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Until the last of me : a take them to the stars novel / Sylvain Neuvel.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Take them to the stars ; book 2. | Neuvel, Sylvain, Take them to the stars ; book 2.Publisher: New York : Tordotcom, 2022Edition: First editionDescription: 291 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781250262110
  • 1250262119
Subject(s): Genre/Form: DDC classification:
  • 813/.6 23
LOC classification:
  • PR9199.4.N476 U58 2022
Summary: "Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a scfi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir in Until the Last of Me, blending a fast moving, darkly satirical look at the 1960s space race with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence. The First Rule is the most important: "Always run, never fight." Over 100 generations, Mia's family has shaped Earth's history to push humanity to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices along the way. And now Mia finds herself about to help launch the first people into space. She can't take them to the stars, not quite yet. But with her adversary almost upon her, and with the future of the planet at stake it's becoming clearer that obeying the First Rule is no longer an option. For the first time since her line's first generation, Mia will have to choose to stand her ground, knowing that the overwhelming odds mean that she risks not only her bloodline, but also the future of the human race"-- Provided by publisher.
Series information: Click to open in new window Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number URL Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book Book Bedford Public Library Fiction Fiction F NEU More online. Available 32500005524930
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"[A] riveting blend of historical thriller and scientific speculation, which never loses its core of humanity."--James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on A History of What Comes Next

Sylvain Neuvel's Until the Last of Me presents a darkly satirical thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who sacrifice all to make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them.

The First Rule is the most important: Always run, never fight.

For generations, Mia's family has shaped human history to push them to the stars.

The year is 1968 and she is on the cusp of destiny, poised to launch the first humans into space.

But she cannot take them to the stars, not quite yet. Her adversary is at her heels, the future of the planet at stake, and obeying the First Rule is no longer an option.

For the first time in one-hundred generations, Mia's family will have to choose to stand their ground, risking not only their bloodline, but the future of the human race.

Always run, never fight.
Preserve the knowledge.
Survive at all cost.
Take them to the stars.

"An exciting science fiction thriller that will in turn inform and surprise readers." -- Library Journal , starred review

Also Available by Sylvain Neuvel:

Take Them to the Stars series
1. A History of What Comes Next

The Test

"A Tom Doherty Associates book."

Includes bibliographical references.

"Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a scfi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir in Until the Last of Me, blending a fast moving, darkly satirical look at the 1960s space race with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence. The First Rule is the most important: "Always run, never fight." Over 100 generations, Mia's family has shaped Earth's history to push humanity to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices along the way. And now Mia finds herself about to help launch the first people into space. She can't take them to the stars, not quite yet. But with her adversary almost upon her, and with the future of the planet at stake it's becoming clearer that obeying the First Rule is no longer an option. For the first time since her line's first generation, Mia will have to choose to stand her ground, knowing that the overwhelming odds mean that she risks not only her bloodline, but also the future of the human race"-- Provided by publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Mia is one of the Kibsu: over 100 generations of women working to guide humanity to the stars. Now in the late 20th century, she and her daughter Lola may finally see the first people launch into space. Yet the Tracker, the men who work to destroy not only Mia, but also what her family has done, is always close behind, and the only way that Mia may be able to move things forward is to break the First Rule: "Always run, never fight." Traveling the globe, Mia races against the clock to find more answers about the pursuit of her people and see if they can survive the mounting odds against her family and the future of the human race. Including chapters from the points of view of Mia's daughter Lola as she prepares for her part of the journey, along with the Tracker as he pursues the women, creates intimate perspectives and unpredictable results. VERDICT Balancing scientific details with character arcs and exciting action, Neuvel's follow-up to A History of What Comes Next is an exciting science fiction thriller that will in turn inform and surprise readers.--Kristi Chadwick

Publishers Weekly Review

Neuvel's thrilling second Take Them to the Stars alternate history (after A History of What Comes Next) continues the story of Mia, the hundredth generation of identical alien women living camouflaged on Earth, whose purpose is to nudge humanity toward space exploration. Still mourning her mother--who died to stop a Tracker, of another alien race bent on finding a device hidden by Mia's ancestors--Mia spends much of the 1960s on Mallorca raising her daughter, Lola. When the Trackers catch up to them, Mia and Lola flee, crisscrossing the globe for 20 years while closely following the advances of the human space race. Word of an ancient bow discovered in China that might have a connection to their family's past takes the women to China in 1981 amid extreme civil unrest. Meanwhile, Samael, the only Tracker raised to have some counterweight to his brutality by his human mother, leads his brothers through Egypt on a hunt for the device, chasing stories of an ancient priestess with exceptional powers. Though it lacks the nail-biting action of its predecessor, the focus on Lola's emotional state and Samael's struggle not to become a monster add depth to the drama. This is an exciting bridge to the next installment. (Mar.)

Booklist Review

Set between 1968 and 1989, book two in Neuvel's Take Them to the Stars series begins six years after A History of What Comes Next (2021). It is a time of technological advancement and historic events--pocket calculators, computers, the moon landing, Nixon in China, the Challenger accident, discovery of a hole in the ozone layer, and the Pioneer and Voyager missions to the outer planets. The discovery of an ancient artifact created by one of their ancestors draws the ninety-ninth mother and her daughter, still running from their hunters, into a search for a message from the past. Newly recovered references to an earlier mother--daughter team from fifth century BCE in Egypt lead the male siblings who have relentlessly hunted the women for generations on a similar search. But unfolding changes in the goals of individuals on both sides have left everyone wanting to just end it all, and the coinciding searches seem destined to lead to a final, climactic confrontation. Series fans and readers of speculative thrillers built around actual historical events will eagerly anticipate book three.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Sylvain Neuvel has taught linguistics in India and worked as a software engineer in Montreal. He is also a certified translator, though he wishes he were an astronaut. His girlfriend would have him believe that he has too many toys, so he writes about aliens and giant robots as a blatant excuse to build action figures (for his son, of course). His debut, Sleeping Giants , was described by NPR as "one of the most promising series kickoffs in recent memory."
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