Until the Last of Me

Until the Last of Me continues the Take Them to the Stars series, following a secret lineage of women known as the Kibsu who work to advance humanity's space exploration. Set during the Cold War from the 1960s to 1980s, the narrative tracks their involvement in both American and Soviet space programs. Mia and her daughter Lola represent the 99th and 100th generations of Kibsu women, carrying out their mission to guide humanity toward the stars. Their work intersects with historical developments including the Space Shuttle program, Pioneer and Voyager probes, and Soviet space initiatives. The mother-daughter pair must fulfill their objectives while evading the Trackers, an ancient organization of men dedicated to eliminating the Kibsu. Among the Trackers is Samael, who questions his group's violent methods. The novel examines themes of legacy, duty, and the price of progress through its blend of alternate history and science fiction. Its structure mirrors the era it depicts, with chapter titles drawn from period music that creates a cultural framework for this Cold War narrative.

Readers found this sequel delivered on the time-hopping sci-fi premise while maintaining tension throughout. Many noted it surpassed Take Them to the Stars (Book 1) in pacing and character development. Likes: - Strong mother-daughter relationships across generations - Historical settings felt authentic and well-researched - Blend of sci-fi elements with real historical events - Satisfying expansion of the series mythology Dislikes: - Some found the episodic structure repetitive - Time jumps made it hard to connect with certain characters - A few readers wanted more details about the antagonists - Questions left unanswered for the next book Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (2,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (240+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.0/5 (50+ ratings) "The short chapters and multiple timelines kept me turning pages" - Goodreads reviewer "Needed more explanation of the First Ones" - Amazon reviewer

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🔹 The book is part of the "Take Them to the Stars" trilogy, where each novel's chapter titles are songs from different decades - this installment uses music from the 1960s-1980s to enhance its Cold War setting. 🔹 Neuvel meticulously researched actual space program history to weave his fictional characters into real events, including the development of the Space Shuttle and the landmark Voyager missions. 🔹 Prior to becoming a science fiction author, Neuvel worked as a journalist, translator, and linguistics professor, which influences his attention to language and communication in his works. 🔹 The concept of the Kibsu was inspired by various ancient myths about secret societies and hidden knowledge passed down through generations of women. 🔹 The Pioneer plaques, featured in the novel, were actual gold-anodized aluminum plates attached to Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft in the 1970s, designed to communicate information about Earth to potential extraterrestrial life.