The Last Golden Light by Bryan (B.L.) Smith

The Last Golden Light

Samara’s life on Kriti seemed destined to be the tedious life of a palace administrator, so when a volcano erupts and throws everything into chaos, she can’t help but feel a little excited. All of a sudden, her dreams have come true – there’s finally some action on her island that previously followed the same safe traditions year after year, generation after generation. But Samara’s excitement doesn’t last long; as a cloud of ash plunges the island into darkness and fires being to rage in the east, her list of duties only grows longer. Meanwhile, the food rations are only getting smaller. In the midst of the chaos, Samara and her cousin Idas take it upon themselves to try and figure out why people keep disappearing. With winter closing in and struggle happening over who will lead their people forward, Samara and Idas have to convince their friends, families, and everyone else that the only way to survive what’s coming is to break from tradition.

Quarter Finalist

Plot/Idea: 10 out of 10

Originality: 10 out of 10

Prose: 10 out of 10

Character/Execution: 10 out of 10

Overall: 10.00 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot: Set in a time and place loosely based on Bronze Age Crete, The Last Golden Light is the story of cousins Samara and Idas, whose lives are governed by the gods, traditions, signs, and omens. They are destined to become dull palace administrators in a corrupt government, but 13-year-old Samara is bold, courageous, a warrior—she yearns for excitement and adventure, which come in the form of terrifying earth rumblings that people believe portend disaster and the end of the golden age. When volcanic eruption on a nearby island throws everything into chaos, food is rationed, and people start disappearing, Samara learns that she has a special destiny to be fulfilled in this time of darkness.

Prose/Style: Smith is adept at taking his readers into the world he has created and making them feel at home there.

Originality: Smith has written an engaging novel with a strong young woman as its focus. Samara is believable, sympathetic, and likable. While this is not exactly historical fiction, his use of ancient Crete as the setting is interesting and the world he imagines is not so far removed from what it might have been like.

Character Development/Execution: Samara grows into her destiny very quickly and assumes a leadership role with mercifully little of the self-doubt and few of the false starts that authors so often attribute to female protagonists.

Date Submitted: August 26, 2021

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