I Am Reading: After by Pádraig Kenny
| Illustrated by: | Steve McCarthy |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Walker Books |
| Publish date: | 06 March 2025 |
Jen and her Father have an awkward relationship. She's rebellious, interested, impulsive. He's protective, cautious, and constantly referring to his "Complete Guide To Parenting" book. They could be an ordinary daughter and dad, but this isn't an ordinary world – this world has collapsed, technologically and ecologically. Hardly anyone has survived, and those who do have to be constantly on their guard.
So when Jen and Father find a commune of people determined to build a new, safe space, it feels like what they've always wanted. But it doesn't take long for secrets to come out. Secrets about how exactly the world ended. Secrets about Father himself. And before long, Jen is going to have to make a choice…
After is a rattling sci-fi adventure. The characters of Jen and Father jump off the page, and you can absolutely see their world. Kenny goes fairly light on post-apocalyptic horror, preferring to tell a story of the ones trying to rebuild. There are some lovely atmospheric moments, some clever mysteries, and a twist reveal that I certainly didn't see coming!
Of course, it's not the only book to discuss humans and robots at war… But I really enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences between this and my own book, Adam-2. After is a shorter, snappier story, very easy to read with cool chapter art by Steve McCarthy, but many of the themes are the same – those of hope, forgiveness, and what it means to be a person.
It's a cracking adventure story told with good humour and strong ideas, and like the best sci-fi, it asks questions that matter, not in some distant world, but right here, and right now.