The Last Pantheon is a superhero story unlike any you have seen before. Forget Marvel and DC, forget the Avengers and the Justice League, this is a story of African superheroes written by African authors who share a deep love of the comic book and longstanding immersion in its culture.
Nick Wood was a South African-British clinical psychologist and Science Fiction writer whose two novels, Azanian Bridges and Water Must Fall (both published by NewCon Press) were shortlisted for several awards and won acclaim from many notable writers:
“I read Azanian Bridges with much pleasure… Chilling and fascinating.” – Ursula Le Guin
“[Water Must Fall] extrapolates the inequalities and politics of today into a future where climate-catastrophe has created a world where even water is scarce. Yet the book is one of hope...” – Wole Talabi
"...the story of people struggling with a climate situation that is out of their control and yet determines everything about their lives. It’s a situation that soon may become universal, so there’s an extra edge to this novel that makes it especially compelling.” – Kim Stanley Robinson
Tade Thompson has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Nommo Award, the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award, the Utopiales award, and the Julia Verlange Award among others. He has been a Hugo Award and Shirley Jackson Award finalist.
He is best known for Rosewater and The Murders of Molly Southbourne, both of which have been optioned for adaptation.
The Last Pantheon is a unique collaboration between two major talents to create something extraordinary
As well as co-writing the narrative, Tade Thompson has provided the cover art and nine internal illustrations which appear throughout the text (see below). It should be stressed, however, that this is not a comic book. It is a novella, interspersed with illustrations. A thrilling story that demonstrates the fragile boundary between hero and villain, as two superpowered brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the moral divide; a story that provides stark contrast to the treatment of African superheroes by the big comic book companies even as it entertains.
In addition to the novella itself, this volume also includes interviews, articles, and even some of the initial email exchanges between the two authors when first discussing to project; these appear as 'bonus material' at the back of the book.
Available as a paperback, a signed limited edition hardback (Nick's signature digitally reproduced) and an eBook.