Release Date: March 24th 2020
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 448
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis

Sarya is the galaxy’s worst nightmare: a Human.

But most days, she doesn’t feel like the most terrifying creature in the galaxy. No, most days, she’s got other things on her mind. Like hiding her identity among the hundreds of alien species roaming the corridors of Watertower Station. Or making sure her adoptive mother doesn’t casually eviscerate one of their neighbors. Again.

And most days, she can almost accept that she’ll never know the truth about why humanity was deemed too dangerous to exist, or whether she really is – impossibly – the lone survivors of a species destroyed a millennium ago.
That is, until an encounter with a bounty hunter leaves her life and her perspective shattered.

Thrown into the universe at the helm of a stolen ship, Sarya begins to uncover an impossible truth. Humanity’s death and her own existence might simply be two moves in a demented cosmic game, one that might offer the thing she wants most in the universe – a second chance for herself, and one for humanity.

Review

The Last Human is the epic science fiction tale of Sarya – the last human in the universe. Hiding with her adoptive mother (Shenya the Widow) and pretending to be of the same alien species. When she comes face to face with a bounty hunter her cover is blown and she begins to uncover the truth behind the demise of humanity and and discover a way to gain a second chance for herself and for the human race.

This is a book completely unlike anything I’ve read before. It was a fascinating tale and an impressive debut novel. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book seeing Sarya attempt to live a life where everyone thinks she is someone else. I also liked seeing her interactions with her mother who is much more aggressive and warlike species. I thought these two characters in particular were well created and I thought Sarya made for an excellent protagonist, however as her journey progressed I found myself getting a bit lost in the story. There are different parts to the story that separate Sarya’s journey and the further on I got the more I lost how it was connected to the beginning.

I loved the idea of the last human being the one thing that the other races are scared of. It’s a clever story with plenty of moments that will blow your mind, but for me it felt like there was just too much going on. Ultimately this one wasn’t for me, but I’m sure plenty of science fiction fans will love this one. If it sounds like the kind of thing you might enjoy I’d definitely recommend giving it a go.