Genres:
Science Fiction, Queer, Space Opera, LGBT, Novella
Pages:
288
Published:
April 5, 2022
A dying universe. A search for answers. An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes.
When the Home worlds finally achieved the technology to venture out into the stars, they found a graveyard of dead civilisations. 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.
✧ Overall Score✧
9/10
I might be currently blinded by emotions, but the fact that such a little book has me feeling so very much means a lot, I think. The plot was a little thin but the emotions were here in a big way.
✧ Enjoyment Score✧
8/10
I got invested! I didn’t want to put the silly thing down, and I really enjoyed all the silly cat antics as well. This book entertained me the whole time, there’s no fluff to bore you.
✧ Writing Style✧
7/10
It won’t be winning any awards but it felt honest and true. I normally find cute animal antics to be rather grating, but the writing made me tolerate and even enjoy it, plus the ending legitimately moved me to tears.
✧ Plot✧
4/10
This is a walking simulator of a book, but that’s not the worst thing. The story was the characters and their emotional journey more than the universe ending threat.
✧ Characterization✧
8/10
Everyone felt a little stock, but it is an endearing stock. I enjoyed my time with these characters and I think I could write a decent analysis or fic about them with what I have learned of them from the story.