Last Bastion of Civilization by Andrew Blencowe

The year is 2041. Japan has risen to replace the United States of America as the global superpower. Japan controls everything from the power grid to the global economy. The world must bow to the wish of Japan. Germany tried to go toe to toe and lost.

This book is a portrayal of the future with a view of the past and present. It is a depiction of an alternate universe. There are varied subjects from artificial intelligence to robotics. This book will challenge the ideas of the reader and force an audit of beliefs. 

Andrew Blencowe is a master using factual evidence and extensive research to make a fictitious situation seem real. His knowledge of the subject matter is evident of his brilliance and talent. He dances quite seamlessly between truth and fiction effectively blurring the line. This is very impressive and rare.

“People flatter themselves by thinking they are enlightened, intelligent, and unbiased. Truth be told, the opposite is true.”

This a beautiful line. It invokes so much. It is the first line and makes for quite the strong beginning. It sums up the general idea of the book. It is only the first of many beautiful lines.

The book has a unique format. It is presented as publications by different experts of subject matter. Thus, each chapter has a different tone. The ability to change tones like that makes for a fantastic reading experience. One has to work hard to keep up with the intellect of the author.

Last Bastion of Civilization can offend some if not read with an open mind. It holds some very sensitive opinions that could easily rub one the wrong way. The author has thrown in some fake characters. This does nothing for the story and might even distract the reader. All in all, it is a good read.