What do you think?
Rate this book
Aftertime #1.5
Survivors
DOING RIGHT ISN'T EASY IN A WORLD GONE SO WRONG
Cass Dollar outlasted the fall of civilization. But surviving Aftertime requires the kind of toughness that can conquer the violent landscape of California and still retain its humanity.
When a young boy and his dying grandmother are brought to the Box, the survivalist community where Cass takes shelter, she realizes that without her help he won't be long for this unforgiving new world. But while the Box is a haven from the roaming marauders—and the flesh-hungry Beaters—it forbids children within its confines. The boy will be turned out to fend for himself. All that stands between him and the brutal wilderness is Cass's protective instincts, and the stubborn resolve that's gotten her this far Aftertime.
"Littlefield has a gift...page-turning action and evocative, sensual, harrowing descriptions."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review on Aftertime
Cass Dollar outlasted the fall of civilization. But surviving Aftertime requires the kind of toughness that can conquer the violent landscape of California and still retain its humanity.
When a young boy and his dying grandmother are brought to the Box, the survivalist community where Cass takes shelter, she realizes that without her help he won't be long for this unforgiving new world. But while the Box is a haven from the roaming marauders—and the flesh-hungry Beaters—it forbids children within its confines. The boy will be turned out to fend for himself. All that stands between him and the brutal wilderness is Cass's protective instincts, and the stubborn resolve that's gotten her this far Aftertime.
"Littlefield has a gift...page-turning action and evocative, sensual, harrowing descriptions."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review on Aftertime
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
26 people are currently reading
1055 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Littlefield
37 books803 followersCalled a “writing machine” by the New York Times and a “master storyteller” by the Midwest Book Review, Sophie Littlefield has written dozens of novels for adults and teens. She has won Anthony and RT Book Awards and been shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, Macavity, and Goodreads Choice Awards.
Sophie also writes under the pen name Sofia Grant.
Sophie also writes under the pen name Sofia Grant.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
July 13, 2011
A few things to note about this short novella: (some spoilers below)
* It takes place 1 month after the events of Aftertime.
* It follows the same story arc with fairly slow events followed by a dramatic climax.
* There are two new important characters that show up: a young boy and his dying grandmother.
* Cass still does not speak to her long-lost daughter at all, except once near the end when we're told "Ruthie's name on her lips"
* A zombie attack results in only a brief thought of Ruthie (see above) but prolonged worry over her boyfriend Not Smoke not Smoke not Smoke several times
* We're told this about Smoke:
When he did talk, he had a soft-spoken command that could quiet a gathering instantly, everyone straining to hear. When he was wrong he owned it, but that was not often. And he was Cass' own, her heart's solace.
If you're interested in pursuing this further, this Aftertime novella is currently still available as a free download: http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/2CFB95F7...
* It takes place 1 month after the events of Aftertime.
* It follows the same story arc with fairly slow events followed by a dramatic climax.
* There are two new important characters that show up: a young boy and his dying grandmother.
* Cass still does not speak to her long-lost daughter at all, except once near the end when we're told "Ruthie's name on her lips"
* A zombie attack results in only a brief thought of Ruthie (see above) but prolonged worry over her boyfriend Not Smoke not Smoke not Smoke several times
* We're told this about Smoke:
When he did talk, he had a soft-spoken command that could quiet a gathering instantly, everyone straining to hear. When he was wrong he owned it, but that was not often. And he was Cass' own, her heart's solace.
If you're interested in pursuing this further, this Aftertime novella is currently still available as a free download: http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/2CFB95F7...
Read
January 26, 2021WARNINGS: Mentions of suicide, drug dependency.
Haven't read the series proper yet; just this short story. Ruthie reminds me of why I often don't like children in adult fiction - she's too perfect. A quiet, well-behaved three-year-old who's the only child allowed in the Box.
Though this story is about an older child whom the raiders bring to the Box for the leader to decide if he should stay or be shut out.
Haven't read the series proper yet; just this short story. Ruthie reminds me of why I often don't like children in adult fiction - she's too perfect. A quiet, well-behaved three-year-old who's the only child allowed in the Box.
Though this story is about an older child whom the raiders bring to the Box for the leader to decide if he should stay or be shut out.
July 13, 2011
Free download - Harlequin 7/5/11
Very short story that takes place about a month after the events of the first book Aftertime. There are more details about the Box, and area where survivors have congregated. This story introduces the character Feo, a 9 year old boy.
Short and sweet.
Very short story that takes place about a month after the events of the first book Aftertime. There are more details about the Box, and area where survivors have congregated. This story introduces the character Feo, a 9 year old boy.
Short and sweet.
November 28, 2011
This was a great story that showed the differences between Before and after and gave us a slice of life from the box. What I really like from this series is how people make new families out of the ashes to help bring them comfort.
November 27, 2011
I love this series. This is a very short story which comes after Aftertime but before Rebirth.
August 5, 2011
Survivors / 9781459207769
This is an interesting short story -- only about 30 pages long on my reader -- but it's one of those stories where I felt the whole time that there was another book before the story that I needed to read in order to sink into this one. I notice that the author has a trilogy set in this world (Aftertime, Rebirth, and Horizon), so I almost wonder if it wouldn't be better to read one or more of those first.
"Survivors" is a zombie apocalypse novella, which I usually enjoy, but the zombies aren't really a major presence in this book. Instead, the focus is on the survivors and how they've pieced together a world inside a walled community called "The Box" in the aftermath of the apocalypse. This contributed in some ways to the disorientation I felt as a reader, because there seemed to be a lot of information dispensed as obvious-to-the-author that was nevertheless confusing to me.
For instance, a major point of the novella is that children aren't allowed in The Box because it's 'no place for children', so when a young survivor is brought in from a raid, everyone has to decide what to do with him. The problem for me was that I didn't see why, say, drug addictions and prostitution would make "The Box" inhospitable for children, as compared to, say, the slavering zombie apocalypse outside. Then, too, the mentality seems a little limiting: I guess the denizens of The Box are intending to live hard and die young all at the same time? If the situation was set up more like, say, a cult it might make more sense, but since everyone is presented as a relatively normal person dealing with the harsh realities of the world, this "no children, no procreation" rule just seems a little inhuman. (Not to mention impossible to achieve, unless all the prostitutes of The Box have high-priority raids on pharmacies for birth control pills.)
The writing for this novella isn't the best I've ever read -- there are a lot of long and sometimes convoluted sentences that can be a little confusing. Some of the punctuation could also be edited a bit, as there is an over-reliance on commas that I sympathize with but which is nevertheless distracting to read. Still, all told, this is an interesting novella and you can't beat the current free price on Amazon. For myself, I think I'll watch the Kindle sales and if Aftertime comes on sale, I'll pick it up and start the series over with that book.
~ Ana Mardoll
This is an interesting short story -- only about 30 pages long on my reader -- but it's one of those stories where I felt the whole time that there was another book before the story that I needed to read in order to sink into this one. I notice that the author has a trilogy set in this world (Aftertime, Rebirth, and Horizon), so I almost wonder if it wouldn't be better to read one or more of those first.
"Survivors" is a zombie apocalypse novella, which I usually enjoy, but the zombies aren't really a major presence in this book. Instead, the focus is on the survivors and how they've pieced together a world inside a walled community called "The Box" in the aftermath of the apocalypse. This contributed in some ways to the disorientation I felt as a reader, because there seemed to be a lot of information dispensed as obvious-to-the-author that was nevertheless confusing to me.
For instance, a major point of the novella is that children aren't allowed in The Box because it's 'no place for children', so when a young survivor is brought in from a raid, everyone has to decide what to do with him. The problem for me was that I didn't see why, say, drug addictions and prostitution would make "The Box" inhospitable for children, as compared to, say, the slavering zombie apocalypse outside. Then, too, the mentality seems a little limiting: I guess the denizens of The Box are intending to live hard and die young all at the same time? If the situation was set up more like, say, a cult it might make more sense, but since everyone is presented as a relatively normal person dealing with the harsh realities of the world, this "no children, no procreation" rule just seems a little inhuman. (Not to mention impossible to achieve, unless all the prostitutes of The Box have high-priority raids on pharmacies for birth control pills.)
The writing for this novella isn't the best I've ever read -- there are a lot of long and sometimes convoluted sentences that can be a little confusing. Some of the punctuation could also be edited a bit, as there is an over-reliance on commas that I sympathize with but which is nevertheless distracting to read. Still, all told, this is an interesting novella and you can't beat the current free price on Amazon. For myself, I think I'll watch the Kindle sales and if Aftertime comes on sale, I'll pick it up and start the series over with that book.
~ Ana Mardoll
Read
April 11, 2023Trigger & Content Warnings:
Suicide mentioned
Drug abuse & dependency
Suicide mentioned
Drug abuse & dependency
July 5, 2011
Life in the Box is about the safest place one can go in this Aftertime world. The guards constantly patrol to keep the Beaters away and the residents safe no matter how temporary their stay may be. Raiders bring in new and various supplies nightly. Dor sets the rules and people survive due to them. One of his rules is no children. He has made an exception with Cass’s daughter Ruthie. They’re with Smoke, and Smoke is his right hand man. One of the nightly raids brings a child and his dying grandmother into the box. The child is scared, starved, dehydrated and filthy. The grandmother is not long for the world. Cass and Smoke do what they can to find out as much information they can. The child is so traumatized that isn’t too sharing. They don’t want to see him turned out into the world, but there is the no child rule lingering in the background constantly.
I love this series. The characters are real. The day to day life of survival is real. I think what I enjoy most about this series is the fact that it is survival with a side of zombie. Life is tough, it is even tougher in a new world with very limited resources. Cass is doing what she can with what little she has. She has her daughter back, she has her tent, with her guy, in the tent city inside the Box. This novella is part of a series and to completely understand how these survivors got to the Box and why they ended up at the Box you really have to read Aftertime
I love this series. The characters are real. The day to day life of survival is real. I think what I enjoy most about this series is the fact that it is survival with a side of zombie. Life is tough, it is even tougher in a new world with very limited resources. Cass is doing what she can with what little she has. She has her daughter back, she has her tent, with her guy, in the tent city inside the Box. This novella is part of a series and to completely understand how these survivors got to the Box and why they ended up at the Box you really have to read Aftertime
August 11, 2011
I realized before I read this novella that it was taking place between two regular sized novels which I have not read. Despite that, I felt like there was enough detail that I could figure out what was going on.
This was a free kindle download and from the description it sounded a lot like Dies the Fire (Emberverse series) by S.M. Stirling which I really like. If the novella is any indication of what the larger series is like, readers who like one will have a good chance of enjoying the other. Both are post-apocalyptic, both have roving hoards of people that will attack and eat other people.... The characters from the Emberverse though seem to be more likable in general because they're all about helping each other, whereas the majority of Littlefield's characters seem less personable(this opinion being in comparison to only the novella, again not having read the rest of Littlefield's series). Of course this might be because the roving hoard of people eaters in the Emberverse series are still human whereas the roving hoard of people eaters in Survivors are some sort of zombie thing.
After reading it I would recommend this to those who enjoy post-apocalyptic type books (and probably only them, no feel good happy parts in this novella). I personally may have to consider reading at least the first book in the actual series.
This was a free kindle download and from the description it sounded a lot like Dies the Fire (Emberverse series) by S.M. Stirling which I really like. If the novella is any indication of what the larger series is like, readers who like one will have a good chance of enjoying the other. Both are post-apocalyptic, both have roving hoards of people that will attack and eat other people.... The characters from the Emberverse though seem to be more likable in general because they're all about helping each other, whereas the majority of Littlefield's characters seem less personable(this opinion being in comparison to only the novella, again not having read the rest of Littlefield's series). Of course this might be because the roving hoard of people eaters in the Emberverse series are still human whereas the roving hoard of people eaters in Survivors are some sort of zombie thing.
After reading it I would recommend this to those who enjoy post-apocalyptic type books (and probably only them, no feel good happy parts in this novella). I personally may have to consider reading at least the first book in the actual series.
July 3, 2011
This is just a short little novella that takes place between AFTERTIME—March 2011 and REBIRTH—August 2011. According to this novella, HORIZON—February 2012 will be the next book in this series.
For Cass Dollar, she has the dubious distinction of being one of the only people ever to survive an attack by a zombie. She was bitten and infected, and yet healed by some genetic crapshot. She and her 3 year old daughter Ruthie, now share a tent with Smoke in the area called the Box after she took on the Covenant and won her daughters freedom. Note: If you want to learn more about why they are living in the Box, please refer to Aftertime for your answers.** I don't want to give away all the nice little spoilers.
This short story is about a boy named Feo and his grandmother who arrive at the Box, but have to deal with the rules about no children allowed. The box is not the most pleasant place to live, but Cass gets by tending gardens and flowers while Smoke has become someone important. Feo's grandmother appears to have suffered a stroke, and it will be up to Dor, the leader of the box, to determine if he can stay, or must leave.
I would recommend this little interlude to anyone who has already read Aftertime.
For Cass Dollar, she has the dubious distinction of being one of the only people ever to survive an attack by a zombie. She was bitten and infected, and yet healed by some genetic crapshot. She and her 3 year old daughter Ruthie, now share a tent with Smoke in the area called the Box after she took on the Covenant and won her daughters freedom. Note: If you want to learn more about why they are living in the Box, please refer to Aftertime for your answers.** I don't want to give away all the nice little spoilers.
This short story is about a boy named Feo and his grandmother who arrive at the Box, but have to deal with the rules about no children allowed. The box is not the most pleasant place to live, but Cass gets by tending gardens and flowers while Smoke has become someone important. Feo's grandmother appears to have suffered a stroke, and it will be up to Dor, the leader of the box, to determine if he can stay, or must leave.
I would recommend this little interlude to anyone who has already read Aftertime.
July 10, 2011
This novella gives us a glimpse of life in the Box between the events of Aftertime and Rebirth. It's very short... less than 30 pages, but it manages to maintain the feel of the full length books.
The story begins with the arrival of a young boy and his grandmother to the Box. The old woman is dying and the boy, Feo, has no one. Cass and Smoke open their tent to him for the night, while Dor decides whether the child can stay. At first Cass fantasizes a little that Feo will join her family with Smoke and little Ruthie. But the boy latches on to one of the guards, making her realize that he needs things she can't give him.
There's not a lot to this, and you don't need to read it for Rebirth to make sense. Feo is present in that book, but the events of his arrival are given in clear enough language that you won't miss anything. Still, I'm such a fan of this series, I wouldn't skip any tidbit that Littlefield offers. 4 stars.
The story begins with the arrival of a young boy and his grandmother to the Box. The old woman is dying and the boy, Feo, has no one. Cass and Smoke open their tent to him for the night, while Dor decides whether the child can stay. At first Cass fantasizes a little that Feo will join her family with Smoke and little Ruthie. But the boy latches on to one of the guards, making her realize that he needs things she can't give him.
There's not a lot to this, and you don't need to read it for Rebirth to make sense. Feo is present in that book, but the events of his arrival are given in clear enough language that you won't miss anything. Still, I'm such a fan of this series, I wouldn't skip any tidbit that Littlefield offers. 4 stars.
August 3, 2011
Yesterday, as I was stealing grabbing a cover pic from GoodReads for my Rebirth review post, I discovered Sophie Littlefield wrote a novella between Aftertime and Rebirth entitled Survivors (Aftertime #1.5). Naturally I scooped it up on my Kindle and gave it a read!
If you have read (or plan on reading) Aftertime, read Survivors before moving on to Rebirth. I wish I had! The second book Rebirth takes places a couple of years after Aftertime. Survivors, however, gives you insight into how life was for Cass and Smoke (and Ruthie who seems to sleep 99% of her life) shortly after the end of book one. I had an issue with not liking the characters in Rebirth, but they are quite likeable in Survivors and that likely would have carried over some into Rebirth.
This is a short novella, but it was a good dose of Littlefield's Aftertime world and a quick shot of some more zombie goodness.
--
Jennifer @ Book Den
If you have read (or plan on reading) Aftertime, read Survivors before moving on to Rebirth. I wish I had! The second book Rebirth takes places a couple of years after Aftertime. Survivors, however, gives you insight into how life was for Cass and Smoke (and Ruthie who seems to sleep 99% of her life) shortly after the end of book one. I had an issue with not liking the characters in Rebirth, but they are quite likeable in Survivors and that likely would have carried over some into Rebirth.
This is a short novella, but it was a good dose of Littlefield's Aftertime world and a quick shot of some more zombie goodness.
--
Jennifer @ Book Den
July 18, 2011
I absolutely loved AFTERTIME, so I was really looking forward to reading this novella. It takes place a month after Cass and Smoke first arrive in the Box, and before the events of REBIRTH.
Cass, Smoke and Ruthie have settled in the Box and live a relatively peaceful life. Until a young boy and his dying grandmother arrive, and suddenly, Dor--the leader/founder of this community--has to make a decision of whether to enforce the 'no kids' rule.
It's a very short novella, but still captures the essence of Cass and this dangerous, bleak world she lives in. There's some Beater action as well, and some sad moments, but I still enjoyed it. A lot.
Can't wait for REBIRTH. :)
Cass, Smoke and Ruthie have settled in the Box and live a relatively peaceful life. Until a young boy and his dying grandmother arrive, and suddenly, Dor--the leader/founder of this community--has to make a decision of whether to enforce the 'no kids' rule.
It's a very short novella, but still captures the essence of Cass and this dangerous, bleak world she lives in. There's some Beater action as well, and some sad moments, but I still enjoyed it. A lot.
Can't wait for REBIRTH. :)
July 21, 2017
This short little novella is billed as part 1.5 in the Aftertime series. I just finished the first book in the series this week, and this - along with parts two and three - have been sitting on my eReader for a while, just waiting for attention.
It probably won't make sense to you outside of the series, because there is very little explanation given for anything that's going on, but if you're reading the series and are looking for a little extra bite of information, a tiny story arc outside of the tale of Cass and Smoke and Ruthie, this is an interesting little take on the world they live in, the society that has been created at The Box, and the soft hearts of the tough survivors that live there.
It probably won't make sense to you outside of the series, because there is very little explanation given for anything that's going on, but if you're reading the series and are looking for a little extra bite of information, a tiny story arc outside of the tale of Cass and Smoke and Ruthie, this is an interesting little take on the world they live in, the society that has been created at The Box, and the soft hearts of the tough survivors that live there.
November 15, 2012
I loved this introduction to Cass Dollar's world so much that I immediately went and bought the first book in the series that stars her, AFTERTIME, when I finished this short story. Not your typical zombie fare, but filled with truly interesting characters, dialogue, and a setting called "The Box." I can't wait to learn more about how this situation came to be, what they do about the Beaters (zombies), and how Cass lives her life. A great, interesting tale that will definitely have you wanting to read the first book!
November 5, 2011
Unfortunately I did not realize that the story told in this novella was taking place between two other novels which I had not read. Despite that, there was enough detail that I could figure out what was going on.
We are in the future, after a zombie apocalypse, and people live in protected areas. We are shown a day in a camp when two new survivors arrive and the impact they make.
There's not much else going on apart from this :)
A good story, but it didn't hook me in to reading the other novels. (Partly because I'm not a zombie fan.)
We are in the future, after a zombie apocalypse, and people live in protected areas. We are shown a day in a camp when two new survivors arrive and the impact they make.
