The Last Gifts of the Universe

'I'd call it required reading for the end of the world. Riley August has written a poignant masterpiece that transcends the death of stars.' OLIVIA ATWATER 
 
'A quietly wonderful, hopeful novel that heals the parts of you that you didn't know were hurt.' JULIE LEONG 
 
'Come for the cat, stay for the story.' SUNYI DEAN 
 
__________ 
 
 
A dying universe. A search for answers. An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes. 
 
Scout is an archivist, searching the dead worlds of the cosmos for clues as to the fate of all these lost civilisations. While exploring another lifeless planet they discover something unbelievable: a message from a witness to that worlds-ending entity thousands of years ago. 
 
But uncovering the story and staying one step ahead of the profit-hungry corporation on their trail won’t be easy. Together with their brother and sometimes-fearless, space-faring cat Pumpkin, Scout must now race to save what matters most. 
 
__________ 
 
'A science fiction novel that will repair your soul with its beautiful, uplifting earnestness in the face of true peril' NADIA EL-FASSI 
 
'I smiled, I cried, and I wanted, desperately, to leave something beautiful behind for the universe' JULES ARBEAUX 
 
'Riley August’s comfortingly contemplative novel left me feeling more hopeful about my place in the universe' SYLVIE CATHRALL 
 
'As sweet as it is sad, as homely as it is strange, The Last Gifts Of The Universe is about the real work of having hope and compassion' ALICE BELL 
 
'Somehow both a hauntingly beautiful meditation on grief and loss, as well as a delightful space-faring romp...I'm honestly in awe.' G. M. NAIR 
 
'It flows brilliantly, with brevity and wit.' ALEX HORMANN 
 
READERS ADORE THE LAST GIFTS OF THE UNIVERSE... 
***** 'excellent and thought provoking' 
 
***** 'More books should have judgmental, emotionally supportive orange cats in spacesuits.' 
 
***** 'nearly moved me to tears in several places' 
 
***** 'I was not disappointed' 
 
***** 'the story of how a person's desperate need for answers teaches them how to accept loss'

Come for the space archeologists and adorably violent Pumpkin the cat, but stay for a science fiction novel that will repair your soul with its beautiful, uplifting earnestness in the face of true peril. Riley August is a major new voice in science fiction and I will read anything they write

The Last Gifts of the Universe is wistful, loving, and indescribably beautiful. I'd call it required reading for the end of the world. Riley August has written a poignant masterpiece that transcends the death of stars.

Defiantly kind and achingly hopeful, Riley August's debut is an ode to grief in its many colors and the beauty in mundanity. By turns heartbreaking and healing, this book about finding meaning when the future is dire and uncertain feels like it was written for everyone living in the world today. I smiled, I cried, and I wanted, desperately, to leave something beautiful behind for the universe.

Jules Arbeaux, author of Lord of the Empty Isles

Raw, funny, and wise, The Last Gifts of the Universe is a meditation on grief and meaning disguised in the spacesuit of a thrilling, beam-me-up galactic treasure hunt. Riley August has written a quietly wonderful, hopeful novel that heals the parts of you that you didn't know were hurt.

Julie Leong, author of The Teller of Small Fortunes

The Last Gifts of the Universe is a heartfelt, honest exploration of what it means to be an archivist—and what makes everyday moments worth remembering. Riley August’s comfortingly contemplative novel left me feeling more hopeful about my place in the universe.

Sylvie Cathrall, author of A Letter to the Luminous Deep

Last Gifts is a quietly profound story about grief, purpose, and our place in the universe – told with a touch of humor, and a dash of adventure. Come for the cat, stay for the story.

Like all the best sci-fi, with The Last Gifts Of The Universe, August makes you think about our own world in a new way. As sweet as it is sad, as homely as it is strange, The Last Gifts Of The Universe is about the real work of having hope and compassion – even across all of space and time.

It flows brilliantly, with brevity and wit.

Somehow both a hauntingly beautiful meditation on grief and loss, as well as a delightful space-faring romp...I'm honestly in awe.

"Warm and snuggly on a humming starship" is one of my favourite moods in sci-fi. Riley August absolutely nails the vibe with this one.

Riley August is a speculative fiction writer, animal lover, nature walker and all-around nerd. When they aren't writing stories about lonely voyages through space, you can find them playing video games, the guitar or a myriad or TTRPGs. They live in Rhode Island with their cat and husband. The Last Gifts of the Universe is their debut novel.

A dying universe. A search for answers. An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes. 
 
Scout is an archivist, searching the dead worlds of the cosmos for clues as to the fate of all these lost civilisations. While exploring another lifeless planet they discover something unbelievable: a message from a witness to that worlds-ending entity thousands of years ago. 
 
But uncovering the story and staying one step ahead of the profit-hungry corporation on their trail won’t be easy. Together with their brother and sometimes-fearless, space-faring cat Pumpkin, Scout must now race to save what matters most.

Riley August

A Planet Happy Called Happy really did make me happy. This book was a cosy, scathing takedown of AI and surveillance capitalism – an echo of the primal scream we all let out each time a chatbot asks how it can help us. Riley August just writes science fiction at its best.

At once fun, satirical, and sharply prescient, this wild adventure of a novel holds up a broken mirror to our own world and asks: are you happy yet? I loved every moment and hit the last page feeling both thoughtful and uplifted.

Ellis appears to have it all – a great job, a loving girlfriend, and a loyal dog – yet each morning he wakes up feeling that something is missing. In a desperate quest for true happiness, he boards a luxury shuttle to Planet Happy, a hedonistic paradise where guests seek the elusive ‘Happiness X’, the trademarked secret to instant joy. 
 
There, he encounters Nara, a VIP attendant with her own dreams of freedom, whose job is to ensure Ellis has the time of his life. But when an activist group disrupts their plans, Ellis and Nara embark on a thrilling adventure that challenges their understanding of happiness and the influence of corporate power. 
 
Will they find what they’re searching for, or is there more to Planet Happy than what’s in the brochure? 
 
------- 
 
Praise for Riley August: 
 
'Riley August is a major new voice in science fiction and I will read anything they write' Nadia El-Fassi 
 
‘Raw, funny, and wise.' Julie Leong 
 
‘Last Gifts is a quietly profound story about grief, purpose, and our place in the universe – told with a touch of humor, and a dash of adventure. Come for the cat, stay for the story.’ Sunyi Dean

Riley August

Praise for A Planet Called Happy

A Planet Happy Called Happy really did make me happy. This book was a cosy, scathing takedown of AI and surveillance capitalism – an echo of the primal scream we all let out each time a chatbot asks ho ...

At once fun, satirical, and sharply prescient, this wild adventure of a novel holds up a broken mirror to our own world and asks: are you happy yet? I loved every moment and hit the last page feeling both thoughtful ...

Books by Riley August

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