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A review by storyofmyshelf
Afterworld by Lynnette Lounsbury
5.0
"Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides" - Lao Tzu
I've loved this book since the first time I first read it 7 years ago, and it has remained a firm favourite of mine all these years!
Overview
Dom is the youngest person to enter the city of the dead, Necropolis, after he and his sister Kaide have a car accident in India. In Necropolis, Dom finds he has a Guide named Eva and a Guardian named Eduardo, and that he has to earn minutes to saved up enough time to enter the Maze and depart on his next soul journey. It's not as easy as it sounds though, there are threats from the city's Nephilim population, the leader of which, Satarial, has taken a special interest in Dom, challenging him to take part in the Trials, at the risk of being incarcerated forever. The novel is split into 3 parts with The City, The Trials and The Maze respectively, each part focussing on the preparation for and engagement of each of these events. To thicken the plot, there are other forces at large in the Afterworld, and Dom must trust his own instincts and make his own decisions to follow through with his rightful path and not by swayed by other nefarious entities.
Themes Present
The Necropolis is said to be the result of all living beings (or at least humans, with some others such as the Nephilim) consciousness so the inspiration for many aspects of this novel are derived from different religious theories from all practices across the world. Ancient Greek and Egyptian Gods appear amongst mentions of mythical creations and biblical creatures alike. I really enjoyed this aspect of incorporating so many different aspects of human culture and religion, it really portrays the idea that we have all contributed to a collective consciousness. Lynnette Lounsbury is very considerate and aware of the different cultures and religions she weaves together, which gives Afterworld a very real-life feel, since our world is full of many different people from different walks of life.
Small Errors
The blurb of this novel almost doesn't give the full story justice, since it seems as though it's a Hunger Games-esque gladiator themed story, yet the gladiator style Trials are only one aspect of this book, and arguably the Maze is just as important as the Trials. Also, one small pet peeve I have with the writing style, is that the dialogue seems a bit clunky at times, as in it's a bit formal sounding but it's not too big of an issue really.
The Verdict
Overall, this novel really gave me hope about aspects of the human condition and perhaps even life after what we know, and the characters' journeys were all satisfying in how they were fulfilled. The ending of this novel was perfect! I don't think I've ever cried such happy tears for the fate of a character before reading this. I would highly recommend that anyone should read this book, I read it when I was 13 and I still find it relevant now that I'm in my early 20s :)
I've loved this book since the first time I first read it 7 years ago, and it has remained a firm favourite of mine all these years!
Overview
Dom is the youngest person to enter the city of the dead, Necropolis, after he and his sister Kaide have a car accident in India. In Necropolis, Dom finds he has a Guide named Eva and a Guardian named Eduardo, and that he has to earn minutes to saved up enough time to enter the Maze and depart on his next soul journey. It's not as easy as it sounds though, there are threats from the city's Nephilim population, the leader of which, Satarial, has taken a special interest in Dom, challenging him to take part in the Trials, at the risk of being incarcerated forever. The novel is split into 3 parts with The City, The Trials and The Maze respectively, each part focussing on the preparation for and engagement of each of these events. To thicken the plot, there are other forces at large in the Afterworld, and Dom must trust his own instincts and make his own decisions to follow through with his rightful path and not by swayed by other nefarious entities.
Themes Present
The Necropolis is said to be the result of all living beings (or at least humans, with some others such as the Nephilim) consciousness so the inspiration for many aspects of this novel are derived from different religious theories from all practices across the world. Ancient Greek and Egyptian Gods appear amongst mentions of mythical creations and biblical creatures alike. I really enjoyed this aspect of incorporating so many different aspects of human culture and religion, it really portrays the idea that we have all contributed to a collective consciousness. Lynnette Lounsbury is very considerate and aware of the different cultures and religions she weaves together, which gives Afterworld a very real-life feel, since our world is full of many different people from different walks of life.
Small Errors
The blurb of this novel almost doesn't give the full story justice, since it seems as though it's a Hunger Games-esque gladiator themed story, yet the gladiator style Trials are only one aspect of this book, and arguably the Maze is just as important as the Trials. Also, one small pet peeve I have with the writing style, is that the dialogue seems a bit clunky at times, as in it's a bit formal sounding but it's not too big of an issue really.
The Verdict
Overall, this novel really gave me hope about aspects of the human condition and perhaps even life after what we know, and the characters' journeys were all satisfying in how they were fulfilled. The ending of this novel was perfect! I don't think I've ever cried such happy tears for the fate of a character before reading this. I would highly recommend that anyone should read this book, I read it when I was 13 and I still find it relevant now that I'm in my early 20s :)