Reviews for Relic

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

What happens when you are the last of your species? For Ruslan, the last human being, it means that nothing matters except the end. A virulent, man-made plague wiped out the rest of humanity, and while Ruslan was saved by the alien Myssari, his existence as a novelty wears thin. The Myssari are determined to restart the human race using Ruslan's own genetic material, and they also promise a special gift: if Ruslan agrees to cooperate with them, they will use all of their intelligence and skill to find his world of origin, the planet Earth. If that planet still exists, there may still be another living human. In a race against time and disbelief, Ruslan takes a journey unlike any he has ever faced, testing his courage and the strength of that small glimmer of hope. VERDICT The stunning plot of Foster's (Strange Music) stand-alone novel will intrigue readers for not only the "last man in the universe" trope but also the well-developed alien species. A true first contact novel on many different levels.-Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Foster (Strange Music) tenderly explores humans' need for companionship, home, and control of their own destinies in this gentle evaluation of people at their best and worst. Over 10,000 years, humans colonized their remote corner of the galaxy. Then hubris and foolishness lead to the species' near extermination by a biological weapon. Immune, elderly survivor Ruslan was rescued from planet Seraboth by the three-legged Myssari, who are thrilled to study the last known human specimen. Although the Myssari are compassionate, lonely Ruslan yearns for others of his kind, but he also puts off consenting to his hosts' cloning program, which could revive the species. To encourage Ruslan's compliance, the Myssari search for more humans and the location of the ancient human home world called Earth. When two human children are discovered on a planet now claimed by the more aggressive, multijointed Vrizans, bargains and threats ensue. Despite a few missed opportunities for heightened drama, Foster's sympathetic novel successfully surveys human frailty, the tendency not to learn from history, and an enduring capacity for adaptation and emotional attachment. Agent: Vaughne Lee Hansen, Virginia Kidd Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Foster (Strange Music, 2017) takes a break from his long-running Humanx Commonwealth series to present the story of Ruslan, the sole survivor of a plague that destroyed a galaxy-spanning human civilization. Cared for by his rescuers, the kindly but clinical Myssari, Ruslan struggles not only with his feelings of loneliness and despair at being the last of his kind but also his benefactors' deep desire to resurrect his species with or without his consent. Ruslan begrudgingly cooperates with Myssari efforts in exploring the remnants of human civilization in exchange for the possibility of visiting the fabled human home world, Earth, as well as the slender but still-possible hope of finding any other survivors. As he journeys through the galaxy, Ruslan's search leads him to discoveries he could never dream of and provokes conflicts he could never expect. The story is brisk and engaging, and Relic's world, where alien scientists pore over the ghostly remnants of a fallen human civilization, should satisfy not only existing fans of Foster's work but also any sf reader looking for an entertaining new space-opera read.--Alan Keep Copyright 2018 Booklist

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