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After the Fall by Robin Summers
When the world ends, what’s left to care about?
Taylor Stone is no hero. She has three simple rules for life after the Keep moving. Keep to yourself. Don’t get involved. The plague took a particular joy in killing the women of the world, making it that much harder for the few who survived. The only thing that matters since she escaped from a small farm outside of Pittsburgh is the truth waiting at the end of her journey home. The rest of the world, or what’s left of it, can go straight to Hell as far as she’s concerned.
When a group of survivors offers her food and shelter, she is more than happy to spend a few days, take what she needs, and get out, like she always does. But in a place called Burninghead Farm, despite all her rules and plans, Taylor finds a group of people who have more to offer than the basics of survival. Most of all, there is Kate, a woman who makes Taylor realize love is still alive and makes her dream of a future she thought was no longer possible. If only Taylor can find the courage to fight for it.
It turns out that the end of the world isn’t about the end of the world at all, but about what happens after.
Taylor Stone is no hero. She has three simple rules for life after the Keep moving. Keep to yourself. Don’t get involved. The plague took a particular joy in killing the women of the world, making it that much harder for the few who survived. The only thing that matters since she escaped from a small farm outside of Pittsburgh is the truth waiting at the end of her journey home. The rest of the world, or what’s left of it, can go straight to Hell as far as she’s concerned.
When a group of survivors offers her food and shelter, she is more than happy to spend a few days, take what she needs, and get out, like she always does. But in a place called Burninghead Farm, despite all her rules and plans, Taylor finds a group of people who have more to offer than the basics of survival. Most of all, there is Kate, a woman who makes Taylor realize love is still alive and makes her dream of a future she thought was no longer possible. If only Taylor can find the courage to fight for it.
It turns out that the end of the world isn’t about the end of the world at all, but about what happens after.
Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
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About the author
Robin Summers
5 books16 followersRobin began her writing career in high school, thanks to an insightful (and perhaps a tiny bit pushy) English teacher who, having decided that Robin was not living up to her potential, gave her extra, non-graded homework over her winter break: to read Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Helene Hanff’s Q’s Legacy. In those pages Robin discovered how far good writing and a vivid imagination could take a reader, and she has been writing ever since.
Robin's debut novel, After the Fall, is the winner of two 2012 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards, two 2011 Rainbow Awards for LGBT Fiction and Non-fiction, and a 2011 Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award.
Robin is an Illinois native who works in public policy in Washington, DC. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA.
Robin's debut novel, After the Fall, is the winner of two 2012 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards, two 2011 Rainbow Awards for LGBT Fiction and Non-fiction, and a 2011 Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award.
Robin is an Illinois native who works in public policy in Washington, DC. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 20, 2021
This story took a long time to warm up to, the narration had a lot to do with that. Present tense is an acquired taste at the best of times, toss in more tell than show, 'she is' 'he is' and a total lack of contractions, and yeah... it took me a while to just go with it.
The story is told from both Taylor and Duncan's point-of-view. I found that odd to start with but it worked well and as much as I hate to say it, I cared more for Duncan than Taylor or her one-dimensional love interest, Kate.
This is an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic story, with some guitar playing, and horse riding thrown in.
Like anything that's an acquired taste, I think readers need to sample this one for themselves before drawing a conclusion if it's for them or not.
The story is told from both Taylor and Duncan's point-of-view. I found that odd to start with but it worked well and as much as I hate to say it, I cared more for Duncan than Taylor or her one-dimensional love interest, Kate.
This is an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic story, with some guitar playing, and horse riding thrown in.
Like anything that's an acquired taste, I think readers need to sample this one for themselves before drawing a conclusion if it's for them or not.
February 9, 2014
The first thing that I will say here is that in my opinion, this book should rather clearly be tagged with romance to avoid people like myself going in and expecting one tone and getting another. I had to give myself some distance when I finished this book, mostly because I'd just finished a long week and was a bit irritated that the apocalyptic book with a dash of romance that I was intent on reading turned into a romance with a dash of apocalypse.
That aside, I really did enjoy this book. Taylor Stone lives in a world where a plague has run rampant, killing most of the population and sending it into chaos. She is journeying across the country in the hopes of finding her family, but then she comes across a farm, an oasis in the middle of nowhere - and she meets Kate, a woman who tempts her to throw all her rules out of the window.
