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Guest Review: Literace Reviews: Until the Last of Me by Sylvain Neuvel

In less than 24 hours, I devoured the two books of the Take Them to the Stars trilogy by Sylvain Neuvel. This second book in the series, Until the Last of Me, held itself up to and in ways exceeded the standard set by the first book. Continue reading down below to see my full review.

Summary

Over 100 generations, Mia’s family has shaped Earth’s history to push humanity to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices along the way.

And now Mia finds herself about to help launch the first people into space. She can’t take them to the stars, not quite yet. But with her adversary almost upon her, and with the future of the planet at stake it’s becoming clearer that obeying the First Rule is no longer an option.

For the first time since her line’s first generation, Mia will have to choose to stand her ground, knowing that the overwhelming odds mean that she risks not only her bloodline, but also the future of the human race.

A darkly satirical thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who sacrifice all to make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them…

Always run, never fight.

Preserve the knowledge.

Survive at all cost.

Take them to the stars.

Review

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

There are several things I like about this series. Neuvel does a great deal of research and it shows! While I like sci-fi, I’m not really a science/engineering-minded person. The way Until the Last of Me is written makes these aspects not only palatable but also interesting. Coming from a history and linguistics background, as Neuvel also seems to, I loved the historical and linguistic elements of the novels. This second installment delves even more into the historical and literary, which I appreciated and enjoyed. 

Small additions, such as the chapter names and the periodic changes in narration, help to add to the depth of this novel. Much of the conflict has to do with Mia’s family’s multi-generational responsibility to “take them to the stars.” Being rooted in this history, the chapter names, which were songs that were from the year that the events take place, help to ground the narration in the “present.” On the other hand, I loved the addition of the infrequent chapter from the point of view of the family’s ancestors from various points in history. Especially in Until the Last of Me, the past becomes increasingly important for the plot.

Pacing and Characters

Until the Last of Me is also well-paced. Certainly, it is different from A History of What Comes Next in terms of content. The first book was more focused on scientific espionage and the space race. This book starts with continued interest in the science aspect of getting into space. At the same time, the pace is different and slightly faster than in the previous novel. While it still focuses on space exploration, it doesn’t feel as much at the forefront. In a way, it has more movement, both in the plot and in the actual characters. Mia and Lola are continually moving from place to place to outrun the trackers and to chase the past. 

Neuvel does a great job of giving diverse personalities to all of the characters. One may expect that the different generations of the family should be the same or even similar given their upbringing and purpose. These characters Mia, Lola, and even their ancestors we have as narrators seem so unique and distinct from each other.

Overall

I cannot recommend this series enough. Until the Last of Us has something for everyone. You do not get bogged down by science or history-heavy narratives. Again, I want to point out the clear amount of research Neuvel did to write these books. It shows and it was *chef’s kiss* delicious. I’m looking forward to how Neuvel closes out the trilogy in the final installment.

Find Until the Last of Me on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository

Discussion

What was the last book that you felt you read in record time?


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