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A review by theshaggyshepherd
The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August
5.0
The Last Gifts of the Universe // by Rory August
Update:
I reread this less than 4 months later already! It still is one of my favorite reads of 2022 so far. I decided to finish out the Indie Accords and Ready Player Read Bingo with this one. After a super busy reading month, it was a comfort to come back to it to slow down my mind.
I’m still blown away that August managed to give so much background story to not only the main character but also another character in such a short book. My biggest struggle with novellas is usually that I don’t trust characters enough after such a short time together but that is not an issue here at all. The characters are believable and lovable, especially PUNKIN.
1st Read:
I picked this book up on a whim because I saw the author post about its pub day, I really liked the cover, and it’s short enough to where I could squeeze it in before my next read. And I’m so glad I did. I loved this book and read almost the entire thing in one day. I actually fell asleep reading it because I stayed up so late and didn’t want to stop. That hasn’t happened in a long time.
I love the narrator and how she muses about things in her life, how we get to see her emotional reactions, the way she handles stress, and her passion for what she does. I also absolutely adore Pumpkin. Oh my god. Who would’ve thought that a space-adventuring cat could be so lovable and fascinating to follow? I think that August did a great job at showcasing each character and their reactions in these scenes. Despite the limited amount of time we get to spend with each of them they don’t seem one-dimensional at all.
I don’t know if there will be more books set in this universe but I sure hope so. I know for a fact that I’ll pick up August’s future books without hesitation next time!
I don’t do comparisons like this often but I think if you liked Project Hail Mary, you’ll really like this one as well.
Update:
I reread this less than 4 months later already! It still is one of my favorite reads of 2022 so far. I decided to finish out the Indie Accords and Ready Player Read Bingo with this one. After a super busy reading month, it was a comfort to come back to it to slow down my mind.
I’m still blown away that August managed to give so much background story to not only the main character but also another character in such a short book. My biggest struggle with novellas is usually that I don’t trust characters enough after such a short time together but that is not an issue here at all. The characters are believable and lovable, especially PUNKIN.
1st Read:
I picked this book up on a whim because I saw the author post about its pub day, I really liked the cover, and it’s short enough to where I could squeeze it in before my next read. And I’m so glad I did. I loved this book and read almost the entire thing in one day. I actually fell asleep reading it because I stayed up so late and didn’t want to stop. That hasn’t happened in a long time.
I love the narrator and how she muses about things in her life, how we get to see her emotional reactions, the way she handles stress, and her passion for what she does. I also absolutely adore Pumpkin. Oh my god. Who would’ve thought that a space-adventuring cat could be so lovable and fascinating to follow? I think that August did a great job at showcasing each character and their reactions in these scenes. Despite the limited amount of time we get to spend with each of them they don’t seem one-dimensional at all.
I don’t know if there will be more books set in this universe but I sure hope so. I know for a fact that I’ll pick up August’s future books without hesitation next time!
I don’t do comparisons like this often but I think if you liked Project Hail Mary, you’ll really like this one as well.