Set against the stark beauty and political turbulence of 1869 Tibet, The Last of Earth is a stunning exploration of empire, rebellion, and human resilience. Deepa Anappara transports readers to a time and place rarely seen in historical fiction, where the British Empire’s frustration with Tibet’s closed borders leads them to train Indian spies capable of blending in. Among them is Balram, a schoolteacher turned reluctant spy, searching for his missing friend Gyan. His journey intertwines with that of Katherine, a 50-year-old Englishwoman determined to prove that women, too, can chart their own paths across forbidden lands.

Anappara’s characters are deeply compelling. Balram and Katherine’s trek through Tibet becomes more than a physical journey; it’s a reckoning with identity, loyalty, and the ghosts of their pasts. Their inner struggles are just as vivid as the external challenges they face, from treacherous terrain to political danger.

The prose is lush and evocative, bringing the Tibetan landscape to life in rich, immersive detail. I never felt bogged down by the descriptions. Instead, each passage added depth and texture to the story. The narrative voice is distinctive with untraditional flourishes like Katherine’s strikethrough-laced journal entries and the spectral voices of Gyan and Durga speaking through Balram. While these experimental elements occasionally felt a bit overused, they also added an emotional complexity and stylistic boldness that I admired.

Every character, even those on the periphery, felt real. Anappara has a gift for breathing life into a personality in just a few lines. The pacing was solid with tension that builds steadily as secrets unravel and loyalties are tested.

Fans of historical fiction, I highly recommend this book, set in 19th-century Tibet. It’s about people wanting or needing a legacy. The narrative is told from the perspectives of British explorers, including a fascinating female explorer and Indian surveyors. There is great character development. The author vividly describes the lush yet treacherous landscape, capturing the historical context of the British Empire and Russia's competition for land/politics and Tibet's fight for independence during this era. It is a brilliant work.

In this languorously-paced novel, travelers trying to get to Lhasa encounter snow leopards, a "gentleman bandit," and their own shortcomings. Anappara creates a large cast of characters and delves into their psyches as they push through storms and dust and rivers. The descriptions are detailed and expansive, even if the characters are not always well fleshed-out. This will probably appeal to book groups and readers who enjoy travel narratives; I wanted a bit more from the characters and plot.

In 1869 Tibet is closed to Europeans which is not an ideal situation for the expending British Empire. As a result, Britain hires native people to cross borders and spy for them. One such spy is Balram, an Indian schoolteacher who previously worked for Britain alongside his friend Gyan who is missing now. There is a rumor that he might be imprisoned within Tibet. Desperate to rescue his friend, he agrees to guide an English captain. The captain, disguised as a monk, wants to chart a river crossing Tibet. It’s not something that sits well with Balram, to be deceiving Tibetans, but life is about choices and he needs to make the one that feels right for him.

Their path crosses with Katherine who was denied a fellowship in the all-male Royal Geographical Society in London, and intends to be the first European to reach Lhasa. She is a very captivating character. She grabbed my attention the most.

Throughout the story brief characterizations are woven which are interesting and poignant. However, as the story is character-driven I wished for more of character-development and less of descriptions of daily progress which are vividly portrayed. However, long descriptions made the pace a bit slow for me.

The novel explores the theme of ambition. What it means for an individual person which is a fascinating premise. It is written with striking prose, and there is some tension and suspense.

This was such an interesting book about two travelers to Tibet from different sides—a wealthy woman who hires a guide to see the land for her own sense of an adventure and a man working for a white man eager to map the land for profit and fame.

Set in 1869 Tibet, which is closed to Europeans. Thus, Britain trains east Indians to conduct surveying expeditions. One of these Indian surveyors, Balram, accompanies a British captain, who is disguised as a monk and wants to chart a river himself. Balram seeks to find his friend who vanished during his last expedition and may be imprisoned in Tibet. Add to the mix another Brit, Katherine, who seeks to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa. They must overcome numerous obstacles, including bad weather, bad people, ferocious animals, and illness. Interesting historical fiction with an off-the-grid time and setting.

This was an excellent book. It was well-written. I would highly recommend this book. It's very easy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

4.5/5 Stars
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this amazing historical novel. I have not read a historical novel in a while. This book will change that. I had a great time reading the beautiful prose and almost lyrical sentences. Thank you, Deepa Anappara, for writing this.
There are almost no books that are set in Tibet. Since this was set in the 18th century, it had a soft richness that helped you flow through the pages. The details are vivid. The world is almost tangible. This changed how I will view creative works.
This book had tension, suspense at times, and a vulnerability that was capitalized by the British. It crushes me that colonialization was so destructive to the people of these countries. These characters were innocent in ways that the British took full control because they thought they were superior. This book was very entertaining and amazing character work. Almost every character was full of life on the page. I have already recommended this book and will continue to recommend this book.
Thank you again NetGalley and Random House.

This was unfortunately a DNF for me, and I can't even really articulate why. The writing is excellent, and I thought the concept was interesting, but I just couldn't get into the story for some reason. I think it was just a little too slow paced for me, but for a reader with more patience I think this would be a good fit.

Mixed feelings here. At times I found this a wondrously lush recreation of landscape and era. The author has done considerable research and it shows.
At others, I felt frustrated by the structure and narrative-less-ness of it all. The reader is constantly forced to endure twin journeys as the two white characters forge ahead to Tibet, while the bulk of the focus is on hinterland, emotional baggage and colonial matters. This can be frustrating and repetitive.
Then there’s the opacity. Little is concluded definitively. Perhaps that’s in keeping with the author’s view of place and philosophy but I wasn’t really satisfied.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty here to relish if historical fiction is your thing and you don’t mind overwritten-ness.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Set in 1869 Tibet, the book follows a schoolteacher spy for the British and an English lady explorer. Tibit is closed to Europeans, which angers the British Empire as it looks to expand. As a response, Britain trains Indians who can cross their own borders to spy. Balram, a schoolteacher, and his friend, Gyan, both spy for the British. But Gyan is now missing and feared captured. Balram wants to find his friend, and in an effort to do so, agrees to escort an English captain who wants to personally chart a river in Tibet. The captain disguises himself as a monk to do so. It is then that they encounter another Westerner - Katherine, who is 50 years old and wanting to prove women can explore, too. Going through Tibet brings all sorts of trials to Balram and Katherine's journey, from natural to man; it becomes an arduous journey.

The author did an excellent job of writing very compelling and greatly detailed characters. They not only have to work against nature and outside forces, but also learn to work through their internal issues. I really enjoyed being transported to a different time and place that I knew little about; the author brought these details to the pages wonderfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last of Earth" by Deepa Anappara is a historical novel set in 19th-century Tibet, a kingdom closed off to most Europeans during a time of intense British imperial expansion. The story follows two unlikely outsiders: Balram, an Indian schoolteacher trained by the British to conduct clandestine surveying expeditions into Tibet, who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue his missing friend, and Katherine, an English "lady" explorer determined to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa, disguised to avoid detection. As they navigate the treacherous Tibetan landscape, facing natural perils, political intrigue, and personal demons, the novel explores themes of colonialism, identity, the human desire to leave a mark on the world, and the enduring power of friendship and family, all told through a "polyphonic" narrative that offers multiple perspectives on this complex historical moment. A great read!!

If you are looking for an adventurous historical fiction novel set in the nineteenth century then this is the story for you. The setting is setin Tibet who have put an embargo on Europeans from coming into the country. This is mostly because of the British Empire colonizing India. However, the British end up being very crafty because with the colonization in India they have started training the Indians to sneak into Tibet to engage in illegal survey expeditions.
Again it is just so interesting how one country feels the need to interfere in the livelihood of another country just so they can get ahead for themselves not caring who they hurt in the process. Overall it's a very lovely read because it gives you the opportunity to go there without having travel there yourself. The plot and the characters are so wonderfully written.
One of our characters is a man from India who is a spy for the British named Balram is trying to find his friend who went missing. He goes there with a ship captain in hopes that they will both find what they are looking for. Along the way they meet Katherine who is traveling in disguise who wants to be the first accomplished woman to travel across the globe alone. From there all three will embark on the adventure of the lifetime.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

A beautiful book and very pleasant read! The prose is gorgeous and entertaining - although a large portion of the book is understandably dedicated to descriptions of the landscape it was never boring and thanks to the detail each scene was very easy to imagine. Every character in this book was distinct and fleshed out, even those with minor roles. Anappara clearly has a talent for building a human character in just a few sentences. The pacing of the book was good and I enjoyed how tension was built throughout the entirety of the narrative. I also appreciated the more untraditional aspects of the writing, such as Durga and Gyan speaking through Balram and the strikeouts in Katherine's journal. These admittedly were overplayed at times and came off a little cliché, which is my only real criticism of the book, as these moments interrupted the otherwise impressive sensitivity with which Anappara told a story principally about rebellion and duty.

"The Last of Earth" proved to be a gripping experience as I followed its cast through the mountains and watched them deal with struggles both external and internal. Deepa Anappara crafted his characters with such a vivid richness that by the end it made me feel as if I had known these fictional women and men closely in real life. It was with equal skill that he made the landscape and inhabitants of 18th century Tibet come so fully to life that his words were practically a time machine that transported my directly there.

An absolutely top-notch historical read overall - and I would not hesitate to call that an understatement.

One mission. One map. Three lives forever altered in the shadow of empire. Colonialism, friendship, obsession, and survival—this sweeping historical novel had me trekking across forbidden Tibet alongside spies, scholars, and snow leopards. 4 stars for the tension, the heart, and the history.

*The Last of Earth* is a captivating historical novel that immerses readers in the breathtaking, treacherous landscape of nineteenth-century Tibet. Balram, an Indian schoolteacher turned British spy, embarks on a perilous mission to rescue his missing friend while guiding an English captain into the forbidden kingdom. Alongside him is Katherine, a determined explorer aiming to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa. Together, they navigate storms, bandits, and personal demons in this gripping tale of colonial ambition, friendship, and survival in a world on the brink of change.