The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August
'Come for the space archaeologists and adorably violent Pumpkin the cat, but stay for a science fiction novel that will repair your soul. Nadia El-Fassi
Wistful, loving, and indescribably beautiful. I'd call it required reading for the end of the world a poignant masterpiece that transcends the death of stars. Olivia Atwater
A quietly profound story about grief, purpose, and our place in the universe told with a touch of humor, and a dash of adventure. Come for the cat, stay for the story. Sunyi Dean
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A dying universe. A search for answers. An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes.
When the home worlds finally achieved the technology to venture out into the stars, they found a graveyard of dead civilisations. What befell these worlds is unknown. All they know is that they are the last ones left and whatever came for the others will one day come for them.
Scout is an Archivist who scours the dead worlds of the cosmos for their last gifts: interesting technology, cultural rituals anything left behind that might be useful to home and their survival. During an excavation on a lifeless planet, Scout unearths something unbelievable: a surviving message from an alien who witnessed the world-ending entity thousands of years ago.
Now Scout, their brother and their sometimes-fearless, space-faring cat, Pumpkin, must race to save what matters most.