Summary: Before everything, it's assumed there was nothing, but what if there was no real difference between the two? Just two extreme philosophies from the original conflict.

The planet Huom has been under observation for longer than should technically be possible. The primary watcher, a bitter black-hole, is excited to see that there is finally a proverbial Darkness at the end of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, on the planet, in the freezing mountains of Empris, Lyeasrakardsul, the oldest living sorcerer suffers from devastating nightmares. At the same time - far away in the sandstone desert of Zenon - Herschel, a man filled to the brim with weird ideas is escaping a prison filled with strange old men.

What does all this have to do with arsehole Gods, hairy Dwarfs, frustrated Afreets, curious Knomes, lizard-women, and nude Áettar? Perhaps Nothing, perhaps Everything... but why can't it be both?

Summary Thoughts: Uhm, what did I just read? Well, I am thoroughly confused. So, uhm where do...where do I begin? I just can't make sense of some of the elements in the summary. Things like "The Original Conflict" should be, in my opinion, something quickly explained or possibly dropped out of the summary. I mean, it could be a reference to the Big Bang or possibly a story world reference, but it left me more confused than intrigued. The summary then comedically throws the kitchen sink of info at the audience, which worked for me, but it could also come across as overbearing because of the amount of information given. That being said, the summary was so baffling it intrigued me. There are a lot of ludicrous and just plain silly elements given to showcase the comedic nature of this story and what type of ride the audience may be in for. Bonus points for finishing the summary with the same subject that you started on, Let's Zero-IN!

Review: Okay, well, I think I need to state something here. I have not read too many sci-fi books. I haven't even read a single Brandon Sanderson book. I know that may hurt my credibility as a reviewer, but I think I need to state this to say there may have been a few satirical elements that could have gone over my head and also prevents me from knowing if there are any stark original elements from its genre. So, with all that cleared up, let me start from the beginning.

The Last Philosopher has been a funny comedic telling of a Black Hole (yes, I know how that sounds) and an anciently old wizard. Now, as far as originality, I think this story does hit a lot of marks. Now three chapters won't give me too much info on how these elements are expanded upon, but the author does a good job of presenting these elements and seeding the ground of what's to come. No greater example of this is displayed other than the Black hole. An usual but interestingly vain character to say the least, who talks of some events hinted within the cosmos. Though as far as the first three chapters go, this seems to be, for the most part, the only original element I can put my finger on. We got wizards, magic schools and a coming great threat. Yeah, definitely sounds familiar, but that's okay in my book. It matters more about how things get subverted or twisted in the end. And since this is a comedy, I'm sure that's likely to happen.

Speaking of comedy, the story does a good job of not only having the laughs coming from the narrator or narration but the characters themselves. The story is dialing up the selfish tendencies of the characters for a laugh and I very much like it. A self-centered Black Hole and an egotistical wizard were at the helm of hilarity within the first three chapters, which end up being great humor highlights of the story.

Okay so, I got to be blunt here. Even if the exposition is done in a comedic and/or satirical sense, it's still too long for my taste. So much gets explained to us that I started to lose track of what was going on. Causing me to re-read a few sentences and paragraphs. Along with that, the exposition stretched out a few scenes, causing the pacing to feel drawn out and long-winded. I think the story would be better served if it was spaced out more. A lot of the story is clumped together in a very big paragraph which often felt intimidating to read. Honestly, this complaint may be more of a personal one for me than most readers would say, but I know if I wasn't reading this for a review I may have skipped it cause of its structure.

So what do I ultimately think so far? I think it's decent overall. One of the biggest problems for me is the lack of relatable characters. Though the characters are funny or they're some intriguing parts of the story hinted in the world, I couldn't really see myself attaching myself to any of the characters currently presented to want to see them go on any journey. The biggest writing lessons this story taught me is the importance of showcasing your "out there" elements first and foremost, so your audience knows what they are getting into. So the audience doesn't get too shocked when they realized they are on a ride toward crazy town with no handlebars.

Favorite Character: Lyeasrakardsul - comedically self-aware in the most deranged way. Though he seemed like an ego-centric Gandalf I actually liked how he knew how nonsensical he was.

Favorite Scene: Black Hole's Introduction - Not going to lie the intro of the Black Hole was both perplexing and funny at the same time. Great way to start the story off.