First published in 1826, ‘The Last Man’ is an apocalyptic, dystopian science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, an English novelist. The book tells of a forthcoming world that a plague has destroyed. The novel was harshly examined at the time, and, except for a 1924 silent film based on it, was nearly unknown – having been eclipsed by Shelley's more famous works – until a scholarly revitalization in the 1960s. It includes semi-biographical portraits of Romantic figures in Shelley's circle, particularly Shelley's late husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. Profound in theme and peopled with characters that own a refreshing exuberance, it is a novel that will breathlessly race you to its stunning, climactic finish.