The Last Canadian

The Last Canadian

Author	William C. Heine
Original title	Death Wind
Language	English
Genre	Science Fiction
Publisher	Pocket Book of Canada
Publication date	1974
Publication place	Canada
Media type	Print (paperback)
ISBN	978-0-7701-0087-2

The Last Canadian is a 1974 science fiction novel by William C. Heine about the adventures of Eugene Arnprior after North America is devastated by a plague. The U.S. release of the novel was titled Death Wind.

Plot introduction

A 1970’s cold war apocalyptic story featuring Eugene Arnprior, an engineer living in Montreal, who fears the worst after he learns about a fast spreading airborne virus that was set loose in the American Rockies foothills. In a short period of time the Soviet attack has wiped-out the population of the Americas with a designer plague. Eugene takes his wife and two sons to an isolated cabin in Northern Quebec to escape as the entire population of North America is wiped out. The story continues as he travels the dead cities of the east coast and makes contact with a US destroyer off the coast of Florida which is being followed by an eavesdropping Soviet submarine.

Explanation of title

Eugene Arnprior had just received in the mail a notice of his Canadian citizenship when the plague struck. Therefore, he considered himself The Last Canadian.

Film adaptations

The Last Canadian was adapted onto film as The Patriot (1998) starring Steven Seagal. About the only thing that the book and the film have in common, however, is that both deal with the intentional release of a man-made viral plague upon society. Beyond that, there are no similarities between the book and the movie, including the cast of characters, the plot itself, and the locations. The book was used only as a basis for providing an idea for the film's plot.