The Final Summit

David Ponder, a self-made man twice over, finds himself a grieving widower, alone in his penthouse apartment, contemplating his life, when the Archangel Gabriel appears to him. Ponder, as the only one living in the present time, is tasked with leading an assembly teeming with history’s finest characters—some very well-known and some less so. These time Travelers have been summoned to formulate a two word answer to the question: “What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?”

Gabriel impresses upon them the idea that time is running out and is sometimes brusque in his responses to the questions and requests for clarification by the Travelers. As the sand slips through the hourglass as an ever present reminder of their limited time, the group proposes a multitude of ideas which sound more like platitudes than a humanity-saving proposal. Gabriel hints that the answer encompasses all of their suggestions and, as one would expect from a book like this, eventually the Travelers stumble upon the two-word action plan destined to save humanity.

The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity is the most fanciful book that I have read this year, but it manages to be serious and thought-provoking. Having not read author Andy Andrew’s previous works I was not sure what to expect. The beginning of the book presents a lot of information to the reader, filling him in on what transpired in The Traveler’s Gift to which this book is the sequel. While this is a little wearisome, it allows the book to stand on its own. I enjoyed the portrayals of the Travelers; Andrews did a lovely job of animating them and providing interesting interactions and discussions amongst the Travelers. While I enjoyed this book, it is not characteristic of my typical reading and will not be changing that.

*I received an advance reading copy of this book through BookSneeze, a program where the publisher gives books away to bloggers in exchange for honest reviews. [Legal mumbo jumbo…I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”]