Taylor is a very rough, broken character when we meet her. She's lost a lot and been through incredibly traumatic experiences, and she's hardened her heart against everyone she meets. Then there's Kate - just as tough, but not broken, with a deep well of compassion and empathy inside her.
Apart from our main two characters is Duncan, a boy trying to find his way on the farm. His inclusion is one I hesitate a bit over, mostly because I felt somewhat that he was filling the role of exposition. It's hard not to like him, though - he's sweet and carries his own scars from the chaos.
Part of the reason I say that this book should be clearly labelled as romance is because it falls into some of the common romantic tropes that plague the genre: attraction that happens to fast, characters who seem to fall in love far too quickly, and one character who plays a role in healing the other.
The last bit is what I particularly struggled with throughout this book. First of all, Taylor is not necessarily a likeable character. She is closed-off, stubborn and at times downright mean, and there were more than a few interactions in the book where I felt that the relationship would have benefited from Kate being understandably pissed off, rather than just accepting Taylor's crap and going after her. In the end that's the biggest problem I have with the book - it's undoubtedly Taylor's story, and I feel that in the process Kate gets the shaft a little bit. Even bruised, incredibly emotionally damaged characters need to learn that they can't treat other people like crap and get away with it.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed the story here. Post apocalyptic necessities combined with romance and a healthy smack down of sexism - what's not to like?
That aside, I really did enjoy this book. Taylor Stone lives in a world where a plague has run rampant, killing most of the population and sending it into chaos. She is journeying across the country in the hopes of finding her family, but then she comes across a farm, an oasis in the middle of nowhere - and she meets Kate, a woman who tempts her to throw all her rules out of the window.
Taylor is a very rough, broken character when we meet her. She's lost a lot and been through incredibly traumatic experiences, and she's hardened her heart against everyone she meets. Then there's Kate - just as tough, but not broken, with a deep well of compassion and empathy inside her.
Apart from our main two characters is Duncan, a boy trying to find his way on the farm. His inclusion is one I hesitate a bit over, mostly because I felt somewhat that he was filling the role of exposition. It's hard not to like him, though - he's sweet and carries his own scars from the chaos.
Part of the reason I say that this book should be clearly labelled as romance is because it falls into some of the common romantic tropes that plague the genre: attraction that happens to fast, characters who seem to fall in love far too quickly, and one character who plays a role in healing the other.
The last bit is what I particularly struggled with throughout this book. First of all, Taylor is not necessarily a likeable character. She is closed-off, stubborn and at times downright mean, and there were more than a few interactions in the book where I felt that the relationship would have benefited from Kate being understandably pissed off, rather than just accepting Taylor's crap and going after her. In the end that's the biggest problem I have with the book - it's undoubtedly Taylor's story, and I feel that in the process Kate gets the shaft a little bit. Even bruised, incredibly emotionally damaged characters need to learn that they can't treat other people like crap and get away with it.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed the story here. Post apocalyptic necessities combined with romance and a healthy smack down of sexism - what's not to like?
March 30, 2014
Although set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by an incurable virus, this book is more of a character study of a woman who's suffered horrific trauma, escaped disease and survived beyond all odds.
