The Dead and the Gone By Susan Beth Pfeffer

Mitunes - Selections from Aaron Copland's Rodeo Ballet

The Dead and the Gone By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Genre: YA/
Pubisher: Graphia
Release Date: Jan. 18th 2010
Pages: 336

In Life as We Knew It, veteran writer Pfeffer painted a terrifying picture of what happened in a rural Pennsylvania town after an asteroid hit the moon and cataclysmic changes on land and sea caused familiar life to grind to a halt. For readers who wondered if things were any better in a bustling city, here is the horrifying answer. On the night the moon tilts, 17-year-old Alex and his younger sisters are alone; their mother is at work, and their father is visiting Puerto Rico. No matter how the kids wish, hope, and pray, their parents don’t return. It’s up to Alex to do what’s best. 


This is the second in The Last Survivors Trilogy. It is a companion to Pfeffer's first novel in the series, Life as We Knew It, which I absolutely loved. The second book, though vastly different, is a great follow up to the first. I will admit I did not like it as much as the first one, but I think that is mostly due to the change in point of view. This story is told in third person where as Life as We Knew It was in first.


Still, what Pfeffer describes in this book is truly terrifying on a very different level than in Life as We Knew It. First and for most, Alex and his siblings are left with no parents to take care of them or think ahead, where as in the first book our main character was more a follower being protected by her mother and older brother. Here we see what it is like to be a leader. Alex is thrust into a position he is barely ready for and we get to see how he takes on his new challenge as the master of the house. 


Though the initial event is the same, reading about a city's struggle to survive these cataclysmic changes is so exciting, not only because I live in NY, but also because we are experiencing a familiar story in a completely different way. If I thought Miranda's story was terrifying, that was nothing to compare to Alex's. The city quickly becomes infested with dead bodies, the rat population doubles (maybe even triples) and food quickly becomes a privilege for the rich and the ones willing to do anything to stay alive.

I am very genuine when I say I cannot wait to read the third installment of this series. I truly love these books and recommend them to anyone looking for a good read.