This is the second book I've read this year with the same title! The first was The Last Human, by Zach Jordan, which started out really, really strong: amazing sci-fi world-building and creativity, very interesting characters. One of the characters was so culturally, mentally, anatomically, and ethically different from humans, yet the author made her very relatable, which is no small feat. Then the book turned metaphysical and fantastical and kind of lost me (thought others love it, so give it a chance if you feel inclined).
The Last Human by Lee Bacon is a completely different book (and much easier for our tiny little human minds to understand): a charming middle-grade sci-fi novel that I enjoyed all the way through.
It was a cute book, by turns funny, touching, and exciting.
I loved the little bits of culture clash, of the robots and humans learning about each other, trying to understand each other, and learning about friendship.
I did find a few things unrealistic, like the sheer number of solar panel the main character and his two coworkers had installed (about 1.3 million, added to an already-large sea of solar panels) while still being able to conveniently walk to work. I also questioned whether any [logical] robot would design another robot to only use emojis. Sometimes his coworkers knew exactly what he meant, inexplicably extrapolating a great deal of info from a couple of little emojis. Other times they didn't know what he meant at all. It seemed very imprecise in a very unrobot-like way. [SPOILER ALERT] It also felt too easy how the three robots immediately believed and trusted Emma and dropped everything to help her, considering how they've been programmed and brainwashed. [BIGGER SPOILER ALERT] The ease of the solution at the end also felt too easy.
That said, there was a lot to like about the book. The adventure was good. The writing was engaging. I loved the characters.
A really fun read.
I look forward to more by Lee Bacon.
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