The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August is the winner of the second Self Published Science Fiction Competition, and it’s easy to see why it came out ahead of the hundreds of other novels. But before I get into my review, I’d like to say how grateful I am that SPSFC exists. Without this contest, it would be so hard to identify the best of the hundreds, probably thousands of indie SF novels appearing each year. The judges start with a huge slush pile and gradually whittle that it down to quarter and semi-finalists, finalists, then the winner. Many of the judges record their impressions of each book they’re assigned, so you can get a good idea of which books would appeal to your tastes. How else would any reader know where to begin or even identify what’s coming out, other than self-promotion. And the best promoters, of course, might not be the best writers. So, all gratitude to Hugh Howey and Duncan Swan, who started the contest, and all the judges for making it so much easier for the rest of us to pick and choose among this vast body of work. So, on to the winner.
The Last Gifts of the Universe starts out simply enough. Two brothers, archivists working for a low-budget non-profit, along with their space cat, are searching the universe for remnant caches of data from lost civilizations. And all civilizations across millions of light years have been lost, completely deadened by a mysterious force that seems on the hunt for all forms of life. The hope is that the data caches will give some answers about this devastation that could help humans prepare when this terrible unknown thing comes to our solar system.
In a series of brief, well-constructed chapters, the narrator, Scout, talks to us in present tense, always adding tension as he and Kieran and their cat land on a series of devastated planets. But the group of idealistic archivists they represent, who want only to provide information to humanity for new technologies and survival, is in a race with Verity Co. That’s the for-profit corporation that puts its stamp of ownership on everything it finds and only offers it to others for sale. They have deep pockets, the best tech and the most ruthless approach to the search for data. It isn’t long before Kieran and Scout run into a Verity team, which steals a prize from their grasp by threat of deadly force. But not before Kieran has made a partial copy of the cache, which seems to promise a further trove of information gathered by the best scientists of the Stelhari civilization on another planet.
Although Kieran and Scout, with their minimal tech and no real weaponry, are no match for the Verity team, Scout insists on pushing on to the next Stelhari planet to see if they can manage somehow to beat Verity Co. to the prize. They also have to be alert to Remnants, alien entities left behind by the force that obliterated so many civilizations.
So far, it seems like we’re in for a fairly routine adventure story, but then, as Scout listens to the partial copy of the Stelhari cache, a whole new dimension opens up. This is a story within the main narrative, one of love and loss, that stirs Scout’s memories of a loss within his own family. While this could so easily have veered to the sentimental, the interweaving of adventure, which is compelling in it own right, blends beautifully with the more profound story of grief and some deeply moving reflections on life and loss.
“I hope you one day recognize grief’s beauty, learn to live with the shadows, to understand that the only reason they could be so dark, is because they were cast by so much light.”
The Last Gifts of the Universe, Kindle edition, location 2215
The Last Gifts of the Universe is a short and compelling reading experience about people facing the end of everything and somehow learning to live with terrible uncertainty. The adventure aspect of the story could lead to sequels, but the human story of family and love needs no follow-on. It’s perfect as it is.
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