Rebirth (Aftertime, #2) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jun 01, 2011 Regina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, post-apocalyptic, zombie, arc-publisher-netgalley-edelweiss

4.5 stars.

I love this series, I love it. I plan on re-reading it soon and am jonesing for the release of #3 in 2012. This book made me cry, made me laugh -- and made me stay up late reading. I felt Cassie's pain and her anger. Sophie Littlefield is an amazing author who tells an amazing tale.

The setting for this story is in post-apocalyptic California, post the bio destruction of the land during wars, post the collapse of the government, and post the rise of a zombie type creature that was crea 4.5 stars.

I love this series, I love it. I plan on re-reading it soon and am jonesing for the release of #3 in 2012. This book made me cry, made me laugh -- and made me stay up late reading. I felt Cassie's pain and her anger. Sophie Littlefield is an amazing author who tells an amazing tale.

The setting for this story is in post-apocalyptic California, post the bio destruction of the land during wars, post the collapse of the government, and post the rise of a zombie type creature that was created by bio-engineering to plants – it is After and everything that came prior to these events was Before. In Aftertime, there is no government, no infrastructure and everyday is a fight for survival. So that is the backdrop for the story – running from zombie like creatures, trying to find food, groups vying for power, true evilness coming out in humans that are no longer held back by societal rules, and attempts at creating a new civilization. All the good and fun parts of post-apocalyptic stories. But for me, the true story is one of self discovery and growth. The main character is Cassie. We learn in Aftertime (book #1 in this series), that Cassie is a recovering alcoholic, she is a woman who learned to survive and use her body early on in her life and thus thinks that much of her power lies in her sexuality, and she is a mother of a very young child. Cassie is desperately trying to create a life where her daughter, Ruthie, can survive and she is in love with a man, Smoke, that she hooked up with in Aftertime. But Smoke leaves on an expedition, which means there is no guarantee that Cassie will ever see him again. Dror, a man who is a leader in the community Cassie is surviving in, must head out on his own expedition and Cassie decides her and her daughter need to go with him if they are ever going to survive and find a safe place to live --- and Cassie hopes to find Smoke again. This story is a quest, Cassie, Dror and Ruthie traveling the now dangerous highways of California, trying to find refuge in abandoned homes, and fighting other survivalists along the way. The entire time Cassie is protecting her daughter Ruthie, mourning the absence of Smoke, and attempting to hope that Dror feels committed to her and Ruthie enough that he will continue to protect them.

Cassie’s past is not pretty and she often remembers what she was like when she was an alcoholic, when she would go home with man after man in her alcoholic stupor, or the abuse she sustained as a child from her mom and step-dad, but despite the unattractiveness of her past Cassie is determined to make a change in her future. She is very concerned about those around her and she is leader. Sophie Littlefield is a very brave author, she allows her story to go places many authors are afraid to go. (view spoiler) Cassie is a mom of a young child, yet she goes out in to dangerous territory seeking safety instead of waiting for death to come to her. I have read some reviews criticizing the “infidelity” or the fact that Cassie doesn’t follow sexual rules of conduct. I have also read reviews criticizing the fact that Cassie brings her daughter on this dangerous quest. Well, this setting of this book is not present day California where Cassie could just hide out with her daughter and wait for the cavalry to come. She is in a situation where she has to be proactive and find something safe and good. She knows the man she loves is likely in danger and she does not know day to day if she will survive. (view spoiler) People in very stressful situations do not always do the most socially appropriate things and I applaud Ms. Sophie Littlefield for allowing the story to naturally go where she wrote it.

A significant character in the aftertime books is Ruthie – Cassie’s almost 3 year old daughter. Rarely are kids included in adult books of this genre and if they are – they are usually put there to pull on the emotional heart strings of the reader (e.g. The Passage by Justin Cronin). Ruthie definitely does some heartstring pulling, but she is not just a throw in. The fact of her existence reshaped who Cassie is and every step Cassie takes is tempered or governed by Ruthie’s needs. During Aftertime I was very stressed about Ruthie's well being and that does not change in Rebirth, but Ruthie has started to add to the story and she is an important character.

Okay, so lest you think this entire book was emotional and questing stuff – it wasn’t. The last third of this book is action packed and tense. It is full good guys, bad guys and gray areas – fighting, interrogation and escape scenes. It has horror filled gore scenes with zombies eating people, lots of fun stuff! If I had any nails, they would have all been bitten off during the last 1/3 of the book. The first 1/2 to 2/3 of this book does have less action than Aftertime, however it is important to the story and I really loved all of it. I like Cassie, I like the characters and I love the story being told.

I cannot wait for book #3.
...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Alisha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ac-g, favorites

Quick Take:
This book, every bit as amazing as its predecessor—if not more so—takes a slightly different thematic and narrative focus whilst maintaining many of the elements that made the first book such a standout. An absolutely wonderful piece of speculative fiction.

Review:
Yes indeed, Ms. Littlefield does it again! In this sequel to the amazing Aftertime, a fascinating premise and excellent narrative execution is built upon and expanded. This book is certainly not its predecessor, taking a diff Quick Take:
This book, every bit as amazing as its predecessor—if not more so—takes a slightly different thematic and narrative focus whilst maintaining many of the elements that made the first book such a standout. An absolutely wonderful piece of speculative fiction.

Review:
Yes indeed, Ms. Littlefield does it again! In this sequel to the amazing Aftertime, a fascinating premise and excellent narrative execution is built upon and expanded. This book is certainly not its predecessor, taking a different tone and focus but absolutely shining in every aspect.

This is one of those books for which you’ll not want to know many details going into the story. As such, describing the book very difficult, since it’s so heavily centered around one major occurrence. The themes around which the plot revolves include abandonment and revenge; to know who’s experiencing or partaking in these activities might be considered a spoiler. So, I’ll stick with the general bits: we’re back to following Cass Dollar from book one, and as before, we’re treated to an in-depth look at her experiences and inner turmoil. But in addition to that, there’s much more focus on others in the cast; in fact, there are several narrative shifts between characters. This is not as much Cass’s book as it is her loved ones’…which is fine, considering it seems as though the series is shifting toward a broader, more epic scope as it goes on.

I love it when a storyteller can draw out the most intense, realistic, and honest emotion from fantastical situations or unfamiliar settings. Littlefield does just that and more. Her characters are raw. True. Loved, as evidenced by the care taken in crafting them. There is no simple “angst” but rather a complex assessment of human behaviors and emotions in the face of devastating loss and destruction, of a drastic redefinition of society itself.

Even as the dark reality of certain situations makes you want to look away, the story compels you to continue. It’s the very definition of “darkly enchanting.” Survival is never a given in this world, nor are tidy resolutions. But the thread of hope maintains, leaving the reader to really want to follow the cast through the hardest moments.

Reading this book has only further solidified by affection and excitement for this trilogy. Even if I read the third and final book (to be released early 2012) and decide I don’t like it (highly doubt I would, but for the sake of argument), I’ll always hold Rebirth and its predecessor Aftertime as some of my favorite books of all time. ...more

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Jul 03, 2011 AH rated it really liked it

Shelves: zombies, babr-reviews, dystopian, own, post-apocalyptic, horror, zzread-nov-2011

What an ending....

May contain mild spoilers for the first book in the series - Aftertime. If you haven't read Aftertime, what are you waiting for?

When I finished reading Aftertime, I was left with a sense of hope. Cass, Ruthie, and Smoke were a family. The world was beginning to show signs of Rebirth: young seedlings were starting to sprout.

