In this second book of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Last Survivor Trilogy, we are brought back to the start of the cataclysmic events of her first novel Life as We Knew It. However, in this book the story is told from the point of view of Alex Morales, a seventeen year old Hispanic boy living with his family in New York City. Alex is a driven young man who has always put his schooling and family first. When the moon is hit by an asteroid and moved closer to the earth, the resulting tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and weather disturbances change his priorities forever. Alex quickly finds himself responsible for the survival of his two younger sisters in a world that no longer has things like electricity and food at the ready. Having read the first book of the series I was already familiar with the novel’s back story, but this in no way took away from Alex’s tale and how engaging it was to read. I enjoyed the different perspective of a male character deep with faith in Catholicism in the middle of a large city to compare to the first book’s female character, Miranda, of little faith in a rural setting. However, this book could easily stand on its own and be gripping and enjoyable.
If you read both books make sure you pick up the final book in the series, The World We Live In, where Miranda and Alex meet and the remainder of their stories are told.