Review: The Last Philosopher Part 1 and 2 by Nick East

I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

‘Before everything, it’s assumed there was nothing, but what if there was no real difference between the two? Just two extreme philosophies from the first conflict.

‘The planet Huom has been under observation for longer than should technically be possible. The primary watcher, a bitter black hole, is excited to see that there is finally a proverbial Darkness at the end of the tunnel.

‘Meanwhile, on the planet, in the freezing mountains of Empris, Lyeasrakardsul, the oldest living sorcerer, suffers from devastating nightmares. At the same time, far away in the sandstone desert of Zenon, Herschel, a man filled to the brim with weird ideas, is escaping a prison filled with strange old men.

‘What does all this have to do with arsehole Gods, hairy Dwarves, frustrated Afreets, curious Knomes, lizard-women, and nude Áettar? Perhaps Nothing, perhaps Everything… but why can’t it be both?

‘In part two, the story continues as the mysterious warden of Zig-Zig is eventually informed about Herschel’s escape.

‘Against every principle of his precious Dalmicir school, Lyeasrakardsul submits and asks the Knomes for help with his nightmares. And a mysterious chicken thief is arrested and brought to the town of Stagna, where he has been prejudged as a p-e-r-v-e-r-t by popular opinion. As it happens, Stagna is also where he will have some of the most significant encounters in his life.’

In The Last Philosopher Part 1 and 2, by Nick East, we’re introduced to the planet of Huom: home to long-lived sorcerers, imprisoned philosophers, ingenious “Knomes”, ordinary folk with varying proportions of human-ness, and all manner of other mix-and-match beings.

Planetside, there are three storylines we follow: sorcerer Lyeasrakardsul, headmaster of the school of Dalcimir in the city of Pentakl, has recently been plagued by dreams of darkness and is on the brink of betraying his principles and asking the Knomes for help; philosopher Herschel is on the run after escaping the not-particularly-secure desert prison of Zig-Zig; and Earl Westman, marshal of the town of Stagma, is preparing to catch a notorious chicken thief (and alleged pervert) and bring him to justice.

Herschel and Earl’s storylines collide when (as you’ve probably guessed) it transpires the escapee is the one who’s been stealing chickens for substenance. The lawman and his young adult daughter Charlie grow quite attached to Herschel as he awaits trial, even if he does ask perplexing questions and seem ambivalent to the prospect of capital punishment. Lyeasrakardsul, meanwhile, gets to the point where he’s able to present a puzzling and worrying prophecy to his fellow headmasters.

I found these initial instalments of The Last Philosopher very intriguing and amusing! While Lyeasrakardsul’s chapters have a more cerebral feel, and fill us in on how sorcery functions on Huom (spoiler: there’s a lot of regulation, and a long and complex history of different factions), Earl’s chapters are more boots-on-the-ground, while Herschel bridges the two focusses.

The divisions between sorcerers, the criminalisation of thinkers, and the encroaching Darkness that haunts Lyeasrakardsul’s dreams are highly inspired. The author clearly had a lot of fun imagining what a prison full of philosophers would be like, and I appreciated the provision of maps and floorplans throughout the book.

At the same time, East isn’t afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve, with the all-male sorcerer institution, sensible and sympathetic law enforcer, well-frequented pub, and inventive little guys putting me in mind of Terry Pratchett, while the sentient black hole gave me a bit of a Douglas Adams vibe.

The parts of the book I enjoyed the most involved Earl and Charlie in Stagna and its surrounds: as well as being very likeable characters themselves, they’re surrounded by a whole cast of interesting and funny locals, and the geography and customs of the area feel especially well-developed. Even so, I’m curious as to how Lyeasrakardsul’s story will progress, and whether we’ll hear more from the black hole.

The Last Philosopher Part 1 and 2 starts a fun and original story that honours its influences.

Buy The Last Philosopher Part 1 and 2 directly from Nick East on PayHip