The last vigilant

Mark Latham

Book - 2025

"Shunned by the soldiers he commands, haunted by past tragedies, Sargent Holt Hawley is a broken man. But the child of a powerful ally has gone missing, and war between once peaceful nations is on the horizon. So, he and his squad have been sent to find a myth: the Vigilant. They are a rumored last survivor of an ancient order capable of performing acts of magic, and they've been lost to the world for decades. No one truly expects Hawley to succeed. When he is forced to abandon his men, he stumbles upon a woman who claims to be the Last Vigilant. Enelda Drake is wizened and out of practice, and she seems a far cry from the heroes of legend. But they will need her powers, and each other, to survive. For nothing in the town of Scarf...ell is as it seems. Corrupt soldiers and calculating politicians thwart their efforts at every turn. And there are dark whispers on the wind threatening the arrival of an ancient and powerful enemy. The Last Vigilant is not the only myth returning from the dead"--

Saved in:
1 being processed
Coming Soon
Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Science fiction
Novels
Romans
Published
New York, NY : Orbit 2025.
Language
English
Main Author
Mark Latham (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
547 pages : map ; 20 cm
ISBN
9780316574457
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Hawley is a soldier with terrible secrets in his past and a sense of honor despite a tarnished reputation. He has been sent with a company of men to try and find a missing child, but when that company attempts to kill Hawley and are instead killed by an unknown creature of the forest, Hawley seeks the help of Enelda, a wise, no-nonsense old woman whom he soon realizes is a person of legend--one of the famed Vigilants, who can commune with the immortal realm and use magic. Enelda is out of practice and disturbed at finding herself on a journey, but despite a rocky start, she and Hawley work together to survive. Latham (The Red Tower, 2018) uses his incredible world-building skills and all-consuming storytelling style to bring the reader deep into the village of Scarfell, where politics, magic, and corruption collide in a world-shaking explosion, and where Enelda is not the only legend to emerge from the shadows. In a genre where tropes can be overused, Latham is an adept at creating sympathetic characters and reinventing fantasy in a way that will have influence on many books after The Last Vigilant.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Children are disappearing, but only the loss of a lord's son forces Holt Hawley into action. Once a proud soldier of the elite battalions, Hawley is now embittered and despised by his men. Tasked with finding a True Vigilant (mythical figures said to possess extraordinary powers), Hawley knows he's tracking a tall tale. Yet, bound by duty, he ventures into the forest, where a brutal attack leads him to Enelda Drake. While far from the stuff of legend, the old woman might be their only hope to find the children. Latham (The Red Tower), known for his steampunk novels and Sherlock Holmes pastiches, skillfully brings his knack for plotting mysteries and investigations into an epic fantasy setting. The multilayered machinations and propulsive pacing will grip readers, but the book's greatest strength lies in its characters. Enelda and Hawley form a unique and unusual pairing, and Hawley's struggle captures the dedication of broken soldiers yearning for lost honor. VERDICT With warmongering, political intrigue, and themes of standing up for the weak, this marks the start of a compelling fantasy series that is perfect for fans of David Dalglish and Justin Lee Anderson.--Andrea Dyba

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.