Grade A+
Matthew Isaac Sobin’s novella is a beautiful, mournful, elegiac meditation on humanity by a machine named Jonathan who after being brought to life by his creator on Earth begins a billion years-long journey into the outer and future reaches of the solar system. On his journey across the stars, Jonathan describes the slow burn and death of our solar system while ruminating on the demise of the human race, which he laments was sadly well before the demise of the solar system around us, and well before our demise was necessary. I was mesmerized by the rich visual language and the massive scope of such an intimate tale, and I was equally horrified and saddened by the ignorance of humanity, ignorance that ultimately led to our extinction. A sobering lesson for a world in the grips of a sobering part of history. Illustrator Jack Katz also contributes gorgeous artwork to accompany the narrative. Just an exceptional read all around.
The Last Machine in the Solar System
The Bibliofool 