Only Human

I burned through this whole series so fast. I think the limitations of the structure are a little more clear in this one because there is a lot less time spent in-robot where everything is being recorded and a lot of our great record-keepers are no longer with us. It's a little more like reading a movie script than a book at this point, but that didn't really bother me.

At the end of this series, I am left in rather profound pessimism for the state of our world. Neuvel paints a devastating picture of what first contact looks like without the aliens, and it's... just a little close to home. I can hear Fox News blaming the Muslims for it even before it happens. The ending isn't completely dark, but it does feel a little too little too late. At the end of the day, this seems to be a series about power and fear of losing that power. The things humans will do to maintain the illusion of control. It's a timely theme, and I recommend this series to people who want to explore it and also love giant robots.