Then the virus came, and made the world turn different, too.Mary Shelley is best-known as the author of the Gothic novel Frankenstein. The Last Man is an apocalyptic science fiction novel. Lionel Verney is the last man alive on earth after a rapacious plague accompanies sudden, ill-fated climate change and interminable armed conflicts at the end of the 21st century. Through Verney's memories, Mary Shelley traces the slow collapse of civilization and the extinction of humankind, exploring themes of isolation, political failure, friendship, love, and the fragility of progress. Written with prophetic intensity, The Last Man blends speculative fiction with philosophical reflection, anticipating modern concerns about pandemics, environmental catastrophe, and global conflict. A haunting and visionary work, it stands as one of the earliest and most powerful apocalyptic novels in world literature.
