Reading Skywards – Your Friendly Bookshelf

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOOK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hanover Square Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 2024
Format:  Hardcover, Paperback, audiobook, and ebook
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
Genre:  Science Fiction

MY PERSONAL OPINION OF “The Last Gifts of the Universe” by Riley August

I got this book from my local Library. As I was walking out, the book caught my attention because of the cover… it was cute with the astronaut cat on the cover. I really did not read much about the premise of the book, but I have been looking for a shorter science fiction novel.

The story was packed with action, affection, hope, courage, and love. I loved this book. It was science fiction, but it was easy to follow. The planets, the timeline, and the science behind this futuristic technology were easy to understand and follow. The characters were developed enough to understand their actions, but it was more of a storyline with a deep longing to understand what went wrong, so as to keep hope for the future.

The end was satisfying, and if there is a sequel, I will be first in line to get it. I might buy this book and keep it in my library for that cozy and cold afternoon when reading a solid, good, heartfelt story is exactly what is needed.

PREMISE OF THE BOOK AS FOUND IN AMAZON / GOODREADS:

When the Home worlds finally achieved the technology to venture out into the stars, they found a graveyard of dead civilizations. What befell them is unknown. All Home knows is that they are the last ones left – and whatever came for the others will one day come for them.

Scout is an Archivist who scours the dead worlds of the cosmos for their last gifts: interesting technology, cultural rituals – anything left behind that might be useful to Home 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.

Now Scout, their brother and their sometimes-fearless, space-faring cat, Pumpkin, must race to save what matters most.

MY RATING: 4.5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bibliography:

Riley 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 Rhode Island with their cat and husband. The Last Gifts of the Universe is their debut novel.

• The Last Gifts of the Universe: a Novel is her debut novel.