Good things don’t last too long in this world that was destroyed by biological warfare and a disease that turned most of the population into flesh eating Be ...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Netanella rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, zombies

First paragraph:
The first snowflake Aftertime was like no snowflake that ever fell Before. Cass nearly missed it, kneeling on the matted dead kaysev plants, their woody stalks poking into her skin through the thick leggings she wore beneath her dress. Her eyes had been closed, but Randall had gone on too long, the way people do when they are trying to say something meaningful about someone they didn’t know well. After a while Cass grew restless and began to look around, and there, not two feet ...more

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May 29, 2011 Lisarenee rated it really liked it

Notes: I read the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Rebirth. The book has sex and violence (rape).

We've all heard of incidents where violence runs amuck. Where chaos reigns and law and order seems nonexistent. Usually such scenes can be found after a disaster of a large magnitude. This is what has happened in Aftertime (the name of the first book in the series). A bio terrorist attack on the US left many dead and others fighting to survive. Next, a bioengineering experiment gone wrong left a portio Notes: I read the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Rebirth. The book has sex and violence (rape).

We've all heard of incidents where violence runs amuck. Where chaos reigns and law and order seems nonexistent. Usually such scenes can be found after a disaster of a large magnitude. This is what has happened in Aftertime (the name of the first book in the series). A bio terrorist attack on the US left many dead and others fighting to survive. Next, a bioengineering experiment gone wrong left a portion of the survivors seemingly inhuman. They're called beaters. Once human, they now survive on human flesh, and are, in essence, zombies. They pose a threat to those survivors who are still human. While pockets of order still remain, one group, known as the Rebuilders, is attempting to takeover. Promising shelter and safety from Beaters, the group sounds ideal, however, it has a hidden agenda. In Rebirth, we get to find out what that agenda entails.

In Aftertime, we followed the story of Cass. She found her daughter, and she, Smoke, and Ruthie became a makeshift family living in the Box. The Box is a community that while not perfect, offers security. In Rebirth, the school where Smoke and Cass met has been attacked by Rebuilders on a recruiting mission. You are either with the Rebuilders or you're against them which makes you their enemy. You have two choices when they find you, join or die. Many in the small group that lived at the school died resisting. The others were taken as prisoners. When Smoke hears what happened, he is profoundly affected. He takes off on what Cass believes is suicide mission. She does not expect him to survive. He doesn't even say goodbye.

With Smoke gone, Cass determines it's time to leave the security of the Box. She believes, in time, the small community will not be able to survive. She decides to help Dor with his mission to find and rescue his daughter, Sammi. Dor was informed that Sammi was among the survivors of the school massacre. Cass convinces Dor that since she and Ruthie are Outliers, the Rebuilders will be interested in them, and that will give him a better chance at getting access to their society. Outliers are resistant to the bioengineered component that transforms a person into a Beater. They may be key to the world's survival.

In this book we get to know more about Dor and his life. He is the leader of the Box and was a bit elusive in Aftertime. We also see more of the flaws in Cass' character. She will do things in Rebirth that Smoke, if he survives, may never be able to forgive her for doing. Then again, she may not be able to forgive him for abandoning her and Ruthie.

I didn't like what I saw in Cass this time around. She did a couple of things that did not sit well with me. It's obvious she still has issues from the abuse she suffered as a child. While I may have had issues with what Cass did, I feel Littlefield stayed true to the characteristics she developed for Cass in Aftertime, so I give her kudos for that. I look forward to seeing what the next book in the series will bring. The book leaves off on a cliffhanger, as a confrontation is about to take place. I can't wait to see what happens. Also, Dor wanted to tell Cass something about Smoke that would have made her understand why Smoke left her. Unfortunately, he never did tell her, and I sooooo want to know what that was. I'm also starting to wonder if maybe Dor is the right man for Cass? I look forward to finding out if that relationship will deepen or cause problems in the next book. Additionally, there's still a question as to who will survive--at least one character was teetering on the brink of death.

Wondering why the book is called Rebirth? I believe it's because part of the plan of the Rebuilders is to "Rebirth" the nation, or at least their portion of it. My overall rating for this one is 4 out of 5 roses.

Order Series should be read: