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The Girl at the End of the World
Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Fisher thought she was done with being angry. Getting past her parents’ divorce with the help of friends, she’s finally enjoying some stability. But nothing could prepare her for the devastating plague that wipes out everyone she loves…and leaves her fending for herself in a treacherous wasteland. Left with no choice but to endure, the ordinary girl must learn to become extraordinary—especially when she learns she’s not alone. Now the key to triumphing over humanity’s ugliest side and finding just one other survivor might lie in channeling the rage she worked so hard to forget. Can Scarlett stay alive in a new dawn where friends are scarce and foes are lethal? The Girl at the End of the World is a thrilling, fast-moving, stand-alone post-apocalyptic adventure.
247 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2013
482 people are currently reading
1206 people want to read
About the author
Richard Levesque
45 books46 followersRichard Levesque was born near Montreal,Canada and grew up in Southern California.
He began writing while in college, publishing several pieces in college journals while working on his undergraduate degree at Cal Poly Pomona. After finishing his Master's Degree in 1990, he focused more on teaching than writing for a few years, eventually completing his Ph.D. at UC Riverside in 2000. His dissertation was on Hollywood novelists of the 1920s and 1930s.
Since 1999, he has been part of the English Department at Fullerton College and turned again to writing a few years ago. He primarily writes science fiction but continues to have a strong interest in early Hollywood and Los Angeles history and culture and often works those themes into his writing.
When not writing or grading papers, he spends time with his wife and daughter, works on his collection of old science fiction pulps and tries to be better than a mediocre guitar player.
He began writing while in college, publishing several pieces in college journals while working on his undergraduate degree at Cal Poly Pomona. After finishing his Master's Degree in 1990, he focused more on teaching than writing for a few years, eventually completing his Ph.D. at UC Riverside in 2000. His dissertation was on Hollywood novelists of the 1920s and 1930s.
Since 1999, he has been part of the English Department at Fullerton College and turned again to writing a few years ago. He primarily writes science fiction but continues to have a strong interest in early Hollywood and Los Angeles history and culture and often works those themes into his writing.
When not writing or grading papers, he spends time with his wife and daughter, works on his collection of old science fiction pulps and tries to be better than a mediocre guitar player.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
May 21, 2016
So, this one is a zombie apocalypse novel struggling to not be a zombie apocalypse novel; instead of some horrific virus transmitted via bites or scratches, this zombie–ism comes from horrific plant–like stalks that erupt from the the eye socket of an infected person and then blow out a cloud of spores. Breathe the spores, get infected, go crazy and attack people and generally freak out, and then die when stalks blast out of your own sinuses…
Unless you're the "girl at the end of the world", newly fifteen–year–old Scarlett, who turns out to be immune. Literally everyone around her winds up dead, and she has to fend for herself. And this is the part that just didn't feel entirely believable.
It's told in the first person, and often the language is a little too clinical – Scarlett talks about about fixating and compartmentalizing and so on, quite a few things I'm pretty sure are outside the scope of knowledge for a barely–fifteen–year–old who doesn't seem to have been blooming into a psychology–focused Doogie Howser. She also puts forward a thoughtful and logical reason why she doesn't go door to door and release the housepets that she can often hear, that she knows are starving to death (or will once they eat their owners) – and, once again, I just didn't buy it. I don't think I would have been that logical at that age; I kind of hope not. No, when I was fifteen, I didn't know from psychology or cool reason: I would have been full on weeping oh my God the puppies and busting open doors and windows right and left. And actually I think it would have been more interesting – and gut–wrenching – for Scarlett to have done just this … to learn the hard way why this might not be a great idea.
And then there's the zoo. See, there's not a thing the girl can do about the people, but those pets, and the animals trapped in the zoo? I couldn't ignore them now, much less at fifteen. Maybe I'm still a little prone to weeping over the puppies. (Who am I kidding? I lost my dog last year – I have trouble making it through a kibble commercial.)
One thought which impacted my belief in the book, in a young girl's POV as written by an adult man: a fifteen–year–old girl from America's suburbs would absolutely, completely, and utterly be thinking about where and how she would be relieving herself after the water supply terminated. Which led to the idea that she would also be thinking about how to handle her period. Which led to the thought of whether she was taking showers. Which led to the thought that, if not, she would have grown uncomfortable and a little disgusted with herself, after a (brief) life of probably bathing daily. Which led back to the thought I'd had while listening that she absolutely, completely, and utterly would have taken more clothing to begin with – her favorite jeans, that sweater she loved. (I'm not even going to get into other things like maybe the teddy bear she grew up with or the necklace her mother gave her or family photos…) Or looked for her friend Jen's stuff. Otherwise, there's no earthly reason why she didn't find herself as many changes of clothing as she could want. (Why didn't she thoroughly search some of those Beverly Hills mansions not too far away? Seems like a great place to find some necessities, not to mention luxuries.)
Smart: Scarlett finds a trail bike, and uses that to get past all the post–apocalyptic roadblocks. Maybe a little too smart: how does she get gas for the bike? As I recall, she was nowhere near getting her driver's license; she never had to fill a gas tank in her life, and now she needs to siphon others' tanks.
Also not quite believable is that Scarlett's story begins when her father takes her to a Dodgers game for her birthday, and that's where they come almost face to face with an early victim. It gets ugly, and the place is evacuated … and I'm sorry, there's no way they would have gotten out of Dodger Stadium that quickly and easily, and then out of the parking lot with just as little difficulty. You can't get out of a local theatre that easily; I've never been to Dodger Stadium, but I'm pretty confident it's more challenging than the Oakdale Theatre.
And I could be wrong, but isn't it an odd sort of parasitical fungus that kills 99.9% of its hosts?
Some of Scarlett's thought processes do seem reasonable for her age and background; she does fairly well for a moderately intelligent teen, but doesn't perform like a Navy Seal. Her reasoning is not flawless. For example, she regrets not having lit a signal fire, just in case there's another survivor out there … but how would that be useful when much of the city is on fire?
This was an audiobook, and not a highly successful one for me. At one point Scarlett reaches Australia by radio, and the Aussie accent is dreadful. There is a strange cadence to the narration. Something that simply did not work in audio, but which wasn't really anyone's fault, was the use of homonyms for "stalk", the thing that bursts out of a person's eyeball: "standing stock still" "to stalk me"… I wonder if it was at all intentional.
When Scarlett meets other survivors, things get complicated … and, to be honest, it began to lose my interest a bit. In keeping with her excessive maturity, she is hyper–suspicious upon meeting a young man, the first live human she's seen quite a little while – and I don't know if that was the right reaction. She winds up trapped with this boy and an older woman who speaks only Spanish, and they seem to make no effort to try to talk to this woman for a ridiculously long time. I would hope that the same bleeding heart that would make me go free all the trapped puppies (and kittens and birds and hamsters) would make me try to break the language barrier, somehow; everyone knows a handful of words of Spanish, and surely Dolores knows a smattering of English? Anyway. It goes from Scarlett alone to Scarlett and a tiny handful of survivors, to Scarlett and company in a to–me much less interesting setting …
I don't know. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it wasn't what it could have been, and it just didn't ring true in several areas. Maybe Stephen King ruined me for this sort of story.
Unless you're the "girl at the end of the world", newly fifteen–year–old Scarlett, who turns out to be immune. Literally everyone around her winds up dead, and she has to fend for herself. And this is the part that just didn't feel entirely believable.
It's told in the first person, and often the language is a little too clinical – Scarlett talks about about fixating and compartmentalizing and so on, quite a few things I'm pretty sure are outside the scope of knowledge for a barely–fifteen–year–old who doesn't seem to have been blooming into a psychology–focused Doogie Howser. She also puts forward a thoughtful and logical reason why she doesn't go door to door and release the housepets that she can often hear, that she knows are starving to death (or will once they eat their owners) – and, once again, I just didn't buy it. I don't think I would have been that logical at that age; I kind of hope not. No, when I was fifteen, I didn't know from psychology or cool reason: I would have been full on weeping oh my God the puppies and busting open doors and windows right and left. And actually I think it would have been more interesting – and gut–wrenching – for Scarlett to have done just this … to learn the hard way why this might not be a great idea.
And then there's the zoo. See, there's not a thing the girl can do about the people, but those pets, and the animals trapped in the zoo? I couldn't ignore them now, much less at fifteen. Maybe I'm still a little prone to weeping over the puppies. (Who am I kidding? I lost my dog last year – I have trouble making it through a kibble commercial.)
One thought which impacted my belief in the book, in a young girl's POV as written by an adult man: a fifteen–year–old girl from America's suburbs would absolutely, completely, and utterly be thinking about where and how she would be relieving herself after the water supply terminated. Which led to the idea that she would also be thinking about how to handle her period. Which led to the thought of whether she was taking showers. Which led to the thought that, if not, she would have grown uncomfortable and a little disgusted with herself, after a (brief) life of probably bathing daily. Which led back to the thought I'd had while listening that she absolutely, completely, and utterly would have taken more clothing to begin with – her favorite jeans, that sweater she loved. (I'm not even going to get into other things like maybe the teddy bear she grew up with or the necklace her mother gave her or family photos…) Or looked for her friend Jen's stuff. Otherwise, there's no earthly reason why she didn't find herself as many changes of clothing as she could want. (Why didn't she thoroughly search some of those Beverly Hills mansions not too far away? Seems like a great place to find some necessities, not to mention luxuries.)
Smart: Scarlett finds a trail bike, and uses that to get past all the post–apocalyptic roadblocks. Maybe a little too smart: how does she get gas for the bike? As I recall, she was nowhere near getting her driver's license; she never had to fill a gas tank in her life, and now she needs to siphon others' tanks.
Also not quite believable is that Scarlett's story begins when her father takes her to a Dodgers game for her birthday, and that's where they come almost face to face with an early victim. It gets ugly, and the place is evacuated … and I'm sorry, there's no way they would have gotten out of Dodger Stadium that quickly and easily, and then out of the parking lot with just as little difficulty. You can't get out of a local theatre that easily; I've never been to Dodger Stadium, but I'm pretty confident it's more challenging than the Oakdale Theatre.
And I could be wrong, but isn't it an odd sort of parasitical fungus that kills 99.9% of its hosts?
Some of Scarlett's thought processes do seem reasonable for her age and background; she does fairly well for a moderately intelligent teen, but doesn't perform like a Navy Seal. Her reasoning is not flawless. For example, she regrets not having lit a signal fire, just in case there's another survivor out there … but how would that be useful when much of the city is on fire?
This was an audiobook, and not a highly successful one for me. At one point Scarlett reaches Australia by radio, and the Aussie accent is dreadful. There is a strange cadence to the narration. Something that simply did not work in audio, but which wasn't really anyone's fault, was the use of homonyms for "stalk", the thing that bursts out of a person's eyeball: "standing stock still" "to stalk me"… I wonder if it was at all intentional.
When Scarlett meets other survivors, things get complicated … and, to be honest, it began to lose my interest a bit. In keeping with her excessive maturity, she is hyper–suspicious upon meeting a young man, the first live human she's seen quite a little while – and I don't know if that was the right reaction. She winds up trapped with this boy and an older woman who speaks only Spanish, and they seem to make no effort to try to talk to this woman for a ridiculously long time. I would hope that the same bleeding heart that would make me go free all the trapped puppies (and kittens and birds and hamsters) would make me try to break the language barrier, somehow; everyone knows a handful of words of Spanish, and surely Dolores knows a smattering of English? Anyway. It goes from Scarlett alone to Scarlett and a tiny handful of survivors, to Scarlett and company in a to–me much less interesting setting …
I don't know. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it wasn't what it could have been, and it just didn't ring true in several areas. Maybe Stephen King ruined me for this sort of story.
November 13, 2015
This book reminds me of a YA version of the first 1/3 or so of Stephen King's The Stand. It started out pretty good, with most of the world's population being wiped out by plague etc etc etc, and then it just sort of turned into every other apocalypse survivor story ever written. It wasn't bad, and I was leaning toward 4 stars until about the last 1/3 of it where it got pretty dull and generic, but I just wish it could have ended on a bit more of an original note. The most interesting part of the plague, that it causes people to go insane right before they die, could have been delved into a lot more to make things a lot more scary, but the author glossed over it and really missed an opportunity to turn this book into something spectacular in my opinion. If you enjoy stories about apocalypse survivors trying to rough it after the collapse of civilization and the death of most of the people on earth, then this book will do it for ya, but if you've read any other book like it before, you've pretty much already read this one. The writing is pretty good, and the characters seemed to think, act and react pretty realistically. I just wish the author had a bit more imagination in the story department. And thank god he managed to write a book about the end of the world WITHOUT using friggen zombies like every other writer in the universe for the last fifteen years. I am getting SOOOOOO sick of zombies. Any author who resists the urge to zombify is OK in my book.
April 13, 2015
When Scarlett goes to a Baseball game for her birthday, she had no idea that it would change her life forever! She loses everything and everyone she loves. She is among a rare few who is immune to the deadly disease that swept the world and this is her tale.
This is kind of told in 2 parts, the first being the story of Scarlett at the start of the plague and her loneliness and the second part is about Scarlett meeting other survivors and how even then her life changes in another big way.
The beginning does a great job of showing what it's like to lose everything. Scarlett goes from being a normal 15 year old, to a girl alone and trying to survive. The plague is so fast and unexpected that it catches everyone by surprise. People who catch it usually die within a few days.
Scarlett is such an awesome heroine. She is very resourceful and knows what she needs to do. She is only 15 and yet despite seeing dead bodies everywhere, she keeps her cool. She knows she needs food and safe shelter so sets out to find both. I really liked her strength and admired her tenacity.
The second half focuses on when Scarlett meets some survivors. She is even more tenacious this time round because she has more to loose now. She grows up quickly and my heart breaks for her so much during this time.
One thing I have to say is that when the plague was first described and the first man dies, Scarlett says that stalks shoot out of his head and spores blast out from it. I was then picturing people dying with mushrooms growing out of them!! Lol. I liked that the plague is a fungus which I thought was really unique and different!
In all, a really good and different Post Apocalyptic read. It's not the most action packed book but that's because it's a story of surviving the aftermath. It's a story of struggle, of heartache and one of hope.
I listened to the audio, and let me tell you that LC Kane did an amazing job with this book. She portrayed the heartache and loneliness perfectly. She made my heart break for Scarlett!! There are certain times during the book where it felt like the narrator had a tough time fighting back the tears, she really put her all into this book and it showed!!
This is kind of told in 2 parts, the first being the story of Scarlett at the start of the plague and her loneliness and the second part is about Scarlett meeting other survivors and how even then her life changes in another big way.
The beginning does a great job of showing what it's like to lose everything. Scarlett goes from being a normal 15 year old, to a girl alone and trying to survive. The plague is so fast and unexpected that it catches everyone by surprise. People who catch it usually die within a few days.
Scarlett is such an awesome heroine. She is very resourceful and knows what she needs to do. She is only 15 and yet despite seeing dead bodies everywhere, she keeps her cool. She knows she needs food and safe shelter so sets out to find both. I really liked her strength and admired her tenacity.
The second half focuses on when Scarlett meets some survivors. She is even more tenacious this time round because she has more to loose now. She grows up quickly and my heart breaks for her so much during this time.
One thing I have to say is that when the plague was first described and the first man dies, Scarlett says that stalks shoot out of his head and spores blast out from it. I was then picturing people dying with mushrooms growing out of them!! Lol. I liked that the plague is a fungus which I thought was really unique and different!
In all, a really good and different Post Apocalyptic read. It's not the most action packed book but that's because it's a story of surviving the aftermath. It's a story of struggle, of heartache and one of hope.
I listened to the audio, and let me tell you that LC Kane did an amazing job with this book. She portrayed the heartache and loneliness perfectly. She made my heart break for Scarlett!! There are certain times during the book where it felt like the narrator had a tough time fighting back the tears, she really put her all into this book and it showed!!
November 26, 2013
[note: I got a free advance copy]
Through the eyes of a California teenager, we watch the collapse of the world into silence. The plague is fast and thorough, leaving Scarlett virtually alone in Los Angeles. The early part of the book does a great job of capturing her confusion and isolation, first as the plague picks off her friends and family one by one, then as the eerie calm settles upon a depopulated metropolis.
Then she starts meeting other survivors, and things get a whole lot worse.
The Girl at the End of the World has a dark, gritty feel. The collapse is depicted with the inevitability and violence of rolling storm, leaving silence and death in its wake. You get a real sense of Scarlett's terror: the lonely nights, the fear that nobody is out there, the fear that somebody is out there. She seems to live in fear of the known and unknown dangers that lurk outside her door, and that fear is made worse by the fact that there's not much to do to keep her mind off her worries.
It's hard to discuss the rest of the book without giving away major spoilers. But it kept me hooked right up to the end. The book is well written, with interesting, complex characters. I'd also recommend Strictly Analog if you're into cyberpunk sci-fi.
Through the eyes of a California teenager, we watch the collapse of the world into silence. The plague is fast and thorough, leaving Scarlett virtually alone in Los Angeles. The early part of the book does a great job of capturing her confusion and isolation, first as the plague picks off her friends and family one by one, then as the eerie calm settles upon a depopulated metropolis.
Then she starts meeting other survivors, and things get a whole lot worse.
The Girl at the End of the World has a dark, gritty feel. The collapse is depicted with the inevitability and violence of rolling storm, leaving silence and death in its wake. You get a real sense of Scarlett's terror: the lonely nights, the fear that nobody is out there, the fear that somebody is out there. She seems to live in fear of the known and unknown dangers that lurk outside her door, and that fear is made worse by the fact that there's not much to do to keep her mind off her worries.
It's hard to discuss the rest of the book without giving away major spoilers. But it kept me hooked right up to the end. The book is well written, with interesting, complex characters. I'd also recommend Strictly Analog if you're into cyberpunk sci-fi.
November 17, 2015
hahahahahaha NO.
April 1, 2021
Great idea but poorly executed
At first, it was on a good pace with all weirdness. Then it seems like a cliche along the way. Maybe just me, but it is not realistic for 15 yrs old to transform into a new survival person that fasts. Plus, the pace of the story near the end seems flop hard. Maybe the author could expand more pages and bring in more to the story plot.
At first, it was on a good pace with all weirdness. Then it seems like a cliche along the way. Maybe just me, but it is not realistic for 15 yrs old to transform into a new survival person that fasts. Plus, the pace of the story near the end seems flop hard. Maybe the author could expand more pages and bring in more to the story plot.
October 14, 2015
This PA novel was very readable, a quiet gem (despite the lurid pulp fiction cover). A strange creepy plague strikes Los Angeles, and quickly spreads, killing almost everyone. Our protagonist, a girl celebrating her 15th birthday at a Dodgers game, is exposed. She survives the contamination and watches as the world around her dies. The scenes of her outside her best friend's house, as her friends stop responding to text messages, seemed real and scary. She makes decent decisions for survival, and experiences sincere fear, panic, and despair as she wonders if she is the only person alive. In her loneliness,she attracts the attention of more survivors, but the friendly-seeming group are not so friendly after all.
I really appreciated how real Scarlett seemed. Her emotional reactions are careful and yet age-appropriate. She doesn't fall into weepy depression, double-guess herself, or look for someone to save her. Even when she meets a boy her age, they are equals instead of her hoping that he is her white knight. She plays a full part in her escape from dangerous circumstances, but she doesn't have special powers or too much luck to be believed. The plot moves quickly in the book, as PA stories usually do. The language is straightforward, yet doesn't leave out descriptive details or small moments of beauty either. I felt very in the moment while listening to the book, caught up in the story. While I would have happily read a sequel, I was satisfied by the ending of the book - and it may have been stronger for it.
I kept thinking that this book is what California (the popular YA PA book from last summer) tried and failed to be.
NOTE: I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I was pretty sure that I would enjoy the book, since I very much enjoyed his sci-fi detective noir novel Strictly Analog.
I really appreciated how real Scarlett seemed. Her emotional reactions are careful and yet age-appropriate. She doesn't fall into weepy depression, double-guess herself, or look for someone to save her. Even when she meets a boy her age, they are equals instead of her hoping that he is her white knight. She plays a full part in her escape from dangerous circumstances, but she doesn't have special powers or too much luck to be believed. The plot moves quickly in the book, as PA stories usually do. The language is straightforward, yet doesn't leave out descriptive details or small moments of beauty either. I felt very in the moment while listening to the book, caught up in the story. While I would have happily read a sequel, I was satisfied by the ending of the book - and it may have been stronger for it.
I kept thinking that this book is what California (the popular YA PA book from last summer) tried and failed to be.
NOTE: I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I was pretty sure that I would enjoy the book, since I very much enjoyed his sci-fi detective noir novel Strictly Analog.
December 1, 2013
A global epidemic is killing young Scarlett's family, friends, and billions of other people. Fortunately for her, Scarlett is immune, left to survive on her own in a devastated Los Angeles. But is she alone, or are there other survivors?
The Girl at the End of the World may begin with the conventional premise of mysterious disease/disaster reducing earth's population, but Richard Levesque has an ace up his sleeve. He introduces a character named Donovan who adds a very dark and unexpected twist to Scarlett's struggle to survive. Donovan creeped me out!
Overall, a very believable and accessible read for fans of post-apocalyptic stories. Think The Hunger Games meets the The Dog Stars.
The Girl at the End of the World may begin with the conventional premise of mysterious disease/disaster reducing earth's population, but Richard Levesque has an ace up his sleeve. He introduces a character named Donovan who adds a very dark and unexpected twist to Scarlett's struggle to survive. Donovan creeped me out!
Overall, a very believable and accessible read for fans of post-apocalyptic stories. Think The Hunger Games meets the The Dog Stars.
March 20, 2015
This was an interesting take on the apocalyptic genre. Very reminiscent of The Day of the Triffids. While the plot was fairly mediocre for me, I really liked the way it was told. Generally, the first-person perspective poses many technical issues for me, because it's not natural to narrate your story in the present tense. But this book never felt like that. It felt like someone was writing down a history of the events, which was confirmed by the epilogue. But, mostly, I really enjoyed the way Scarlet told the events of the Dodger Stadium. How she admitted that her memories blurred with the new reports and videos.
