the dead and the gone Reviews

• An amazing companion novel to LAWKI

  
  By A1MBVYTT6LLK8M on 2008-05-09
  I had the privilege to get an advanced reading copy and here is my review.
  
  Last year I read Life As We Knew It by the same author of this wonderful book. You can find the review for that book here. I enjoyed Life As We Knew It so much that when I heard about there being a companion book I jumped with joy. Being a companion book also means you don't have to have read Life As We Knew It to know what is going on. The Dead & the Gone is a completely separate story.
  The Dead & the Gone uses the same premise as Life As We Knew It, but takes place in a vastly different environment that creates some truly gruesome challenges for the main characters. Before we were in Pennsylvania away from large bodies of water, away from large cities, and away from practically all the major problems of an urban sprawl. The Dead & the Gone, however, is the exact opposite, taking place in New York City. An asteroid has struck the moon, pushing it into a closer orbit around the Earth and thrusting the Morales family into a grueling struggle for survival. With Alex's parents gone and presumed dead, he has to learn to take care of his younger sisters while keeping his faith in God. But New York City is not an easy place to live in when the electricity rarely works, fuel for stoves is in short supply, and a bitter winter caused by increased volcanic activity thrusts them into extreme cold, famine, and an epidemic.
  Once again I feel that Susan has done a fantastic job bringing forward a truly powerful and realistic story about survival. The only thing SF about this story, again, is the impact on the moon, but the world we're presented is a modern world.
  The strongest element in this companion novel is a religious element. In Life As We Knew It religion wasn't really a big deal, and in some ways it wasn't even part of the story. For The Dead & the Gone religion is practically everything. Alex is a catholic going to a catholic private school in a family of catholics. He's devout, his younger sister Bri is devout, and his youngest sister is religious, though not nearly as much as her siblings. This has to be stressed in my review because this story is partially a test of faith. How does one hold on to a belief in God when everything around you is falling apart and your prayers aren't being answered? When people start committing suicide or dying on the street and nobody bothers to pick them up and tkae them elsewhere for days, weeks, even months, how do you deal with that belief in God? Even though Alex never does lose his faith, he does battle with doubts and feelings that he feels may be sinful. He must do things that he wouldn't normally do and doesn't feel comfortable doing (such as taking the clothes and personal items off dead bodies in the street to barter for food or stealing from abandoned apartments to do the same).
  Alex is a strong character and a character you can't help looking up to. He's charged with taking care of his two sisters practically by himself. Unlike in Life As We Knew It, everything quickly turns to darkness as food becomes incredibly scarce and the bitter winters set in with no way to heat up an apartment that, by default, has no fireplace (I think the quickness of this was somewhat intentional to pull away from the longer feel of the previous book). He has to battle with the decisions he makes every day as he does everything he can just to keep his family alive. It's harsh, it's real, and it's frightening to imagine that anyone would have to go through this. Would any of us survive?
  There are some significant diversions beyond location from the previous book. In The Dead & the Gone we see the main character, Alex, get the flu, and have to follow him through the ordeal since he is the central character and the only character whose mind we get into. Susan does a marvelous job presenting a twisted, delusional view through the eyes of someone stricken with illness. The prose becomes disorienting just as the character descends into a myriad of hallucinations and merging of reality and bizarre fantasy. The 'diary' format carries over from the previous book, but here things are split up by day, but the entries are not diary entries, but standard prose entries, which diverges somewhat from the really internal feel and presents more of the grim reality of a New York City fallen from grace.
  There are two flaws. The first is the ending, which does leave a little to be desired. Alex has such a hard time getting his sisters out of NYC, but in the end we're led to believe that they must have gotten out. I found myself actually questioning that. What if that plan hadn't worked? What if things failed? Could they be dead now? Perhaps that is what is wanted, and if so, good job, because I'm wondering. To be honest, though, this flaw wasn't that big of a deal. I still loved the book. The other flaw with the book is that for those that have read Life As We Knew It, there isn't a lot of surprise. You know what is going to happen with the moon, you know some of the things that will happen (food shortages, dead, and disease). Granted, some things are different and the way certain elements come into play differ from the first book, but they are the same in a lot of ways. The book, however, is still engaging and certainly a great read. Despite it being 'predictable' in the way I mentioned, it does leave twists and turns you wouldn't expect. People die suddenly and without warning; reliable sources of food suddenly dry up; and illness takes hold.
  Regardless, this is one of my favorite books of 2008 already. I fell in love with Life As We Knew It almost instantly, and it was the same here. This book is put together so well that I found myself on the edge of my metaphorical seat (I lay in bed and read). I regret to say that I had to put down the book at one point when something happened that upset me. I mean this in a good way though. Very few books get me so engaged that when someone dies or something bad happens it actually has an effect on me. I think part of me was just upset about what had happened, but I won't ruin that for you, because it would take away the surprise. The pacing is perfect and the dates on the different sections are a great marker of time to keep you in the know. I sincerely hope that Susan continues writing these quasi-SF stories, these real life stories with a slight SF twist.
  
  

• I should have reread her other book

  
  By A8GR4PH5NW96V on 2008-06-11
  I really wanted to enjoy this book. But it as if Ms. Pfeffer wrote this as a rebuttal to the critics who blasted her other book for portraying religion and the U.S. government in a bad light.
  
  There were so many problems, too many characters that were oddly unreal, I could cry it was so bad.
  
  For starters, Alex, over and over, ad nauseum reaffirms his dedication to protecting his little sisters, Bri and Julie. Bri is unfailingly polite, positive and devout. She's a combo of Pollyanna and the Flying Nun. So sweet and self sacrificing that she doesn't seem human.
  
  Julie alternates between whining and slamming doors and Alex spends most of his time trying to ignore her, but even that comes off false, because you never get a real feel for the relationship between them or if they can ever really band together to survive.
  
  Then, there's Kevin. A friend bequethed to Alex by a popular, rich, white boy at the exclusive boy's school Alex attends. Kevin, with no real reason, waits in lines for food (which he doesn't need) and shows Alex how to strip corpses (about the only real part in the book).
  
  Alex and his sisters just about starve because they can't break into any of the apartments for food. Hello? His dad was the super, he would have keys to every apartment. At the least a crowbar and a sledgehammer would have worked if you were desperate enough.
  
  I just feel tired an annoyed after reading this. I am not sure how this book could go so wrong. Her first book was fantastic! I loved every moment, felt afraid for the characters and cried when those I liked suffered.
  
  Oh, well, I guess every author has a bum book. Ms. Pfeffer's last book was so inspired that I think I will check out her other books in spite of this latest offering.
  
  
  
  

• Should NOT have paid money for the hardback!

  
  By A84EA5GYW4KF on 2008-06-30
  I LOVED Life As We Knew It! I found the characters and the day-to-day struggles and solutions compelling, the details of the physical changes of the earth fascinating, and I really enjoyed the overall positive energy of the story. So I was so excited to see this companion novel come out, but this is NOT the same kind of book at all. The whole moon-event and the subsequent earth reactions are barely mentioned and just glossed over. The tone is SO negative and, frankly, boring. The characters don't read like real people at all, and the content was just so very...Catholic! Too much! I found it very annoying and rather unbelievable. Too bad. It could have been so much better.
  
  

• a chilling portrayal of survival

  
  By A2BJ9I0BQ1LH5S on 2008-07-01
  I read Susan Beth Pfeffer's "The Year Without Michael" quite some time ago, and I remember it being a haunting, if vaguely disturbing story that has no real conclusion. Having read "Life as We Knew It" and its sequel, "The Dead and Gone," I have to say that that seems to be her forte: writing about characters in a slice of time that are dealing with unimaginable events. There's no happy ending to these stories, it's just a brief moment in their lives that show how they cope. In other words, it's a lot like real life.
  
  "The Dead and the Gone" follows 17-year-old Alex in the aftermath of a crazy astronomical event. The moon has been hit by an asteroid that knocks it out of orbit, affecting the tides, the atmosphere, and pretty much the entire environmental balance of the Earth. Alex takes on the responsibility of caring for his two younger teenage sisters while coping with the uncertainty of his parents' fates, food supplies, and the future.
  
  While this could probably be a standalone book, it's more of a compliment to the previous novel set in this future, "Life as We Knew It." Pfeffer assumes you've read the previous book and doesn't set up the moon/asteroid event like she does in the first book. This gives "The Dead and the Gone" a faster-paced feeling, as it starts off with a bang (literally!) and the dramatic events keep unfolding.
  
  The characters in this book are vastly different than the first, which some reviewers don't seem to like. But to me it makes sense - the author is exploring how a worldwide event is affecting people from all walks of life. The "Life as We Knew It" characters aren't especially religious, but Pfeffer chose to sketch a Puerto Rican family that takes faith very seriously in "The Dead and the Gone." Obviously, the world is made up of people from all sorts of backgrounds - so why shouldn't the author take on different types of characters? It might have been interesting if she had chosen to write about characters in another country, instead of basing her two books in the United States. But my overall point is, I think Pfeffer made a great decision in exploring how the same event would affect people with a different worldview.
  
  If you're looking for a happy ending, these are not the books you want to read. They're more character studies in a short period of time, but there is no real conclusion. There's hope at the end, but the story's not really "finished" - kind of like real life.
  
  

• Read Life As We Knew It first!

  
  By A1EGX5ZGIGSV2D on 2008-06-24
  Because if you don't read it first...you may not want to read it at all after reading this one. I wouldn't say that this book was BAD per say...I just agree with the other reviewer who said that this book seems like a rebuttal. You have these kids who are willing to starve instead of break into any of the apartments in the 12 story building to see if there's food or other useful items. Which just seemed so ridiculous to me...they're that religious and that hell bent on doing the right thing? But the older brother takes things off dead bodies..and bodies that aren't quite dead?
  
  I liked the look at life in a big city during this disaster but I didn't care about the characters themselves. I wouldn't have cared if all three children had died, to be perfectly honest.
  
  I hope she writes another book in this 'universe' she's created. I would like to see what happens next. Both books take us from the time it happens until about 7 months later. I want to know what's going on a year after it all happen, or two years. I want to go back and take a look at the lives of the characters from the first book, see what they're doing a couple of years down the road.
  
  Anyway, if you read this one first and think when you're finished that Life As We Knew It isn't worth your time, think again. The characters are more fully developed, they're more endearing, their struggles are a lot more real and all in all, it's an A while this one is lucky to pull a C rating from me.
  
  
• The sci-fi is more beleive able the the religious overtones.
  By A2PMD2ZQW3K003 on 2008-07-06
  The sci-fi aspects of this book are interesting and the ramifications raise many valid avenues for discussion. What is not believeable are the religous aspects of the teen involved. Has the author met an American teenager recently? All of the teens I know are brighter, tougher, and much more pragmatic than the characters presented in this book. Okay, they still love their drama and don't always make great decisions, but they aren't dropping to their knees to pray over every problem they face. Anyone giving this book a 5 star rating is either working for the publisher or is a member of the authors family. NO TEEN would ever rate this book above 2 stars!
  
  
• Not on par with "Life as we knew it"
  By A3H698WL63TZDJ on 2008-07-02
  "Life as we knew it" was so thoughtful and interesting I wanted to explore more with the author on this same theme. This particular book had a lot of holes that made it hard to engage in the story and really wasn't about the same thing. It's almost like the author was asked to write a sequel and complied but her heart was really in telling another story, perhaps one about faith.
  
  That said, I did feel compelled to read it to the end though I was mad at myself for buying it in hardback.
  
  
• a good follow up novel
  By A169X52VCJ1TZC on 2008-06-10
  I really enjoyed Life as We knew it. I could easily identify with the characters. I did not identify with the characters in the DATG as much. Still, I enjoyed the book and would easily purchase a third book in the series.
  
  
• An intense look at the possible future...
  By A3QMA1U2R6WUEB on 2008-06-07
  I was excited when I heard that this book was coming out, having read "Life As We Knew It" which I absolutely loved. However, this is a companion book and NOT a sequel. If you haven't read the first book, you don't really have to (but may WANT TO after reading this one).
  
  Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales and his family live in New York City. His mom has started a new job at the hospital, his older brother Carlos has gone off to the Marines, and his father is in Puerto Rico for a funeral. Alex and his two younger sisters are alone at home when it happens: the moon is hit by an asteroid, which knocks it out of it's normal orbit. The moon rolls closer to the Earth, And that is where the story really takes off.
  
  Sure, the moon may not seem very important. At least that's what Alex thinks at first. But when the tsunamis hit and the Statue of Liberty is washed away, readers know that things aren't going to get better any time soon. It's one disaster after another and Alex needs to take care of himself, as well as his two younger sisters, who depend on him.
  
  If you want a book that will really make you think long after you put it down, you will need a copy of this book. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, food shortages, and epidemics: this book has it all. If a disaster hit, would you be prepared?
  
  
• Enchanting YA Review: The Dead and The Gone
  By ATODJJ17CL103 on 2008-07-04
  THE DEAD AND THE GONE
  SUSAN BETH PFEFFER
  
  Rating: 5 Enchantments
  
  Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales worries whether or not he'd be senior class president or if he'll get a scholarship to Georgetown. But all these concerns fade on the fateful day a meteor hits the moon. Life as he knows it will never be the same.
  
  Alex is left to take care of his two younger sisters while trying to survive. New York City is no longer the bustling city he remembers. Corpses and rats line the streets. The only thing that still seems normal is St. Vincent de Paul, his Catholic school, where the kindness of the priests helps him survive day by day. If the severe climate changes don't kill him, then staying in NYC will. Will the faith of his sister Bri be enough for them or will Alex have to prove to himself that he has the strength to help not only himself but his sisters to survive as well?
  
  I loved this story. I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. Ms. Pfeffer does an excellent job describing the horrors Alex and his sisters face once the meteor hits. Not knowing the fate of either of his parents, Alex calls the hotline and makes an appointment to check bodies at the Yankee Stadium. This scene haunted me.
  
  I loved the depiction of the priests and nuns and how they looked out for the students under their care; also how Alex learns how to look beyond his own concerns and help not just himself but his family. Alex's struggles and fears were very realistic. Who knows what others would do in a similar situation?
  
  Alex's strength and courage stayed with me long after I finished this tale.
  
  I'd highly recommend this book. Also I recommend the first book, Life As We Knew It.
  
  Kim
  Enchanting Reviews
  
  
• Depressing & unfulfilling
  By A33P34HWPSKYOE on 2008-10-05
  We read this book together as a family - two adults and one 11-year old. We anticipated at some point there would be an uplifting moment, but even the ending, though somewhat positive, was a real "downer". I would never recommend this book to anyone, especially those who might have depressing thoughts about life. There is so much death in this book it could give you nightmares. I will tell the librarian that she should read the books before recommending them.
  
  
• Spellbinding companion to Life As We Knew It
  By A19V607BTRLHIW on 2008-08-16
  This is a companion book to "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer. A meteor has hit the moon, knocking it out of orbit and as a result, chaos reigns in earth. Major weather disturbances...tidal waves, earthquakes, volcanos, etc. have caused havoc. All systems are down... communications, utilities, agriculture, etc. In this story, three young Puerto-American teens living in New York City must learn to survive on their own when both parents are unable to get back home after the crisis. This is a survival, dystopic kind of book, written for teens. At the same time the children are figuring out how to survive, they are also going through the usual struggles of adolesence...who am I? I'm not good enough? What will my future be? This book and it's companion, Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer are compelling and hard to put down. A must-read for teens and adults alike!
  
  
• Enjoyable Read with some problems
  By A2W6SI073FIRMA on 2008-08-21
  The Dead and the Gone
  The Dead and the Gone is a very interesting concept. A young boy, named Alex, lives a normal life in New York. He works at a Pizza shop and goes to an all-Christian male school called Vincent De Paul. One day while working there is a large commotion outside and chaos seems to have taken some people over. It turns out that something crashed into the moon and caused it to fall out of orbit, and closer to the earth. The puts more gravitational force on the earth and causes many problems over a long period of time.
  
  Alex doesn't seem concerned at the time. He goes home and attends to his two sisters, Bri and Julie. His mother is has been called to the hospital that she works at, and his father is in Puerto Rico attending a funeral. Alex has a brother named Carlos, but he is in the Marines. They are all alone and the world is falling apart.
  
