The Last Page is the most unexpectedly good novel I've read this year and is a remarkable debut from a daring author. Technology and High Fantasy come together to create a symphonic novel of a high order. This review is going to be kept short because the less you know about this book the bigger the impact it will have. I had some preconceived notions about what this book was and all of them turned out wrong except for thinking the story would be good and it somehow had Steampunk elements.The story begins in a high class school where Caliph is studying in anticipation of becoming a ruler to his country because of succession. This is not another Harry Potter riff. Only the first part of the book takes place in the school and magic is just one small part of what they teach although intricate to the plot as it develops. The form of magic they teach is called Holomorphy and is seen as high magic mixed with mathematics giving it a light as a science albeit a dark one. The story actually gets much more exciting once Caliph leaves school and takes on the yoke of leadership while dealing with powers seeking to overthrow him. Sena especially comes alive on her journey.
"Forbidden by most governments, silenced through flames that had once danced on great piles of holomorphic lore, slowly, very slowly, holomorphy was being practiced again. Opportunist seeking an edge in business, politics--they had begun drawing blood."
The Last Page is filled to brim with new ideas and is a sumptuous baroque delight of horrors, wonders, and real people. More than once I had to sit back and absorb all that had just happened. The style does take a while to get used to as unusual words and even non-English fonts or glyphs are used for some words. This threw me for a while and even the footnotes didn't seem to help much, but it all adds to making this world more believable and absorbing. I could see this turning off some readers, but I can only suggest you persevere if this becomes a problem. Another issue was the map included didn't show enough of the land where a lot of the action takes place.
Caliph is at once a protagonist you want to root for while also a character one might like to take to the side to smack some sense into. Sena is the women every man wants and every women despises. Things come easily to her. Almost too easily as she has a taste for the forbidden and arcane. The relationships created are utterly convincing and whether I loved or hated a character I had to know where each and everyone of them ended up. Huso gives his characters a path and than sets it ablaze in the name of identifying what love is and what someone would do for the one they love. This is not Steampunk, but it does use the devices such as zeppelins as aesthetic in a world that feels very natural and sets an atmosphere unlike any Fantasy novel before. Huso has an immense talent for creating wonders and playing with language and emotions.
The Last Page is overflowing with poetic prose that beckons you further into this world and into the minds of the main characters. Sena stands as one of most beguiling and attractive characters that have come in ages. Caliph who's stuck playing a role foisted upon him shows unexpected ruthlessness and yet a tenderness as well. The Last Page is a remarkable debut that shouldn't be missed with a very satisfying climax. I give The Last Page 9 out of 10 hats. I urge my readers to discover what an unkind and wondrous world Huso has concocted. The Last Page is the first half of a duology with the follow-up Black Bottle scheduled for a 2011 release. Between Huso and Tregillis Tor is knocking me out with their stellar debuts this year.
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