Review | Lorelai, You'll Never Die by Laura Konrad

Lorelai, You'll Never Die

by Laura Konrad

My Rating: 

Lorelai is a woman with many stories to tell. 

She was just a promiscuous secretary at the county evidence locker. But all that changed with the apocalypse. 

She found herself alone and wandering the country in search of something, she just wasn’t sure what. She came across many different types of people along the way, some freaks and some who were just like her, trying to survive. Her adventures forced her to adapt in ways she never thought she could, made her feel in ways she never thought she would. 

In the apocalypse you either learn to adapt or you die…

I received a copy of Lorelai, You'll Never Die from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I was really pleased to receive a copy of this for review, because Laura is a writing friend of mine. Over the years I've seen her grow and flourish as a writer, and when it comes to writing science fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Laura has her very own shelf in the science fiction section in years to come.

This isn't a book about saving the world, this is a book about surviving when the world would rather you didn't. We're not told all the details about why the world is the way it is, but we're given enough information to piece it together and, in all honesty, it doesn't matter. How society crumbled isn't important, but how Lorelai is going to get through it is.

I actually really loved that this isn't a story about inciting a rebellion and saving the world and starting again; this isn't the world's story, it's Lorelai's, and I think following one woman on a quest to the west feels more genuine than any story to revive society. It's such a simple idea, to follow one person from the east to the west, but it's pulled off wonderfully, and the adventures Lorelai has on the way mean her life's certainly never boring.

It was also fantastic to see a heroine who is completely unashamed of her sexual appetite. Lorelai likes sex, and the apocalypse hasn't changed that - why should it? 

I did find some sections at the beginning of the book a little jarring; there was a lot more jumping around between various people, so much so that I wondered if I'd misread the blurb and this was actually a collection of short stories, but soon it settled into something a lot more coherent, and that's when I really began to enjoy the book. Some of Laura's descriptions are just beautiful; she has a real talent for writing post-apocalyptic settings.

I would have liked to have seen a few more women as the majority of survivors Lorelai encountered were men, but I did love her relationship with fellow survivor Beattie, who is a little cutie.

Lorelai, You'll Never Die is both bleak and hopeful. Laura isn't afraid to write about some of the worst kinds of human beings, but it's impossible to feel completely hopeless with a heroine like Lorelai at the centre.

If you like post-apocalyptic fiction then I recommend checking this out, and I can't wait to see what Laura comes up with next!