The Last Gifts of the Universe

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.

Autorentext
Riley August is a speculative fiction writer, animal lover, nature walker and all-around nerd. When they aren't writing stories about lonely voyages through space, you can find them playing video games, the guitar or a myriad or TTRPGs. They live in Rhode Island with their cat and husband. The Last Gifts of the Universe is their debut novel.

Klappentext

'I'd call it required reading for the end of the world. Riley August has written a poignant masterpiece that transcends the death of stars.' OLIVIA ATWATER

'A quietly wonderful, hopeful novel that heals the parts of you that you didn't know were hurt.' JULIE LEONG

'Come for the cat, stay for the story.' SUNYI DEAN

A dying universe. A search for answers. An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes.***

Scout is an archivist, searching the dead worlds of the cosmos for clues as to the fate of all these lost civilisations. While exploring another lifeless planet they discover something unbelievable: a message from a witness to that worlds-ending entity thousands of years ago.

But uncovering the story and staying one step ahead of the profit-hungry corporation on their trail won't be easy. Together with their brother and sometimes-fearless, space-faring cat Pumpkin, Scout must now race to save what matters most.

'**A science fiction novel that will repair your soul with its beautiful, uplifting earnestness in the face of true peril' NADIA EL-FASSI

'I smiled, I cried, and I wanted, desperately, to leave something beautiful behind for the universe' JULES ARBEAUX

'Riley August's comfortingly contemplative novel left me feeling more hopeful about my place in the universe' SYLVIE CATHRALL

'As sweet as it is sad, as homely as it is strange, The Last Gifts Of The Universe is about the real work of having hope and compassion' ALICE BELL

'Somehow both a hauntingly beautiful meditation on grief and loss, as well as a delightful space-faring romp...I'm honestly in awe.' G. M. NAIR

'It flows brilliantly, with brevity and wit.' ALEX HORMANN**

READERS ADORE THE LAST GIFTS OF THE UNIVERSE...

* 'excellent and thought provoking'

* 'More books should have judgmental, emotionally supportive orange cats in spacesuits.'

* 'nearly moved me to tears in several places'

* 'I was not disappointed'

* 'the story of how a person's desperate need for answers teaches them how to accept loss'