Ruslan wakes up on planet to discover he is last human alive. Mankind created a unique human specific pathogen that effectively kills all humans. All planets are dead of just humans. The story is an easy and enjoyable read. Story changes towards end and has a dramatic ending. Well worth the read.

Classic hard science fiction. I’d expect nothing less from the master. Speculative fiction would not br the same without Foster.

This is a beautifully constructed book that opens up all types of topics from space exploration to multiculturalism,from attempted annihilation to resurrection and all sorts of things in-between. The human race has colonized the galaxy but in the process not only nearly destroyed their race but lost their homeland. The Mysarri, an alien race has found one remaining human who has not succumbed to the plague that has wiped out his race. He becomes a cross between zoo exhibit and research animal in their society. Ruslan, which is the only name he can remember that might be his name, only wants to live out the rest of his life in peace (preferably swimming in the ocean daily.) His host, the Mysarri want to rebuild the human race using his genetic material. Ruslan doesn't really agree with this idea since he was no -one special and can't imagine an entire race being rebuilt from him. They make him a deal : if he will agree to their trying to resurrect his race, they will search for the homeland,Earth, of his race in hopes of finding other human life. The author's attention to detail in the world-building of the Mysari and their culture is exquisite. This is a beautiful story and a very enjoyable read.

A very interesting foray into the sci-fi realm. Not my usual genre but I really enjoyed this book about the downfall of mankind and the hope of one man to resurrect it.

The Relic is a refreshingly different Sci Fi story. This is a standalone novel but I really hope the author writes a follow-up book to continue the story started here. There is some violence. The only book I have read from this author previously was a book in the Star Wars universe. So I was not sure what to expect with this one. Though this book starts off somewhat slowly, it is definitely worth continuing to read it. I hope to be able to read more of this story one day.

In the far future, humanity has managed to wipe itself out not only on Earth but on every other colonized planet. So far as he knows, Ruslan is the last human in existence. He’s not alone, though. A race of benign (seeming?) aliens, the Myssari, have taken him under their care. Their goal is to use his cells to clone a new generation of humans, thereby extending their knowledge of sapient races. His price for participating: their help in rediscovering Earth, birthplace of humanity. Of course, things go wrong, among them the appearance of a rival alien race who also want to form an alliance with him. And various other things that fall under the “spoiler” category.

This sounds like pure, classical Alan Dean Foster, full of action and imagination. Alas, that is not the experience I had reading this book. I’ve loved Foster’s work for decades, and I don’t know if he ran out of ideas, got sedate in his prose, or simply tried something more thoughtful, but the result was a soporific, meandering narrative punctuated here and there with a bit of suspense or action. (I highly recommend it for insomniacs.) It felt like a perfectly respectable piece of short fiction padded out to novel length with emotionally distant, almost Victorian prose.

Here’s an example:
He had no doubt that the dedicated if diffident Wol’daeen and her colleagues would try their utmost to successfully revive some of the other cold-stored humans. It would be a scientific triumph for them if they could do so. But having seen what he had seen and heard what he had heard, he was not sanguine.

The ratio of prose to passage of time in the story varies from plodding and repetitious to the whiplash feeling that all the interesting parts got skimmed over and it’s months or years later.

In the end, the story elements came together well. I would expect no less from an author as seasoned as Foster, but on the whole I found it neither absorbing nor satisfying.

What a fun book! I loved the idea of a single surviving human interacting with aliens to try and understand the human species. This is a slow book with much more personal development than action. But, its well-thought out and a joy to read - I couldn't stop telling friends about how interesting the premise was. I very much liked the end as well; it fit well with the story and didn't disappoint.

My only criticism with the novel was the lack of apparent breaks in time. Occasionally the story would jump ahead in time and it would take me a minute to notice because there were no other breaks in the words.

I received this ARC from the published through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t read any sci-fi books in 15 years and the only other books I read by Alan Dean Foster (who is a best-selling author of over a hundred books) back in the day were Quozl (From Amazon - Rabbitlike aliens from outer space colonize Earth during humankind’s WWII in a delightfully funny and thought-provoking sci-fi adventure) and Glory Lane (From Amazon - Seeth, Miranda, and Kerwin discover that the fate of the universe is in their hands following a bizarre encounter with an alien at a bowling alley). As I remember, they were both entertaining and amusing reads that kept my interest.

Relic is more serious space-based science fiction but how can anyone not be intrigued by a book that begins with this:

“He was the last one. The others, the rest, the balance, the remainder: they were all gone now, in their mass and multitudes. Memories and ghosts of memories.”

Humankind has been wiped out by the Aura Malignance — the plague. Apparently humans developed the disease but it is not known whether it originated on Earth or not.

“Whatever you may think of us, it can’t be any worse than what we thought of ourselves. Arrogance was the end of humanity, not the plague.”

Out of hundreds of human worlds, there is only one sole survivor, immune to the illness. His name is Ruslan; he has forgotten his other names.

“He could not even recall if Ruslan was a first name, a last, or something else. Not that it mattered. There were no other Ruslans with whom to be confused. There were no others at all.”

The Myssari, am alien race, found him wandering on his home planet of Seraboth and rescued him. They restored and renewed him to the point that Ruslan feels better than he has in decades. He does not want for anything, thanks to his generous hosts. In fact, Ruslan told them that alcohol is necessary for his optimal functioning so they make sure it is always available to him.

Although the Myssari are kind and even overly polite, Ruslan feels he is at times, treated like a specimen, an artifact, a relic. The Myssari are steadfast in their determination to revive the homo sapiens species and to do so through cloning Ruslan, with or without his cooperation plus other bioengineering techniques, such as introducing genetic variation from dead humans. Yet Ruslan cannot quite comprehend why they want to bring back humans after they caused themselves to go extinct. The Myssari have a simple answer — because knowledge is valuable and important.

“...the important philosophical point that no intelligence should be lost. We firmly believe that every species, no matter their individual or collective failings has by their inherent uniqueness something important to contribute to the ongoing advance of civilizations. This therefore includes humankind.”

Relic is an engrossing story that i found unpredictable. The book starts out slowly but stick with it because it picks up and by the end, it does so in a big way. It is well written and well thought out with highly developed and interesting characters. Although the beginning may seem grim, I guarantee that the end is far from it.

Thank you to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Space opera is my favorite sub-genre but this one has a few too many info dumps for my liking. I haven’t read enough Foster works to know if this is his style or not. It reads like a ‘60s-era space opera, which some may find appealing. Probably good for newcomers or young readers.

The last human goes looking for Earth with the help of aliens. The plot sounds very basic, but this book is anything but basic. It is well-written with enough psychology to make the actions of the main character believable and understandable. All aspects of the plot are in character for both the human and the aliens. Best of all, Foster does not back down from the faults of the humans that led to there being only one. I very much enjoyed the story.

I really enjoyed this story, which is as much a space story as it is a homecoming tale. The protagonist has a nice story arc and the ending was unexpected and quite interesting.

If the amount equal to enough Alan Dean Foster is ever reached, this novel could well float to the top of that extensive list. Moving smoothly from post-apocalypse, to technical exploration, to Adam and Eve, with the strains of galactic diplomacy and space opera through out, Relic, is fun to read. It never settles into well-worn grooves, but knows firmly what story it is telling. Ruslan's experience as the Last Man in the World is nicely subverted by the spinning planets of galactic civilizations and the likelihood that, given enough people and enough human colony worlds even events with long odds come to pass. The writing is brisk, and the worlds well developed. Ruslan and the other characters drive the action by their motivations and choices, and rarely descend to the level of place-holders who have to do what the plot demands. A very enjoyable and thought-provoking novel.

http://shannonsuggests.blogspot.com/2018/06/relic-alan-dean-foster-at-his-height.html

At first it seemed slow but this book was written for you to experience the users feelings and dilemmas. I have enjoyed the book. This is a great spin on the sci-fi .

I've been reading Alan Dean Foster for over 45 years, and he's earned the privilege of writing whatever he wants.


I just couldn't get interested in this book, its plot, or its protagonist. Way too much character development & introspection, and not enough action.

Relic by Alan Dean Foster

Foster postulates the end of mankind in this book. The Relic is the last human survivor of a genetically tailored virus that has wiped out mankind.

The Relic is discovered by the Myssari, an alien race that informs him that there are many other races and that humans arose in a back water of the galaxy that was only recently being explored.

The Myssari are polite and alien. Ruslan, the Relic, finds he is regarded as a specimen rather than an equal. Treated like a revered pet he becomes reasonably comfortable until he is introduced to another alien race and some genetic surprises.

I recommend the book.

In the far distant future, Ruslan is the only human being still alive in the universe after everyone on all planets was killed by the Aura Malignance. He has been rescued, adopted, and studied by the tri-pedal Myssari, who value him for the knowledge they gain from him about the human race. His life with the Myssari is comfortable, if lonely. When they insist against his wishes that they want to clone him to perpetuate the human race, he bargains that they should find the planet Earth, which he has never seen. The events that follow complicate the political balance among aliens in the universe, and surprise Ruslan while also enriching his life. This novel has a fast-moving plot with interesting portraits of alien races and planets. There is plenty of advanced science and technology, but not much in the way of explanation. The ending is satisfying, somewhat unexpected, and does not rely on a sequel, although one would be welcome.

I don't enjoy many space science-fiction novels, but Alan Dean Foster has written some classics of this genre, so I was happy to find this book available to review. I found the story drew me in quickly and was a great ride all the way to the end. The novel follows Ruslan, the only human left after a man-made plague has wiped out the rest of the human race, which had spread to dozens of worlds. Ruslan is the "relic", found by the alien Mysarri race, who plan to clone him and re-start humanity. Ruslan is dubious and surly, openly questioning why his self-destructive and violent race should survive.

As the Mysarri search other worlds in that corner of the galaxy (and hunt for Earth itself as well), the existential questions the author raises make the journey a memorable one. Foster writes with a sure hand and a maturity that is often lacking from newer authors, and I felt I was along for the ride, rather than reading a book. Although I saw a few events in the book coming, there were some surprising and satisfying twists toward the end. Recommended.

This time, mankind has really done it. Exterminated itself galaxy wide with a fast spreading, brutally relentless, man-made pathogen that spares no one. Well, almost anyway, and therein lies the tail. Relic is a quirky, fun read that took me a few chapters to warm up to but was ultimately an enjoyable experience.

Good story and interesting plot. I liked the idea of this story, but it took a bit to get into. When it was good, it was really good, bit some parts too slow for me.
I did really like the protagonist and I thought the ending was great!

The story started out about slow, but it definitely picked up after a chapter or two and really grabbed me. The story takes place over a decade of time, which jumps in larges increments which left gaps in what took place during that time. obviously nothing important to the plot. The plot being locating Earth and finding out what exists there is anything. This is definitely a sci-fi story, but it also centers on humanity, feeling, ethics, and doing what is right. That does not overwhelm the story and if you are looking for a sci-fi story with meaning and heart, this is highly recommended by this reader.