Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Like the hero from his last novel, REM World, Philbrick's latest misfit protagonist embarks on an adventure in a fantastic--and often frightening--alternative world. Spaz, an abandoned epileptic, lives on postapocalyptic Earth, destroyed long ago by an earthquake. The gray sky rains acid, the food is largely "tasteless protein chunks" and the creation of "mindprobes," virtual reality movies implanted directly in the brain, is destroying what's left of civilization. When Spaz learns that Bean, his foster sister, is dying, he begins a forbidden journey to see her. Ryter, a wise old man, accompanies Spaz and outwits most of their foes; he also ultimately teaches Spaz the value of keeping stories alive. The author creates some fascinating characters, such as the Monkey Boys, a brutal band "as wild as the paint on their faces"; Lanaya, a genetically improved girl whom Spaz and Ryter rescue; and the Furies, assassins who work for the boss of the "underworld traders." Once they find Bean, Lanaya--in return for saving her life--takes them to the one place where Bean stands a chance of survival, Eden. This biblical allusion, plus allegorical references to the Odyssey (the ending echoes James Joyce's monologue for Penelope), is not fully developed, and some of the episodes are a bit abrupt (e.g., the encounter with the Monkey Boys and the Furies). But Philbrick's creation of a futuristic dialect, combined with striking descriptions of a postmodern civilization, will convincingly transport readers to Spaz's world. Ages 10-14. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Spaz, a boy who lives on the fringes of his surreal future world, partly because epilepsy prevents him from using the mind probes most people use to blot out reality, sets out on a classic quest to save his ill foster sister. To do so, he must cross forbidden territory and face frightening gangs and their leaders. He picks up companions as he travels: Ryter, a philosophic old man whose treasure is the book he is writing despite knowing that books and reading are of the past; Littleface, a young almost speechless child; and Linnea, a "prove" (genetically improved person). In saving his sister, Spaz learns about himself and his parentage. This action-packed story has some strong and provocative messages. It should prove popular among middle school listeners. Jeremy Davies' reading of Rodman Philbrick's text (Blue Sky Press, 2001) is very good. His soft, almost whispery voice usually suits the story well, but in the action scenes it is a little too subdued. This is a minor quibble. This is a good story to use with middle schoolers along with such titles as Lois Lowry's The Giver (HM, 1993) and Monica Hughes' Introduction to the Game (S&S, 1990). Public libraries will find it popular among science fiction fans as well as those wanting a good adventure story.
Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence
IF YOU'RE READING this, it must be a thousand years from now. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

	60% buy the item featured on this page: The Last Book in the Universe 4.6 out of 5 stars (60)
	34% buy Max the Mighty 4.4 out of 5 stars (37) CDN$ 8.99
	6% buy Freak the Mighty 4.5 out of 5 stars (284) CDN$ 8.99

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

60 Reviews

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (60 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Book in the Universe, May 21 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Book in the Universe (Hardcover)

This book is extremely good. The auther does a great job in this book, getting the readers attention and holding it. I could hardly put the book down. This book is a mixture of mystery with adventure. I can honestly say this was the best book that I have ever read, the only regret I gave about this book is that there isn't a sequal.
The book is about a boy named Spaz. Spaz is living on Earth after a big quake destroyed most all of it. Spaz was seperated by his latch family ( he was adopted) and is stuck living three latches away from them. Well one day spaz receives word that his sister Bean is very sick and she wants to see him. So Spaz teams up with an old gummie named Ryter and a little boy nicknamed Little Face, and travels across the three latches to get to his sister. On their journey they are attcked my mobs and latch Bosses, and they even manage to rescue a beautiful proov girl. The only way to save Bean is to take her to Eden (the place where proovs, or genetcally enhanced beings, live). The only thing bad thing about this is that no regular human like Bean is permitted to enter Eden. They sneak Bean in and cure her of a disease know as the blood disease. After they cure her Bean, Spaz, and Ryter are kicked out of Eden and return home.
Other books that I recommend if you liked this book are are Max the Mighty and Freak the Mighty.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing read, Feb 9 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Book in the Universe (Hardcover)

An excellent and completely absorbing story, ... and if you like this you should read the book "Feed" by M. T. Anderson, or vice versa.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

4.0 out of 5 stars great book, Jan 17 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Book in the Universe (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought this was a very good book. It had a great message to readers and an excellent description of characters. It shows images of what Earth could be in the future if we're not careful: a world of violence and a world without books or stories. It makes you really think. It's a nice book to read and have a discussion in a book club or English class. The plot was confusing in some parts but this is still a great book for free time reading.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 60 customer reviews...

Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Post--Apocalyptic Fiction
This is the first book I read by Rodman Philbrick. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised!
It takes place in the wake of what the main character, Spaz calls the "Great... Read more

Published on Jan 1 2004 by T. Thompson

4.0 out of 5 stars The Last Book in the Universe
The Last Book in the Universe is a book that takes you to a different world.The author of this,Rodman Philbrick,visualizes the future and turns it into an inspiring story. Read more

Published on Dec 16 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars The Universe is Upon Us
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick is one of the best books I have read. It has great compelling writing and a deeper meaning. Read more

Published on Oct 29 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars My thoughts:
This was a very interesting book. It started out a little boring but then it got pretty good. Some of the words in the book are made up, so sometimes it gets hard to follow. Read more

Published on Oct 22 2003 by Analyn Sanchez