Book Review
Title: A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel (Take Them to the Stars Book 1)
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 Stars
I recently read the Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel and absolutely loved them so I couldn’t wait to get into this new series. However, I don’t typically read or like historical fiction especially when it is set in World War II so I am not sure how I am going to get on with the first book but I’m excited to find out. We are introduced to a line of women who complete scientific research in order to advance the planet for the better and preserve the knowledge at all costs. The beginning of the novel introduces us to one of these women and her daughter, Sara and what they had to go through to escape Germany before the start of the second world war. Now we are following Mia, the granddaughter of that woman as her mother works for the OSS and she has been tasked with securing a scientist, Wernher von Braun before the Russians do which means she’s back in Germany as the war is drawing to a close in 1945.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we learn that Mia and all the women in her family are part of a race known as the Kibsu. Their role is to collect and preserve knowledge for the advancement of the human race and Mia is the 100th generation of their kind but no more than 2 generations can exist at the same time. They are also being hunted by an entity known only as the Tracker and it seeks to wipe them out for some unknown reason and they have often had to flee from it. Mia does end up finding von Braun and posing as his niece, Lili as he plans to flee to the Americans. She convinces him they need to buy time for the Americans to get to them and they also need to avoid the Russians so the Germans are best equipped to help them. The Kibsu also have unique gifts which they call instincts to protect them and this is seen when Mia and von Braun are stopped by an SS patrol and Mia ends up seeing a way to kill all the men in less than 30 seconds which terrifies her but it doesn’t end up happening because von Braun calms the situation down. The Kibsu have very few rules, the two main ones being don’t draw attention to yourself and preserve the knowledge. Mia is breaking the first rule while keeping the second and her mother ends up contacting her letting her know the Tracker is close but there is nothing Mia can do stuck between the Germans, Russians and Americans.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Mia and von Braun manages to make it to their destination but they have been separated and Mia is currently a prisoner of the German army even if they don’t say that. Despite her mother’s warnings about the Tracker, who Mia doubts is even real, she wants to complete the mission given to her no matter the cost and ends up poisoning and killing 27 men in order to get free and find von Braun. Together they have come up with a plan and end up at a lodge in the Alps waiting for the Americans to arrive but something is happening to Mia, like she isn’t in control of her body at times and it is driving her mad. In order to get rid of her cabin fever and return home she leaves only to literally run into the Americans, the very people she wanted to see. We jump to when Mia is home and her mother knows something has happened, that Mia has killed and assures her she did what she had to do but she is also lying to her daughter about many things we don’t know yet and I think Mia can sense this. We do finally get to see the Trackers in a flashback as we learn they are a family like the Kibsu although all male instead of female and their existence is solely tracking down and killing the Kibsu although we don’t know why yet. I’ve got a suspicion at this point since the Trackers experience rage filled blackouts where they kill people and Mia experienced a similar blackout where she hurt herself and this makes me think her father might be a Tracker, maybe even the very one that is currently hunting them.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, we get another brief scene from one of the Trackers, Charles, but they are about 13 years behind Mia and her mother. Meanwhile, after the war ends Mia and her mother end up moving to Russia, Mia’s mother explains that the Americans have the V-2 and aren’t doing anything with it so they are there to help the Russians create a space rockets and start the race to space. Mia doesn’t really understand the point of this but when her mother mentions that it is time for her to have a child, Mia panics because that means losing her mother something she isn’t ready for but her mother knows better. We also Mia craving her own identity and she begins a relationship with Billie, another young girl in Russia and is heartbroken when she has to leave to return to Germany but she also isn’t as she is more than Mia, she is the Ninety-Nine and one day the Hundred. Back in Germany, Mia meets with a Colonel, Sergei, and offers him the chance to head a research project into sending a rocket into space and he initially turns it down because he wants to see his family in Russia again but Mia has already planned for this. Now, we can see Mia stepping into her mother’s shoes even if she doesn’t realise it herself and she also gave her mother the key to her grandmother’s research in ice since ice traps air when it freeze meaning to find old air she only has to find old ice and date it back to the period she wants.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Mia is working on the project but isn’t giving it her all until she collects people from Germany and brings them back to Russia. However, along the way she stops in Bad Saarow to find out what happened there as it has been on her mind since Dieter mentioned it. The second she arrives, she is flooded with memories from her childhood where she brutally murdered two girls who were picking on her and how her mother saved her from that. Mia in this moment realises that they aren’t the good guys and they aren’t any better than the Trackers with the violence they can do and this breaks something inside of Mia that was longing to be normal. Afterwards both her mother and Billie can see there is something wrong with Mia but neither can get it out of her but it is ripping Mia apart. It is her mother who finally breaks through to her and explains despite being different they belong her just as much as everyone else and Mia throws herself back into their work with more determination that ever. Despite this she is hiding things from her mother and this isn’t going to work out well in the end especially since she is going to need a daughter which she can’t get from Billie.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Mia returns home from working on the rocket to learn that Billie has been arrested and sent to psychiatric hospital for her homosexuality which is still a crime in this time. Mia convinces her mother to let her go and see Billie which turns into killing several guards and breaking Billie out although Mia lied about that part and told her mother she killed Billie. Sara realises she wants her daughter to be happy despite breaking the rules because she is asking a lot more of her daughter in return. The rocket is also taking shape and the space race is really ramping up now, however, Stalin’s right hand man attempted to rape Mia and she fought her way out but left him alive to not draw attention to them but her mother is furious with Beria for attempting to hurt her daughter. Sara goes to hunt down Beria and sees him rape another girl who survives and kill another before she settles on poisoning him with warfarin. Meanwhile, Mia wants a normal life and can imagine it with someone like Sergei but she loves Billie. Billie steps in and explains that despite the fact they love each other Mia wants things she can’t have with Billie and Billie wants her to be happy so she encourages Mia to marry Sergei and continue seeing her on the side and Mia eventually agrees.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, I can’t wait to see how Neuvel is going to wrap this book up and what he is going to set up for the sequel. The final section of the book was amazing as we see Sarah’s story wrapped up and that conclusion was absolutely stunning it hit me harder than Kara’s death in the Themis Files which is saying something. We also get to see the true beginning of Mia’s story as she finally realises who she is and what her mission is going forward now that she is going to become a mother herself but the journey to get there was absolutely heart-breaking in places. One thing I loved about this book was how much of it is based on real people and events that took place which made it so much more real to read as you could clearly picture it in your mind. Neuvel is truly becoming a science fiction writer that is going to rival the greats in this genre and if Until the Last of Me has a tenth of the emotional impact then I’m in for a rollercoaster ride and I can’t wait to see what Neuvel brings out next. Highly recommended!
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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