The Last Man vs The Scarlet Plague: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Plague, End of the world, Science Fiction, Fiction
The Last Man
Mary Shelley, the author of [Frankenstein][1], wrote the apocalyptic novel The Last Man in 1826. Its first person narrative tells the story of our world standing at the end of the twenty-first century and - after the…
vs
The Scarlet Plague
It is the year 2072, sixty years on from the scarlet plague that decimated the earth's population. As one of the few who knew life before the plague, James Howard Smith tries to impart what he knows to his grandsons…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Scarlet Plague highest: The Scarlet Plague 3.8 · The Last Man 3.4.
- The Scarlet Plague is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 8 for The Last Man.
- The Last Man has the widest readership — 7339 ratings behind its score.
- The Last Man runs the darker storyline; The Scarlet Plague stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Scarlet Plague
≈ 1h vs 8h for The Last Man
Want the crowd-tested pick?
The Last Man
7339 ratings vs 1803 for The Scarlet Plague
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Scarlet Plague
3.8 vs 3.4 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
The Last Man
a darker storyline than The Scarlet Plague
Want something lighter?
The Scarlet Plague
an easier tone than The Last Man
Scores by source
| The Last Man | The Scarlet Plague | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.4 (7339) | 3.8 (1803) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (16) | 3.5 (34) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (7) | 4.0 (140) |
Reception
| The Last Man | The Scarlet Plague | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7339 | 1803 |
| Editions | 430 | 71 |
| Citations | 18 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 34709 | 10485 |
| Reading it now | 2127 | — |
| Written reviews | 1209 | 1803 |
| Wikipedia attention | 5103 | 856 |
| Pages | 452 | 60 |