Sophie Lau’s Reviews > The Last Human > Status Update

Sarya finally realizes her title and why received it: "Sarya the Destroyer trembles, her eyes riveted to a sky on fire" (Jordan 389). Having the title of "Destroyer," Sarya is shocked to hear how many people she destroyed. Her presence in the mind of "Observer," a giant hive-mind, has led to questioning where she stands among her species, and I think Sarya's humanity has been questioned because of her growth.

Sarya finally feels human after Observer invites her to his planet: "She bites and laughs, and sings music and laughs and cries and laughs, and drinks and coughs and laughs and drinks and coughs and laughs and it does not take long at all for aa pleasant fuzz to settle over her brain" (Jordon 366). This quote uses repetition to emphasize the happiness that Sarya feels during her time on the planet.

Music in the greater galaxy is used as a dangerous trait, and it is said that "...some xenologists note that every known [Firebringer] species is typically obsessed with music composition and consumption." (Bradbury 362) "Firebringers are a term for species that wreak havoc to the peace in the universe, and humans are one of them. I think describing these everyday human activities can help us put them in perspective.

This book uses humor as a way to contrast different personalities: "I bet you could ask this ship to make you a sandwich and it would harvest your intestines to do it" (Jordan 352). The introduction of new characters into this story gives more feeling and empathy to the tone of the story and shows that there is calm after everything that Sarya has been through.

Sarya has to make a tough decision in this part of the book. She has to choose between her body, or her mind, and she is forced to leave her body to the Network, who is attempting to destroy her. Now that she has left the weight of her physical body, she was able to go further into the universe than before. I think this proves that putting your mental state over physicality can be beneficial.

The Observer and Sarya are now on similar levels of intelligence, which can be described as "...using the hundreds of thousands of identical bodies that are interspersed through millions of drones." (Jordan 324) These two characters' consciences are millions of different small intelligences that make up a whole mind. Sarya's character has grown to share power with the Network, the controller of the universe.

I'm really excited that Sarya has gotten more power through the Network. She pulls her consciousness back to her body with a claustrophobic description: "Time accelerates as she pulls herself back, folding herself small enough to fit into her original brain again. She squints and shields her eyes, annoyed at their limitations" (Jordan 311). Her newfound skill (basically astral projection) help give her more control.

This book connects really strongly with me, not at all because of relatability, but Sarya’s conversation with the Network paints a picture with my favorite kind of writing- descriptive existentialism. It puts me in the characters’ experiences, showing the billions of intelligences that were killed within centuries, making it feel like mere seconds. This scene gave me a positively sinking feeling, and I loved it!

As Sarya drifts in a space of nothingness, an entity named the Network literally hands her the universe. "I should not have to tell you this, says the Network, but do not throw the universe" (Jordan 286). I read more about Sarya's new interactions with the Network, and I loved the dynamic between them, mostly because of how they seem to argue and agree with each other at the same time.