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Forever, Cedar Key
Forever, Cedar Key is the standalone follow-up to the critically acclaimed Godspeed, Cedar Key, described by Kirkus reviews as, “A propulsive, character-driven post-apocalyptic ride… a brutal tale of survival with a refreshingly kaleidoscopic perspective.”
A year has passed since the old world ended in a terrible flash. The fires burning around the world have flickered out. Just as the tiny island of Cedar Key is settling into a new way of living, a figure from its past arrives on the horizon commanding a fleet of sailing ships. A dark chapter from Cedar Key's history is reopened in the devastated world of the present and now war is coming, inexorable as the tides.
In 1998, Isaac Skipjack’s father was killed for stealing clams from other clam farmers. 17-year-old Isaac was left to fend for himself. He is taken in by a prominent waterman on Cedar Key, who becomes a surrogate father to the boy. When Isaac learns this surrogate was potentially involved in his real father’s death, he leaves the island, hurt and vengeful. Two decades later, after the great experiment of humanity failed when nuclear blasts irradiated horizons around the world, Isaac, now a Senior Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard, leads a crew of survivors in a search for a home away from the nuclear devastation. When Isaac learns that his former island home has largely survived the blasts, he leads the young Coasties in his care toward Cedar Key, toward the unresolved hurt and betrayals he left behind there, toward a life and death collision with the islanders and the the ghosts of his past.
Forever, Cedar Key is not another end of the world story; it is a despite the end of the world story, a deep-dive character-driven exploration of loss and redemption, community, and the extended families we make for ourselves as a defense against the brutality of the world.
In Cedar Key, the end of the world is just the beginning...
A year has passed since the old world ended in a terrible flash. The fires burning around the world have flickered out. Just as the tiny island of Cedar Key is settling into a new way of living, a figure from its past arrives on the horizon commanding a fleet of sailing ships. A dark chapter from Cedar Key's history is reopened in the devastated world of the present and now war is coming, inexorable as the tides.
In 1998, Isaac Skipjack’s father was killed for stealing clams from other clam farmers. 17-year-old Isaac was left to fend for himself. He is taken in by a prominent waterman on Cedar Key, who becomes a surrogate father to the boy. When Isaac learns this surrogate was potentially involved in his real father’s death, he leaves the island, hurt and vengeful. Two decades later, after the great experiment of humanity failed when nuclear blasts irradiated horizons around the world, Isaac, now a Senior Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard, leads a crew of survivors in a search for a home away from the nuclear devastation. When Isaac learns that his former island home has largely survived the blasts, he leads the young Coasties in his care toward Cedar Key, toward the unresolved hurt and betrayals he left behind there, toward a life and death collision with the islanders and the the ghosts of his past.
Forever, Cedar Key is not another end of the world story; it is a despite the end of the world story, a deep-dive character-driven exploration of loss and redemption, community, and the extended families we make for ourselves as a defense against the brutality of the world.
In Cedar Key, the end of the world is just the beginning...
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2025
16 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Michael Presley Bobbitt
3 books22 followersMichael Presley Bobbitt is an off-Broadway playwright, novelist, and clam farmer living on a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.
His play, "Sunset Village," about the underground drug and sex culture of the world's largest retirement community, debuted in NYC in 2017 and has had multiple sold-out regional productions thereafter. 2019's "Florida Man" played Off-Broadway on 42nd Street before beginning its regional run. Other notable plays include, "Trailer Park Elegy", "Cedar Key", "Return to Sunset Village", and "Where the Rivers Meet".
"Godspeed, Cedar Key" is Michael's debut novel. The follow-up, "Forever, Cedar Key" was released in 2025. The conclusion to the Cedar Key Triology is set for release in March of 2026.
His play, "Sunset Village," about the underground drug and sex culture of the world's largest retirement community, debuted in NYC in 2017 and has had multiple sold-out regional productions thereafter. 2019's "Florida Man" played Off-Broadway on 42nd Street before beginning its regional run. Other notable plays include, "Trailer Park Elegy", "Cedar Key", "Return to Sunset Village", and "Where the Rivers Meet".
"Godspeed, Cedar Key" is Michael's debut novel. The follow-up, "Forever, Cedar Key" was released in 2025. The conclusion to the Cedar Key Triology is set for release in March of 2026.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 30, 2025
Forever, Cedar Key is a post-apocalyptic tale grounded in the small coastal town of Cedar Key, Florida, after a catastrophic nuclear event. It picks up after the events of Bobbitt’s earlier novel, Godspeed, Cedar Key, following a close-knit community that clings to survival and tradition in a crumbling world. The story centers on the return of the Colonel, an aging Marine pilot who has flown a dangerous mission to scout what remains of the outside world. His crash landing stirs up the fragile peace of a town rebuilt on hope, shrimp boils, and stubbornness. The book weaves together themes of love, loyalty, and what it means to fight for something that matters, all told through the lives of the residents who refuse to let their home slip into history.
The writing is raw, earnest, and deeply human. Bobbitt doesn’t pretty things up. He writes like someone who has felt loss in his bones and joy in the quiet moments between chaos. There’s something magnetic in the way he captures the rhythm of life on a broken island—tides still rising and falling, people still falling in love. The prose dances between lyrical and plainspoken. It’s a book that doesn’t try to impress with big vocabulary or flashy metaphors. Instead, it punches you in the gut with a well-placed line or a tender silence. I found myself slowing down to savor certain passages, then speeding up in anxious anticipation when tension crept in like a thunderstorm.
The ideas in the book are as weighty as they are timely. Bobbitt has something to say about leadership, community, and what we’re left with when the world we know falls apart. What struck me most was how the town of Cedar Key, while fictionalized, felt so real—like a place I could drive to, where I might meet someone like Luke or Kinsey or the Colonel at the pier. It’s clear Bobbitt loves this town and its people. And that love is infectious. The story also made me think about how fragile our comfort really is, and how grit and grace often rise up in the ruins.
Forever, Cedar Key is for readers who want more than action or spectacle in their end-of-the-world stories. This one’s for folks who care about characters, who enjoy sitting with hard questions, and who understand that healing is just as important as surviving. I’d recommend it to anyone who has ever felt rooted to a place, or who needs a reminder that even after the smoke clears, life has a way of blooming again.
The writing is raw, earnest, and deeply human. Bobbitt doesn’t pretty things up. He writes like someone who has felt loss in his bones and joy in the quiet moments between chaos. There’s something magnetic in the way he captures the rhythm of life on a broken island—tides still rising and falling, people still falling in love. The prose dances between lyrical and plainspoken. It’s a book that doesn’t try to impress with big vocabulary or flashy metaphors. Instead, it punches you in the gut with a well-placed line or a tender silence. I found myself slowing down to savor certain passages, then speeding up in anxious anticipation when tension crept in like a thunderstorm.
The ideas in the book are as weighty as they are timely. Bobbitt has something to say about leadership, community, and what we’re left with when the world we know falls apart. What struck me most was how the town of Cedar Key, while fictionalized, felt so real—like a place I could drive to, where I might meet someone like Luke or Kinsey or the Colonel at the pier. It’s clear Bobbitt loves this town and its people. And that love is infectious. The story also made me think about how fragile our comfort really is, and how grit and grace often rise up in the ruins.
Forever, Cedar Key is for readers who want more than action or spectacle in their end-of-the-world stories. This one’s for folks who care about characters, who enjoy sitting with hard questions, and who understand that healing is just as important as surviving. I’d recommend it to anyone who has ever felt rooted to a place, or who needs a reminder that even after the smoke clears, life has a way of blooming again.
June 13, 2025
Michael Presley Bobbitt does it again! "Forever Cedar Key" is a sequel that will delight fans. A gripping story told with style. I headed down to Cedar Key from Jacksonville for the book launch. Hundreds filled a historic hotel courtyard. All excited to read about small town Florida. Quite the achievement for any author! But it makes sense. Michael knows Florida is fun. Florida is funny. But it isn't a joke. The result is a beautiful novel with heart. A novel that respects a sparsely populated area and its people. Something that only comes with authenticity. With a writer that loves a place and its people.
August 2, 2025
Cedar key 2 book series
Excellent apocalypse book, so refreshing compared to so many such books with the same old stuff. The prose was delightful. The characters had depth and life. Thoroughly enjoyed every paragraph whereas I often skim thru a lesser book to arrive at end.
Excellent apocalypse book, so refreshing compared to so many such books with the same old stuff. The prose was delightful. The characters had depth and life. Thoroughly enjoyed every paragraph whereas I often skim thru a lesser book to arrive at end.
November 4, 2025
I liked this book better than the first and it was good. Got emotional, got happy and got sad. Characters were perfect for the story. The history was very good. Loved it MPB.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews