Author to Author: Book Review :: Lissa Bryan's The End Of All Things

After a terrible virus ravages the planet, Carly Daniels, one of the few survivors, hides in her apartment in Juneau trying to survive the best she can with only occasional forays to gather food. With her is Sam, a wolf puppy she found starving on the streets. He becomes her companion and a reason to continue when giving up sometimes seems like the more attractive option. Still dazed with shock and grief, she hopes for the world to go back to normal soon.

She is discovered by Justin, an ex-soldier who is intent on making his way to Florida before the winter sets in. Justin coaxes her out of her hiding place and convinces her to join him on his journey, because a warmer climate will be their best chance against the extremes of Mother Nature.

Together, they begin a perilous journey through a nation laid to waste by the disaster. Challenges abound along the way. The weather, injury, and shortage of supplies all help to slow them down. In time, they discover that they aren’t the only survivors. Some are friendly but some have had their minds destroyed by the high fever. Then there are those who simply take what they want, leaving Carly and Justin with no choice but to defend what is theirs.

But their journey is not without joy and love. Together, they face every struggle, including an unplanned pregnancy. Despite the perils of bringing a child into a world of chaos, their baby is a new beginning for themselves and a symbol of hope for the other survivors they find along the way.

This is the story of their journey to find a place to begin a new life, and a home in each other.

I’ve been reading a lot of dystopian novels lately. With the world in the state it is in today, it’s easy to see how this society can quickly end up in an “Apocalyptic” type scenario. For me, it’s more realistic than many of the other types of genres I like to read, yet fantasy at the same time.

That being said, it is very hard to pull off a well thought out plot line that is both believable and logical in reality, yet has that aspect of fantasy that keeps the readers guessing at what will happen next. Lissa Bryan’s The End Of All Things has this key aspect and has nailed it down perfectly. More importantly, I can actually picture myself in the same scenario as the characters, which is paramount to making any dystopian novel plausible.

I truly enjoyed this novel. In fact, I couldn’t put it down! Every page left me wanting to find out what happened next. I’ve been a big fan of Lissa’s for a while now, but this story let me see a new side of her imagination that left me wanting more.

Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete's foot.... though only in her head. Real life isn't so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.

Her first novel, Ghostwriter was released October 11, 2012, and her second, The End of All Things, was released on January 24, 2013. Her third, tentatively titled Daughter of the Wind and Waves is scheduled for spring of 2014.

For more information, visit http://lissabryan.blogspot.com/