Last Survivor

I'm guessing that the author, Tony Park, had a lot of fun writing this adventure thriller set in South Africa. The plot revolves around a stolen cycad, a very rare species of an ancient plant, the only female of its kind left in the world and worth millions of dollars. Stolen from a wealthy Saudi prince, it was retrieved before it left the country and given to the improbably named Pretoria Cycad and Firearms Appreciation Society to guard before being returned to its owner. Unfortunately it disappeared from under lock and key at the same time that one of the members, Joanne Flack, leaves for London leaving the society to wonder if she stole it or whether there is a traitor in their midst.<br /><br />The hunt for the cycad opens up an extensive smuggling operation with links to an Islamic terrorist group under investigation by the CIA. Somehow, the elderly members of the cycad society become involved in a search and rescue operation for Joanne (and the cycad) alongside a hired mercenary (the fearless and passionate Sonja Kurtz who has featured in other books by the author), some corrupt cops, a private jihadi training camp and some vintage aircraft. All splendid fun, especially when the elderly society members put their shooting skills into practice. I loved all the gutsy members of the society and the fast paced plot, with the atmospheric sights and sounds of the African bush as a wonderful backdrop.<br /><br /><i>With many thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia and Netgalley for a copy to read</i>

This action thriller is set in South Africa and follows Sonja a female soldier/mercenary/CIA Agent/ anything that involves killing the bad guy, as she tries to uncover a terrorist plot that involves an extremely rare plant.This plant is the only female of its kind in the world and worth Billions, which makes it the prime target for smuggling on the black market.<br /><br />Park packed this book full of action, covering everything from close combat fighting to shoot outs. The story is well told with lots of attention to detail which at some points felt a bit unnecessary but did help to develop the characters and the intricacies of the criminal underworld.<br /><br />The main characters Sonja and Joanna were hard to love as they felt distant and unrealistic at times, but of course this is an action thriller I guess it is not supposed to be realistic. The sexual tension these women have with almost every man they meet seems like too much especially for their age, did I mention almost everyone in this book is over 50.<br /><br />The overall plot is well thought out but did seem to drag on in the end as all the characters must converge at the same place in the end to save the day. Perhaps due to the book having so many characters to keep track of.<br /><br />While I enjoyed all the references to my home country of South Africa, I think it might be a bit difficult to keep track of, if you don’t have much knowledge of the country. I also felt sad at how Park portrayed South Africa as a county complete broken and corrupt, while this might be the image that the world gets, it is not what South Africans see when they look at their home.<br /><br />What I enjoyed most is how Park touched on the difficulties of conservation in Africa. Few know the struggle of the African content and its natural beauty, as it collides with human nature and poverty.<br /><br />So, if you love guns, plains, cars, action and just about anything from a mission impossible movie you will love this book. While I gave this book a 3 overall, I do think it could be a 5 for someone who loves the quintessential action story.

Last impressions definitely not as good as first impressions, that's for sure.<br /><br /><u>The Plot</u> has something to do with stolen super-rare plants, a super-rare-plant society, and a hard-ass soldier-lady sent to investigate how it all links up to terrorism.<br /><br />The story was there for sure but it was just <b>drowning in detail.</b> The author works hard to communicate all of the corruption and illegal dealings of South Africa and the Middle East, but there are so many place names, people names, group names etc that it's almost impossible to follow if this is all new information to the reader. For someone already a little aware of these things I imagine the details would be fascinating but for me it was just confusing and rather hard to follow.<br /><br />Along with all the political/terrorist drama, the book likes to refer to all weapons and vehicles by specific names which, again, will be a thrill for people interested in that sort of thing but for me just became a tangled mess. It's what I think of as a 'Boy's Book': it's all about cars, guns and sexual tension. YES I KNOW AM STEREOTYPING. <br /><br />So then of course there's the sexual tension and the author's obsession with everyone's attractiveness levels (as well as with age). Sonja is portrayed as this rough tough warrior lady who hates feelings and likes violence. If this is a 'Boy's Book', Sonja is very much a 'Boy's Woman'; she reads like a man's wet dream, to be honest. I liked that she was a badass, but I think it was taken a little far and at times she really grated on me with all the gung-ho crap. I haven't read the previous books, though, so maybe others have been warming up to her for three books already?<br /><br />Aside from Sonja, there's also this undeniable attraction between Joanne and Rod, and then between Sonja, Joanne, and any and almost all of the men they encounter, because no one in this book can stop thinking about sex for, like, five minutes. Like I said - Boy's Book.<br /><br />Anyhoo, if you take out all the confusing details and the awkward sexy moments, there's actually a fun story here involving smuggling, terrorism and plants. Also because it's set in Africa there are a lot of gratuitous animal moments which were fun. Even if I did get a little bored of elephants. But I think I would have followed the story a lot better if the details were kept to the essential instead of every detail about every current event affecting South Africa.<br /><br />Also, the showdown at the end took way too long and was such a mess that I had no idea what was happening and was basically just waiting for the <i>final twist</i> which I saw coming from a mile away.<br /><br />I think <b>if this book was turned into a movie, I would love it.</b> The action is there, the characters are dynamic and interesting, and Sonja is a pretty decent lead. It travels across a bunch of locations to make things interesting, and the battles are intricately detailed. <br /><br />As a reading experience, however, I felt it was weighed down too heavily with details for me to properly follow what was going on, and some of the 'romance' had me cringing pretty hard. <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="53ef9b66-c910-4690-ba7e-d56b02ca300e" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="53ef9b66-c910-4690-ba7e-d56b02ca300e">Charles and Sandy?? Really?? WTF was that? *hysterical laughter* Also LOL at that guy getting the jump on Joanne and Rod coz they stopped to have wild animalistic sex.</label><br /><br />Personally, I think <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/83714.Matthew_Reilly" title="Matthew Reilly" rel="noopener">Matthew Reilly</a> might have ruined other action authors for me a little bit. His stuff is a lot faster so a novel with more character development like this one just seems slow and clunky to me.<br /><br />This is an action story for the military buffs, and those interested in detailed workings of terrorism and smuggling in this particular corner of the world. It has a unique plot and a cast of unusual characters to support the lead, and we get the story from a few different viewpoints to keep things interesting. It travels relatively fast and will take you on quite a ride with some interesting trivia along the way. I can definitely see this appealing to a lot of readers, and I'd still recommend it for lovers of action stories. <br /><br /><i>With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC</i>

Last Survivor is the fourth book in the Sonja Kurtz series by Australian author, Tony Park. The audio version is narrated by Erica Lovell. The members of a plant appreciation society puzzle over missing funds and a rare plant that’s disappeared; a terrorist stronghold is seen to contain rhino horn, ivory and tree-trunk-like items; a knife-wielding terrorist is shot dead during an attack on a London street; and somehow all these lead to mercenary Sonja Kurtz babysitting an ageing, penniless Zimbabwean ex-pat and attending a cycad convention.<br /><br />From the opening scenes, readers could be forgiven for thinking they have picked up a cosy mystery, but within the first ten percent they are firmly disabused of that notion, even if the (often hilarious) cosy elements keep reappearing. In typical cosy fashion, it ends with a classic denouement which reveals quite a twist. It’s clear that Park had a lot of fun writing this one.<br /><br />Sonja Kurtz does perform the challenging extraction of an aid worker from Mali amid much gunfire; she does team up with a CIA operative and a one-time FBI consultant; she does save a woman from a terrorist attack at Victoria Falls; she also buys a coffin, shares a shower with a deadly snake, and meets a Kuwaiti Prince.<br /><br />But, until the final battle, there is less gunplay and perhaps a lower body count than the reader might have expected. Reduced, too, are the usually abundant weapon descriptions that have the eyes of the uninterested glazing over. And then: “She was in the middle of an eight-thousand-hectare game reserve, surrounded by dangerous wild animals and an even deadlier force of soldiers, most of whom would not hesitate to give their lives to achieve their mission. The troops arrayed against her had air support in the form of a helicopter, an armoured vehicle, electronic monitoring sensors and heavy weapons. She, on the other hand, had an assault rifle with, by her count, seventy-eight rounds of ammunition left.” And she was clad in a “little black dress”.<br /><br />The members of the Pretoria Cycad and Firearms Appreciation Society come to the rescue… and Hudson Brand plays a bit of a role too, in neutralising “an international smuggling ring and a terrorist/ organised crime training school”<br /><br />As usual, Park demonstrates his thorough knowledge of, and love for, the African continent and her people and, this time, shines a light on the illegal trade of cycads. His protagonist is still definitely more comfortable with a gun than anything domestic, and “She wondered if she would ever be able to look at a view without searching for cover and firing positions, or see or meet a group of people without assessing their capability to do her harm” but she does manage to say (well, text) three little words in the final chapters.

Last Survivor is the fourth book in the Sonja Kurtz series by Australian author, Tony Park. The members of a plant appreciation society puzzle over missing funds and a rare plant that’s disappeared; a terrorist stronghold is seen to contain rhino horn, ivory and tree-trunk-like items; a knife-wielding terrorist is shot dead during an attack on a London street; and somehow all these lead to mercenary Sonja Kurtz babysitting an ageing, penniless Zimbabwean ex-pat and attending a cycad convention. <br /><br />From the opening scenes, readers could be forgiven for thinking they have picked up a cosy mystery, but within the first ten percent they are firmly disabused of that notion, even if the (often hilarious) cosy elements keep reappearing. In typical cosy fashion, it ends with a classic denouement which reveals quite a twist. It’s clear that Park had a lot of fun writing this one.<br /><br />Sonja Kurtz does perform the challenging extraction of an aid worker from Mali amid much gunfire; she does team up with a CIA operative and a one-time FBI consultant; she does save a woman from a terrorist attack at Victoria Falls; she also buys a coffin, shares a shower with a deadly snake, and meets a Kuwaiti Prince.<br /><br />But, until the final battle, there is less gunplay and perhaps a lower body count than the reader might have expected. Reduced, too, are the usually abundant weapon descriptions that have the eyes of the uninterested glazing over. And then: “She was in the middle of an eight-thousand-hectare game reserve, surrounded by dangerous wild animals and an even deadlier force of soldiers, most of whom would not hesitate to give their lives to achieve their mission. The troops arrayed against her had air support in the form of a helicopter, an armoured vehicle, electronic monitoring sensors and heavy weapons. She, on the other hand, had an assault rifle with, by her count, seventy-eight rounds of ammunition left.” And she was clad in a “little black dress”.<br /><br />The members of the Pretoria Cycad and Firearms Appreciation Society come to the rescue… and Hudson Brand plays a bit of a role too, in neutralising “an international smuggling ring and a terrorist/ organised crime training school”<br /><br />As usual, Park demonstrates his thorough knowledge of, and love for, the African continent and her people and, this time, shines a light on the illegal trade of cycads. His protagonist is still definitely more comfortable with a gun than anything domestic, and “She wondered if she would ever be able to look at a view without searching for cover and firing positions, or see or meet a group of people without assessing their capability to do her harm” but she does manage to say (well, text) three little words in the final chapters.<br />This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Australia. <br />

High action and tense from the get-go, Last Survivor is the type of thriller I usually worry I won’t keep up with – too much happening to too many characters, but I see now why Tony Park is in the top shelf of his genre. He writes in an engaging manner, the story clipping along at a fast pace but with the essentials all woven in tightly so that the amateur thrill seeker (ie. Me) can follow along and settle in for the duration. Because I’m going to be honest, what I know about guns, terrorism, poaching, and international smuggling rings could easily fit on a thimble. But Tony Park has made allowances for this and the end result is a writing style that entertains and imparts useful information at the same time.<br /><br />‘That was the thing about Africa – and life – Sonja mused. One minute everything was peace, love and happiness, and the next second people were dying.’<br /><br />I really love novels about Africa. I’m quite a fan of Australian author T.M. Clark, whose stories are a blend of African adventure and crime with a bit of romantic suspense thrown in. What T.M. Clark and Tony Park have in common is that they both have extensive lived experience of Africa and this shows in their work. Africa is a character itself, with all of the beauty and heartache, a paradox of a place that is forever changing. I particularly loved that about this novel, the intimacy with Africa, the honest reality, and the sheer affection Tony has for this place coming off the page in waves. I had a such a firm sense of place whilst reading which was a real treat, to be honest.<br /><br />‘That’s the problem with elephants… Endangered or near-extinct across most of Africa where they’re persecuted, and causing a problem through over-breeding where they’re protected.’<br /><br />The story that unfolds in Last Survivor is quite layered and utterly gripping. The characters were all a lot tougher than I’m used to but they seemed authentic in a way that conveyed the places they were from and the living they’d done – and they were all older and wiser; no freshly hatched glamorous assassins around here! I was a bit stunned by the extent of poaching and its links to terrorism as a means to finance weapons and further destruction. It’s quite depressing to be honest, to contemplate the capitalist nature of terrorism because it gives me this sense of hopelessness, that it can’t ever be quashed or eliminated. I didn’t know much about the extent of civil war throughout Africa either, my knowledge only going so far as a few key events that have been covered by international media. But it’s not until you read novels like this, ones written by people who live in Africa, that you can appreciate how horrifying life has been for Africans, betrayed by their governments, tortured by insurgents and rebel forces, torn apart and forced to flee. The corruption is extensive, as is the misconception passed on from international news feeds. No matter the genre, it’s the manner in which the novel conveys the bigger picture, and in this, Tony Park excels.<br /><br />For someone who only dabbles in thrillers and action adventure, it’s no small thing to announce that Tony Park is now on my must-read list. Fortunately, I have at least one other of his already on my shelf, but more will soon be joining it.<br /><br />Thanks is extended to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a copy of Last Survivor for review.

2.5 actually

Last Survivor is the fourth in a series but works very well as a standalone which is how I read it. It has an intriguing premise, and it resulted in a gripping, enjoyable book.<br /><br />The thriller aspect of this book was complex, tightly woven and fascinating, as it went from what has to be one of the coolest group of pensioners I’ve ever read about and launched into a very modern exploration of the wrong side of the law. From terrorism to smuggling, corruption and poaching and more, all with a very modern and very realistic flavour, some closer to home than others in our current time, this book had it all, combined with obvious knowledge and love for the African Continent. Knowledge that for the most part was displayed with great skill, alongside the thriller aspect of the book, although there were a few places where it felt like the details were outweighing the story. While there was a lot, I found interesting – especially the information about the Cycad – there was also some that felt unnecessary and slowed down the pacing, although Park was swift to draw us back into the action after those moments.<br /><br /> However, for the most part, Last Survivor was well-paced with a good balance of story, characters, and action. Park has created a very character-driven story here, and they were well-drawn and central to the plot from start to finish, and never lost out to plot or information. In particular, the elderly society members were the highlight of this book for me, and I would gladly read more about them.<br /><br />A fun, engaging read with a fast, well-paced plot and a really fascinating premise, and certainly a book I would recommend to anyone who likes some different characters in their action.

Not really a genre that took my interest. I found it a bit silly and did not keep my interest

‘South Africa also has the highest proportion of critically endangered cycads in the world. These plants are in far more trouble than rhinos, though they don’t get nearly as much attention.’<br /><br />I always highly anticipate a new release from Tony as reading one of his books guarantees you will be taken on an amazing ride. Definite page turners set against an inspiring African backdrop, it provides sensational escapism which is something we all crave currently. Tony uses his tried and true formula for his novels - a fast moving thriller with deadly outcomes in exotic, yet often, dangerous African locations. This can be read as a standalone, however a couple of characters reappear from roles in previous books. <br /><br />On this occasion 'Last Survivor' revolves around a stolen cycad (had to look that one up - a rare species of an ancient plant) with the only female species in the world, worth million of dollars, stolen. Thus ensues a fast paced drama across the Southern African continent with a short spell in London. Throw in some jihadi terrorists, a Saudi prince, a mercenary and some retired fighters (The Pretoria Cycad and Firearms Appreciation Society) and you have all the necessary components for an exciting action story.<br /><br />These are fast paced reads - lots of action, leading to the ultimate major showdown between goodies and baddies, with a little sexual tension thrown in, making these not only readable, but very engaging. However, don't cast this aside thinking it is lacking in substance. Tony’s novels always contain noteworthy commentary on a range of topics, on this occasion, terrorism, corruption and preservation to name a few. <br /><br />‘You had a couple of farmers who had lost everything they had ever worked for and owned and they made a few bucks selling some plants that they’d grown themselves. What’s the harm in that, even if they bent the rules? Their government was busy stealing from its own people.’<br /><br />I really enjoy Tony’s books as once having lived in Africa, I love to lose myself in its pages for a brief respite to the wonders that can be found there. Yes, he will take you on a thrilling journey, however, at its heart it is clearly apparent the great love and appreciation Tony holds for this special place on our planet and I will always sign up for that.<br /><br />‘And yet, she told herself as she watched the elephant move down to the river, there was this. No crooked politician or gang of criminals could rob her or anyone else of the simple joy of seeing a sight as grand as this.’<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.<br /><br />