The only surviving member of the human species, Sarya embarks on a dangerous quest for answers and justice in the playfully mind-bending space adventure The Last Human.
Sarya the Daughter is a human adopted by Shenya the Widow, a murderous arachnoid hunter. Registered as a low-tier citizen, Sarya can tell none of the 1.4 million intelligent species in the Network her race or she'll be killed. When a group mind named Observer claims to know Sarya's origins, Sarya sees this as "a choice between mundanity and adventure, between her home and her people." That choice becomes imperative when Shenya sacrifices herself to save Sarya from a bounty hunter. On the run with a conveniently disobedient autonomous pressure suit, a thieving android on his 60th life, a terrifying six-limbed beast and a wicked smart furball, Sarya seeks Observer's knowledge. As she learns about the eradication of the human species, she finds that Observer is not the only intelligence with a stake in Sarya's future--and the potential return of humanity.
With multiple godlike minds appealing to Sarya, she wonders whether it's truly possible to act. Her dilemma generates questions about the illusion of choice versus free will. Moreover, Zack Jordan's tale grapples with what purpose means for a "speck of dust in a galaxy that is also a speck of dust." His deft worldbuilding incorporates clever tools (sentient tech; translation devices that tag speakers' emotions), proverbs ("the Network tends toward order"), species-specific eccentricities and satiric "Network Orientation" missives. Steeped in existentialism, with wacky characters, vicious strategizing and cynical banter, The Last Human by Zack Jordan is a smart and imaginative sci-fi debut that encourages good-natured philosophizing. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer