Aftertime (Aftertime, #1)

Aug 05, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, horror, huge-disappointments, read-2011, pn-zombies, dystopian-post-apocalyptic-utopian

2.5 stars. Meh. Maybe I’ve read too many great zombie novels recently.

This particular story takes place following the catastrophic fallout from biological warfare and genetic engineering, when survivors are trying to rebuild civilization. Cass Dollar wakes up alone in the wild foothills of California, missing inconvenient chunks of her memory as well as of her flesh. She immediately takes up with various different people on the quest to find her missing daughter Ruthie, a difficult task since it...more

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May 23, 2012 AH rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to AH by: Alisha

Shelves: own, dystopian, zzread-july-2011, zombies

4.5 stars

A little disclaimer here – I am not a fan of zombie books. I do not actively seek them out. I’m squeamish. I tend to shy away from undead creatures that are afflicted with rotting body parts. (Why is it that their teeth seem to never fall out?) Zombies are not, and never could be, as seductive as vampires. Zombies just don’t have the muscular physique of the average were. Zombies just aren’t attractive – and definitely not sexy.

Imagine my surprise when I decided that I liked this book....more

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May 23, 2012 Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Made the Best Badass Zombie book list...

http://badassbookreviews.com/the-best...

I love horror books with lots of gore. I love zombie books. I love romance books. I love dystopian books. If you can put all my “love” into one book, I’m a really, really happy girl.

I’m a happy girl.

This book had it all and the author managed to put it all together quite effectively. The story starts simple enough. Cass wakes up and goes on a search for her daughter. There are zombies everywhere and something really...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Vinaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley, books-i-loved, favorites, the-real-5-star-deal, dystopian-fiction, i-ll-stalk-you-til-you-read-it, post-apocalyptic-fiction

BEST. BOOK. EVER.

Most of the people who follow my reviews regularly know by now that I'm a HUGE fan of Sophie Littlefield's work. Yes, I've read all of one book of hers, but sometimes you just know when an author has hit the jackpot in the talent pool. Banished is one of the most exciting YA books I've come across this year, and now I have another Littlefield gem to add to my collection, Aftertime.

I've been lucky enough to read some very interesting dystopian fiction in the YA category recentl...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Alisha rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of women's fiction AND zombies. ^_^

Shelves: ac-g, favorites

Rating: 4.5 (June 2011 Note: Really, it's a 5 star and favorite book. I just don't like changing ratings after I've posted the review; should've given the rating more thought before finalizing, but oh, well!)

Quick Take: This book had my pulse racing for much of the time I spent reading it. The lush visuals, the emotions, the mystery and (of course) the high chill-factor made this an absolutely wonderful read. I was so spooked and unnerved, but absolutely could not tear my eyes from the page.

Revi...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, horror, fantasy, zombies, dystopian, arc, for-review

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/02/...

4.5 stars

Cass Dollar is lost and afraid, in a zombie wasteland. After waking up with her hair pulled out, skin flayed and raw, and at a loss as to where she is, she wanders the ruins until she comes across a young girl with a knife. This girl will lead her to a shelter, on of the last human outposts after bioterrorists have decimated the world, and left diseased, skin eating zombies, roaming and devouring. At the shelter s...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Brandi rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: cant-bear-to-finish, terrible

This book is horrible. The synopsis says this is an arresting novel and I will never understand how this is so. The characters are barely developed, the explanation of events is not explained in a logical way, the author goes to such lengths in the desciptions that I skipped whole paragraphs, and the relationship that was supposed to be center to the story (mother/daughter) is merely filler for the "love" story. The whole thing made me angry knowing that I spent money on it.

I don't even think s...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Tori [Book Faery] marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: read-in-2011, reviewed

See this review in it's entirety at:
http://www.book-faery.blogspot.com

Rating: DNF

If I had to describe AFTERTIME in one word, it would be: meh.

I actually thought that this was going to be a YA initially. Not entirely sure why I got the YA-vibe from the cover, but you can imagine my shock when a sexytime scene came at about the 120 page mark (I think it was around there).

Let's start from the beginning, though. This was the first book I read following my month of not reading for pleasure by the end...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Katy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book just wasn't for me, which is sad because I love pretty much all dystopian. It had potential, but it was SO dull! It took me several days to read it - which is highly unusual for me - and even after taking a weeklong break from it to read some really good books, I came back to it to find my feelings hadn't changed.

I can't really put my finger on it, but I had a hard time staying focused on the book. I guess it wasn't just one thing but a bunch of different little things basically subpar...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed, received-for-review, hardcopy

Cass woke up brutally scarred with no memory of where she is, only having the horrifying thought that her daughter is missing. In a land mostly barren she makes her way back to where she last saw Ruthie. Her journey is long and hard as the landscape isn't the only obstacle. A government plant turned hoards of people into mindless flesh eaters called Beaters. In the last stretch towards home, she meets up with the mysterious Smoke. He quickly becomes her only chance at surviving to find her daugh...more Cass woke up brutally scarred with no memory of where she is, only having the horrifying thought that her daughter is missing. In a land mostly barren she makes her way back to where she last saw Ruthie. Her journey is long and hard as the landscape isn't the only obstacle. A government plant turned hoards of people into mindless flesh eaters called Beaters. In the last stretch towards home, she meets up with the mysterious Smoke. He quickly becomes her only chance at surviving to find her daughter as she realizes the Beaters aren't the only threat. It's the other survivors that are much worse, and if they find out what she really is, they won't hesitate to eliminate her.

