074 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
The Last Human
The last of the galaxy’s most
dangerous species
Release 4 March 2
Writer Z ack Jordan
Publisher odder & StoughtonH
Price 18.99£
How would you feel if you were the last of a
species so abhorred that you cannot even say out
loud what you are?
In a galaxy where different beings are tiered in
order of intelligence by a Network of information,
Sarya the Daughter has been living a secret life with
her adoptive mother Shenya the Widow. Disguised
as a different species to hide that she is, in fact,
human (a species that was deemed too dangerous
to exist), Sarya has struggled to fi t in. You see, the
majority of beings use the Network to speak to each
other and learn about their surroundings, but as her
human biology doesn’t quite work with the Network
interface, she’s ostracised and living on the fringes
of society. Which is exactly what Shenya the Widow
wants to keep her safe.
A fascinating but terrifying species, Widows are
natural hunters who have blades for limbs and are
born with a deep bloodlust. But Shenya the Widow
is also a dedicated mother who will do anything to
protect her daughter, including hiding out with her
on a remote Watertower spaceship.
That is until Sarya meets a high tier intelligence
called the Observer, a being with such intellect
that His mind is split into hundreds of thousands of
bodies. He tells her that He knows who (and what)
she is and gives her the choice to follow Him and
fi nd out more about her people. The decision she
makes sends her on a journey of epic proportions,
where she meets new friends, new foes (and some
who are a little of both) and gets to know the
Network far more than she would ever want to.
Sarya soon fi nds herself on her own without the
protection of her mother on a ship full of misfi ts
and she’s heading to one of the Network’s main
ports to discover more about why humanity has
been wiped out. Why is everyone so afraid of
humans? What happened to the rest of her species?
The world of The Last Human is fascinating,
and so are the species that Zack Jordan has littered
throughout his novel. The most interesting has to
be that of the Widows, whose killing instinct is at
odds with their pride and, in Shenya’s case, all-
encompassing love for their children. When Sarya
has a chance to explore Shenya’s memories, we get
to see more of the way this species lives, and we
wish we could have spent more time there.
The character of Sarya is fallible and quite
selfi sh, however, and we can’t help but wonder if
this is Jordan holding a mirror up to some of the
traits we, as humans, can also exhibit. Either way,
it can make the protagonist a somewhat tiring
person to spend so much time with and we would
rather have spent more time with the characters
around her. From Sandy, the little ball of fl uff withexceptional intelligence; to Mer, the affectionate
giant; and even the hilarious Network helper
program in Sarya’s brain (who insists on being
called Ace), Sarya’s band of misfi ts are great.
The Last Human is a very funny novel, full of
compelling ideas, engaging dialogue and fascinating
species and technology, and we hope to see more of
the galaxy Jordan has created.
Rachael Harper ^ ^
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The Last Human