  Most of the book is based around them surviving. The world is rapidly changing and they have to adapt to it. Tides are rising and could overflow into New York. Volcanoes are erupting all over the world causing the sky to turn black. The darkened sky produces freezing weather, even in the summer. Food is becoming scarce and they begin only eating once a day, and it is only a spoonful of beans or something similar.
  
  The other portion of the book is them living their daily life. This is the part I do not like. Within 6 pages of the book, the Moon has been hit. From there Alex and his family just go about their business. They go to school, church, and go through their daily routine. They constantly try to convince you the world is falling apart, but not that much anarchy occurs in Alex's life until the near end of the book. The characters never make it feel like their lives are threatened that much.
  
  Alex is extremely religious too. He seems to pray every other line in this book. He is also Puerto Rican, so he speaks in Spanish while saying things every now and then. This is annoying to someone like me who doesn't speak Spanish. The religious Spanish speaking kid just came off to me as too fake.
  
  The story does get very good in the last 50 or so pages. I felt like it was a worthwhile book. The author seems to use the words said, replied, and other generic endings for what her characters are saying. Still, I felt like this was a worthwhile book, despite being a little bland through some of the book.
  
  
• another book that I couldn't put down
  By A3OGZK869BX4M2 on 2008-08-22
  While this novel is about the same events as was Life As We Knew It, The Dead and the Gone is a much different book. It is darker, scarier, and feels more real. Even though I really enjoyed the first one, I have to say that I think this companion is even better. Even though it is a lot more haunting and troubling, I think it follows more closely what would actually happen if something like this did occur in real life. Something I really liked about this book that wasn't present in the first one is Pfeffer's discussion of class. The Morales family lived in an apartment building that the father maintained, but because Alex had received some sort of scholarship (I think), he went to a private Catholic high school, so the majority of his friends had plenty of money. Therefore, many of the people he knew had no problem getting out of New York (it was stated quite explicitly that money and connections can get you anywhere), while Alex and his sisters were forced to stay behind. Class differences aren't often mentioned in fiction, and I definitely think that if this nightmare were to happen in real life, class differences would make a HUGE difference in whether you lived or died. So it was nice to see Pfeffer recognize something like that.
  
  Another blogger mentioned that he/she (can't remember who it was...) felt that the overall premise of these two books was somewhat lacking because if this were to happen in real life, most likely some scientist somewhere would have predicted that an asteroid hitting the moon would have consequences for the earth, and precautions would have been taken before the catastrophe could occur. I do think that blogger is correct, so I was somewhat bugged by that while reading this book, but I forced myself not to think about it and just focus on the story. Awesome story, somewhat shaky premise, excellent writing, great characters... overall a really solid book, one that I'm happy to recommend.
  
  
• A Decent Companion Novel!
  By A34T6SD5HUGLCJ on 2008-08-25
  After seeing the reviews on Amazon I was a bit worried about ordering this novel as I was worried that I would be sorely dissapointed with the successor to the amazing "Life As We Knew It." However I was still in that world so I wanted to stay in it so-to-speak so I decided to go ahead and order the companion novel and see what I thought.
  
  Thank goodness I was not put off by the nay-sayers because this novel is a decent read and should not be missed by people that truely liked the first book. This book takes the darker route of the story and I believe that is what many people were put off by.
  
  This novel takes place in New York City where massive flooding occured after the asteriod hit the moon. Alex and his two younger sisters must figure out a way to survive in the midst of the flooding, the looting and the dwindling rations as they wait at home hoping that one of their parents eventually show up. As faith dwindles that either of them is alive, Alex must make some tough decisions to make sure that what family is left will survive to tell future generations about what happened.
  
  Although this tale is MUCH darker and depressing than its predecessor, there is not always roses and sugar in the real world. I was really glad to read what happened where things were worse than in rural PA in this fictional world. This story isn't without hope though and there is always a rainbow (albeit maybe not a bright one) to be seen throughout the story.
  
  

• Life As We Knew It
• The Hunger Games
• Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3)
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox
• Inkdeath (Inkheart)