If I Were The Last Man Alive, by John Long (Jawbone Publishing)

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If I Were The Last Man Alive takes an intriguing, albeit not altogether new, concept and puts an interesting spin on it.

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Jamie Miller, a young pastor and recent widower, survives a cataclysmic extra-stellar event that wipes out nearly all animal life on Earth. Shielded by multiple protective barriers in a bank vault, our hero emerges to the unexpected stillness of a world devoid of people. After the inital shock, Jamie sets about stockpiling supplies for his future, whatever that may be, all the while dealing with not only his sudden solitude, but also the loss of his dear wife--a loss he's never quite gotten over.

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Author John Long takes us on a reading journey similar to what we experienced with Tom Hanks, in Castaway, only in an developed urban environment that is now decaying due to the lack of humans to maintain it. We're given detailed insight into Jamie's thought processes on what becomes important to survive, and--sometimes to our surprise--what becomes trivial. He wonders if he is the sole survivor on Earth, and, if so, why? We delve into Jamie's psychological, theological and emotional ruminations on his predicament, as they impact on his will and efforts to live on.

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Does anyone else survive? Is Jamie to make this journey by himself? You'll have to read it to find out.

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John Long wrote If I Were The Last Man Alive as an anniversary present to his wife. What a neat gift!