Title: In the End Series: In the After #2
Author: Demitria Lunetta
Published: June 24, 2014
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Page Count: 432
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:It's been three months since Amy escaped New Hope. Since she's seen Baby, or Kay, or Rice. And she's been surviving on her own, like she did before she was "rescued" and taken to what she thought was a safe haven. Then, in the midst of foraging for supplies, her former fellow Guardian's voice rings out in her earpiece. And in a desperate tone, Kay utters the four words Any had hoped she would never hear:
Dr. Reynolds has Baby.
Now it's a race against time, for Baby is in imminent danger, her life threatened by the malevolent doctor who had helped start the end of the world. In order to save Baby, Amy will have to make her way to Fort Black, a former prison-turned-survivor colony. There she will need to find Ken—Kay's brother—for he holds the key to Baby's survival.
But before she can do any of this, she'll have to endure the darkest places—and people—of the prison. And one small slip-up could not only cost Baby and Amy their lives, but threaten the survival of he people in the After.
Overall, In the End was an extremely solid follow-up to Demitria Lunetta’s debut, In the After. I was already impressed with the ideas and delivery of this post-apocalyptic storyline, and I think this conclusion to the duology was just as good as what came before. It’s not often I get to say that, so I’m really glad to be able to in this instance.
The story picks up about 3 months after the end of In the After. Amy is now alone amid the ravenous zombies in former Texas. She heads to Fort Black, a former prison, in order to find someone who may be able to save her sister, Baby, from the clutches of the evil doctors in the New Hope colony. Along the way, Amy meets Brenna, a kickass fighter lesbian, and also Jacks, a guilt-ridden tattoo artist. Then it’s all “save the world” type stuff for a hopeful, but not unrealistic, conclusion.
The strengths of In the End lie in its compulsive readability. Lunetta’s storytelling is fluid and gripping, making this book both fast-paced and exciting. Sure, we’ve all read stories about zombies and saving the world before, but this book is so well-written that it makes a huge difference. I wouldn’t go out and say In the End is the most original book I’ve ever read, but it sure is a fun read—and I don’t say this to belittle or damn with faint praise. This book is genuinely excellent.
Of course, I’d be a happier camper if the anti-intellectual “evil science” tack hadn’t been taken. The mad scientist character has been done to death, and I’d rather not read about another reincarnation (or, in this book’s case, two reincarnations). That being said, I feel that Lunetta made gestures toward showing that not all doctors/scientists are going to bring about the downfall of humanity. There were a couple of good, science-type people in In the End, though the were the minority.
Beyond that, I thought the balance of action and character development was well-handled, and the plot, while not taking any significant twists or turns, was always engaging and moved at a steady clip. I certainly consider Demitria Lunetta’s debut series to be some of the best young adult science fiction I’ve read, and In the End is a strong novel all around.