I listened to the audio version and I really enjoyed LC Kane's narration. Her inflections were spot on and her speed was great. I liked her characterizations for the men, but it was hard to tell the difference between the voices coming from the Haz-Mat suits (which is not really surprising).
A great example of the post-apocalyptic genre.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
I listened to the audio version and I really enjoyed LC Kane's narration. Her inflections were spot on and her speed was great. I liked her characterizations for the men, but it was hard to tell the difference between the voices coming from the Haz-Mat suits (which is not really surprising).
A great example of the post-apocalyptic genre.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
December 18, 2017
Let's get the negative out of the way first. To wordy. Huge blocks of narrative that go on for pages. Even a first-person point of view doesn't warrant it. For instance, I don't need three pages of childbirth. So, I skimmed a lot, plucking the salient points. I'll try another one of his books, after all when your nearly the last person on Earth there's going to be a lot of internal dialogue (which translates into blocks of narrative). Yet, there are means to alleviate that.
Now with that out of the way, the characters are rich, emotions real and dialogue spot on. Imagery is superb; I felt like I was right there with her the whole way. The wrap up is great. All the loose ends neatly tied and resolved.
Now with that out of the way, the characters are rich, emotions real and dialogue spot on. Imagery is superb; I felt like I was right there with her the whole way. The wrap up is great. All the loose ends neatly tied and resolved.
July 21, 2018
“The Girl at the End of the World” opens in the post-apocalyptic city of Los Angeles after a plague kills fifteen-year-old Scarlett Fisher’s family and thousands of others as it spreads globally. One of the few immune left she has to struggle to survive, raiding the home of her dead best friend for food and water as the corpse infestation increases. Setting up a temporary home in the hilltop observatory after a fire burns down her house, her fear and wariness quickly turn to isolation and loneliness until she meets Chad Maxwell.
With his betrayal and her capture by the sinister prepper Donovan the author adds dark twists with the birth of a baby in a drugstore, and their rescue by a military helicopter only to have the hostages end up in another cage and experimented on. As the action mounts intensity and suspense quickly escalate with the death of the baby’s mother and Donovan’s eagerness to trade his hostages to the military.
Written in the first-person Scarlett struggles to survive as the fungus not only kills thousands but many commit suicide, her fear and survival instinct sending her to the observatory for shelter while she tries to communicate with other survivors. Well-developed, the dialogue tense as escape plans are made and thwarted the plot flows quickly and smoothly to an explosive climax that holds more questions than answers but doesn’t promise a sequel.
Breathing life into the adventure are compelling and multifaceted characters like Scarlett Fisher who like any teenager from a broken home is dealing with her father’s new wife and their kids. As the spores gain new victims and thousands begin dying Scarlett who believes she could be infected selflessly sends her mother and sister away. The fifteen-year-old is resilient, capable and clever although she’s plagued with guilt and sorrow for the mistakes she feels she’s made. Although an attraction develops between Scarlett and the amiable and loyal Chad Maxwell especially after her jealousy flares when he starts talking to a female guard in the underground lab, their affection matures realistically slow throughout the adventure. Yet of all the characters it is the paranoid, self-preservation and threats of Donovan that add a darkly sinister aspect to the plot.
With his flowing writing style, fascinating characters and mesmerizing plot Richard Levesque has created a believable and imaginative post-apocalyptic adventure in “The Girl at the End of the World”. I thoroughly enjoyed it and won’t hesitate in reading more books by this author in future.
With his betrayal and her capture by the sinister prepper Donovan the author adds dark twists with the birth of a baby in a drugstore, and their rescue by a military helicopter only to have the hostages end up in another cage and experimented on. As the action mounts intensity and suspense quickly escalate with the death of the baby’s mother and Donovan’s eagerness to trade his hostages to the military.
Written in the first-person Scarlett struggles to survive as the fungus not only kills thousands but many commit suicide, her fear and survival instinct sending her to the observatory for shelter while she tries to communicate with other survivors. Well-developed, the dialogue tense as escape plans are made and thwarted the plot flows quickly and smoothly to an explosive climax that holds more questions than answers but doesn’t promise a sequel.
Breathing life into the adventure are compelling and multifaceted characters like Scarlett Fisher who like any teenager from a broken home is dealing with her father’s new wife and their kids. As the spores gain new victims and thousands begin dying Scarlett who believes she could be infected selflessly sends her mother and sister away. The fifteen-year-old is resilient, capable and clever although she’s plagued with guilt and sorrow for the mistakes she feels she’s made. Although an attraction develops between Scarlett and the amiable and loyal Chad Maxwell especially after her jealousy flares when he starts talking to a female guard in the underground lab, their affection matures realistically slow throughout the adventure. Yet of all the characters it is the paranoid, self-preservation and threats of Donovan that add a darkly sinister aspect to the plot.
With his flowing writing style, fascinating characters and mesmerizing plot Richard Levesque has created a believable and imaginative post-apocalyptic adventure in “The Girl at the End of the World”. I thoroughly enjoyed it and won’t hesitate in reading more books by this author in future.
November 13, 2017
This is a story I really enjoyed. It’s about a 15-year-old teenager who survives a deadly plague *oohhhh. So the nightmare begins at a Dodgers game, and quickly takes off. People begin to drop dead, and the descriptions are horrific – the images are still in my head. Within 24 hours, Scarlett believes she is the only survivor, and she must learn to keep herself alive
The story kept me dangling off a string of suspense, and every time something happened, it would drop me. I thought about plagues that have wiped out thousands of people, and I began to panic as I read this story. So many “what ifs” for me. I could feel her desperation in a lonely world and, at only 15, she was forced to adapt and mature quickly. There were several shocks in the story that kept me on my toes, and I was very happy with the ending. The story is relatable, and for a while I was lost in her world. I want more, but only because I want to know where the characters are today.