This book was a very original take on the idea of Zombies. What I loved most about it was while the threat of the Beaters was very real, that wasn't the only thing standing in Cass's way. In fact, the people were probably more dangerous as the Beaters were at least predictable. Suspicions run very high, and almost everyone is joining one faction or another, and always questioning each other's alliances. I imagine this was probably a pretty accurate look at what could happen in the event of such a major fallout. It is in most people's nature to join together and be led. It is just unfortunate that the majority of the leadership figures turn out to be corrupt in nature.

Cass is probably the strongest, yet most broken character I have ever read about. Her past has huge skeletons in it, and her coping methods made her a serious addict. However, she never once flounders in her determination to find her daughter. The obstacles she faces are absolutely stifling, making it amazing that she is able to continue on at all. Perhaps her "changed" nature did give her some help, but in the end it all came down to her iron clad will and perseverance. She is so afraid to care for anyone, and give her past this is completely understandable. However, her fear didn't stop her from showing compassion towards others, especially Smoke. Try as she might to just block him out, she quickly realizes that she actually cares for him. This story was as much about Cass's character growth as it was her journey to find her daughter, making it an absolutely incredible read.

The pacing of this book was excellent, as it more than kept my attention, yet didn't overwhelm. The last few pages of the book took off like a firecracker making me very unsure of how things would end. While it was a satisfying ending, I couldn't help but wonder at the abruptness of it, as I had originally thought this was a stand alone novel. I absolutely love these characters, so I was extremely happy to find out that Aftertime is in fact the start of a series. Make sure to check this book out, it will completely suck you in right from the start and make you really believe in a mother's love overcoming all obstacles; even the Apocalypse. (less)

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Mar 31, 2012 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: boring, braaaaains, body-horror, couldn-t-finish, meh, not-worth-the-time, horror

I tried with this one, twelve chapters worth of trying, but in the end I just gave up on it. The idea for the "zombies" was good and there were a few great scenes with them, but a zombie book is never really about the zombies, it's about the people dealing with it all, and that's where this book failed for me.

I hate when I can't pinpoint exactly what makes a book rub me the wrong way. The prose was florid enough to border on purple, which was definitely a strike against it, but it wasn't so bad...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Wendy Hines rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cassandra 'Cass' Dollar lost her daughter Ruthie because she couldn't care for her properly. She was an alcoholic who sank into depression, bringing strange men home. Losing Ruthie seemed to wake Cass up and she joined AA as well as got a job at a local gas station. She was determined to get her daughter back.

When a government experiment goes wrong, the world changes. A blue leafed plant, when ingested, caused many people to acquire a fever and then turn into a Beater- a flesh-eater. Cass waits...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Blood Rose Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

In her debut novel in the paranormal genre, Littlefield tackles what the world would be like if one mistake changes everything, and Zombie now walked the Earth.

Cass wakes up, does not know where she is and how much time has passed since her last memory. Her hair has been pulled out, her arms are covered in scabs and her back feels raw and is painful with every movement. She slowly realizes the truth, has been attacked by the Beaters, and survived, but how? Cass does not concern herself with thes...more In her debut novel in the paranormal genre, Littlefield tackles what the world would be like if one mistake changes everything, and Zombie now walked the Earth.

Cass wakes up, does not know where she is and how much time has passed since her last memory. Her hair has been pulled out, her arms are covered in scabs and her back feels raw and is painful with every movement. She slowly realizes the truth, has been attacked by the Beaters, and survived, but how? Cass does not concern herself with these questions, all she knows is that she has to get up, get moving, before the Beaters come back to finish off what they have started. Cass is driven by one of the most primal needs, the need to find her daughter, in this Aftertime. Cass will search far and wide for her daughter, travel to places she has never been before and see how the Aftertime has affected the humanity of the world. Few people will trust a stranger, an outsider these days especially if they were to see her wounds, scabs and scars, but she finds salvation in Smoke. A dangerous, mysterious man who becomes Cass's protector and saviour in a world where people will shoot first and ask questions later especially if you have something they want. In a landscape that has be burned, scarred, almost destroyed and with Beater, Cults and Opportunist waiting around every corner Cass and Smoke set out on a life changing journey to find Cass's daughter.

First, I love the cover, great job whomever designed it. It is what originally drew me to this book.

I really liked Littlefields spin on Zombies, or as she has named them Beaters. Zombies are created with the ingestion of a specific plant, either from the spore or eating the plant itself. This plant was "accidentally" speard over California and the Zombie race was created. Where Littlfield's ideas differ from the Zombie books I have read is that an individual who becomes a Zombie, becomes what I like to think of is something similar to what prehistoric Man would be like (well minus the taste/need for eating other people or themselves). But Littlefield does a great job to portray them as simple beings, but who also have the ability to learn and strategize the longer an individual is a Beater especially if they are part of a group. I personally thought this was a fantastic change from the straight forward not too bright Zombie as it creates a more scary Zombie. They are beings that has the thirst for fresh and alive human flesh that is able to learn the best way to get it, sounds pretty scary to me.

Littlefield also has a talent for world building, she does a fantastic job in setting up this post apocalyptic world, some of the best I have read in a long time. I also like to think that Cass and the world Littlefield has created are one in the same (maybe as a metaphor) as they are both scarred and damaged goods, but there can be regrowth and healing done, it just takes time and the want to change.

I do like Cass as a character, but she did begin to ware on me as I neared the end of the book. I wish there would have been a little bit more growth in her character. I understand that she is troubled and that she does not believe she deserves anything in life including love and maybe even her daughter, but it seemed like she was always contemplating her faults, and not realizing that in Aftertime, everything that occurred Before, no longer mattered. Do not get me wrong she does make some strides, however, I just wanted her to get there a touch faster, accept things and really get to what is important now. We do get some hints about Cass's past, why she becomes an addict and alcoholic but I did find that these came a little later within the book than I would have liked. I remember questioning it earlier within the book, but I am glad that Littlefield explore it, even if it was only slightly. That said I really like that Littlefield did not create a perfect character, which I find has been occurring more and more in the paranormal genre. Cass has more depth as a character than any female protagonist that I have read about in a long time, Littlefield was not scared to have something more to a female protagonist than smart whit and kickass attitude (which dont get me wrong I like, but it seems to get a bit redundant when they are all like that).

My one main criticism of this book is I found my self questioning the amount of time that had occurred from Before to Aftertime, it only seemed at times months had passed but at other times a year or so. I found this just a slightly confusing at times but it did not over take from my overall enjoyment of the story, just made me have a "huh, how much time has passed?" thought.

I think this is a great start to a new series (or at least I hope it is a series), as the book ends before I wanted it to. I think Littlefield could have easily written a 600 page book or more. I was disappointed when the book ended as I wanted to read more to find out what happens next in this world. I still have questions about Smoke and who he is and how he fits into everything. Littlefield does do a good job in keeping him a mystery and only revealing hints of who he is both past and present. So all this said I was thoroughly entertained with Littlefields book, there were a few slow areas, but these were over shadowed by the world and characters that she has build. Littlfield may be the new Zombie writer on the block but I think her Atfertime book holds it own to some authors that have been writing for along time I am anxiously waiting the sequel to this book. I hope that Littlfield writes fast.

Enjoy!!!!
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Nov 29, 2011 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. Aftertime was intense. I expected it to be heavy based on the back blurb but I wasn't expecting the book have so many truly shocking moments. Sophie Littlefield has created a gripping and gritty dystopian tale filled with interesting characters and unexpected plot twists. I could barely put it down! (I probably wouldn't have put it down at all if I wasn't on a road trip and needed to sleep for a reasonable amount of time.)

Aftertime is a scary and danger-filled place. It's all the more terri...more Wow. Aftertime was intense. I expected it to be heavy based on the back blurb but I wasn't expecting the book have so many truly shocking moments. Sophie Littlefield has created a gripping and gritty dystopian tale filled with interesting characters and unexpected plot twists. I could barely put it down! (I probably wouldn't have put it down at all if I wasn't on a road trip and needed to sleep for a reasonable amount of time.)

Aftertime is a scary and danger-filled place. It's all the more terrifying for Cass because she wakes up in a field, knowing she's somehow survived being taken and fed on by the Beaters. She has missing memories and has to fight to survive against an enemy that seems to be evolving. This creates a great sense of confusion and chaos, which seems pretty appropriate considering the circumstances Sophie Littlefield has imagined.

I love that Cass' driving motivation is finding her daughter. Set against such epic upheaval, her search for Ruthie is the heart of the story and, really, the heart of Cass as well. Before Ruthie, Cass didn't really value herself or her life but she tries to improve things and herself for her daughter. It's not a new story in some senses but it's a powerful one when it's executed in a thoughtful manner, which it definitely is here.

There aren't enough words to describe how much I enjoyed Aftertime, though the events weren't always pleasant. There are so many gripping moments and fantastic details that it's hard to say just what I loved about the novel. The nuances of the characters are revealed over the course of the story, with each chapter adding layers to a complex world. And the book's final third has some of the most shocking events I've ever read. Seriously, I had to go back and re-read certain parts because I just couldn't believe what some of the characters go through. There was one scene in particular that I read with my hand over my mouth because it was appalling and tough, but (unfortunately) completely suitable for the setting. You'll know it when you read it. But I think it's a mark of a talented writer when their words can really jolt the reader so kudos, Sophie Littlefield, I was horrified.

Next up, a novella, Survivors, that's available for free through Harlequin. It's set between Aftertime and the next book in the series, Rebirth. I've already downloaded it and suggest you do the same. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

P.S. My apologies if this showed up in your news feed or blog roll earlier in the week and then disappeared. It wasn’t ready then. I’m a Mac girl through and through but I’m giving Windows Live Writer a shot on Boyfriend’s PC and we’re not getting along too well just yet. Hopefully we’ll have a more harmonious relationship soon.

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Nov 27, 2011 Lumpenprole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, borrowed, fantasy, horror, science-fiction

Interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, but what I suppose was meant to be taken as frightening I took as being rather silly. And why call zombies "beaters?" Still don't get that bit. Something to separate this one from the herd o' zombie books of late?

And somehow there seemed (to me, anyways) something vaguely blasphemous behind the whole idea that some percentage of the population could be zombified or beaterized or what have you for a period of time and then spontaneously return to h...more Interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, but what I suppose was meant to be taken as frightening I took as being rather silly. And why call zombies "beaters?" Still don't get that bit. Something to separate this one from the herd o' zombie books of late?

And somehow there seemed (to me, anyways) something vaguely blasphemous behind the whole idea that some percentage of the population could be zombified or beaterized or what have you for a period of time and then spontaneously return to human, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Viz the old Monty Python skit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_l5n...

BEDEVERE
Why do you think she is a witch?

SECOND VILLAGER
She turned me into a newt.

BEDEVERE
A newt?

SECOND VILLAGER
(After looking at himself for some time)
I got better.

ALL
Burn her anyway.

And if you're gonna go that route, seems a bit too convenient that the entire time spent as a "beater" (or zombie, or newt, for that matter) gets to be blacked out. No partial memories of munching on calf muscles, etc? In fact, I don't think anyone, from the protagonist on down even entertained anything remotely resembling such a line of thought: As in, how did Cass entertain herself during her brain's temporary venture into beater-land? Also, how could she re-humanize or de-beaterize without being turned into a snack herself? After all, the book hammers home the point again and again that the beaters spontaneously seek each other out, and tend to travel in packs of various sizes, and are rarely seen alone. And Cass was seemingly as attractive as steak tartare to the beaters as anyone who had not been turned into a newt -- excuse me, beater -- who then "got better."

Oh, I'm too lazy to do any more picking apart. Here's the bird's eye view:

Setting/Background: Above average. Particularly liked the political tensions brewing, and how everyone had their own theory about what happened and why.

Characters: Average to below average. Which I suppose is still quite an achievement when your publisher is really Harlequin pretending to be someone else. Weird logo and all.

Action: Tolerable to laughable to out and out ridiculous. That last references the last 20 pages or so.

Dialog: Hilarious. A belly laugh a conversation.

I very well may check out the other books in the series, since I've certainly read worse. But I don't think I'd be missing much if I skipped them, either.(less)

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Sep 05, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

California has been reduced to a barren wasteland by a failed scientific experiment that created horrific creatures called Beaters. They are people who have turned savage, mutilating themselves, eating skin (both theirs and others’), and generally spreading around their sickness. Because of these creatures and the bioterrorism that created them, the government has fallen apart, leaving people to form their own factions and live by their own laws. Cass Dollar woke up horribly scarred and alone wi...more California has been reduced to a barren wasteland by a failed scientific experiment that created horrific creatures called Beaters. They are people who have turned savage, mutilating themselves, eating skin (both theirs and others’), and generally spreading around their sickness. Because of these creatures and the bioterrorism that created them, the government has fallen apart, leaving people to form their own factions and live by their own laws. Cass Dollar woke up horribly scarred and alone with no memory of the injuries, where she is, or how much time has passed. She also doesn’t know where her daughter, Ruthie, is or if she’s ok or if she’s even alive. Her daughter is everything to her and her main goal (besides, obviously, surviving) is to find her at any cost. Cass’s journey will take her to unlikely places and encounter many different types of people, but she will never stop trying to get to Ruthie.

I wasn’t expecting a lot from Aftertime because it was published by Luna, an offshoot of Harlequin. I figured the zombie aspect would take a backseat to the romance because of this and prepared myself accordingly. I was completely wrong and I am very impressed with Aftertime. Although there is some measure of romance with Smoke, the sexy, mysterious man who helps Cass, the real story of the novel is about the love of a mother for her child and the lengths she will go to protect her. Cass hasn’t always been a great mom. Before the Beaters, she was a promiscuous alcoholic and, as a result, Ruthie was taken away from her. When she woke up, she tries to turn it all around with perseverance and will alone. She still isn’t a perfect character, but I think anyone could relate to her (well, except maybe super judgmental people) because we all make mistakes. Even with her colorful past, I like Cass and I admire that she braves death and dismemberment to make amends and protect her child where so many other people would just stay save and give up.

This post-apocalyptic world is unique to others of its kind. Different factions argue for power and some stay neutral to befriend both sides. The Rebuilders try to take supplies and locations from people in the name of the government which no longer exists. They intimidate and harm people in the name of their false cause and make a lot of enemies. The Box is a small slice of hedonism that will sell drugs, booze, music, and sex in exchange for supplies. I’ve never really seen something like it in post-apocalyptic books, but it makes sense. People want to escape reality and drown their sorrows and now there are no laws in place to stop the drug and sex trade. The third faction is the Convent, a mysterious sect of religious women. Although devout in their own brand of religion, there is something weird about them, but they keep in the good graces of the Box and the Rebuilders to do trade and preserve their safety. They are incredibly creepy, but you’ll have to read to find out why.

The zombies in Aftertime aren’t they typical undead variety, but they are frightening nonetheless. They only like to eat skin, instead of indiscriminately chowing down on any given body part. I think this is even more frightening because chewing off your skin isn’t likely to kill you. You will be slowly tortured by being flayed and then turned into one of them. They are alive, so are frailer than the undead, but they don’t seem to feel pain the same way and can push their limits beyond what normal humans can. I really like this new take on zombies and I can’t wait to see where else Sophie Littlefield takes them, especially if the virus evolves.

Aftertime is an excellent zombie novel that surprised me with its realistic characters, post-apocalyptic societies, and crazy reimagining of zombies. The only negative aspects of the book were some editing problems, but I barely noticed them because the writing and story were so engaging. I would recommend this to any zombie fan and I eagerly await the next book, Rebirth.
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Aug 09, 2011 Leah rated it 2 of 5 stars

AFTERTIME started out so promisingly: a post-apocalyptic zombie yarn told from the point of view of a promiscuous alcoholic and neglectful parent, a woman struggling to overcome her mistakes and take charge of her life. Yes! Finally, someone is getting back to the roots of zombie survival narratives. This is the voice of a real person, not some over-prepared jarhead whose emotions span a toggle switch between fear and rage, whose wearily stoic introspection is curtailed by guns-'n-gore porn.

