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Return to Earth #0.5
The Time Before Now
More than fifty years have passed since “peak oil” has left the Earth without access to modern technology while great Cloud Cities for the rich float above the oceans.
On the ground below, Vivian Yates leaves Oklahoma on an epic 700-mile journey east to her ancestral home. Early on, she encounters Elizabeth, who preys on Vivian’s inexperience and naivety, luring her into a brief affair that ends in disaster. Betrayed and withdrawn, Vivian sets out again on her eastward trek. Along the way, she meets the beautiful, lighthearted Ida. Together they face obstacles both natural and manmade. Ida brings Vivian, wounded in both body and spirit, back to life. Destiny has thrown them into each other’s arms where they find not only love, but hope, trust, and forever.
On the ground below, Vivian Yates leaves Oklahoma on an epic 700-mile journey east to her ancestral home. Early on, she encounters Elizabeth, who preys on Vivian’s inexperience and naivety, luring her into a brief affair that ends in disaster. Betrayed and withdrawn, Vivian sets out again on her eastward trek. Along the way, she meets the beautiful, lighthearted Ida. Together they face obstacles both natural and manmade. Ida brings Vivian, wounded in both body and spirit, back to life. Destiny has thrown them into each other’s arms where they find not only love, but hope, trust, and forever.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2015
9 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Missouri Vaun
24 books144 followersMissouri Vaun is a two-time Golden Crown Literary Society award-winning lesbian romance writer published by Bold Strokes Books. FOREVER'S PROMISE is Vaun's latest, a historical romance. Wes dresses as a man for property rights. Will she risk it all for love?
Vaun spent a large part of her childhood in southern Mississippi, before attending high school in North Carolina and college in Tennessee. Strong connections to her roots in the rural South have been a grounding force throughout her life. Vaun spent twelve years finding her voice working as a journalist in places as disparate as Chicago, Atlanta and Jackson, Miss., all along filing away characters and their stories. Her novels are heartfelt, earthy; speak of loyalty and our responsibility to others.
She and her wife live in Northern California.
Vaun spent a large part of her childhood in southern Mississippi, before attending high school in North Carolina and college in Tennessee. Strong connections to her roots in the rural South have been a grounding force throughout her life. Vaun spent twelve years finding her voice working as a journalist in places as disparate as Chicago, Atlanta and Jackson, Miss., all along filing away characters and their stories. Her novels are heartfelt, earthy; speak of loyalty and our responsibility to others.
She and her wife live in Northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 26, 2018
This was quite a strange read in that it's set over a hundred years in the future but reads like a historical novel set in pioneer days. In this future world, the sea has absorbed most of the coastal cities, inland cities are crumbling monuments to the lack of care taken of the earth, people on earth have returned to a pre-industrial way of life where bartering is the currency and the wealthy minority of each nation have risen into the clouds on hydrogen power synthetic cities.
Vivian Wildfire Yates, who is part Cherokee, has undertaken a journey to return to the ancestral land her grandfather spoke of. On the way she works as a farm hand in exchange for food and board, replenishing her strength for a few weeks at a time. The road is not always safe but by foot is the only way she has to travel. Ida May George is returning home after caring for her dying mother.
This looks like it was written after All Things Rise to give Vivian and Ida their own story. It's essentially a romance set in the harshness of a land lacking any modern convenience. There is some tension and drama, and some really beautiful moments. There are also some things that stretched my suspension of disbelief like the concept of people instantly having a connection that binds them. In spite of the odd thing that bothered, I did enjoy it.
Vivian Wildfire Yates, who is part Cherokee, has undertaken a journey to return to the ancestral land her grandfather spoke of. On the way she works as a farm hand in exchange for food and board, replenishing her strength for a few weeks at a time. The road is not always safe but by foot is the only way she has to travel. Ida May George is returning home after caring for her dying mother.
This looks like it was written after All Things Rise to give Vivian and Ida their own story. It's essentially a romance set in the harshness of a land lacking any modern convenience. There is some tension and drama, and some really beautiful moments. There are also some things that stretched my suspension of disbelief like the concept of people instantly having a connection that binds them. In spite of the odd thing that bothered, I did enjoy it.
February 25, 2016
The Time Before Now is labeled as a FF&P (Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal -- I had to Google that :)) so I spent most of the book waiting for the FF&P stuff...that never actually happens. :( Which also means good news for lesbian romance lovers cause what this book really is, is a standard, slow-burn romance set amidst a road trip in the wild, wild (mid)west :).
Sometime in the 22nd century, Earth was hit by a triple whammy of the worst catastrophes: exhaustion of fossil fuels, an unfortunate tilt of the earth's axis that threw off weather patterns causing widespread famine and drought, and a killer flu epidemic that literally "wiped out whole communities". Amid the chaos, the elite of mankind ("the richest 1%") have snuck away to floating cities suspended high up in the sky, leaving the rest of the less fortunate folk stranded on poor old energy-depleted and mostly-barren earth. All that drama was covered in just a couple of paragraphs-worth of text though. And that's pretty much all the FF&P there is in the book.
The book's version of post-apocalyptic America is actually rather idyllic and not the dusty, chaotic Mad Max version. Probably because it's been a while since everything went to hell and things have simmered down? Or maybe because so many people died that there's now more resources to go around? cause there doesn't seem to be a mad scramble for that all-important water, or other life-sustaining resources. Anyway...
There is no longer any functioning formal government so it's a relative free-for-all. Small pockets of survivors here and there form small self-sufficient communities, farms, travelling merchants or marauding groups. No fossil fuels to burn means a return to a pre-Industrial, pre-electricity society almost exactly (and conveniently) like 17th century America. (Though it does beg the question, why didn't anyone think to use Steam Power? ;) but then of course, that would turn the book into a steampunk romance instead of FF&P. But I digress.) And this is where we find our protagonists Vivien and Ida. Each of them trying to survive the day-to-day hardships and dangers of life in the new world.
Vivien and Ida find themselves heading in the same destination, the Blue Mountains, which Ida calls home and where Vivien's Cherokee ancestors hail from. They travel together for protection and companionship. First attraction, and then deeper feelings start to develop along the way. But Vivien had just come off a really bad relationship and isn't ready to jump into another, especially one where the other party might be expecting more than a road-trip romance.
The slow-burn romance was done well. It'd better be, because the whole book depended on it. I liked how Vivien resolved her internal dilemma. It wasn't rushed (though it was a bit drawn out). A few brushes with danger and death helped out too. What I found wanting was that bit of drama towards the end
I would have liked to know more about the other side of this post-apocalyptic world. Like what is it like up there in the cloud cities? How is it powered? How do they sustain it? Don't they even care about what's happening down here? Are they ever coming back? Isn't any technology at all being developed in the cloud cities to take the place of fossil fuels? Maybe there was more info in the first two books of the series, but this is a prequel so I assumed I didn't have to read those first. I suppose if you're not too fastidious about these things, this book is perfectly fine as a stand-alone read.
Vivien and Ida's very distinct butch/femme dynamic and the whole road trip/western vibe reminded me of a popular lesfic favorite, Backwards to Oregon by Jae. If you enjoyed that, then this book is worth a try. The only difference is in the 22nd century, there is no more homophobia.
4 stars
ARC provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books
P.S. Is it just me or does the cover make the book look more like a graphic novel than a lesbian romance.
Sometime in the 22nd century, Earth was hit by a triple whammy of the worst catastrophes: exhaustion of fossil fuels, an unfortunate tilt of the earth's axis that threw off weather patterns causing widespread famine and drought, and a killer flu epidemic that literally "wiped out whole communities". Amid the chaos, the elite of mankind ("the richest 1%") have snuck away to floating cities suspended high up in the sky, leaving the rest of the less fortunate folk stranded on poor old energy-depleted and mostly-barren earth. All that drama was covered in just a couple of paragraphs-worth of text though. And that's pretty much all the FF&P there is in the book.
The book's version of post-apocalyptic America is actually rather idyllic and not the dusty, chaotic Mad Max version. Probably because it's been a while since everything went to hell and things have simmered down? Or maybe because so many people died that there's now more resources to go around? cause there doesn't seem to be a mad scramble for that all-important water, or other life-sustaining resources. Anyway...
There is no longer any functioning formal government so it's a relative free-for-all. Small pockets of survivors here and there form small self-sufficient communities, farms, travelling merchants or marauding groups. No fossil fuels to burn means a return to a pre-Industrial, pre-electricity society almost exactly (and conveniently) like 17th century America. (Though it does beg the question, why didn't anyone think to use Steam Power? ;) but then of course, that would turn the book into a steampunk romance instead of FF&P. But I digress.) And this is where we find our protagonists Vivien and Ida. Each of them trying to survive the day-to-day hardships and dangers of life in the new world.
Vivien and Ida find themselves heading in the same destination, the Blue Mountains, which Ida calls home and where Vivien's Cherokee ancestors hail from. They travel together for protection and companionship. First attraction, and then deeper feelings start to develop along the way. But Vivien had just come off a really bad relationship and isn't ready to jump into another, especially one where the other party might be expecting more than a road-trip romance.
The slow-burn romance was done well. It'd better be, because the whole book depended on it. I liked how Vivien resolved her internal dilemma. It wasn't rushed (though it was a bit drawn out). A few brushes with danger and death helped out too. What I found wanting was that bit of drama towards the end
I would have liked to know more about the other side of this post-apocalyptic world. Like what is it like up there in the cloud cities? How is it powered? How do they sustain it? Don't they even care about what's happening down here? Are they ever coming back? Isn't any technology at all being developed in the cloud cities to take the place of fossil fuels? Maybe there was more info in the first two books of the series, but this is a prequel so I assumed I didn't have to read those first. I suppose if you're not too fastidious about these things, this book is perfectly fine as a stand-alone read.
Vivien and Ida's very distinct butch/femme dynamic and the whole road trip/western vibe reminded me of a popular lesfic favorite, Backwards to Oregon by Jae. If you enjoyed that, then this book is worth a try. The only difference is in the 22nd century, there is no more homophobia.
4 stars
ARC provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books
P.S. Is it just me or does the cover make the book look more like a graphic novel than a lesbian romance.
February 6, 2017
Ah shesh. heh. - A) seconds (minutes, or whatever) before 'it' happened, an event before the end of the book, I had the thought that 'the way two lesbians would, in this world, get a kid . . .' would be x. Then, seemingly immediately after that thought, x occurred. mmphs; B) a 'touching' Cheerekee story is told - problem is that I've heard/read that story way too often while still feeling annoyed about what all occurred just there at the end of the book.
But that seemed to be a theme of the book. Tragic events occur - beginning, middle, end. Weird overly dramatic events. That don't impact me the way they probably should. Like - in the beginning of the book, Elizabeth (side character) and Vivian (main character) had an affair. There was a massive amount of foreshadowing - the kind where the character herself, Vivian, was telling herself that she was being stupid and then . . . she's horribly horribly betrayed when the worst happened. Which, sadly, can be realistic - no matter how you prepare yourself for something, an event can still deeply negatively impact you. Reasonable for the character. For me the reader? I was mostly 'meh' about the issue.
Reoccurring theme. As noted. People bouncing along and . . tragedy! Each. Bloody. Turn. I think there might have been a section missing, that I either accidentally missed, or wasn't in my book - when Vivian crossed the Mississippi river - because she arrived thinking that she had nothing to trade. She was waiting to cross on the ferry. Now we are miles away. Um, wha? And Vivian feels bad about what happened 'back there'. I mention this because that specific river crossing seemed to be the only occasion in the book wherein something 'tragic' didn't get slipped in. Every bloody step of the way - tragedy. mmphs. Unrelenting tragedy. That I mostly felt meh about pre-during-post occurrence. Weird - that.
Another weird thing was I figured I'd begin this review talking about other stories I'd read that were like this one here - the kind like S.M. Stirlings that showed 'us' (as in the readers world) go into a disaster event, and then over the course of the series reach one or more generations later - the generations that don't even 'know' how the 'prior' world was really like - the kind of world where people entertained kids by telling them stories - recreating movies in oral bard like ways. Or, stories more like this one here - wherein some event occurred, and we, the readers, are picking things up a century or more after the fact.
These kinds of books can be neat. And this one also was 'neat'. It was also . . . overly determined to have every bloody moment have a scene of tragic importance in it. mmphs.
Rating: 3.64
February 6 2017
But that seemed to be a theme of the book. Tragic events occur - beginning, middle, end. Weird overly dramatic events. That don't impact me the way they probably should. Like - in the beginning of the book, Elizabeth (side character) and Vivian (main character) had an affair. There was a massive amount of foreshadowing - the kind where the character herself, Vivian, was telling herself that she was being stupid and then . . . she's horribly horribly betrayed when the worst happened. Which, sadly, can be realistic - no matter how you prepare yourself for something, an event can still deeply negatively impact you. Reasonable for the character. For me the reader? I was mostly 'meh' about the issue.
Reoccurring theme. As noted. People bouncing along and . . tragedy! Each. Bloody. Turn. I think there might have been a section missing, that I either accidentally missed, or wasn't in my book - when Vivian crossed the Mississippi river - because she arrived thinking that she had nothing to trade. She was waiting to cross on the ferry. Now we are miles away. Um, wha? And Vivian feels bad about what happened 'back there'. I mention this because that specific river crossing seemed to be the only occasion in the book wherein something 'tragic' didn't get slipped in. Every bloody step of the way - tragedy. mmphs. Unrelenting tragedy. That I mostly felt meh about pre-during-post occurrence. Weird - that.
Another weird thing was I figured I'd begin this review talking about other stories I'd read that were like this one here - the kind like S.M. Stirlings that showed 'us' (as in the readers world) go into a disaster event, and then over the course of the series reach one or more generations later - the generations that don't even 'know' how the 'prior' world was really like - the kind of world where people entertained kids by telling them stories - recreating movies in oral bard like ways. Or, stories more like this one here - wherein some event occurred, and we, the readers, are picking things up a century or more after the fact.
These kinds of books can be neat. And this one also was 'neat'. It was also . . . overly determined to have every bloody moment have a scene of tragic importance in it. mmphs.
Rating: 3.64
February 6 2017
January 4, 2016
This is the author's best book yet. It features Ida and Vivian, Cole's aunts from All Things Rise, and how they get together. I loved Vivian. Like, big time loved her. And Ida is just sweet and wonderful. I'm so glad we got to see how they got together.
October 6, 2020
The concept for this book intrigued me: a time in the not so distant future where the world has run out of oil and society have gone back to basics. While the rich have moved to "cloud cities", the rest have to survive in a harsher climate. Folks have to live much as early pioneers did: farming, hunting, fishing. Medicine goes back to herbal preparations. Technology is no more. To be honest, if that day does come, I don't think I'll be able to survive. I don't have any survivalist skills having been an urban girl all my life. But, back to the book...
I like the relationship between Ida and Vivian. It's sweet and loving. But, I did expect more angst. Vivian started off the story being horribly hurt by a lover. Ida at the beginning has been traveling for a while and looking to get back home. I kinda get that they're meant for each other. They found and fell for each other pretty quickly. While there were bumps in their journey back to Ida's home, these were more external factors than internal. Maybe my expectations were skewed wrong, but it did not grab me as I thought it might. But, as mentioned, it's a lovely love story. Nothing wrong with that at all.
I like the relationship between Ida and Vivian. It's sweet and loving. But, I did expect more angst. Vivian started off the story being horribly hurt by a lover. Ida at the beginning has been traveling for a while and looking to get back home. I kinda get that they're meant for each other. They found and fell for each other pretty quickly. While there were bumps in their journey back to Ida's home, these were more external factors than internal. Maybe my expectations were skewed wrong, but it did not grab me as I thought it might. But, as mentioned, it's a lovely love story. Nothing wrong with that at all.
February 15, 2016
Thrilling adventure!
Oh my, what a journey! It was rough, full of obstacles, dangerous but also beautiful. Vivian has a hard life, has to endure a lot, struggling for survival. She has no home and no family. Meeting a complete stranger changed her life instantly. Patience, understanding, gentleness and a lot of love is all Vivian needed to break down her wall and her reward was awesome. Both main characters were vivid and imaginative. I enjoyed all the details during the journey, the setting and its history, all the excitement and revelations. The writing is of exceptional quality. It was thrilling, captivating, sad, tender and passionate. This is a book I will re-read over and over again.
Oh my, what a journey! It was rough, full of obstacles, dangerous but also beautiful. Vivian has a hard life, has to endure a lot, struggling for survival. She has no home and no family. Meeting a complete stranger changed her life instantly. Patience, understanding, gentleness and a lot of love is all Vivian needed to break down her wall and her reward was awesome. Both main characters were vivid and imaginative. I enjoyed all the details during the journey, the setting and its history, all the excitement and revelations. The writing is of exceptional quality. It was thrilling, captivating, sad, tender and passionate. This is a book I will re-read over and over again.
December 18, 2015
This book is part of the ‘Return to Earth’ series and features two magnificent women with strength and vision who not only survive on a kind of post-apocalyptic Earth, but thrive, flourish, and overcome a myriad of challenges and tests thrown at them by various elements and enemies during a 700-mile journey. They are both drawn to return to the Blue Mountains in North Georgia for different reasons, but both having equal provocation. This story, these people, and definitely this world during this time provide a clearly extraordinary journey and insight. Mesmerizing!
Ida May George has recently gone through some troubling times. She cared for her mother in the last year of her life and then accompanied her close friend Kate and her husband to southern Mississippi. After staying with her close friend and her husband for over a year, she is quite motivated to return to her home in the Blue Mountains. It is a dangerous trip but Ida assures Kate that she is not going alone. She tells Kate in a manner she feels sure will be very meaningful that she is attached to the Blue Mountains the way Kate is attached to the sea. Ida is a passionate, sensual, hardworking survivalist who can still be frightened to the bone. I found Ida extraordinarily multi-faceted, genuinely alive, and someone I would keep as close as possible. Divinely human!
Vivian Wildfire Yates experiences a searing and mind-boggling turn of events at a ranch where she works for food and shelter. Vivian had a sense she needed to move on to separate herself from this location, but she is still startled by the brutalizing event that rapidly has her leaving the ranch a tad sooner than she expected. Her goal to find the Blue Mountains that are sacred to the Cherokee along with the intense injury inflicted upon her link together provide a solid motivation and belief she will reach her goal. However, she finds that she underestimates, misinterprets, and takes a bit of a too narrow outlook upon the immensity of her task. Vivian faces burdens from injuries on her body and her mind that seemingly tangle her soul. I adore Vivian for the bold and passionate way she decides to accomplish her goals, relates to friends and loved ones, and feels for her inner Cherokee history. In my opinion, she adds a tremendous viewpoint and energy to the ‘Return to Earth’ series that lifts the overall stories and all she encounters to a truly noble level. It elevates this collection to a unique status. Admirably awesome!
I certainly recommend the ‘Return to Earth’ series, with ‘Time Before Now’ providing some impressive concepts and characters that I inarguably adore. It would be deliciously splendid if this series has not reached its conclusion. I await more books with heightened anticipation!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Ida May George has recently gone through some troubling times. She cared for her mother in the last year of her life and then accompanied her close friend Kate and her husband to southern Mississippi. After staying with her close friend and her husband for over a year, she is quite motivated to return to her home in the Blue Mountains. It is a dangerous trip but Ida assures Kate that she is not going alone. She tells Kate in a manner she feels sure will be very meaningful that she is attached to the Blue Mountains the way Kate is attached to the sea. Ida is a passionate, sensual, hardworking survivalist who can still be frightened to the bone. I found Ida extraordinarily multi-faceted, genuinely alive, and someone I would keep as close as possible. Divinely human!
Vivian Wildfire Yates experiences a searing and mind-boggling turn of events at a ranch where she works for food and shelter. Vivian had a sense she needed to move on to separate herself from this location, but she is still startled by the brutalizing event that rapidly has her leaving the ranch a tad sooner than she expected. Her goal to find the Blue Mountains that are sacred to the Cherokee along with the intense injury inflicted upon her link together provide a solid motivation and belief she will reach her goal. However, she finds that she underestimates, misinterprets, and takes a bit of a too narrow outlook upon the immensity of her task. Vivian faces burdens from injuries on her body and her mind that seemingly tangle her soul. I adore Vivian for the bold and passionate way she decides to accomplish her goals, relates to friends and loved ones, and feels for her inner Cherokee history. In my opinion, she adds a tremendous viewpoint and energy to the ‘Return to Earth’ series that lifts the overall stories and all she encounters to a truly noble level. It elevates this collection to a unique status. Admirably awesome!
I certainly recommend the ‘Return to Earth’ series, with ‘Time Before Now’ providing some impressive concepts and characters that I inarguably adore. It would be deliciously splendid if this series has not reached its conclusion. I await more books with heightened anticipation!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
November 23, 2015
Warning. Do not start to read this book if you expect to get anything else done in a day. I started this book last night and absolutely could not put it down. Great story, wonderful characters. This is a prequel to Missouri Vaun's earlier book "All Things Rise". It's the story of how Ida and Vivien met and fell in love. They are the women who raised Cole, the main character from ATR. If you enjoyed All Things Rise, you will love this one as well.
December 12, 2015
I liked the premise as that is where our nation is headed if we do not stop our rape of this planet. I didn't care much for the development of the story in that it was kinda thrown together just to tell a story. Sometimes what is on the dresser and stuck in the frame of a mirror is just as important in creating ambiance as the characters themselves. To me the book felt rushed to spit out the story of the characters without giving much thought to background. I basically skimmed the book to the end to find out what happened to Vivian and Ida.
August 13, 2021
This story is one I will read over and over
That is probably the best way to describe how this story made me feel. Usually I just read a story and forget it (that’s partially the fault of my crap memory) but this one I’ll remember and re-read. This is only my third Missouri Vaun book but there will be many more, of that I am certain. Thank you for the great work.
That is probably the best way to describe how this story made me feel. Usually I just read a story and forget it (that’s partially the fault of my crap memory) but this one I’ll remember and re-read. This is only my third Missouri Vaun book but there will be many more, of that I am certain. Thank you for the great work.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews