UNTIL THE LAST OF ME is the second book in Sylvain Neuvel’s Take Them to the Stars series, which kicked off in 2021 with A HISTORY OF WHAT COMES NEXT. It is an extremely clever retelling of the space race and all the missions to see what is beyond. Neuvel accomplishes this while simultaneously mixing in the story of the alien race known as the Kibsu and the significant role they play in all of this.

We will begin with a little background on the Kibsu. Let us imagine that there is a family who for generations has been built on the premise that they would one day fulfill their grand purpose of taking mankind to the stars. Each generation has been referred to by a number. Therefore, after 99 generations of existence as the Kibsu, Sarah and her daughter, Mia, become “the 100” and are tasked with being the very Kibsu who will fulfill that prophecy.

"Neuvel once again has created a stimulating blend of alternate history and science fiction, but has done it so subtly that it barely changes our own reality."

A HISTORY OF WHAT COMES NEXT took us through World War II and the beginning of the Cold War era. Now, in UNTIL THE LAST OF ME, Sarah has passed on, and we are now viewing the patch of Kibsu history covered by Mia and her daughter, Lola. It will take us from 1968 through the mid-1980s. Despite all the great accomplishments that mankind will make in space travel during this time, it will not come without a lot of strife. This will include the pressure that Mia and Lola are constantly under as they are pursued by their mortal enemies, the Trackers, who want nothing more than to murder them and stop them in their chosen mission.

In fact, the Kibsu have always lived by a specific code that guides them:

Fear the Tracker. Always run, never fight.
Preserve the knowledge.
Survive at all cost.
Don’t draw attention to yourself.
Don’t leave a trace.

I found this to be a brilliant move by Neuvel as it will cause the reader to pause and wonder if the Kibsu actually exist and have always remained just out of sight.

The chapters that deal with the family of Trackers that are pursuing Mia and Lola are chilling. Samael, Uriel and Raphael live by an entirely different code, and nothing will stop them in their pursuit of the Kibsu. Even sacrificing themselves for the greater good of ending the Kibsu bloodline will be enough, because they know what the prophecies speak of should the Kibsu grow into another generation.

Sprinkled throughout the text are moments in ancient Kibsu history that show just how entwined they have always been with mankind and their mission to help us accept greater concepts from the universe. Back in modern day, we find Mia and Lola constantly moving around the globe to stay ahead of the Trackers while still doing their part in assisting mankind post-Moon landing to continue to get back to the stars. This will find them heading to Russia and even to China. There is a lot of good they can do there as both countries are actively involved in the space race with the US.

UNTIL THE LAST OF ME ends with nearly as many questions as it begins with. The third book will take us to the next chapter and reveal what the stunning results of the much-talked-about Kibsu prophecy can be. Neuvel once again has created a stimulating blend of alternate history and science fiction, but has done it so subtly that it barely changes our own reality. It merely gives us plenty of large ideas to try to comprehend, if we can. Sort of like our very own universe.