The Last Science

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

[This story is on a temporary hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I work in healthcare and unfortunately no longer have the freetime to continue posting on a regular basis. As soon as our workload decreases, I will return. Thanks for reading! 💙]

No one ever knows the whole story.

Nestled deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, something is emerging. Kept in absolute secrecy, it seeps into a fading town, quietly shared from person to person. For Alden Bensen, a directionless high school graduate, this discovery could mean an escape from his empty existence. To Rachel DuValle, perpetually underestimated and dismissed by the world, magic represents a chance to become something much greater than herself.

In the face of an unsuspecting world, their decisions shape the growth of a budding society discovering untold power. This potent force offers anyone the power to change humanity forever—or send it cascading into swift and total annihilation.

Want this story in smaller bites? Clickhere!

The Last Science is an ongoing science-fiction / low-fantasy web novel series, focused on the modern world with a twist. New societies bud and grow, but the people who make them up are imperfect and flawed. The story includes elements of mystery, action, crime, interpersonal drama, relationships, philosophy, sociology, politics, and much more, all centered on the perspective characters driving the tale. Each chapter is pretty long (average ~8000 words), so find somewhere comfy to read.

Content Warning(by request):This series delves into some topics and situations which may be upsetting for some readers. In American rating parlance, the narrative would be rated PG-13 (except for language), but some have noted the story can get pretty dark on occasion. Please use your best judgment, and don't be afraid to take breaks and come back later. I'll still be here!

This story will also be published weekly at my website (https://etzo.li). There will be no differences in content, but slight differences in formatting. Feel free to read at whichever site or app you prefer. If you're enjoying the story, consider dropping me a vote over onTop Web Fiction, or come say hi onDiscord. Thanks!

Need more to read? Check out my other story,Epilogue— a post-fantasy psychodrama. Now complete!

This story is a participant in theWrite til the End pledge. It will be completed, no matter the cost.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2018
Author: Etzoli

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 1,216
Views: 1,030,281

Chapters(120 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

carrolusus2Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Well, I don’t have enough time to read many, many webserials and novels there are to compare with an absolute scale in hand—but if you like details, if you like savoring characters’ motivations and their unique voices, the complexity of the world, the diverse writing, and careful examination of ideas new and old, this story should leave you pretty excited.
And the editing is extraordinary. Thank you Etzy, for saving readers’ eyes.
Dantalion22Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Who cares if it's slow when it's this good?
The characters are realistic and detailed, the plot is interesting, the setting is so real I want to move there (except I don't because it's probably going to get blown up), and there's a crazy amount of potential for more here. Author's really got pacing down in the recent chapters too, you can really tell it's building up to something crazy.
Everyone should be reading this.
FasdaffRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Last Science is a bit of a genre-mixer that defies ready classification. Despite the fantasy tag and the magical elements, the story immediately shrugs off the expectations of a stereotypical "teenager gains magical powers" story. Instead, The Last Science is a rich drama/mystery story which uses magic as the foundation for a compelling plot and characters and provides far more than simply a story "about" magic.
In fact, to some extent the magical elements of the story contrast starkly with the grittiness of the plot and the normalcy and relatability of the characters. The focus of the story is not on exploring the magic itself but rather the implications of such power when injected into a quiet college town and the lives of its inhabitants. In this sense the story reflects many of the themes typically found in technology-based or science fiction stories (justifying the sci-fi tag), which is reinforced by the way the story's magic is shown to have its own consistent mechanisms and limitations which the characters are continually attempting to explore and understand.
When I say the characters are "normal" I mean that they are not superheroes or stereotypes, but real people with their own hopes, concerns, and intermixing relationships and all of the complications that ensue. It is not to mean that they are mundane or boring. Quite the opposite, each character in The Last Science seems to carry their fair share of mystery and intrigue which leaves no doubt that each one has a story of their own to be revealed in time. The Last Science manages an excellent balance of weaving rich layers of mystery and intrigue through each character and location the reader encounters, while also revealing enough information as the story progresses to let you know that it isn't just a tease. The plot incorporates and expands on each mystery it establishes and makes clear that there's real substance to everything it hints at.
I hadn't originally meant for this review to be quite so gl
necoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I had to drop the story at this point as I have a week psyche in some regards and couldn't handle it anymore.You should take the warning labels serious.
That isn't to say that I dislike the story. It's well written but slow paced. I would have wished for more magic and a little less psichological. But yeah, still 5 stars
NeoJaxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This story has taken magic and put it in a new context. It is hard to do this and do it well. On that note the magic in this story seems like it has a more personal touch that doesn't happen to often in fantasy. The author does a great job of using the small college town environment to their advantage, making it so everyone knows mostly what's going around. I look forward to new chapters and see wherever this story goes.
DeLanrozRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Etzoli is a clever and original writer, and it shows in the story. There's no plot armor, no overpowered main characters that can just solve everything with "more magic".
I'm thoroughly enjoying this story, and there is a lot!
blaze262Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I read this story many years ago, and could still vividly remember the world the author created in those pages. I only read for a little more than 10 chapters, but I remember that it was intriguing and suspensful.
Unfortunately for me, the story jumps from one character to another while progressing. I have a hard time keeping track of all the characters and their storylines that I get confused or simply want to know what happened to the previous main character.
Great world build, and from the first 10 chapters plus the little skipping around I did, good story that kind of reminds me of Charmed, the TV show.
DryckeRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Really interesting, and realistic, view on magic in the modern World. Love the story so far (at the end of book one), i just found it too be a bit rushed. Not too much, but a lot happened while we were still new to the whole thing. But that would be the only thing, otherwise a great read and a intriguing world building.
KamiLongRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I read only until chapter eight but I loved the book, the way there is both science and magic and how all characters have depth. The only thing I didn’t like is how slow the story is progressing and how we still didn’t see the magic system will all it’s laws and “affinities”.
BarqueRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
This story is not for me, but it may be for you, reader.
I am not a big fan of slower burn books, which this is, I am also not a big fan of the style of the book, and the way that the story is presented.
My biggest issue with the story is the characters, I just find them really annoying. There are two POVs in this story, A girl named Rachel and a guy named Alden. They are both extreamly flawed IMO.
Rachel has a hero complex the size of new york state, but is super magical isolationist for some reason. Like 90% of the problems would be solved by letting the secret out.
Alden is looking for a missing person
Who is likley the silver eyed chick who shows up sometimes.
but is extreamly passive about it, and lets himself get tangled up in some crazy drama cause he is too passive to say 'no'
Suffice to say, not for me, maybe for others, hope this helps.