So You Survived the End of the World: 3
Written by K.C. Cordell
One thing I truly appreciate in a book series is when later books try something different from what came before. Most series will continue with the themes and storytelling style from their earlier entries, providing the reader exactly what they expect. Where the previous book in K.C. Cordell’s So You Survived the End of the World series moved to a longer format (you can read my thoughts about 1 here and 2 here), it felt like a refinement of the first book. With a more personal story, different narrative device, less rapid fire humour and a slightly different style of prose, So You Survived the End of the World: 3 isn’t quite a reinvention of the formula, but for better and worse, it offers something that wasn’t quite as expected.
The above isn’t to say I knew exactly what to expect from the latest entry in the series. I expected more humour from the return to this post-apocalyptic world, to which it largely delivered; and I hoped for the book to explore Sebastian’s character with a little more depth, which it did in far more detail than I expected. So You Survived the End of the World: 3 took me by surprise from the beginning, opting for a different literary device and featuring prose with a more subtle sense of humour than the previous entries. Even Sebastian’s obsession with music—which up until now has been a major element—is downplayed.
Coming in at 173 pages in paperback (also the estimated length on your eReader), So You Survived the End of the World: 3 is twenty pages longer than 2. With novels, this doesn’t represent a large increase, but given the length of these books, that twenty pages equates to an additional two chapters. And it’s 109 pages longer than the original novelette. Where 2 feels as though it’s a little long for the story being told, 3’s length feels more appropriate. The novella features more moving parts than either of the previous books, as it tells the story of Sebastian, his sidekick, Meza, and the creature, Buddy (whose pronoun, according to the prose, is it), embark on a heist. It’s an entertaining plot that moves at a swift pace.
Like many a heist movie, So You Survived the End of the World: 3 tells much of the story out of chronological order, a device I assume Cordell is paying homage to. In doing so, it drops Sebastian and co into the thick of the action, right in the middle of one of their misadventures. With some references to past events the reader hasn’t yet experienced, it builds a sense of mystery. But while I generally enjoy stories told out of chronological order as they dare the reader to put the pieces together before it slowly reveals all, after the opening scene, the book doesn’t do much with the device. It jumps around and adds an element of confusion, particularly in the first chapter with long winded—albeit amusing—introductions placing the scene within a sequence of events. Perhaps if there was less jumping back and forth, it would have felt more natural, but as it is, I found the device grows stale after a while.
The prose also strikes a different tone to the first two books. While it is still infused with the humour that serves as the series hallmark, it is more understated, particularly as the story progresses. Where attitude permeated the prose in the first two books, So You Survived the End of the World: 3 features less of it, which serves the book well. However, the prose also feels less deliberate than the previous entries. For example, it sometimes conflates similarities and juxtaposition, resulting in the occasional sentence that doesn’t make grammatical sense. The book also includes more adult language than the earlier stories. Not of the sweary variety, but in its descriptions of acts—particularly violence—as well as words that younger readers mightn’t know.
The more grown up language ties in with more adult subject matter. So You Survived the End of the World: 3 is still a young adult book; however, it might be a little too adult for the particularly young readers of the genre. There is less of a focus on the creatures, and more on people, and the evils that we perpetrate. Sebastian must also reckon with his past as the book’s events bring these to haunt him.
Although So You Survived the End of the World: 3’s subject matter is more mature than the previous books, Sebastian feels younger. While he reads more like an eighteen-year-old than in the previous books, the way he is portrayed here feels inconsistent with them. While he still regularly spouts one-liners, they are less acerbic and cutting than before. 2 managed to make him more likeable without reducing his acerbic nature, but in many ways, he feels like a different character. He is an easier character to feel for this time, which helps sell the emotion the book brings. Once again, Meza is a great character, who is delightful to read at every moment. The book sidelines her at various points which is a shame, but also in service to the story. It’s great to see Buddy return, and it feeling like the third amigo. The book also introduces Skull Crusher, another hugely fun character. Her interactions with Sebastian provide some of the book’s most humorous moments.
Like 1 and 2, So You Survived the End of the World: 3 stands perfectly on its own, and is easy for new readers to follow. It ensures readers can understand what is happening, without spoiling past events, or making them feel as though they’re missing any of the story. As the series progresses, however, it rewards readers who have been reading since the beginning.
Of all the books in the series, I am most conflicted about So You Survived the End of the World: 3. I appreciate the maturity it brings to the series, in both its tone and its characters’ interactions, even though the protagonist feels different. While mixing up the narrative device is a pleasant surprise, it doesn’t work as well as it could, and while the prose is more understated, it isn’t as refined as those earlier books. I’ll be interested to see where the author takes the series next, and I truly have no idea of what to expect.
Favourite Passage
“Am I supposed to know what a Share Bear is?”
“All the cool kids do.” Sebastian shrugs and returns his attention to the huge structure sitting on the horizon. “I’ll let you figure out what it means that you don’t.”
To be fair, he might be the only person in the entire broken world who knows anything about Care Bears. Nobody spends as much time as he does surfing the data streams of the past, fishing up old shows, movies, books, and—of course—music.
This encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture from centuries long past is sure to come in handy as they attempt today’s impossible task of sneaking into an enormous, dicey bandit stronghold. If anyone has an appreciation for long-dead pop culture, it’ll be the cutthroats packed into the den of iniquity below.
So You Survived the End of the World: 3, Chapter 1
So You Survived the End of the World: 3 was provided by BookSirens for the purpose of an honest review.
So You Survived the End of the World: 3 is available in paperback eBook from retailers, including—but not limited to—Amazon.
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So You Survived the End of the World: 3
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