There's not much else going on apart from this :)
A good story, but it didn't hook me in to reading the other novels. (Partly because I'm not a zombie fan.)
July 1, 2011
Never thought I'd add that particular shelf (zombies) on my list. They're just not my thing, but this was a well written novella that made me want to read more from the author. And by well-written I don't mean just the grammar and pretty words stringed together that flow just right. I'm talking about a concise story with a plot and point to it. Admittedly the point was to sell more books, but when it works it works.
December 11, 2011
Very short story about a young boy coming to live in "the box". Only get a quick glance of Cass and Smoke's life after Aftertime. Cass' has turned her love of plants into a hobby. The "Beaters" are getting a little braver and coming around the box to snag travelers. We also get to see a little more of Dor's compassion.
Read
March 12, 2018A great little story set after Aftertime which manages in just a few short pages to further flesh out the culture of the post-apocalyptic mini-civilization of The Box. Very little story or action at all, really more of a vignette.
November 4, 2011
Read 16% of the book and still couldn't picture what I was actually reading much less get into the book itself... Probably told a good story if I was to have read the Trilogy it was meant to go with...
Has anyone else read the Trilogy An Afterime Novel? Does this book pull it all together or something?
Has anyone else read the Trilogy An Afterime Novel? Does this book pull it all together or something?
December 20, 2011
This was an interesting short (a mere 28 pages) story that is about a boy and his grandmother who are found outside the Box (a camp of survivors who have not turned into zombies). The boy is quiet, but soon gets the attention of Sam (another survivor), but his future hangs in the balance, as no children are allowed in the Box. Read this to find out his story and see what happens!
May 13, 2013
This is sort of a "B-side" to the Aftertime series... A short story taking place between book one and book two, and it seems to me like something she wrote as part of the initial trilogy and then cut. Lovely prose as usual, and a decent read while I was waiting for book two to come in the mail, but it didn't add anything to my understanding of the characters or their world.
July 20, 2015
This was a cute little companion book that takes place between Aftertime and Rebirth. It didn't cover anything major happening, but I also read it before I staretd Rebirth. So I have no idea how important Feo or Sam will be in the coming books. It was a nice touch to include a little about Cass and Ruthie as well as how Smoke fit together as a family unit in the Box.
August 29, 2018
For a book set one month after a mother recovers her missing/kidnapped daughter there is surprisingly little to no mention of, or interaction with said daughter.
Other than that it was alright, didn't really touch on the huge upheaval that must have gone on in the convent/stadium but I guess it was just a little bridging novella after all.
Other than that it was alright, didn't really touch on the huge upheaval that must have gone on in the convent/stadium but I guess it was just a little bridging novella after all.
August 5, 2011
This seems really interesting and I believe that I will start to read the series to see if I like it or not, but so far I do. I don't really get into futuristic books, but this one has major appeal to it. Probably has to do with the very science fiction aspect of it as well.
August 21, 2011
This short was interesting. But like most shorts, it wasn't quite long enough to really develop any characters. I felt that while it introduced Feo as a new character to the box, there wasn't really any sort of plot and the relationship development was very light as well.
November 29, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this short story because it opened a whole new world within The Box. I do think that to read this book you should have read Aftertime first because then it will make more sense.
December 3, 2011
3.5 Stars. I think this had the potential to be a fantastic book but not as a novella series. If the basic concept had more opportunity to develop, I would have enjoyed it more. I don't think the YA dystopian fiction genre works as short stories.
Read
January 30, 2012I didn't really feel like I should rate this novella, since I haven't read the series that's it's part of. Seems to be a "life during/after the zombie apocalypse" setting. The world seemed interesting enough; I may check out the novels if I ever come across them.
October 28, 2013
Very interesting premise, although a bit cliched given the current trend of post-apocalyptic locales for movies, books, games and the like. The writing was fairly good, although the storyline wasn't enough to make me want to read the next book in the series. Overall, a decent read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews