old guts -- combined with the vast heart of unexplored Africa meant adventure. I read this novel in amazement, at the rich characterization, the lavish settings, the graphic narrative; only to be further amazed when I learned that this wasn't a mere work of historical fiction, but rather a fictionalized account of real events.
Read it. You won't find many novels that do this. Serious business, deep in the Congo Ituri rainforest, late 19th century...no one can hear you scream.
Kurt W. Wagner
kwagner@gti.net
Rating:
Summary: Seldom, if ever, does a book capture you this thoroughly...
Review: Not many novels have the effect of this one. If I have to pick a 'prequel' to Robert Ruark's _Something of Value_ than it is surely this one. If you like Forbath's, then read Ruark's! _The Last Hero_ sweeps you away to a time when honor and ego and plain old guts -- combined with the vast heart of unexplored Africa meant adventure. I read this novel in amazement, at the rich characterization, the lavish settings, the graphic narrative; only to be further amazed when I learned that this wasn't a mere work of historical fiction, but rather a fictionalized account of real events. Read it. You won't find many novels that do this. Serious business, deep in the Congo Ituri rainforest, late 19th century...no one can hear you scream. Kurt W. Wagner kwagner@gti.net
Rating:
Summary: Hold on for the adventure of your life!
Review: Probably the most amazing book I've ever read. I learned that we as humans can take much more than we think. How many times can I be on the edge of death and survive? In the midst of extreme danger, in the middle of an African Jungle, with death imminent, why would you insist on "Tea Time". The answers are here. You just won't believe all this could happen, but it did.
Rating:
Summary: William E. Van Gieson cwvgee@aol.com
Review: The best, and I mean that exactly, the best adventure book for adults ever, and I mean that exactly, ever written.
My friend and I constantly recommend books to each other, and one or the other of us will say, "It's a good book but..." and the other will always respond "...it's not The Last Hero"
Put this book down and you will not sleep until you pick it up again. I am on my fifth read, and I am sure that it will not be my last. There are images and moments that I will never forget. I cannot believe that anyone allowed this book to go out of stock. Find it, steal it, read it, you will not be sorry
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Written Historic Novel
Review: The story told in "The Last Hero" is that of Sir Henry Morton Stanley (of "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" fame, but that's another story) who, in 1885 organized and led a mission to rescue Emin Pasha, governor of Equatoria, the southernmost province of the Egyptian Sudan, which was surrounded by the Mahdist uprising. Amazingly, Stanley decided to approach Equatoria from the Atlantic side of Africa by going up the Congo river and overland through central African forest. The expedition crossed hundreds of miles of then-unknown Africa, encountering every obstacle and difficulty along the way. The eventual end of the mission is one of history's great ironies, but I don't want to give anything away. "The Last Hero" is a very well-written adventure story, all the more interesting because it is true. My only complaint (a very minor one) concerns the absence of notes and bibliography which could have given some historical documentation and sources. Another good book is "The River Congo: The Discovery, Exploration and Exploitation of the World's Most Dramatic River" (nonfiction) which is also by Peter Forbath (a journalist who reported on Africa). Henry Morton Stanley was also a bestselling author, he wrote: "How I Found Livingstone" (1872); "Through the Dark Continent" (1878); and "In Darkest Africa" (1890).
| 
