The Last Man Mary Shelley, most famous for "Frankenstein" also wrote several other novels and short stories. "The Last Man" was her second best-seller, written about ten years after the publication of "Frankenstein." The Last Man is an apocalyptic science fiction novel about tragic love and a future world that has been ravaged by a plague. It reflects Shelley's fears about civilization and the shortcomings of human behavior. Lionel Verney, the narrator and last survivor of a twenty-first century plague, recounts how he discovers a manuscript written in 2100. But aside from the novel being delightful and arguably obscure entertainment for the Romantic literature aficionado, it is the foundation of English Sci-Fi from H.G. Wells to Arthur C. Clarke, not to mention such works as "The Stand" by Stephen King and "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson.