Product Description

Strange things are happening: people going crazy in the streets, old friends disappearing, angels (or devils) clambering on the fire escapes of New York City. But for Pearl, Moz and Zahler, all that matters is their new band. As the city reels under a mysterious epidemic, the three combine their talents with a vampire lead signer and a drummer whose fractured mind can glimpse the coming darkness. Will their music stave off the end of the world? Or summon it? Set against the gritty apocalypse that began in Parasite Positive, THE LAST DAYS is about five teenagers who find themselves creating the soundtrack for the end of the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53953 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'Suspense, touches of humor and eminently appealing characters' Kirkus Reviews

About the Author
Scott Westerfeld is a software designer and composer.

Customer Reviews

This book is amazing!
I read the first chapter of this book at the end of another Atom book I had been reading. The chemistry between the two characters first mentioned instantly enthralled me, and I bought the book the next day! I wasn't sure about the nonchalant way the members of the band came together, but the characters instantly worked together. The book is filled with suspense, and I would have never guessed the amazing ending that Westfield managed to weave unsuspected into the book. I would recommend this book to anyone!!

Vampire Thriller with a Difference
With 'The Last Days' and it's predecessor 'Parasite Positive', Scott Westerfeld has created worthy additions to Vampire mythology. I think the first novel is the stronger of the two but both are exciting and compelling reads.

Events of The Last Days run more or less parallel to those in Parasite Positive. Towards the end there is some overlap with characters from PP appearing but the second instalment features five new teenagers trying to survive in a crumbling and increasing anarchic New York.

Westerfeld's writing style in immensely readable and the idea of viral vampirism inspired. The main let down of this saga is that the real villains of the piece just aren't that scary. The Last Days also lacks the 'History of Viruses' sections that popped up from time to time during PP, which is shame as these were both interesting and entertaining. The central idea of the second novel, the idea of music as bait, isn't quite so convincing and this rubs off some of the novel's lustre.

That said, The Last Days is as gripping and unputdownable as any book you're likely to read. Although Westerfeld does tie up most of the loose ends (perhaps, a little too quickly), he has left himself plenty of opportunities to come back and revisit his ravaged metropolis. I sincerely hope that he does so soon.

Music May Save the World
The author's Midnighters and Uglies series just haven't appealed to me. But this series is a good one. A vampire story where the V-word is rarely mentioned. Where the vampires (of sorts) aren't emo - now that's something to cheer about! And the readers who'll get the most out of this are music fans - both listeners and players.