The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

November 6th, 2008 at 10:17am |

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Audience: Young Adult

Rating: B

Synopsis:

The number of parasite positives (peeps) is exploding in New York and the city is rapidly spiraling out of control. Yet despite the rats, mysterious black water, and disappearances, Pearl has decided that it’s the perfect time to start a new band. With the help of a hot stranger and the vocals of her now-sunlight-sensitive, garlic-eating best friend, Pearl establishes a band that sings the ‘new sound.’ But the new sound is actually a very, very old sound. A sound that has the powerful ability to call to the peeps worst enemies.

Chatter:

(Spoiler Alerts! ) I missed the parasite chapters from Peeps. I liked that the chapter titles were band names, and I liked the pieces from the Night Mayor’s files, but the structure of Peeps was just so creative and unexpected. I also missed the characters. Yeah, we saw Cal and Lace a little, but they barely had any page time. I liked the new characters, but I missed the old ones. Also, didn’t it seem like only the peeps got their way? Poor Pearl and Zahler didn’t get any resolution.

Westerfeld is such a great writer; his imagery is often startling with its ability to be uncannily realistic. Take, for example this line: “I swallowed my screams whole. They went down my throat as sharp-cornered and cold as ice cubes” (pg 216). This is the perfect demonstration of how Pearl must feel when she finds out that Minerva is not only interested in Moz, she’s actually moved in with him.

Speaking of Pearl, Moz, and Minerva… did anyone else find the ending a little cryptic? Moz comments that Pearl is always saving him, “Pearl was always fixing the things I’d smashed or dropped or just let slip into disrepair. She’d even helped me and Minerva patch things up more than a few times – anything for the good of the band” (pg 285). This is more affection that he’s ever shown her, and the book ends with the same grouping as the beginning: Moz and Pearl together. Yet, I guess we assume that they’ll never be more than friends. What are your thoughts?