Released in 2019, The Last Diaspora: Letters to Earth by Mandy Gardner is the first in a five-book sci-fi series about planetary colonisation, published by Endless Ink Publishing. While comparisons inevitably arise to Interstellar and Andy Weir novels like The Martian, this novel carves out its own distinctive voice. Though there are echoes of familiar space-faring stories, Letters to Earth is a story that welcomes you in warmly, regardless of whether you’re a seasoned science fiction devotee or someone simply curious about what awaits beyond our atmosphere.
The opening chapter starts in media res. Through Commander Durante’s explanation to the graduating cadets, we are introduced to a future where humanity has already sprawled across our solar system. We also learn that aliens exist and have been trying to reach us. The subsequent chapters propel us through a launch into space with startling speed, and before long our protagonist, Zed Walker, finds himself stranded on Dharti with only Nieve and young Luce for company, fighting not against alien overlords but against hunger, exposure, and the elements. Survival certainly won’t be a piece of cake. Soon the colony will grow and other characters arrive, but Zed, Nieve and Luce remain the beating heart of the story.
At its core, Letters to Earth is about humans trying to plant themselves on a new world and make it home. There’s a bit of Aniara in there, but thankfully it’s not nearly as bleak and depressing. There’s also something almost video-game-like about the whole thing, actually. Think survival game: resources are limited, you need to stay alive, and the world around you is both dangerous and strange. The plot moves quickly. Days blend into weeks between chapters, months pass instantly. The author is constantly pushing forward, which keeps you turning pages.
I really enjoyed the first chapter. Commander Durante’s explanation to the cadets is brilliant; you get this whole world laid out before you. Then the book tears along, and literally within one chapter our protagonist is crashed on an alien planet with only Nieve and a young boy named Luce. The pace is disorienting at first, I’ll admit. You’re barely settled in before everything changes, and you might feel a bit whiplashed. But you get used to it pretty quickly, and some of the book’s highlights are just seeing our protagonist bond with Nieve and Luce as they fight for survival.
What really stands out is how much thought went into building Dharti. This isn’t a generic sci-fi backdrop. Every detail matters, from the purple planet itself, to the creatures called Bunnies with their “mep mep mep” sounds and padded feet, the tuber plants they call pommes, the white and red trees of the forest. You can tell the author imagined all of the space stuff carefully, and put a lot of love into the project.
And importantly, the author isn’t afraid to be brutal. In the book, good people die. Plans fail. The universe doesn’t care about your survival. But it’s not depressing or grim for its own sake like something like Rick and Morty. Thankfully, there’s a balance between showing you the universe honestly, both beautiful, inspiring and occasionally cruel.
The prose is quite straightforward, with a few truly beautiful lines sprinkled in. The author doesn’t waste words. Though it’s written in first person perspective, sometimes you feel like you’re reading a survival diary, practical, focused, matter-of-fact. Dharti isn’t described in purple prose; instead we see it through practical details. Nonetheless, the author does a great job of evoking the state of mind of Zed:
We all stayed out late into the night, warmed by the flames of the free-burning fire. More than that, we were buoyed in spirit by the return of a basic human tradition: congregating around the flames… Fire doesn’t just heat your body, and it doesn’t just cook your meals. Fire lets you know that you are alive, that you are part of the human race, and that you will not perish as easily as natural forces—Earthly or otherwise—might intend.
There is one slight debatable weakness: the chapters move so quickly that you might feel genuinely disoriented. You’re at the academy, then you’re launching, then you’re crashed on a planet—all at breakneck speed. Weeks and months can pass between chapters, and it takes a moment to find your footing. Some of the colonists who arrive later could have been developed more fully; you wish you had more time with certain characters.
However, some people may appreciate that the book doesn’t bog you down with unnecessary exposition. It respects that you’re smart enough to fill in the gaps, and at 60,000 books it is the perfectly concise read for a flight or road trip. I would say though that maybe day counts at the start of chapters might make it easier to follow, and the first two chapters could have been a prologue.
As the book goes on, it gets better and better. New colonists arrive with their own stories. Alien cities appear out of nowhere. You start to learn more about the mysterious aliens behind the scenes. The author is clearly building toward something larger, and there’s a real sense of a bigger story unfolding. There’s also plenty of mystery surrounding the Strangers, nature of their intentions, and whether humanity should even trust them.
The book ends with a birth rather than a death. It’s an ending that is surprisingly moving, satisfying but also leaves you with questions. Will these characters appear in the next books? What are the Strangers really after? Will the other colonies that are presumably in the other books eventually meet up? You finish the book wanting to know more and see more of its characters, and that’s exactly how a first book in a series should feel.
Final verdict: For fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Project Hail Mary, and anyone who loves a good space story, Letters to Earth is well worth your time. It’s a book that knows what it wants to do with sci-fi and does it well: imaginative, exciting, creative, and never boring. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what might be looking back.
You can get your copy of The Last Diaspora here!
