Afterworlds

Scott Westerfeld

Darcy has written a novel, a first novel, which took her a single month. She’s been taken on by a publishing company, and now she needs to do the re-writes on the book, and face writer’s block. At the same time, the reader has the story that Darcy is rewriting to read, and be fascinated by.

Afterworlds was a dream to read. I felt equally compelled to read by both stories, and I couldn’t put it down after the first quarter. Although I’ve just said I enjoyed both stories, it was Lizzie’s that counted for me. While Darcy lives it up, Lizzie is really living. Which perhaps is the way this was meant to go and be interpreted.Darcy shows the real story of young authors trying to get a break. Her new friends are doing the same thing. I wish Westerfeld would write Gen’s novel as well. He certainly has the knack for writing a brilliant beginning.

I’ve read other novels by this author, but none recently. I first picked up ‘Uglies’ and it was as good as an intro gets. This novel is more obviously gripping and based in reality. I’d like to say Scott is a pioneer of the dystopian/paranormal, or at least real teen books of interest.

For an author who splits time between Australia and the USA, I’d love to know why he set it in the States. I guess because more people would find Manhattan accessible. I feel like I’ve written a lot about my perspectives on the author, and little about what I felt about the book.

I did love the writing though. Everything! Please go and read it. Something I really enjoyed was how romance seemed to creep up on Darcy inexplicably, when she wasn’t writing. Or perhaps because she was writing.Something that goes with me was what Darcy says about writing. Sit down, and write a couple of pages every day, and at the end of it you’ll have a novel. Isn’t it every writers nightmare to stare at a blank screen?

I received this novel in return for a honest review. All opinions and ideas are my own.