I was lucky enough to read this book after the author reached out to me and provided me with an ARC. I hope the prospective reader will read this review fully before making any prejudgments on the book. I will give the book my thoughts. These thoughts are completely my own and not swayed in any way by anyone else’s reviews or opinions.
“I cannot accept that humanity has perished,” Martin said, “our descendants, whatever form they may have evolved into, are out there somehow. They may be hiding in other dimensions, they may be so efficient at preserving power that none has leaked out to detect. But they must be out there somewhere.”
Zeb Haradon-The Last Feast
Jim is the only human alive in the entire universe. The place he calls home is a small escape pod that is circling a black hole. He survives by replicating himself and eating the clones. He decided one night that he wants to entertain his meal. He speaks of the story of how his life turned out the way it has. The original crew, of seven, all died in different ways. Two different groups formed. The first group believes that, even though there is no evidence, that there must be intelligent life somewhere in the universe. The other group believes that instead of wasting power and sending out distress signals, they need to preserve all of the energy on the ship for them. They want to try to be comfortable in a world where nothing else matters.
To me, this book is the perfect length. I think that I would struggle to get through a drawn-out version of this story. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I want to give a disclaimer. This book does have a lo of intercourse and dark themes. This is a large part of the story, but I did not find it to be uncomfortable or unsettling. I still fell completely in love with the story line. The idea of saving yourself versus focusing on a more positive outcome. This is something that is harder to discuss. I find it similar to the trolley question in Psychology as well as Philosophy. I find the thinking aspect of the book is very intriguing.
I wouldn’t say that this book is a light read. It is something that is mainly questioning dilemmas and choices that people make. I did a review on The Usurper King and found that I loved that book. Even though the idea was there, I found that I was not as connected to this book as that one.
My Rating: I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy this book, but something about it was hard to swallow. I do not mind dark themes, but maybe this book has a bit darker themes than I could handle. Survival stories like this are harder for me to connect to. I find that overall, even though I liked this book, I read it once, but it may not be my go-to book on my read again shelf. If you’re up for it, read this book. It will be worth your time.
On Review by Sara 