As is typical of post-apocalyptic worlds, lawlessness abound and it's pretty much a survival of the fittest. The book begins with the woman Taylor's arrival in a seeming oasis, a rural farm run by a benevolent leader Buck who tries his best to maintain a sense of normalcy for the few survivors who seek refuge on his farm. But even within the farm, sympathy and sharing exist side by side with greed and bigotry. Much of the book deals with Taylor's emotional journey from a traumatized victim with the help of her lady love, the wonderful Kate, who understand Taylor fully but doesn't take any BS from her. Their interactions are the highlight of the book, especially the slapping incident. A number of well-drawn out, engaging supporting characters and their own journeys round out this well-balanced tale. Major spoiler:
4.4 stars
P.S. I would give this book 5 stars but for the fact that I had expected it to be a more of a thriller, an action/adventure type of tale. But it is just my personal preference so the rating doesn't reflect on the quality of the book. Another post-apocalyptic book I really liked is The Gunfighter and The Gear-Head, a semi-serious action-filled steampunk tale. But for me the gold-standard for this sub-subgenre is The Growing--a perfect combination of action, angst, end-of-the-world thriller with a sprinkling of paranormal. It is not available in ebook format, but I had read it a long time ago while it was still available for free online. The paperback is selling for about a hundred bucks on amazon but our best friend google might come in handy. :)
As is typical of post-apocalyptic worlds, lawlessness abound and it's pretty much a survival of the fittest. The book begins with the woman Taylor's arrival in a seeming oasis, a rural farm run by a benevolent leader Buck who tries his best to maintain a sense of normalcy for the few survivors who seek refuge on his farm. But even within the farm, sympathy and sharing exist side by side with greed and bigotry. Much of the book deals with Taylor's emotional journey from a traumatized victim with the help of her lady love, the wonderful Kate, who understand Taylor fully but doesn't take any BS from her. Their interactions are the highlight of the book, especially the slapping incident. A number of well-drawn out, engaging supporting characters and their own journeys round out this well-balanced tale. Major spoiler:
4.4 stars
P.S. I would give this book 5 stars but for the fact that I had expected it to be a more of a thriller, an action/adventure type of tale. But it is just my personal preference so the rating doesn't reflect on the quality of the book. Another post-apocalyptic book I really liked is The Gunfighter and The Gear-Head, a semi-serious action-filled steampunk tale. But for me the gold-standard for this sub-subgenre is The Growing--a perfect combination of action, angst, end-of-the-world thriller with a sprinkling of paranormal. It is not available in ebook format, but I had read it a long time ago while it was still available for free online. The paperback is selling for about a hundred bucks on amazon but our best friend google might come in handy. :)
July 21, 2011
Definitely recommended.
After The Fall is set in the not so distant future, when a plague eradicates the majority of the human race and the survivors are left to deal with the aftermath. Taylor is a young woman who has spent the last five months struggling to get back to her hometown and family and ends up staying the night at a farm filled with survivors. As you would expect, the one night extends as she finds herself growing attached to the others at the farm, especially Kate, Duncan and Buck.
The narration is split between Taylor (1st person POV)and Duncan (3rd person POV), a young man struggling to grow up and find his place in the new world order. Normally I don't like switching POV from first to third person, but it worked well for this story. Duncan allows the story to expand by drawing in things that Taylor was not involved in.
Summers does a great job at building a believable post-apocolyptic world and spins a rather gritty tale of guilt, fear, survival and hope. There is a romance - but it isn't the main thrust of the story, but more of one element of Taylor's healing and finding peace with herself.
An interesting plot that seems to be focused more on the story than the romance, well-defined and likable characters and good writing style/voice makes this an excellent read if you're looking for something different in lesfic.
After The Fall is set in the not so distant future, when a plague eradicates the majority of the human race and the survivors are left to deal with the aftermath. Taylor is a young woman who has spent the last five months struggling to get back to her hometown and family and ends up staying the night at a farm filled with survivors. As you would expect, the one night extends as she finds herself growing attached to the others at the farm, especially Kate, Duncan and Buck.
The narration is split between Taylor (1st person POV)and Duncan (3rd person POV), a young man struggling to grow up and find his place in the new world order. Normally I don't like switching POV from first to third person, but it worked well for this story. Duncan allows the story to expand by drawing in things that Taylor was not involved in.
Summers does a great job at building a believable post-apocolyptic world and spins a rather gritty tale of guilt, fear, survival and hope. There is a romance - but it isn't the main thrust of the story, but more of one element of Taylor's healing and finding peace with herself.
An interesting plot that seems to be focused more on the story than the romance, well-defined and likable characters and good writing style/voice makes this an excellent read if you're looking for something different in lesfic.
August 21, 2017
2.5 stars.
My first #lesfic! Rebecca perfectly and succinctly explains exactly what I didn't like about this book. But either because I'm from Bollywood-land where instalove is the standard or because I'm generally just a sucker for love stories, I mostly liked the story despite all those things. ("Those things" in a nutshell: cliché characters and plot, instalove, weird writing with inconsistent use of contractions and two POVs—in itself okay, but one written in first-person present tense.) I figure there's gotta be something to a story that has me reading it in a single sitting, right? =)
My first #lesfic! Rebecca perfectly and succinctly explains exactly what I didn't like about this book. But either because I'm from Bollywood-land where instalove is the standard or because I'm generally just a sucker for love stories, I mostly liked the story despite all those things. ("Those things" in a nutshell: cliché characters and plot, instalove, weird writing with inconsistent use of contractions and two POVs—in itself okay, but one written in first-person present tense.) I figure there's gotta be something to a story that has me reading it in a single sitting, right? =)
July 13, 2018
Unlike many post apocalyptic settings rief with horrific gore, this was very mellow and seemed more realistic. It was however unrealistic with its touch on guns especially knowing how USA glorifies them. Romance was terrible slow and basically no erotic scene here. The story's touch on human relationship was sweet and I guess the whole book was a lot more about hope than anything else.
April 6, 2017
This one took me a while to get into, but once the story took hold, it was a very enjoyable read.
If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, you'll like this one. And by that, I definitely don't mean there are drooling zombies chasing our characters around and eating their flesh. In fact, this is not a zombie story--it is an illness story, one more akin to Contagion than 28 Days Later. We're not worried about the characters getting "bit" or falling ill because the plague itself has already wiped out all those who aren't immune to it. The ones left, like protagonist and lonely traveler Taylor, must deal with a world full of dangerous people who want to bend everyone else to their will. The similarities between this and TWD----may be superficial, but they did draw me into the story.
I like Taylor, though she's not the most developed character I've read. She's weary and racked with guilt over her own survival and she doesn't trust the sanctuary of Burninghead Farm, run by the stoic, kind Buck. We learn later in the story that , which makes it hard for Taylor to trust anyone in this new world. But slowly, she learns that the people of Burninghead Farm just want to eke out a happy existence.
She soon befriends Duncan, a teenage boy looking to prove himself in a world full of men, and Kate, the beautiful and charismatic children's caretaker. Her relationships with both of them are great, but I especially like her development with Duncan, who sees her as a mentor. It's nice to have male-female mentoring relationships, especially in SFF. Her romance with Kate is also tender and believable, blossoming slowly through trust and Taylor's own forgiveness of herself. If you're looking for a steamy romance, you won't get it here, but their love itself is wonderful.
This isn't a perfect piece of SFF, though. There was a bit too much show-don't-tell, especially involving Taylor's past. I didn't really want to experience her previous trauma, but I would've liked to see more of her past with her former best friend and her friend's husband . I wanted some flashback, which may be an unpopular opinion--flashbacks aren't really in vogue these days. But in this kind of narrative, with a character who is thrust into a whole new world, flashbacks can be useful in showing who the person used to be.
The ending is also incredibly rushed. Halfway through the novel, we know there is going to be a big stand-off between , but it all happens so quickly in the last ten percent of the book. I would've liked a bit more pre-battle introspection from Taylor and Duncan, two characters who see and deal with fighting very differently. The POV throughout the novel was also a little confusing--it alternated between first-person through Taylor and third-person somewhat through Duncan, which was a little rocky.
This isn't a great book, but its a good one. A little slow at times, a little plodding, a lot predictable, but a decent take on the post-apocalyptic story with a lesbian heroine.
If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, you'll like this one. And by that, I definitely don't mean there are drooling zombies chasing our characters around and eating their flesh. In fact, this is not a zombie story--it is an illness story, one more akin to Contagion than 28 Days Later. We're not worried about the characters getting "bit" or falling ill because the plague itself has already wiped out all those who aren't immune to it. The ones left, like protagonist and lonely traveler Taylor, must deal with a world full of dangerous people who want to bend everyone else to their will. The similarities between this and TWD----may be superficial, but they did draw me into the story.
I like Taylor, though she's not the most developed character I've read. She's weary and racked with guilt over her own survival and she doesn't trust the sanctuary of Burninghead Farm, run by the stoic, kind Buck. We learn later in the story that , which makes it hard for Taylor to trust anyone in this new world. But slowly, she learns that the people of Burninghead Farm just want to eke out a happy existence.
She soon befriends Duncan, a teenage boy looking to prove himself in a world full of men, and Kate, the beautiful and charismatic children's caretaker. Her relationships with both of them are great, but I especially like her development with Duncan, who sees her as a mentor. It's nice to have male-female mentoring relationships, especially in SFF. Her romance with Kate is also tender and believable, blossoming slowly through trust and Taylor's own forgiveness of herself. If you're looking for a steamy romance, you won't get it here, but their love itself is wonderful.
This isn't a perfect piece of SFF, though. There was a bit too much show-don't-tell, especially involving Taylor's past. I didn't really want to experience her previous trauma, but I would've liked to see more of her past with her former best friend and her friend's husband . I wanted some flashback, which may be an unpopular opinion--flashbacks aren't really in vogue these days. But in this kind of narrative, with a character who is thrust into a whole new world, flashbacks can be useful in showing who the person used to be.
The ending is also incredibly rushed. Halfway through the novel, we know there is going to be a big stand-off between , but it all happens so quickly in the last ten percent of the book. I would've liked a bit more pre-battle introspection from Taylor and Duncan, two characters who see and deal with fighting very differently. The POV throughout the novel was also a little confusing--it alternated between first-person through Taylor and third-person somewhat through Duncan, which was a little rocky.
This isn't a great book, but its a good one. A little slow at times, a little plodding, a lot predictable, but a decent take on the post-apocalyptic story with a lesbian heroine.
March 19, 2017
DNF at %19
God, what a massive cliche. I couldn't even get a fifth of the way through this book without giving up. We get it. This is the apocalypse. Most of humanity is dead and life sucks now. Do you need to wax poetic about it? This book takes itself way too seriously. And why the insta-love? Why is Taylor so invested in this girl all of the sudden? There's no reason for it at all except that Taylor likes her face. That's how the big, bad loner is immediately and completely tamed? With a pretty face? Really? There's so little plot and so much useless pining in just the %19 I read.
The writing is stilted and weird -- contractions are used sometimes but not others. There are two narrators one in first person present tense, and the other in limited third person past tense. WHY?! It's annoying, especially because first person present is hard to pull off well, and Taylor sure doesn't. And the characters are 2-D cliches at best.
I wouldn't try this book again if it were the only reading available and I was stuck at the airport for four days in a blizzard blackout.
God, what a massive cliche. I couldn't even get a fifth of the way through this book without giving up. We get it. This is the apocalypse. Most of humanity is dead and life sucks now. Do you need to wax poetic about it? This book takes itself way too seriously. And why the insta-love? Why is Taylor so invested in this girl all of the sudden? There's no reason for it at all except that Taylor likes her face. That's how the big, bad loner is immediately and completely tamed? With a pretty face? Really? There's so little plot and so much useless pining in just the %19 I read.
The writing is stilted and weird -- contractions are used sometimes but not others. There are two narrators one in first person present tense, and the other in limited third person past tense. WHY?! It's annoying, especially because first person present is hard to pull off well, and Taylor sure doesn't. And the characters are 2-D cliches at best.
I wouldn't try this book again if it were the only reading available and I was stuck at the airport for four days in a blizzard blackout.
November 27, 2011
I was really excited to read this - lesbian post-apocalyptic romance novel!!!1! - since it combines two of my favorite things ever (dystopian fiction & lesbians). And the premise is crazy interesting, enough so that I wish Summers had done slightly more world-building and had been less focused on the lesbian couple, since they were the least interesting aspect of the story.
They were not to my taste, but they might be to someone else's? I'm kind of over the whole "I'm deeply flawed so I push you away to protect you, even though I'm dying inside" / "I love you even though you're being an asshat because I WANT TO HEAL YOUR PAIN" BUT I know that it's a popular convention, I just don't care for it myself.
Also, the shifts in perspective were irritating - first-person perspective! then third-person limited. Why why why.
They were not to my taste, but they might be to someone else's? I'm kind of over the whole "I'm deeply flawed so I push you away to protect you, even though I'm dying inside" / "I love you even though you're being an asshat because I WANT TO HEAL YOUR PAIN" BUT I know that it's a popular convention, I just don't care for it myself.
Also, the shifts in perspective were irritating - first-person perspective! then third-person limited. Why why why.
July 8, 2016
Review soon!
August 24, 2017
Good dystopian story. I would give it 3.5 stars if could.
July 14, 2022
Story was great, but the writing was hard getting used to.
June 25, 2023
Really enjoyed the writing in this, but was totally meh about pretty much every story choice from A to Z. We’ll just call it not for me.
July 13, 2013
This is one of those books, that I was talking about that I took a gamble a while ago and brought it without reading the blurb, I know what a rebel. lol I liked the simple cover which conveyed a dystopian novel with a strong female protagonist. I was flipping through my kindle looking for something to read, I was in one of those moods that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to read and I already had a few books open.
I started reading After the Fall and was instantly drawn in. Taylor starts of as a bit of a hard arse, that doesn’t take shit from no one, she travels alone on a dangerous trip to find her family after most of the world is wiped out by a virus pandemic. (unfortunately there are no zombies, but in this story you don’t need them, it is a perfect view of what humanity can become when left to it’s own devices.) Taylor hints that something terrible and hellish happened to her on the road, before the story starts, (disclaimer: this book has rape scene in it although not in detail, it may make some squeamish.) So now Taylor helps no one, she lives by rules that so far have kept her alive, think only of herself and do not get involved with others.
These rules keep her going until she meets and gets offered refuge with a group of survivors that are in the process of making themselves a community. This is where Taylor’s rules become undone, she meets Kate and starts to crack her hard outer shell, this isn’t a typical love at first sight love story, It is full of ups and downs as they try to deal with the fallout of the end of the world, and the threats the new world develops.
I loved most of all about this story is that fact that Taylor goes through real emotions, In a lot of dystopians, the protagonist has to be strong and constantly battling to save the world. Taylor doesn’t care about the world she just wants to survive long enough to see if her family survived. When confronted with the fact that her hometown was a target for marauders, she goes into a deep depression, It is heartbreaking and raw, she has to deal with what had happened on the road to the farm as well as what untold horrors her family were faced with when she wasn’t there to fight for them.
As I said before, The bad guys aren’t zombies, monsters or aliens. The bad guys in this novel is the dark side of humanity, when there is no longer right from wrong. When peoples beliefs take over every other decent thought they had ever had.
After the fall is a terrifying, heartbreaking and bittersweet story about survival and what it takes to restore humanity after a Disaster. It is a must read for any die hard dystopian fan. But as mentioned probably not suitable for sensitive people, because of the rape scene.
I started reading After the Fall and was instantly drawn in. Taylor starts of as a bit of a hard arse, that doesn’t take shit from no one, she travels alone on a dangerous trip to find her family after most of the world is wiped out by a virus pandemic. (unfortunately there are no zombies, but in this story you don’t need them, it is a perfect view of what humanity can become when left to it’s own devices.) Taylor hints that something terrible and hellish happened to her on the road, before the story starts, (disclaimer: this book has rape scene in it although not in detail, it may make some squeamish.) So now Taylor helps no one, she lives by rules that so far have kept her alive, think only of herself and do not get involved with others.
These rules keep her going until she meets and gets offered refuge with a group of survivors that are in the process of making themselves a community. This is where Taylor’s rules become undone, she meets Kate and starts to crack her hard outer shell, this isn’t a typical love at first sight love story, It is full of ups and downs as they try to deal with the fallout of the end of the world, and the threats the new world develops.
I loved most of all about this story is that fact that Taylor goes through real emotions, In a lot of dystopians, the protagonist has to be strong and constantly battling to save the world. Taylor doesn’t care about the world she just wants to survive long enough to see if her family survived. When confronted with the fact that her hometown was a target for marauders, she goes into a deep depression, It is heartbreaking and raw, she has to deal with what had happened on the road to the farm as well as what untold horrors her family were faced with when she wasn’t there to fight for them.
As I said before, The bad guys aren’t zombies, monsters or aliens. The bad guys in this novel is the dark side of humanity, when there is no longer right from wrong. When peoples beliefs take over every other decent thought they had ever had.
After the fall is a terrifying, heartbreaking and bittersweet story about survival and what it takes to restore humanity after a Disaster. It is a must read for any die hard dystopian fan. But as mentioned probably not suitable for sensitive people, because of the rape scene.
February 14, 2017
3.5 stars. This is a solid book that is fairly typical for the lesfic genre. It's a post apocalyptic tale with a lesbian lead. It switches between two points of view - our leading lady tells her story through first person present, and a teenage boy (who represents an important connection for her) is explored in third person past.
The book is written with a high level of control and competence and I was relieved that it didn't turn into erotica parading as speculative fiction, as lesbian novels so often do.
I enjoyed reading it, but it was a fairly predictable and somewhat derivative story. It won't shock you with anything we haven't seen hundreds of times in a post-apoc world. Personally, I would like to see less lesfic books with themes of sexual assault as one of the core conflicts. It's not about this book really, but there's just so many where male characters go into "I'll show you what a real man is" mode and I am a little tired of seeing it. To be fair, the section of the novel that deals with this issue makes sense given the nature of the world after a disease drastically reduces the population.
All of that said, there's some real pleasure to be found in just seeing a same-sex attracted leading lady put through the same paces that we see the hetero characters experiencing in these stories, and the author has put the story together very neatly. I would recommend reading it.
The book is written with a high level of control and competence and I was relieved that it didn't turn into erotica parading as speculative fiction, as lesbian novels so often do.
I enjoyed reading it, but it was a fairly predictable and somewhat derivative story. It won't shock you with anything we haven't seen hundreds of times in a post-apoc world. Personally, I would like to see less lesfic books with themes of sexual assault as one of the core conflicts. It's not about this book really, but there's just so many where male characters go into "I'll show you what a real man is" mode and I am a little tired of seeing it. To be fair, the section of the novel that deals with this issue makes sense given the nature of the world after a disease drastically reduces the population.
All of that said, there's some real pleasure to be found in just seeing a same-sex attracted leading lady put through the same paces that we see the hetero characters experiencing in these stories, and the author has put the story together very neatly. I would recommend reading it.
June 15, 2020
This one eeked me out a little. I LOVE post-apocalypse stories, and I love queer romance, but... I won't recc this one. An adult woman spilling some seriously traumatic sexual abuse to a teen (16yo) boy? I think that's the thing that did me in about this one. Also, so much toxic masculinity in that teen kid's way of thinking through things. Just... no thanks.
February 14, 2017
I finished this book only because I'd read it to 60% before deciding I didn't like it and just decided to skim it to finish.
The premise is good; a bad ass lesbian names Taylor walking west from Washington DC after a pandemic plague wipes out the United States. She happens upon a farm in Indiana where she intends to stop for a few days before continuing to Illinois to find her family. Once there, Taylor settles in and finds family and something to hope for.
I can't tell you why I didn't like this book specifically. I think the character development wasn't great and the flow of the story wasn't great either. You are supposed to care about Buck and Duncan and Kate and the little kids, but they're very one dimensional characters that are hard to attach to even with redeeming qualities.
The premise is good; a bad ass lesbian names Taylor walking west from Washington DC after a pandemic plague wipes out the United States. She happens upon a farm in Indiana where she intends to stop for a few days before continuing to Illinois to find her family. Once there, Taylor settles in and finds family and something to hope for.
I can't tell you why I didn't like this book specifically. I think the character development wasn't great and the flow of the story wasn't great either. You are supposed to care about Buck and Duncan and Kate and the little kids, but they're very one dimensional characters that are hard to attach to even with redeeming qualities.
July 26, 2011
I tend to like apocalyptic tales anyway, but I really enjoyed this debut novel by Robin Summers.
The book took an unusual approach in first-person narration by alternating between the main character and a guy that I really considered something of a prominent secondary character -- secondary in that he was a friend, not the love interest, of the main character. It threw me at first, but I found myself easily warming up to the unique approach.
If I had any criticisms, it would be that it seemed to start a little slow. But as the tale continued, I couldn't put it down and burned the midnight oil to finish. I was also bothered some that when the two main characters finally consummated their relationship, the light treatment seemed a little anti-climatic. I offer that with a grain of salt, however, since I'm a romance writer and that is a key point in romance novels.
Still, I'd read this story again, and recommend it as a good read. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
The book took an unusual approach in first-person narration by alternating between the main character and a guy that I really considered something of a prominent secondary character -- secondary in that he was a friend, not the love interest, of the main character. It threw me at first, but I found myself easily warming up to the unique approach.
If I had any criticisms, it would be that it seemed to start a little slow. But as the tale continued, I couldn't put it down and burned the midnight oil to finish. I was also bothered some that when the two main characters finally consummated their relationship, the light treatment seemed a little anti-climatic. I offer that with a grain of salt, however, since I'm a romance writer and that is a key point in romance novels.
Still, I'd read this story again, and recommend it as a good read. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
August 9, 2011
I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories and when I found this on the Bold Strokes Books new release list I went to buy it immediately. Taylor is an interesting character who's been through quite a bit and is desperate to make it back to her family in Illinois in the aftermath of a massive plague that has wiped out the majority of the population, especially the female population. Along the way she ends up on Burninghead Farm in Indiana and meets a group of people who help her to find hope and reasons to live. This book is an introspection into how one person survives a massive plague while exploring the idea that there is a difference between being alive and truly living. I enjoyed all of the characters and despite the fact that I was able to predict where the story was going to go at times, it held my attention throughout. Definitely a story I will read again.
August 19, 2015
Overall, a very readable, enjoyable book. I would have like to have known more about some of the characters, like Buck. But the author did a good job fleshing out the main three characters. The ending was very well handled and I was quite satisfied with it. My only issue with this book was the lack of information we had about the plague. I would like to have known more about it. Maybe I'm just odd that way... That being said, this book had good character development, good action momentum, the pacing was well done, and the author let us connect with the main three characters.
Not bad.
If there were a sequel, I would buy it too, just to see what happened after AtF.
Not bad.
If there were a sequel, I would buy it too, just to see what happened after AtF.
August 7, 2011
I could not put this book down once I started reading it! After the Fall is one of the few lesbian-centered books in my favorite genre: post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction. It was a little distracting to go back and forth from Taylor's 1st-person narrative to Duncan's 3rd person: I think it was done for a good effect later in the book, but at first, it took me out of the story too many times. I would love to read more books in this series...I hope it will be a series, that is!
October 1, 2012
I bought this at GCLS this year, and quite enjoyed it. Taylor Stone has been through Hell in a hand basket, and she still has a long way to go. The world has fallen apart, and she must get home to find her family. She arrives at a farm in Pittsburgh where she discovers a decent group of survivalists and is tempted away from her goal. But she promised her parents she'd come to them. She has to go, despite falling for a woman named Kate.
July 19, 2016
I love lesbian fiction. I love post-apocalyptic stories. So this book sounded, initially, like a match made in literary heaven for me. Except it wasn't. I just couldn't get involved with the characters at all. And there was way too little post-apocalyptic fiction and way too much romance. Which, I mean, is okay. But I was expecting something more than horseback rides during the apocalypse, without any expressed fear that, oh I don't know, disaster could strike at any moment.
August 27, 2013
This book was an amazing read, I read it in one day and that's saying a lot. I highly recommend reading this book. The main character goes through all these roller coaster of emotions and you're along for the ride, sometimes I wanted to cry with her and sometimes I wanted to scream at my computer screen at her. But I can say After the fall is one of a kind.
December 20, 2012
An outstanding debut. I was completely sucked into this book from the first pages. I laughed, I cried (at different times, both happy and sad tears) and was totally immersed in this tale. Highly recommended.
March 2, 2015
The story is more about internal turmoil and how Taylor fights them off than about surviving in the dying world or the romance. Though, I do love the romance between Kate and Taylor, however short it was.
July 21, 2011
I enjoyed it. Thought it was well written.
Looking forward to talking about it on Cocktail Hour episode 22! www.cocktailhour.c-spot.net
Looking forward to talking about it on Cocktail Hour episode 22! www.cocktailhour.c-spot.net
April 28, 2013
Not the typical lesbian romance, it's an incredibly well-written book with quite an original premise. Highly recommended.
October 25, 2015
2011 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
February 9, 2016
Gripping
Well written, plenty of drama, angst, sadness, hope and love. Very good post apocalyptic story. Engaging romance too. Well worth the read.
Well written, plenty of drama, angst, sadness, hope and love. Very good post apocalyptic story. Engaging romance too. Well worth the read.
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