Wednesday Book Review - Aftertime

I’m working out a schedule for the blog and Wednesdays are going to be devoted to book reviews – Review Wednesdays.  Since martial arts are such a big part of my life, I’m going to adapt black belt for the rating – 5 black belts being the highest rating, 1 being the lowest. I was considering doing color belts, but that can quickly get confusing, especially for people not well acquainted with the belt system in martial arts.

And so, without further adieu, here’s my first review, since I just finished reading the book this morning.

Title: Aftertime

Author: Sophie Littlefield

Genre: Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic fiction (with strong elements of romance and horror)

Rating:            

Since I got interested in reading dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction recently, Aftertime seemed like a definite book to put on the list. I wasn’t disappointed.

Aftertime tells a story of Cass, a troubled young woman and a recovering alcoholic, searching for her little daughter in the world where there’s no more government, where much of the cattle and poultry has been poisoned by bio-terrorists, and where Beaters – skin eating zombies – roam the streets and roads.

However, the novel is much more than just another zombie apocalypse story. Some of the issues that Cass deals are issues that exist in our world today. The exploration of losing oneself in alcohol and sex to run away from emotional pain is just one example.

The descriptions are raw and beautiful, and quiet realistic. The action is fast-paced and moves the development of the story along nicely. Aftertime explores the topics of human spirit, survival, compassion, civilization, nature and, of course, hope and renewal.

I’m looking forward to picking up the next book in the series, Rebirth.