Unfo...more AFTERTIME started out so promisingly: a post-apocalyptic zombie yarn told from the point of view of a promiscuous alcoholic and neglectful parent, a woman struggling to overcome her mistakes and take charge of her life. Yes! Finally, someone is getting back to the roots of zombie survival narratives. This is the voice of a real person, not some over-prepared jarhead whose emotions span a toggle switch between fear and rage, whose wearily stoic introspection is curtailed by guns-'n-gore porn.

Unfortunately, the best part of AFTERTIME is the premise. After the startling opening, the novel quickly gets bogged down in endless backstory and flashbacks. Narrator Cass can't go five minutes without being struck by a memory of Beforetime--what survivors in this world call the pre-zombie days. Some reminiscing is necessary, but pages and pages pass with Cass walking down a street, or brushing her teeth, while absorbed in memories.

There's so much backstory that I wonder if Ms. Littlefield chose the wrong time for her story to begin. AFTERTIME may have fared better as a sequel to BEFORETIME, when Cass could experience the ordeal of losing her young daughter and struggling to reconnect with her in the midst of the unfolding zombie apocalypse. Instead, all the good stuff is in the past, and Littlefield almost seems to sense this by dwelling so much on it.

The book also has a huge problem with info dumping. Littlefield clearly put a lot of work and careful thought into her world-building, but such details should be parceled out sparingly, as relevant to the plot and as needed to heighten the verisimilitude of the fictional world. Too many scenes in AFTERTIME are just info dump after info dump, and again it points to the possibility that the novel would have been better if it detailed the apocalypse as it happened, rather than taking the post-apocalyptic viewpoint.

Aside from the glacial pacing and info dumping, I had problems with the romance between Cass and male MC Smoke. It just comes out of nowhere--within 24 hours of meeting, they're talking with tender pathos and exploring each other's bodies. It rang so false to me that it was inadvertently comical. Turns out the publisher, LUNA, is an imprint of Harlequin, the famous romance publisher. LUNA is a SF/fantasy imprint, but it's not clear if that means "romance in a SF/fantasy setting." AFTERTIME was similarly confusing. Was it meant to be a romance? That would explain the abrupt pairing of the heroine and hero, and the superficiality of their relationship. But so much else about AFTERTIME feels carefully constructed that I'm loath to jump to that conclusion. If this was meant to be a blending of genres, it didn't work for me.

Cass's behavior becomes erratic around Smoke, and doesn't feel quite believable. This hardened woman with a shameful, self-destructive past suddenly becomes a blubbering, stuttering mess around the mysterious handsome stranger. The same woman whose past indicates she uses--and enjoys being used by--men without the merest hint of emotional intimacy. It just didn't work. Cass is too quick to let her guard down, too quick to fall for him. The first sex scene arrives somewhere around 35% through the novel, before we've even had any real conflict!

I wanted to like AFTERTIME, but its weaknesses overwhelm its fresh premise and flawed anti-heroine. The book could have been excellent if the pacing and flashback issues were addressed, and if it had been Cass going solo, without the unnecessary and bland tacked-on romance.(less)

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May 22, 2011 Jaki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: just-finished

I went into this thinking it was just another zombie apocolypse novel – which seems to be the “in” thing to read nowadays. But I was VERY pleasantly surprised with Aftertime.

It’s not so much a tale of fighting zombies as a heart-breaking tale of Cass’s search for her baby daughter, Ruthie. Cass awakens in the middle of nowhere, beaten, sore, badly injured. Her memories of what happened to her are vague, but she is aware that for a time, she was a zombie. And now she’s not. She has no idea why, b...more I went into this thinking it was just another zombie apocolypse novel – which seems to be the “in” thing to read nowadays. But I was VERY pleasantly surprised with Aftertime.

It’s not so much a tale of fighting zombies as a heart-breaking tale of Cass’s search for her baby daughter, Ruthie. Cass awakens in the middle of nowhere, beaten, sore, badly injured. Her memories of what happened to her are vague, but she is aware that for a time, she was a zombie. And now she’s not. She has no idea why, but for the moment, she has bigger thoughts occupying her – she needs to find her baby daughter. She can remember the last few moments before the attack, before the “Beaters” attacked her, when she managed to hand her daughter over to people to save her.

While the book is a tale of Cass and Smoke’s journey to where they may be able to find Cass’s daugher, it’s also the tale of Cass’s journey of herself. During the Beforetime – before the world went to hell – she was an alcoholic, sleeping with numerous nameless men, whose baby girl was taken from her by her parents. She manages to get Ruthie back after her parents are struck by the zombie infection currently sweeping the world, only to lose her again when in a moment of thoughtlessness, Cass is attacked and taken by the Beaters (zombies).

Cass is a broken woman with many issues. And it’s her journey to find her daughter again that is the real story.

While Sophie Littlefield has written a zombie apocolypse novel, she has also written a heart-breaking gut-wrenching tale of a young woman’s journey to hell and back, a quest to discover herself and yes, to redeem herself. Nothing matters but Ruthie – not Cass’s debilatating injuries, the flesh stripped from her back, how she came back from being zombiefied…nothing but finding her little girl.

