A review by crimsoncor
Until the Last of Me by Sylvain Neuvel

adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This loses some of the explosive propulsion of the first book. Both because we lose the singular focus on our main characters (the side exploration of the Trackers isn't boring, but it removes a lot of the tension caused by fear of the unknown that the first book had) and because the historical impetus of the space race peters out a bit. So this book, while still enjoyable, doesn't live up to the precedent of the first book. With how it ends (great action sequence ending), I'm a bit worried about how the final book is going to keep the same overall tone, but I guess we'll see.

There is also an interesting erasure question with this book. It clearly isn't the intent of the author, but there is something a bit odd about honoring the unknown contributions of all these women working in astronomy and space by making their contributions the work of the Kibsu. It is like, women did great things but they weren't real women, just aliens carrying out their imperative. Again, definitely not the intent of the author, who clearly admires these women immensely, but just feels a tiny bit off.