*note- don't read this while watching the Dodgers game on Halloween lol
The story kept me dangling off a string of suspense, and every time something happened, it would drop me. I thought about plagues that have wiped out thousands of people, and I began to panic as I read this story. So many “what ifs” for me. I could feel her desperation in a lonely world and, at only 15, she was forced to adapt and mature quickly. There were several shocks in the story that kept me on my toes, and I was very happy with the ending. The story is relatable, and for a while I was lost in her world. I want more, but only because I want to know where the characters are today.
*note- don't read this while watching the Dodgers game on Halloween lol
July 26, 2017
fun post-apocalyptic YA novel
March 1, 2018
Awesome!!
April 10, 2014
It all began with a foul ball at the Dodgers game. Scarlett and her family are enjoying the baseball game when they witness a man, two rows to their front, stand up and begin acting somewhat unstable. Within minutes, he undergoes a drastic change, becoming disruptive and fighting with the security staff as they arrive. Suddenly, his face explodes, sending a wave of blood in every direction. Then, strange tentacles with pulsating pods on the ends push out from where his nose was and suddenly bursts - sending a fine red mist into the air. Thus begins the plague!
Twenty-four hours later, Scarlett finds that she is immune to the virus, but is now alone in a city and possibly the entire world full of corpses. Are there other survivors? If she is to survive, at 15 yrs. old, Scarlett has much to learn if she is going to spend the rest of her life alone. The book is similar to the movie, "Night of the Comet."
I enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic stories. Although this is in the YA genre, adults will also find this story captivating. Good job Mr. Levesque!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
Twenty-four hours later, Scarlett finds that she is immune to the virus, but is now alone in a city and possibly the entire world full of corpses. Are there other survivors? If she is to survive, at 15 yrs. old, Scarlett has much to learn if she is going to spend the rest of her life alone. The book is similar to the movie, "Night of the Comet."
I enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic stories. Although this is in the YA genre, adults will also find this story captivating. Good job Mr. Levesque!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
November 4, 2013
The book is somewhat derivative - but as dystopian books are all the rage right now, it's hard not to sound like SOMETHING else out there. That being said, I enjoyed the book. It definitely kept my attention. I cared about the characters, which is the main key for me to enjoy a book. If I don't care about them, it doesn't matter how well it is or isn't read, I won't enjoy it. I found the author's delving into how Scarlett is going to survive -- what she might need, how she might find it, where she is going to go -- the most interesting part of the book. As I read, I might think "why is she moving? Why doesn't she just stay where she is?" and a few minutes later the author gives a very reasonable and logical explanation for the move. I appreciate this kind of attention to detail -- it makes it all more real for the reader. The ending types up rather neatly, but it is a change to have a real optimistic ending in this genre for once.
November 12, 2015
A fast-paced post apocalyptic thriller told from the point of view of a 15-year old survivor. We got this on sale from Audible as a mostly blind buy. I listened to the entire 8hour book in a 24 hour period because I was anxious to hear what happened next. I can't quite give it 5 stars because it didn't stir up much in the way of emotion or thought provocation but it was a fun ride!
November 16, 2015
YA end of the world survivalist thriller. Didn't I promise myself I wasn't going to read anymore YA novels for a while....It's OK I guess. I felt the ending wrapped up too quickly to balance the weight of the beginning. This novel definitely could use a better editor, I felt the descriptive text was very repetitive.
April 22, 2014
It works. A little twist on the universal plague story, but a satisfying read. Cleanly edited, a sympathetic main character, a plausible plot. Overall, I enjoyed the story.
April 6, 2016
Suspenseful post-apocalypse story
March 16, 2017
Review originally published at: http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...
I was offered a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
The world as she knew it ended when Scarlett Fischer turned fifteen. A mysterious fungus started spreading rapidly among the world population, killing most of it in mere hours. Scarlett is somehow immune to the fungus, and she survives in a city full of corpses. She decides to make the best of it until she finds that she is not the only survivor in the area, and some people are not friendly when they are against dire circumstances.
This was a book I really enjoyed. It was not only the theme, which I usually like, but I was able to relate to Scarlett and her worries about the plague. Richard Levesque is well know for his well constructed stories and his well developed characters, and this book is no exception. We accompanied Scarlett in her odyssey and it made me feel that I was her at times. Even though the development of the story was not very original, it was not what I expected, and I would have liked to know more about the origin of the fungus.
There were though some unrealistic aspects. First, I do not believe that a fifteen year old girl will convince her mother to leave her behind when not absolutely certain that everything is lost. I just cannot see this happening. Second, Scarlett mentions that she learned to ride motorbikes on Youtube, which sounds not impossible but undoubtedly far fetched. I took my riding exam last year and if you have no experience, it can be quite hard. Also, it is very normal for the beginner rider to drop their bike by accident (it happened to me more times than I want to admit) and unless you are super strong, it is almost impossible to set it straight again. Scarlett's bike is a light one (from the description - a little Honda -), probably very similar to my Honda CB 250, and let me tell you than I am not able to set it straight by myself once it has fell or it is starting to fall.
There was a detail that got me thinking for a while. Is it possible to have immunity against a fungus? And is it possible that 99% of the human population dies from it but it does not affect any animals? Being the author I would have chosen a virus, since there are few documented cases about crossing the species barrier, and fungus is usually not species specific (it does not need to bond to a DNA chain). I am not an expert in biology so I might be wrong, but from what I have read I would have chosen a virus.
L.C. Kane was perfect for the story. The book is written in first person, and Kane's sweet voice was just right for Scarlett. She also interpreted the other character's well, but there were two issues. The Australian accent was not very well done, and the Spanish words were not correctly pronounced. Some were not even correct, but that was up to Levesque. Why should somebody use the infinitive to issue a command? This might have been overlooked by most but not by the ones with a basic knowledge of the Spanish grammar. I just hate when this happens, being really easy nowadays to double check if an expression in another language is correct.
All in all I really liked the book, and despite the few noted issues, it is very well written and greatly enjoyable. I would read anything by Levesque at any moment.
On a personal note, I really enjoyed the part where Scarlett was riding her little Honda. So much that I decided to dust mine off and go for a ride myself.
I was offered a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
The world as she knew it ended when Scarlett Fischer turned fifteen. A mysterious fungus started spreading rapidly among the world population, killing most of it in mere hours. Scarlett is somehow immune to the fungus, and she survives in a city full of corpses. She decides to make the best of it until she finds that she is not the only survivor in the area, and some people are not friendly when they are against dire circumstances.
This was a book I really enjoyed. It was not only the theme, which I usually like, but I was able to relate to Scarlett and her worries about the plague. Richard Levesque is well know for his well constructed stories and his well developed characters, and this book is no exception. We accompanied Scarlett in her odyssey and it made me feel that I was her at times. Even though the development of the story was not very original, it was not what I expected, and I would have liked to know more about the origin of the fungus.
There were though some unrealistic aspects. First, I do not believe that a fifteen year old girl will convince her mother to leave her behind when not absolutely certain that everything is lost. I just cannot see this happening. Second, Scarlett mentions that she learned to ride motorbikes on Youtube, which sounds not impossible but undoubtedly far fetched. I took my riding exam last year and if you have no experience, it can be quite hard. Also, it is very normal for the beginner rider to drop their bike by accident (it happened to me more times than I want to admit) and unless you are super strong, it is almost impossible to set it straight again. Scarlett's bike is a light one (from the description - a little Honda -), probably very similar to my Honda CB 250, and let me tell you than I am not able to set it straight by myself once it has fell or it is starting to fall.
There was a detail that got me thinking for a while. Is it possible to have immunity against a fungus? And is it possible that 99% of the human population dies from it but it does not affect any animals? Being the author I would have chosen a virus, since there are few documented cases about crossing the species barrier, and fungus is usually not species specific (it does not need to bond to a DNA chain). I am not an expert in biology so I might be wrong, but from what I have read I would have chosen a virus.
L.C. Kane was perfect for the story. The book is written in first person, and Kane's sweet voice was just right for Scarlett. She also interpreted the other character's well, but there were two issues. The Australian accent was not very well done, and the Spanish words were not correctly pronounced. Some were not even correct, but that was up to Levesque. Why should somebody use the infinitive to issue a command? This might have been overlooked by most but not by the ones with a basic knowledge of the Spanish grammar. I just hate when this happens, being really easy nowadays to double check if an expression in another language is correct.
All in all I really liked the book, and despite the few noted issues, it is very well written and greatly enjoyable. I would read anything by Levesque at any moment.
On a personal note, I really enjoyed the part where Scarlett was riding her little Honda. So much that I decided to dust mine off and go for a ride myself.
November 6, 2019
This is a post-apocalyptic novel with a different flair than usual. Instead of zombies and groups of people walking around encountering others and killing each other to survive (Ala The Walking Dead), this story focuses on one girl, Scarlett, and her fight to survive in this new world.
A fungus has inexplicably escaped from somewhere, and starts a catastrophic chain of events that signify the end of the world as Scarlett knows it. Everything she once knew, everyone she once knew - all gone. Dead.
I enjoyed this novel as it was like reading Scarlett's diary, or her memoir. It documents everything she went through - from the beginning when she was exposed to the fungus/virus/whatever it was, to her journey through death and destruction and meeting some not so nice people along the way. The fungus didn't kill everyone, but it may as well have, there's so few people left alive that throughout the novel Scarlett encounters under 20. It felt quite true to life, reading it I could believe that this was a 15 year old's thoughts and how she'd cope with such a disaster. I enjoyed the detail - the fact that the Internet was incorporated into the story, and news channels. So often dystopian novels seem to skip over the media (especially the Internet) and what happens on there - obviously eventually the Internet goes down (due to lack of electricity etc) but in the beginning it's there, and it was nice to read Scarlett skipping over the conspiracy theories about the fungus (e.g. "this is all an elaborate hoax) and focusing on places she thought were untouched by it (Australia).
I was gripped throughout the whole book. I wanted to see if Scarlett would make it, who she'd encounter on the way, what happened in the end. I'm not dissatisfied with the ending - but if you're expecting sunshine and roses and an "all is well that ends well" ending, this isn't for you.
I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a good, quick read, anyone interested in dystopian novels (e.g. The Hunger Games, the Silver Blackthorn series) and anyone who wants a relatively fresh take on an apocalyptic scenario. Great stuff.
A fungus has inexplicably escaped from somewhere, and starts a catastrophic chain of events that signify the end of the world as Scarlett knows it. Everything she once knew, everyone she once knew - all gone. Dead.
I enjoyed this novel as it was like reading Scarlett's diary, or her memoir. It documents everything she went through - from the beginning when she was exposed to the fungus/virus/whatever it was, to her journey through death and destruction and meeting some not so nice people along the way. The fungus didn't kill everyone, but it may as well have, there's so few people left alive that throughout the novel Scarlett encounters under 20. It felt quite true to life, reading it I could believe that this was a 15 year old's thoughts and how she'd cope with such a disaster. I enjoyed the detail - the fact that the Internet was incorporated into the story, and news channels. So often dystopian novels seem to skip over the media (especially the Internet) and what happens on there - obviously eventually the Internet goes down (due to lack of electricity etc) but in the beginning it's there, and it was nice to read Scarlett skipping over the conspiracy theories about the fungus (e.g. "this is all an elaborate hoax) and focusing on places she thought were untouched by it (Australia).
I was gripped throughout the whole book. I wanted to see if Scarlett would make it, who she'd encounter on the way, what happened in the end. I'm not dissatisfied with the ending - but if you're expecting sunshine and roses and an "all is well that ends well" ending, this isn't for you.
I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a good, quick read, anyone interested in dystopian novels (e.g. The Hunger Games, the Silver Blackthorn series) and anyone who wants a relatively fresh take on an apocalyptic scenario. Great stuff.
January 6, 2019
Intense, a keep you up all night reading story.
How terrifying to be 15 and alone, with the world going crazy around you and everyone dying in horrific ways, and to not know if anyone other than you is still alive. This is what Scarlett gets for her birthday. She is desperately hoping she's not the only one left, but she is also afraid of what kind of people could be out there, with good reason.
"After walking a few blocks, I glanced across the street and saw three things in quick succession. The first gave me a little hope. The second brought a rush of elation. And the third terrified me."
Each time I had to set the book aside for a little while I seemed to be at a spot in the story where it was impossible to stop. It kept me on edge constantly, full of tense situations that keep you reading long after you planned on stopping. This is a fantastic addition to my dystopian library and I will be reading more books from this author.
February 13, 2020
Fifteen year old Scarlett is one of few survivors of a world-wide plague. We meet her as society is falling apart, using social media to contact her friends and try to make sense of it all. But before long she is alone and trying to survive in LA. In fact the first part is the best, her actions are what you would expect of a reasonably smart fifteen year old. The collapse through her eyes and then her own survival worked well Then she comes into contact with more dangerous survivors and that felt like the author had his scenario, a good main character and then wasn’t quite sure what to do with the situation. It kind of flips into “we’ve seen it before” territory before taking us to the end. An end that suggests this will not be a series with the story fully wrapped up.
So easy end of the world reading but not quite enough to make it special.
So easy end of the world reading but not quite enough to make it special.
August 20, 2018
I enjoyed this book very much. This 15 year old girl may seem a little mature for her age but that is not excluded, even in Los Angeles, and one probably matures quite quickly when confronted with such hardship. I regularly interrupted my reading to take the time to imagine how I would feel, what I would think, how I would act next, and was pleased to find that everything that I thought of was brought up by the author at one point or another. The story seemed quite realistic to me. The end of the story was not overly abrupt but suggestions for future investigation on the state of the world and other survivers, which often crossed Scarlett's mind, strangely never materialized.
November 24, 2021
An excellent and engaging story about the end of the World as told from a very unique perspective of a teenage girl facing everything that a teenage girl should never have to face. Richard has written a book that will definitely transport the reader into his cleverly crafted dystopian world. I particularly liked his first person point of view and how the story unfolds almost as if in real time. He writes very believable characters that behave almost like you knew them, without making them them behave exactly like someone from real life. I highly recommend this book! It has something for everyone to enjoy and or to learn from.
June 22, 2018
This was a good story and well written. It didn't stand out enough to make it a great story. It involved an incident that caused most of the people of earth to die. There was a handful of survivors left after the occurrence. Add in a crazy prepper and evil army and you get along the same story as many of the others that you read in this genre. The characters and the writing made it good enough to stick with it. If you don't read a lot of post-apocalyptic books then this one might be just what you need. If you do, go ahead and read it but don't expect too much.
August 22, 2019
It started off really well, I liked Scarlett and she never seemed too 'perfect'. She made plans, changed them, screwed up some, learned from her mistakes most of the time.....then Chad showed up and while the story didn't go off the rails totally, it limped along with a busted axle. Scarlett became curiously passive for long stretches, and allowed herself to be kidnapped, twice, without really putting up a fuss. All in all I'm happy I read it, but the great first half wound up being a bit wasted.
June 23, 2021
A Whirlwind
- Kept you asking what happens next
- The inner dialogue/narrative of Scarlett was at first a lot to handle but then I found it comforting as the story and drama unfolded although i was the entire time “yelling” at scarlett like a mother to stop being so gullible and trusting
- it had that surreal feel but with aspects that felt very real
- the characters felt real, the author didn’t reveal their inner thoughts but managed to effectively show the reader what kind of people they were through their words, actions, facial expressions
- ended at the right place.
- Kept you asking what happens next
- The inner dialogue/narrative of Scarlett was at first a lot to handle but then I found it comforting as the story and drama unfolded although i was the entire time “yelling” at scarlett like a mother to stop being so gullible and trusting
- it had that surreal feel but with aspects that felt very real
- the characters felt real, the author didn’t reveal their inner thoughts but managed to effectively show the reader what kind of people they were through their words, actions, facial expressions
- ended at the right place.
October 13, 2017
Good
I wasn't so sure about this until I started reading it couldn't put it down. Read it in one sitting, almost fell asleep but was determined to read through. Scarlett had perseverance and a will to survive on her terms. The virus or whatever it was certainly could have come from several possibilities but the author kept in up in the air
I wasn't so sure about this until I started reading it couldn't put it down. Read it in one sitting, almost fell asleep but was determined to read through. Scarlett had perseverance and a will to survive on her terms. The virus or whatever it was certainly could have come from several possibilities but the author kept in up in the air
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