The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King

The third installment in The Last Kids on Earth series begins where the last book left off: The four friends have temporarily defeated Ŗeżżőcħ and are enjoying a few days of relatively unencumbered fun. The story jumps right into the action, and the use of language like “swirling, deafening thunderclap” adds to the ominous imagery and tension (22).

It is clear from the beginning that Jack feels a deep sense of responsibility toward his friends and wants to protect them from harm. He observes that he has been “having trouble distinguishing them from zombies” lately, suggesting how sad and dispirited they feel living in a dystopian world (2). Jack is desperate to brighten their spirits, and wants them to be happy. 



Once the radio is discovered, Jack’s desire to make his friends happy takes on a selfish cast. After several months of living on their own, Jack and his friends had begun to think they might be the last people left on Earth. Hearing a voice over the radio changes everything; it means there is hope and potentially a safer place with other people. For Jack, everything seems great in Wakefield. Despite the constant threat of danger, he enjoys community and the routines he has built with his friends and the good monsters there. Jack wrestles with The Fear of Being Alone. For him, the radio represents the potential destruction of the life he has built. Now Jack wants to keep his friends happy, not just for their benefit, but to ensure they won’t abandon him.

When the King Wretch first appears, nobody is sure what its intentions are or where it came from. It appears to be aggressive and evil, but it doesn’t attack, which leads to confusion. The narrative foreshadows Jack’s visions when he looks into the King Wretch’s swirling eyes and starts to feel tired and dizzy. The King Wretch leaves, which aims to add mystery and invite curiosity about how the plot unfolds.

The story’s setting of post-apocalyptic Wakefield is key. It serves as more than a mere backdrop, as Jack and his friends feel a sense of attachment to the town. It is the only place they have ever known, and even though it is forever changed, it still maintains vital characteristics of its former façade— the comics store, the fire station, the supermarket. A map of the town is provided before the story even begins, orienting the reader and providing visual information for understanding the story’s setting. Pop culture references also illuminate the timeframe in which the story is set (essentially the time of the book’s publication, 2017), and emphasize how the past can serve as a lifeline. Allusions to pop culture also indicate that the story takes place in the same world the reader occupies.

The story’s tone is generally light and humorous, which contrasts with its apocalyptic setting and grave themes. The characters’ lives are constantly under threat, but Jack is always joking about it: “I know a good amount about buddies, ‘cause I have the best buddies, and I’m quite sure they don’t like being knocked out” (4). The language has a less-than-serious quality, often relying on extreme exaggerations or hyperbole, like “horribly horrifying” (19). These exaggerated phrases characterize Jack as both young and full of zest.