Synopsis:
A dying universe.
When the Home worlds finally achieved the technology to venture out into the stars, they found a graveyard of dead civilizations, a sea of lifeless gray planets and their ruins. What befell them is unknown. All Home knows is that they are the last civilization left in the universe, and whatever came for the others will come for them next.
A search for answers.
Scout is an Archivist tasked with scouring the dead worlds of the cosmos for their last gifts: interesting technology, cultural rituals—anything left behind that might be useful to the Home worlds and their survival. During an excavation on a lifeless planet, Scout unearths something unbelievable: a surviving message from an alien who witnessed the world-ending entity thousands of years ago.
A past unraveled.
Blyreena was once a friend, a soul mate, and a respected leader of her people, the Stelhari. At the end of her world, she was the last one left. She survived to give one last message, one final hope to the future: instructions on how to save the universe.
An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes.
With the fate of everything at stake, Scout must overcome the dangers of the Stelhari’s ruined civilization while following Blyreena’s leads to collect its artifacts. If Scout can’t deliver these groundbreaking discoveries back to the Archivists, Home might not only be the last civilization to exist, but the last to finally fall.
Review:
The Last Gifts Of The Universe Had everything I love in Sci-fi and more. Rory August created this amazing space adventure like none I’ve ever read before. I have never felt such a powerful connection. It has great representation on loss and grief, the two elements that gave me that connection to the story and most importantly the connection with the main character. It even has a space cat. How cute is it to picture a little cat in a space suit?
The story starts off with our two main characters Scout and her brother Kieran who are what they call Archivist. Their mission is to go to these uninhabited planets and collect these types of beacons that were left behind by the previous inhabitants. They end up finding one and upon watching the hologram left behind, it ends up sending them across the galaxy in search for the next cache that can be the information they need to save the human race. What I really loved about The Last Gifts Of The Universe is that is gives you the space adventure but you also get to know the characters on a more intimate level through flashbacks. In this case, it’s more about scout and how they end up out in space. Scout is a character that I share the most connection with. The flashback that really hit me hard was when Scout is visiting their mom in the hospital, their mom is sick, dying and refusing treatment. This scene had me so emotional because I am going through the same thing with my mom. My mom is undergoing chemo after her previous medication failed to do what it was intended. This was difficult news to take in and has been difficult for me to digest since I have been going through so much with my sons health as well. Just like Scout, my mom is the most important person in my life, she’s my best friend. I don’t know what I would do without her in my life.The thoughts of not having her there to talk to terrifies me. A mother is everything and I can sense that Scout loved their mom very much. They traveled through space together. There is a quote that Scouts mom says…
“Sweetheart, I want you to listen very carefully. I’m okay with whats happening. I am not happy, mind you. I wish it were different. I wish I could be out in the world with you and Kieran and not in this damn bed. And I’m scared. every night I’m scared, every day. But its okay. I’ve accepted it. I have you here to see me.”
-Scouts Mother
Gosh this hit me like a ton of bricks and it felt so real to me and so warmhearted. This is one of my greatest fears but Rory August wrote it so beautifully. The loss and grief in this story feels so real but in such a beautiful way. It takes you on the journey after losing someone close to you. it shows the levels of grief a person undergoes. I don’t want to make this review a sad one but it’s nice to share my feelings so that you can better understand why I loved this book so much. Doing this also makes me feel better since I keep all my feelings to myself. The last Gifts Of The Universe not only had sad moments, it also has feelings of hope. Hope that you will make it regardless of how much you have lost. There is action and adventure which made this story really fun and enjoyable despite everything else. It even had its moments of humor (space cat). There is fear of being the only beings left in the universe. How can I forget to mention the alien menace that is trying to destroy the universe. The Remnants are one of the creepiest monster descriptions I have ever encountered. I don’t ever want to experience the feeling of being swallowed up by one of those things. This story packs a punch and I am all for it.
I found the story very easy to read. Rory August has beautiful writing and I look forward to reading future works. It Is fast paced and definitely a page turner. I recommend The Lasts Gifts Of The Universe to everyone. It is one of my top rated favorite books this year. I think anyone will enjoy it. I want to thank Escapist Book Tours and Rory August for letting me be a part of this book tour and for providing me with the E-Arc.
Author Info:
Rory August is a speculative fiction writer, animal lover, nature walker, and all around nerd. When they
aren’t writing stories about lonely voyages through space, you can find them playing video games, the
guitar, or a myriad of TTRPGs. They live in woodsy New England with their cat and husband. The Last
Gifts of the Universe is their debut novel.
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