Review: The Last Astronaut

The Last Astronaut by David Wellington My rating: 3 of 5 stars 

Yes, it’s a “fast-paced adventure”, and yes, the science-y speculation about alien first contact is pretty cool and based on a neat idea. But still, this book just didn’t really do a lot for me, and I wasn’t sure exactly why until I read another reader’s review of this – it’s the lack of any real depth to the characters. I just didn’t empathize with or feel invested in any of them. And because I didn’t feel for the characters, it made the plot seem more formulaic than it would have otherwise.

It’s exactly the opposite reaction I had to another highly rated book that I read recently – Little Fires Everywhere. In that case, I felt the book was all character studies and very little plot. Here, it’s all action-adventure plot with stick figure characters.

I read the audiobook with narration by Megan Tusing, who did a good job. I could have done without the music in the “scary” parts that I guess was supposed to heighten your sense of “terror”, but did little for me.