The Last Four Things

By: Paul Hoffman

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

The epic story of Thomas Cale - introduced so memorably in The Left Hand of God - continues as the Redeemers use his prodigious gifts to further their sacred goal: the extinction of humankind and the end of the world. To the warrior-monks known as the Redeemers, who rule over massive armies of child slaves, "the last four things" represent the culmination of a faithful life. Death. Judgement. Heaven. Hell. The last four things represent eternal bliss - or endless destruction, permanent chaos, and infinite pain.

Perhaps nowhere are the competing ideas of heaven and hell exhibited more clearly than in the dark and tormented soul of Thomas Cale. Betrayed by his beloved but still marked by a child's innocence, possessed of a remarkable aptitude for violence but capable of extreme tenderness, Cale will lead the Redeemers into a battle for nothing less than the fate of the human race. And though his broken heart foretells the bloody trail he will leave in pursuit of a personal peace he can never achieve, a glimmer of hope remains. The question even Cale can't answer: When it comes time to decide the fate of the world, to ensure the extermination of humankind or spare it, what will he choose? To express God's will on the edge of his sword, or to forgive his fellow man - and himself?

Also listen to The Left Hand of God.

©2011 Paul Hoffman (P)2011 Penguin Audio

Hmmmm

the first book was fantastic the second book seems to be thinking a lot. I liked it. but felt he was well thinking alot.

Not as good as first book but still good

The first book was great and I really wanted this one to get there but it never did. I hope the series picks back up in book three.

Great Book Series

Compelling characters. Compelling narrative. Compelling voice.

This book tells the story of Thomas Cale, who's now been captured by the ancient Christian cult that cultivated so muchtrauma in his past, is forced to assist these brutal killers wit his brilliant stategic mind

I love this book series.

Good Story, Good reader....almost.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, the plot and charters are well done.

Did Steve West do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, he does characters well. However He does not pause between scene changes. It can be confusing and take a moment to figure out that he has moved on to another character.

Worth the wait

Enjoyed Hoffman's second installment. Great pacing, nice character development and a plot that truly evolves in a second novel rather than just being a transitional book setting up a conclusive third. Steve West's narration was as enjoyable as the first. This rating fell short of 5 stars due to some irritating inconsistencies with the protagonist's abilities ( ex: his mentor reaches out and connects with a surprising backhand....this sort of martial blow is supposed to be impossible to land according to the first book) and some illogical blindness of the characters. But all in all, I'm looking forward to the next book. Enjoy

Amazing series

One of my favorite series of all time the audio makes it come alive. Such an amazing story.

Same author?

Ok, it wasn't that different from writing from the first book--but it took a very different tact and had a very different feel.

It reminded me of Herodotus. And I don't mean 'creating an entirely new genre or field of study,' but rather a 'somewhat droll account of the military and political conflict of a multitude of small nations.' It felt very different from the first book that invested you more in the main characters and made you care and root for them. I didn't care much about the characters during this book.

In fact, I lost interest and I nearly gave up before half way through. Then Hoffman introduced a couple of interesting nuggets (I'll obfuscate to avoid spoilers): mostly about the Redeemers' religion, hinting at a logical reason for why it both resembles yet differs from Christianity, and later describing a gender related scandal (which isn't very interesting in this book, but I'm guessing will tie into a larger and more interesting theme or event in the third book).

All in all I will probably read the third book if it comes out anytime soon. So I guess I'd recommend reading this one--if you liked the first one as much as I did--if only to bridge the gap between the first and third books.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed Hoffman will go someplace interesting with the hints he dropped and get us reinvested in the characters.

Extremely dull

What would have made The Last Four Things better?

A different narrator.

Has The Last Four Things turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not to this genre, but it has turned me off to this series. I admit I do want to know how it's all going to end but if the next book is a boring as this one, I will be extremely disappointed. Not sure if I'll end up buying it or not.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was horribly monotone. The characters all had virtually the same voice. I can appreciate that quite a number of them has different accents which I definitely liked, but it still sounded much the same from character to character.

Any additional comments?

I loved the first book of the series, but this one seemed to be nothing more than a lead up to the third one. The "action sequences" were nothing like the first book. This book was more plotting, planning, and politics and I was bored out of my mind. The only time I was happy was when it was over.

Horrible reading

Read the first book as paperback, and was exited finding second book in audible. What a disappointment! Could not listen more than half an hour...