Aftertime is paced well – and in the last few pages I was quite literally flipping the pages as fast as I could read, my heart in my mouth. I wasn’t aware it was the start of a series till I got to the end, and I’m definitely wanting to come back for more of Cass and Ruthie’s tale.

Excellent book – highly recommended!(less)

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Apr 19, 2011 Bc rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is OK. I fully acknowledge that it might even be better than just OK for some people.

The world and overall environment are fairly interesting. Others have described it in their reviews. The dialogue and story telling are reasonably good as well.

My problem with the book is that it seems the entire book is focused on the internal conflicts of the protagonist. Where the main plot-line of many fantasy books is a "coming of age" story; this book is a "coming to grips with oneself" story....more

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Apr 13, 2011 Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, e-book, net-galley-books, post-apocalyptic, uf

I really like reading dystopian books, they make me think that if I would survive what would I do. It seems like there is always so many factions to choose from and which one would be the one where I would feel the safest.

I had a hard time reading this book, but not for the reasons one would think. I started reading this at night and have to say that it wasn't the brightest idea. I was confused at first about the concept of Beaters, but once I realized what was going on with them I knew I was g...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Aemelia rated it 5 of 5 stars

In post-apocalyptic California, people are struggling with day to day survival. Bio-warfare decimated the landscape, killing off plants and animals, only the hardiest survived. Then came the blue-leaf fever, it didn't kill every one affected, yet those who survived became flesh-eaters, zombies, or more commonly referred to as Beaters.

Cass Dollar can't remember the last 2 months of her life, but that is not a terrible thing, the last she does remember is being taken away by a group of Beaters. Th...more In post-apocalyptic California, people are struggling with day to day survival. Bio-warfare decimated the landscape, killing off plants and animals, only the hardiest survived. Then came the blue-leaf fever, it didn't kill every one affected, yet those who survived became flesh-eaters, zombies, or more commonly referred to as Beaters.

Cass Dollar can't remember the last 2 months of her life, but that is not a terrible thing, the last she does remember is being taken away by a group of Beaters. The scars on her body tell a story that even she finds hard to believe. She has recovered from the disease, fortunately with no recollection of what she did or became. Now she has one focus, to find her daughter Ruthie.

With the help of the mysterious man everyone calls Smoke, Cass hopes to find Ruthie. Knowing it would be a difficult road, she never envisions the obstacles thrown in the way of their quest. Nor is she prepared for the feelings Smoke has awakened in her.

*****

When I flipped to the last page of AFTERTIME my initial reaction was: WHAT?!? THIS is the END?!? Noooooo, I wanted MORE! I wasn't ready to let Cass, Smoke and Ruthie go yet. I felt as if I was just getting to know them. Lord knows, we barely scratched the surface of Smoke. He is so mysterious, alpha, heroic, kind and SUPER hot! This was a gripping and emotional tale of survival that will keep any reader on their toes, because you just never know what is going to happen when you turn the page.
Cass had lead a pretty lousy life in the Before, one that she strongly regrets. You can feel her yearning to be a better person. Her daughter Ruthie is the reason she keeps going on, yet as the story moved on, I understood that she was starting to care for Smoke, and wanted to be a better person for him also.

Ahh, Smoke is still a delicious mystery. I'm not really sure why he was so eager to leave with Cass and why he never wavered in his faith of her. Of course I'm happy he made the decisions he did. There were a few brief explanations, but he really stuck his neck out for a complete stranger.

AFTERTIME is the first book of a new series I canNOT wait to continue. There were a few spots in the beginning of the book that seemed a bit discombobulated, but that didn't last long, and in all honesty, it worked with the story because Cass was just coming out of her illness and was trying to work things out in her confused brain.(less)

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Mar 19, 2011 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocalypse

This was the first book I’ve read by Littlefield who writes across a slew of genres and had a fun time of it. “Fun times” for me do involve pseudozombies running amok across an apocalyptic world (Thanks for asking!) So yeah, this fits the bill.

Aftertime takes place in a dystopian future where agriculture in the United States had been wiped out by a bioterror attack. This of course ground modern civilization to a half. After that, a viral property in a synthetized plant the government hoped would...more This was the first book I’ve read by Littlefield who writes across a slew of genres and had a fun time of it. “Fun times” for me do involve pseudozombies running amok across an apocalyptic world (Thanks for asking!) So yeah, this fits the bill.

Aftertime takes place in a dystopian future where agriculture in the United States had been wiped out by a bioterror attack. This of course ground modern civilization to a half. After that, a viral property in a synthetized plant the government hoped would halt the tide of starvation instead produced 28 Days Later type zombies called Beaters that recently started learning to hunt in packs for uninfected humans to carry off and eat alive. Then things get kind of dark.

Aftertime’s main character is Cassandra, who redefines “damaged”. Cassandra is a recovering alcoholic who used to collect doomed relationships like Pokemon cards. The one thing that was starting to get her life back is her three year old daughter and that was torn from her when Cass was attacked by Beaters and carried off to be devoured. Cass wakes up to find herself wandering and bloodied, but for some reason not a Beater. Not knowing what happened to her daughter, she spends the rest of the book looking for her.

Littlefield creates a very bleak world where small communities try to hold off Beater attacks and the encroaching domination of those who think best how to rebuild the world with the purity of motive that only fascists can provide. There is a Cormac McCarthy-like sparseness to the world which gives a rich contrast to the characters she puts in it. Littlefield explains what happened to the world throughout the book so that the reader finds out the totality of the apocalyptic damage instead of all at once, which I thought was a nice touch.

