The Last Four Things

Written by Paul Hoffman

Narrated by Sean Barrett

The Last Four Things is the second in Paul Hoffman's remarkable series.

Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell
These are the Last Four Things
Now there are Five
Meet Thomas Cale

Returning to the Sanctuary of the Redeemers, Thomas Cale is told by the Lord Militant that the destruction of mankind is necessary; the only way to undo God's greatest mistake.

Cale seemingly accepts his role in the ending of the world: fate has painted him as the Left Hand of God, the Angel of Death. Absolute power is within his grasp, the terrifying zeal and military might of the Redeemers a weapon for him to handle as simply as he once used a knife.

But perhaps not even the grim power that the Redeemers hold over Cale is enough - the boy who turns from love to poisonous hatred in a heartbeat, the boy who switches between kindness and sheer violence in the blink of an eye. The annihilation that the Redeemers seek may well be in Cale's hands - but his soul is far stranger than they could ever know.

The Last Four Things follows on from The Left Hand of God. It is the second instalment in a gripping trilogy by Paul Hoffman. Imagine if Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials met Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose. Fans of epic heroic fiction will love this series.

Praise for Paul Hoffman:
'This book gripped me from the first chapter and then dropped me days later, dazed and grinning to myself' Conn Iggulden
'Tremendous momentum' Daily Telegraph
'A cult classic . . .' Daily Express

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin UK Audio
• Release date: Jun 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9780141967790

Paul Hoffman

Paul Hoffman is the publisher of ‘Encyclopaedia Britannica’. He is the host of the five-part PBS series ‘Great Minds of Science’ and a frequent correspondent on television shows such as ‘CBS This Morning’ and ‘The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.’ For ten years, Hoffman was the president and editor-in-chief of ‘Discover’ magazine. He is the author of ten books including ‘Archimedes’ Revenge.’ He lives in Chicago, Illinois and Woodstock, New York.

Reviews for The Last Four Things

[adam.currey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I rather enjoyed the first book in this series, but I really struggled with this one. It just seemed to drag on with endless pages of battle strategies, and even when things were actually happening, they seemed to lack the purpose of the first book.

[crtsjffrsn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I never would have found The Left Hand of God if I hadn't received it in a Goodreads giveaway. The Last Four Things, the second book in the trilogy, picks up right where the first book leaves off and we quickly learn Redeemder Bosco's plans for Thomas Cale - as fanatical and sinister as ever. There is more action in this second book - and occasionally the battle sequences are a bit of a struggle to follow - but there is also a great deal more background about the various groups of people that inhabit this world and the dynamics that are at play across factions. And, just as in the first book, there are some twists at the end that one likely won't expect. I'm definitely excited to get my hands on The Beating of His Wings to see how the story of Thomas Cale ends...

[bbbart-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was pretty disappointed, really. Two years ago, I found `The Left Hand of God' to be a really wonderful book. I loved the protagonist Cale, and the setting in The Sanctuary. I was looking forward to this sequel that I even temporarily quit another book I'm curently reading to start with it as soon as I got my hands on it. This time, however, I was never really dragged into the story, nor the world in which it takes place. Also the dark and bitter atmosphere I loved so much in the first book seemed absent to me in `The Last Four Things'.

Nevertheless, it's a page turner again, and I will definitely read the third and final book, even though I'm not really that curious about the continuation of the story anymore.

[snow_dancer-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a good follow up to 'The left hand of God' I was interested to see how things we end for the three acolytes, however I was somewhat left wondering is this the end or to be continued.

[eheinlen_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found several grammatical errors in this book, especially in regard to missing commas. Other than that, I found the writing style to be too flowery for my tastes. I also could not get interested in the characters or the storyline. I just don't think this was my type of book.

[kraaivrouw · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Middle books are always difficult (as second books whether part of series or not, second nights of plays, and sophomore years in high school and college). The first part is where all the fun stuff is - the setting up, introducing and developing the characters, and positioning everybody for the middle part of their journey to the inevitable climax (that will happen in another book, on another year, on another night).The Last Four Things suffers a bit from place as a middle book. Mr. Hoffman seems to feel that in this book it is time to muse on religion in its various forms as written in his book, to throw odd bits of real history into his alternate history, and generally to show off his Oxford education and how well-read he is. I understand this impulse because I am constantly comparing books I've read to other books I've read. I do this because I understand books on a personal level based in part on my reading history, but I've completely discarded reviews I've written because they came off as just a little to show-offy and smug. This tendency is the primary disappointment for me in the writing. It's just altogether too discursive and not interesting enough to really get away with it.Mr. Hoffman very much proved to me in The Left Hand of God that he can build worlds and alternate history, that he's read a lot and has an interesting take on things, and that he is very very good with language. He can draw you in and keep you reading for the craft alone. It's unfortunate that the tone of this book tends to be obnoxiously smug and self-satisfied. Combine this with characters that I really don't like (I read them because the writing is so good) and this is a letdown. It's still well written and I'm certain much of this will be necessary to the third book, but this really could have used a better edit. Still looking forward to the next. Still love the first.