Three billions years into the future, the solar system is a very different place. Earth is long gone and the sun is a gray, shrunken dwarf. All that remains of humanity and conscious thought is Jonathan - the last machine.
Created to survive Earth's destruction by our ever-expanding sun, Jonathan witnessed the end of life on Earth. This is his story and that of his creator, Nikolai. It is also the story of mankind - the human race that failed to disentangle its destiny from the star that gave rise to all lifeforms on Earth.
Industry Reviews
"The Last Machine in the Solar System is pure science fiction at its best." --RT Book Reviews "An engaging recondite science fiction treatise on mankind's synthetic evolution and manifest destiny, Sobin's The Last Machine in the Solar System begins where William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine leaves us: a sentient machine contemplates life after man as it prepares to cut the cord." --Tal M. Klein, author of The Punch Escrow "Sobin's The Last Machine in the Solar System forces us to reconsider, from a 21st century perspective, what it means to be human." --Jacques Vallee, scientist and author "Sobin has created an AI who shares our terror and our wonder, our fleeting elegance and our inevitable flaws. By detailing the death of our star, Jonathan becomes an empathic eulogizer for humanity--perhaps a better one than we deserve. A fascinating read." --Scott T. Barsotti, author of Single Version "An intriguing and wondrous journey. Through the eyes of Jonathan--a sentient machine--Sobin explores complex topics that range from love and empathy to the sheer relevance of humankind. The Last Machine in the Solar System reads like a poem to humanity, recited by a machine smart enough to understand our race." --Ricardo Henriquez, author of The Catcher's Trap "A poignant, poetic expression of how limited mankind feels in this limitless universe. The Last Machine reminds us how far we could still go." --Joseph Asphahani, author of The Animal in Man "The Last Machine is a heartfelt lament to hubris; a poetic account of 'what might happen when.' Sobin has something beautiful here, worth paying close attention to." --Elan Samuel, Book Reviewer at The Warbler "A fascinating look at humanity that leaves you eager for more." --Paul Inman, author of Ageless "An engaging recondite science fiction treatise on mankind's synthetic evolution and manifest destiny, Sobin's The Last Machine in the Solar System begins where William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine leaves us: a sentient machine contemplates life after man as it prepares to cut the cord." --Tal M. Klein, author of The Punch Escrow "Sobin's The Last Machine in the Solar System forces us to reconsider, from a 21st century perspective, what it means to be human." --Jacques Vallee, scientist and author "Sobin has created an AI who shares our terror and our wonder, our fleeting elegance and our inevitable flaws. By detailing the death of our star, Jonathan becomes an empathic eulogizer for humanity--perhaps a better one than we deserve. A fascinating read." --Scott T. Barsotti, author of Single Version "An intriguing and wondrous journey. Through the eyes of Jonathan--a sentient machine--Sobin explores complex topics that range from love and empathy to the sheer relevance of humankind. The Last Machine in the Solar System reads like a poem to humanity, recited by a machine smart enough to understand our race." --Ricardo Henriquez, author of The Catcher's Trap "A poignant, poetic expression of how limited mankind feels in this limitless universe. The Last Machine reminds us how far we could still go." --Joseph Asphahani, author of The Animal in Man "The Last Machine is a heartfelt lament to hubris; a poetic account of 'what might happen when.' Sobin has something beautiful here, worth paying close attention to." --Elan Samuel, Book Reviewer at The Warbler "A fascinating look at humanity that leaves you eager for more." --Paul Inman, author of Ageless "Matthew Sobin's The Last Machine in the Solar System forces us to reconsider, from a 21st century perspective, what it means to be human." Jacques Vallee, scientist and author "An engaging recondite science fiction treatise on mankind's synthetic evolution and manifest destiny, Matthew Isaac Sobin's The Last Machine in the Solar System begins where William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine leaves us: a sentient machine contemplates life after man as it prepares to cut the cord." Tal Klein, author of The Punch Escrow "Sobin has created an AI who shares our terror and our wonder, our fleeting elegance and our inevitable flaws. By detailing the death of our star, Jonathan becomes an empathic eulogizer for humanity perhaps a better one than we deserve. A fascinating read." Scott T. Barsotti, author of Single Version "An intriguing and wondrous journey. Through the eyes of Jonathan a sentient machine Matthew Isaac Sobin explores complex topics that range from love and empathy to the sheer relevance of humankind. Such deep flexions would be hard to navigate if it weren t for the author s crisp and soothing writing. The Last Machine in the Solar System reads like a poem to humanity, recited by a machine smart enough to understand our race." Ricardo Henriquez, author of The Catcher's Trap "A poignant, poetic expression of how limited mankind feels in this limitless universe. The Last Machine reminds us how far we could still go." Joseph Asphahani, author of The Animal in Man "The Last Machine is a heartfelt lament to hubris; a poetic account of 'what might happen when.' Sobin has something beautiful here, worth paying close attention to." Elan Samuel, Book Reviewer at The Warbler "A fascinating look at humanity that leaves you eager for more." Paul Inman, author of Ageless"