Character-wise, Aftertime is filled with some great, complex characters that drive the story well. Cass is joined early on in her search for her daughter by the mysterious Smoke, who some is found out about through the book while still leaving much to be answered. In my opinion there isn’t really what you would call “romance” between Cass and Smoke throughout the majority of the book but rather the two of them having a “OH CRAP EMOTIONS WTF DO I DO WITH THESE?!!?” process of discovery and the two of them happen to be there at the same time for it. It is painful and beautful to watch unfold and really adds to the book.

The only real complaint I had with the book is that the ending seemed a bit rushed. Things start coming to a head and suddenly, it’s over. Overall I enjoyed it greatly and look forward to the second book in the series.
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Mar 19, 2011 Valerie rated it 3 of 5 stars

In post apocalyptic America, a deadly virus rages, and zombies are born...government is gone, basic necessities are a luxury, and people are not to be trusted -

For Cass, a former alcoholic, nothing can be worse than the reality she faces now - her baby gone, zombies eating human flesh, and the last two months missing from her memory. All she knows is she has to find Ruthie, her daughter, by any means necessary. Scarred from a zombie attack, yet not infected, Cass is an anomaly in an upside-down...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Lisarenee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian

n the distant future....

"This ain't the apocalypse, buddy, we already done lived through that."

First, there was The Siege. Some referred to it as the apocalypse. A set of bioterrorist attacks which wiped out every major food crop and most of the livestock.

Next, there was the keysev. One of the last things the government did before it fell was to drop keysev all over the nation. The plant was a product of bioengineering and said to have enough nutrition that you could live off it. Unfortunately,...more n the distant future....

"This ain't the apocalypse, buddy, we already done lived through that."

First, there was The Siege. Some referred to it as the apocalypse. A set of bioterrorist attacks which wiped out every major food crop and most of the livestock.

Next, there was the keysev. One of the last things the government did before it fell was to drop keysev all over the nation. The plant was a product of bioengineering and said to have enough nutrition that you could live off it. Unfortunately, one of the last batches to be dropped in California was found to be tainted. The tainted crop, known as blueleaf, made people ill with fever and, if they survived, made them crave undamaged flesh. They are referred to as Beaters, but you and I would probably call them as zombies.

The world prior to The Siege is referred to as "Before". The time period after The Siege is referred to as "Aftertime". Hence, the name for the book.

"Before", in her first life, Cass Dollar was a recovering alcoholic attempting to get her daughter back. That was when The Siege occurred. Her life was not a happy one. She'd suffered from abuse and continued to abuse herself in various ways until she lost her daughter. That was when she decided to turn her life around so she could get her daughter back. She was well on her way when the Siege hit. Later, in the "Aftertime", she regained her daughter only to lose her once again when Cass was brutally attacked and kidnapped by Beaters. When the fever broke she had no memory of what had happened and walked around in a daze before she met other "citizens". The only things on her mind now is to survive and find her daughter. That is where this story begins.

I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. Firstly, I love the fact we don't have an innocent and perfect heroine. Let's face it most of the books today tend to have these perfect, flawless heroines. I love the fact that Cass is flawed and struggling with some inner demons. Secondly, I love dystopian novels and when you through a bunch of zombies into the fray, well, that makes it all the more fun. Thirdly, there's a dash a romance here. Perhaps not the slow moving kind that some would enjoy, but let's face it if you don't know if today is your last day (yes, I'm starting to sound like a Nickelback song) would taking it slow be on your number one list of things to do? I think not.(less)

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Mar 06, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, aftertime, futuristic

Sophie Littlefield gives the Apocalypse a new twist in the world she has created in Aftertime. The big event didn't come with bombs or nuclear weapons. A biological agent destroyed most of the food supply on Earth, creating wide-spread famine. In a last-ditch effort to feed the people, the government dispersed seeds for a special plant that would serve everyone's nutritional needs. Seeds for a second plant got mixed in... but it was flawed and turned anyone who ate it into zombies, called Beater...more Sophie Littlefield gives the Apocalypse a new twist in the world she has created in Aftertime. The big event didn't come with bombs or nuclear weapons. A biological agent destroyed most of the food supply on Earth, creating wide-spread famine. In a last-ditch effort to feed the people, the government dispersed seeds for a special plant that would serve everyone's nutritional needs. Seeds for a second plant got mixed in... but it was flawed and turned anyone who ate it into zombies, called Beaters. As with traditional zombie mythology, they hunger for human flesh --and as they feed, they turn their victims into zombies too.

Cass was attacked, but unlike anyone else, she recovered. When she came to her senses, she was miles away from the camp where she was living --and she was separated from her young daughter. The book follows her quest to reunite with little Ruthie. On her way, she meets up with Smoke, who becomes a love interest of sorts. There are two main roadblocks to a relationship. One, Cass's fear that her saliva will infect him. And two, her warped past of promiscuity and addiction.

Littlefield's world is stark and bleak. It shows us a myriad of ways people could react to a cataclysmic event and few of them are pretty. And if that doesn't give you the heavy feel of a boulder on your chest, getting inside Cass's head will certainly do it. She is a woman filled equally with purpose and self-loathing. It takes a long time to get to the bottom of the self-destructive nature of her old life, but when we get the answers, they are exactly what you'd expect. What you might NOT expect, is her refusal to give up on Ruthie. And let me tell you, it's a long and winding road to find her.

