Give me all the alien end of the world SF please. The Last 8 was such a unique book that when I saw The First 7 I had to read it! Keep reading if you’re intrigued by this book review of this new SF sequel about the end of the world and what happens when we come back.
Summary
Welcome home. Someone’s been waiting.
Clover Martinez and The Last Teenagers on Earth are busy exploring the galaxy after leaving earth behind…even if they can’t help but be a little homesick.
So when their ship receives a distress signal from their former planet, they hope against hope that it means other survivors. But as soon as they arrive, they realize something’s deeply wrong: strange crystal formations have popped up everywhere and there’s some sort of barrier keeping them from leaving.
Seeking the origin of the formations and the reason for the barrier, the group discovers a colony of survivors hidden in the mountains. But the survivors aren’t who they seem…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: Panic attack, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, PTSD,
The allure of home is one that defies logic and reason. Books, scholars, and poets have all grappled with this notion of home. Our complex histories with home wondering where our home lies. The First 7 concludes The Last 8 Duology. While The Last 8 was about what to do when humans were faced with the end of the world, The First 7 is all about what happens when the worst has happened. What do we do now? How do we live with ourselves after the invasion, after humanity has forever been changed, when we think there’s nothing left?
The First 7 is the perfect balance between action pack revelations and themes about home. Featuring a group cast – which is one of my favorite elements – The First 7 features a w/w SC relationship and Clover, the main character’s feelings processing her aromanticism. If you’re all about mystery, suspense, and betrayal, then you will have no trouble being hooked by The First 7. At the same time, The First 7 is about family, moving on, and survival.
Just because we move on, doesn’t mean we have to let go of the past and people we loved. We can hold them in our heart while making new space and letting go of that raw pain. The First 7 is one of those books which features high paced action and courage in the face of hopelessness, but also celebrates the bravery of survival. Science Fiction stories can get swept away in these grand self-sacrificing gestures, but there’s also hope and courage in staying alive, in having the strength to face the next day.
Overall,
The First 7 also asks, in a variety of ways, what we would do for a sense of home. Sometimes what we are longing for can never be replaced, can never be found again. It is lost forever. But if we think we can try, what might stop us? Even if what we find, what we create, will only ever be an imitation. Find The First 7 on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.