Despite its premise of a deadly (90+% fatal) and fast-acting (3 hrs) virus pandemic, this is ultimately a hopeful if sobering book. It follows believable and engaging survivors 20 years post-pandemic as they piece together a life in which nobody under 20 has ever seen electricity or a moving automobile. In this changed world many things remain: Ethical questions persist, beauty can be found in surprising places, violence requires vigilance and willingness to defend oneself, friendships thicken and love interests rise and fall, bullies and prophets prey on the vulnerable, children ask profound questions ... and a Traveling Symphony of musicians and actors circle the shores of the Great Lakes performing for small settlements by candlelight. The caravans in which they transport scenery, instruments and costumes scavenged from ruins are inscribed with the motto "Because Survival is Insufficient," which these Shakespearean actors claim to have cheerfully lifted from Star Trek. Life feels precious.