The story builds and builds to a huge crescendo, to end rather abruptly. But I can forgive that, knowing the sequel, Rebirth, is coming this summer. I can only hope it will feature Cass & Smoke. (His was a great character, and we barely scratched the surface.)

This was a really good book, which was constantly posing new questions as it answered old ones. And it's a great study of humanity's greatest strengths and weaknesses all at once. 4 1/2 stars.

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Feb 17, 2011 Scooper Speaks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Aftertime takes a harsh look at the world after the apocalypse. It is a dangerous and deadly place where the smartest people shoot first and ask questions later. It is a world where zombies and disillusionment have been mixed together to build a place where only the strongest survive.

It is not a feel good type of book. There is a moment toward the end of the story that my lips burned with sympathy pains for a character and other moments where I didn’t know if the end was ever going to come. It s...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: earcs

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I requested it on a whim, and I almost put it down after reading the first few pages, because I don't really like zombies, and the imagery was almost to painful to read about. But I gave it a chance, because thankfully, the book is not all about running from zombies (or Beaters, as they're called here). It's also not the goriest book I've ever read, so I could get past that, eventually. There is a good story here, the plot is well thought out, though...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Jamie Kline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: net-galley

My opinion: First off we meet Cass, who is wandering by herself alone. She has no recollection of what happened to her, but she has scars all over her body. A new plant species was introduced to the U.S. and by eating it, people developed a severe fever. If they survived that initial fever, they would slowly develop into what we would consider zombies; they are driven by the need to eat human flesh and only that. Cass knows she was attacked by these creatures, called Beaters, and she did get the...more My opinion: First off we meet Cass, who is wandering by herself alone. She has no recollection of what happened to her, but she has scars all over her body. A new plant species was introduced to the U.S. and by eating it, people developed a severe fever. If they survived that initial fever, they would slowly develop into what we would consider zombies; they are driven by the need to eat human flesh and only that. Cass knows she was attacked by these creatures, called Beaters, and she did get the disease for a while, but somehow her body fought it off. The attack happened two months previously and now Cass has no idea where her 3 year old daughter Ruthie is, but she knows she needs to find her. Due to the scars though, she knows it will be hard to prove to anyone that she isn't a Beater, so luckily she wanders across a young girl. The girl takes Cass back to the place where she's staying and is able to plead her case. There she meets a Smoke, a man who is determined to help keep people safe and help keep sort of an order. He agrees to take her to the Library where she lived with her daughter before she was taken, to see if by some miracle Ruthie is still there. Cass hates relying on other people, but she knows early on that she can trust Smoke. When they get to the Library, Cass is treated as a stranger. A woman she used to know there confides that if they know that she was attacked by Beaters, she will most likely be disposed of. She also learns that her daughter was bitten and developed a fever and signs of the disease too, but like Cass she recovered. But Ruthie is not there anymore, she has been sent to a place called the Convent where they believe their faith will cure anything (but to a lot of people it seems more like a cult). So Smoke accompanies Cass on her journey, and they find themselves growing closer and closer with each passing day. But Cass knows that her ultimate goal is to find her daughter, and she can't let anything distract her...not even the man who would give his life for her.

I really, really liked this book. Cass was definitely tough; living in times like that would be hard enough, but not to know what happened to your child was be impossible. I really liked Smoke too, he was so confident and kept his morals even when the rest of the world was becoming almost barbaric. It was obvious he would do whatever he had to to keep Cass safe and help her in her mission. She held back from him a lot, because she was afraid that she could be a carrier for the disease and infect him somehow. Cass had a rough time growing up; her dad was suddenly gone, her mom remarried and her stepdad sexually molested her. Then she ended up becoming an alcoholic and sleeping with lots of different men. She got pregnant and still had trouble changing. Her mom took Ruthie and then Cass became obsessed with getting her child back. So she cleaned herself up, which is really admirable, but still her mom would not give Ruthie back to her. So when the disease started changing people and chaos erupted, she took Ruthie, and that's how they ended up at the Library. I think she constantly feels like she has to make up for the bad choices she made earlier in her life, make it up to Ruthie for not being there for her like she should have been the whole time. It's easy to believe that this is what the world would look like if something like this happened; it reminded me of a lot of the zombie movies I have seen, half of the U.S. was blocked off to contain the disease from spreading. It also reminded me of the game Fallout; while not the same premise, the outcome was much the same, groups of people forming their own societies with different rules and ideals and having to trade items for other items since money became worthless. It was a really good book, keeping you guessing on what will happen at the end and a lot of suspense. I look forward to reading more from this author!

My rating: 4/5 stars(less)

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Oct 09, 2011 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cas is a recovering addict, trying to survive post apocalypse. She's been separated from her young daughter and is trying to find her on foot, in a land where food is scarce, comforts are nil and you don't know who to trust. To make matters worse, there are beaters to avoid. The flesh feasting zombies that have survived a deadly fever and seem to be unstoppable.

To be honest, I don't generally read too many zombie or post apocalyptic books. I had read a review of this book that had me thinking I...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Tserisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

A very fun read (very quick for me, finished in a day), highly recommended to anyone who likes dystopian or post-apocalyptic literature, or zombies.

The characterization is some of the best I've read recently. The author captured the psychology of the main character extremely well, exploring themes of PTSD, addiction, and motherhood. The main characters are obviously deep and revealed through action and plot, rather than crappy exposition (except for one she-looks-in-the-mirror-and-describes-her...more

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