A post apocalyptic quartet by Lindsay Fairleigh and Lindsay Pogue told through two narrators, lifelong friends Dani O'Connor and Zoe Cartwright.
The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began.
We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.
When people started getting sick, "they" thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family… they're all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—- with the rest of the world—- but I didn't. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I'd ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O'Connor, I'm twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.
The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now—broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.
We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamiliar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve. And more than anything, we have to find each other.
The series has four books:
- After the Ending
- Into the Fire
- Out of the Ashes
- Before the Dawn
The series provides examples of:
- All Your Powers Combined: Peter Wesley to some degree
- Animal Eye Spy: Dani, Annie. Male drifters to some point but animals mostly tolerate them grudgingly.
- Antimagic: Jason's Ability is to either boost or nullify other Abilities.
- Apocalypse How: The Virus wipes out about 90% of the world's population. The remaining 10% that survive either develop Abilities or become completely and violently insane.
- Apocalyptic Logistics: Everyone is very focused on having all the resources to weather the apocalypse.
- Aura Vision: Zoe it allows her to detect Dani's pregnancy very early.
- Bad Powers, Bad People: All the mind controllers are evil bastards and bitches. Same goes for the Eraser types.
- Depopulation Bomb: 90% of the population is wiped out within weeks.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The Great Transformation brings to mind the Final Solution. Something Jason points out to his mother Anna.
- Gentle Giant: Mase, pointed out by Camille, who has nicknamed him Giant. The men he once commanded were flabbergasted that he used to babysit.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: Poor Jake. Shot several times, the first times his attackers thought him dead, burned alive and stabbed and he still is around without a single scar to show for it.
- Guile Heroine: Zoe's ability is not useful in combat so she learns to fight and uses her wits to get around dangerous situations.
- Emotion Bomb: Dani twice. First time she had a mental breakdown and ended up knocking out everyone in the building. Second time was deliberate and more controlled.
- Emotional Powers: Zoe and Ky are sensor types. Chris is a regulator type.
- Extra-ore-dinary: Camille can control any type of metal.
- Living Lie Detector: Ben for the heroes. The truth guards for Herodson. At least one person in New Bodega.
- Mama Bear: Anna created the Virus for General Herodson in order to keep her children safe.
- A Million Is a Statistic: Try 6 billion.
- Personality Powers: Linguist Dani's Ability is tied around communication. Alpha male Jason can control the abilities of others. Introspective, curious Zoe senses emotions and sees memories. Kind, motherly Chris can regulate brain chemistry. Quick tempered Carlos generates electricity.
- Really Gets Around: Jason before falling for Dani. Cece is a fully blown nymphomaniac.
