The year is ~2500 or so and humans no longer live on Earth. Instead, genetically engineered beings called the Erta populate the planet, having wiped out humanity 500 years earlier to save it. They've managed to fix many of Earth's problems, including rolling back the damage of climate change, and live in a utopia-like world. But now they're faced with the question of whether they should give humanity another chance. As a test of whether the human race can be trusted as stewards of Earth again, the Erta decide to raise one final human child among them, to see if humans can be deemed worthy. A touching, heartwarming, and thought-provoking book about humanity's last chance to prove themselves, I really enjoyed this different take on the future-of-Earth trope - frequently a dystopian trope, here it was hopeful.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

The Human Son by Adrian J. Walker is a thought-provoking science fiction novel that explores humanity’s potential for redemption through the lens of an advanced, post-human Earth. Five hundred years after humans have been wiped out to save the planet, the genetically engineered Erta are faced with the decision of whether to reintroduce the violent species they once eliminated. To test the waters, they raise one human child, only to discover the complexities of emotion and love as Ima, the Erta tasked with his care, grows attached to him. Walker’s novel expertly examines themes of empathy, morality, and what it means to be human, offering a poignant and intellectually stimulating narrative that challenges ideas of progress and survival.

For a summer sci-fi with a non-human lead, this is the much better bet over Mal Goes to War. The main character starts out as a kind of Data-Vulcan-baby AI, with no emotion and a worship of logic, but her growth over the course of the story feels genuine; she remains a flawed person looking for growth.

The story is slower paced with a focus on interaction and growth. It's not quite as cozy as The Galaxy, and the Ground Within but could still make a fun choice for a book group. It feels a little long, like maybe the pacing needed just a little fixing, but it will be a nice book for summer lounging.

The story mostly feels wrapped up, no sequel is needed, but the door isn't completely shut on the possibility.

eARC from NetGalley.

This was such a powerful story. It’s set hundreds of years in the future, after humans have been forced to go extinct and the Erta, an artificially created humanoid species, have finally achieved their purpose of healing the planet. Their original directive was to reintroduce humans to the planet once their goal is achieved, but once they get to that point, the typically peaceful Erta devolve into disagreements and distrust. They finally agree to allow Ima, a quiet and somewhat antisocial atmospheric scientist, to raise a single human boy as an experiment.

What follows is a relatable story about the challenges of raising a young child, but also a fascinating story about humanity, second chances, and finding love in the most unexpected places.

"The Human Son" is a sci-fi book where Earth has been fixed by a race of created beings called erta who are trying to decide whether to bring back humanity through an experiment: an erta will raise one human son and they will see after a set time if humans can be brought back.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, and contemplating how we can better take care of the earth. I didn’t care for the way the story was told, though; the narrator was an erta, a created being who was created to “fix” the earth, but she came off very robotic. Also, because the story was told to the human son, there was a LOT of descriptions about human things that I don’t know were necessary to the audience (since we’re, ya know, humans).

It took a while to get into, but once I was into it the story did pick up; there were lots of cliff-hangers at the end of chapters which kept me reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Solaris, for early access to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m finally giving up at 14%. I just cannot get into this book. The narrator is not human (not that there’s anything wrong with that! 😄), and the way she thinks and processes bores me to tears. I wanted to love this, but I keep doing other things except reading this because I’m finding it tedious. I’m giving it a 3.5, rounded up, because it’s well-written, and I’m convinced that other people probably will like it.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Solaris Nova (thank you!). All opinions are my own.

This is a different book. I loved every single second of it. This is super well written and the characters are super on point.