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sami_keehl's review
4.0
Sarah's story had to be the best one in there. If she writes a book around that, I'll buy a copy for everyone I know.
thatcorkygirl96's review
3.0
It was an okay book. Some of the stories I liked and some I thought were taking the idea too lightly.
skepticalri's review
4.0
Short stories are a hard literature form to do well: Despite being the soul of wit, brevity is often not a strong suit for writers. "After" demonstrates that you don't need a 7-book series of 700-page tomes to do good storytelling. Dealing with topics of dystopia and apocalypse as they relate to young adults, the 19 individual stories (well, one is a poem) vary widely in their approaches and specific subjects. Although all rate a "pretty darn good" IMHO, some will linger longer than others. For me, N.K. Jemisin's "Validectorian" was one of the best, hitting me in the gut with its message about who the true monsters are. Likewise, the twist in "Faint Heart" by Sarah Rees Brennan made it one of my favorites. "After" is another great collection from this editing team.
renogan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bydandii's review
2.0
First, I missed that this was YA classified when I picked it up. By itself that shouldn't matter, but many of the stories felt like they were included only because they involved teens. There is just no way not to classify this as a "Hunger Games" cash in. And it didn't have to be.
Second, most of the stories felt rushed or incomplete. Almost like first drafts of the first chapter of a larger story. There were few exceptions that were well-rounded or said what they needed to and ended satisfactorily.
Mind you, there were some interesting and complete ideas. Stories and characters that I wished had more to them. Only a few, but enough to save the book as a whole.
Second, most of the stories felt rushed or incomplete. Almost like first drafts of the first chapter of a larger story. There were few exceptions that were well-rounded or said what they needed to and ended satisfactorily.
Mind you, there were some interesting and complete ideas. Stories and characters that I wished had more to them. Only a few, but enough to save the book as a whole.
jennybeastie's review
4.0
A strong collection of post apocalyptic and/or dystopian short stories -- they aren't all to my taste, but I appreciated the range of work, it's consistent good writing, and the great variety of imagination displayed. Excellent anthology.
thehodgenator's review
4.0
The end of the world in a nice anthology of short stories, and a poem. This book has it all for even the most avid dystopian junkie.
This is almost a survival guide for readers because there is a plethora of topics covered. It's like a buffet for the most avid doomer. Vampires take over the world? Check. Bugs coming for us? Check. Aliens? Oh my! And let me not forget the Cult. This is not even a small test of what the authors have given us.
The one thing I love about this anthology is that I did not have to read it cover to cover, and that is something that many of our teens will find appealing, especially our reluctant readers. These would also be ideal for those of you who read aloud to your students as many of these are short, fast reads.
I enjoyed the variety of scenarios, and I loved to see some of my favorite YA authors take on this task. I cannot pick a favorite from the stories because I really enjoyed all of them. I will warn you: some of them are intense. I found myself not too sure where the author was going to take me and then…cliffhanger ending.
Yes, that is correct. Most of these ended with a cliffhanger. While that originally drove me a little crazy, I enjoyed it because I like the possibility of deciding the ending for myself. It was quite clever, and in many cases, the level of ananxiety I felt helped bring me into the next story.
After is a must-have for the dystopian reader, but it is also a great introduction into the genre. I feel that this would make a great hook into novels like The Hunger Games fans.
Have you read this novel? What were your thoughts? What kind of reader(s) would you recommend it to?
This is almost a survival guide for readers because there is a plethora of topics covered. It's like a buffet for the most avid doomer. Vampires take over the world? Check. Bugs coming for us? Check. Aliens? Oh my! And let me not forget the Cult. This is not even a small test of what the authors have given us.
The one thing I love about this anthology is that I did not have to read it cover to cover, and that is something that many of our teens will find appealing, especially our reluctant readers. These would also be ideal for those of you who read aloud to your students as many of these are short, fast reads.
I enjoyed the variety of scenarios, and I loved to see some of my favorite YA authors take on this task. I cannot pick a favorite from the stories because I really enjoyed all of them. I will warn you: some of them are intense. I found myself not too sure where the author was going to take me and then…cliffhanger ending.
Yes, that is correct. Most of these ended with a cliffhanger. While that originally drove me a little crazy, I enjoyed it because I like the possibility of deciding the ending for myself. It was quite clever, and in many cases, the level of ananxiety I felt helped bring me into the next story.
After is a must-have for the dystopian reader, but it is also a great introduction into the genre. I feel that this would make a great hook into novels like The Hunger Games fans.
Have you read this novel? What were your thoughts? What kind of reader(s) would you recommend it to?