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Aftermath  By  cover art

Aftermath

By: LeVar Burton
Narrated by: LeVar Burton
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Publisher's summary

The acclaimed actor’s shockingly prescient novel of speculative fiction “presents a near-future United States torn apart by civil war and deep racial strife” (Tampa Bay Times). For the first time ever, available as an audiobook read by the author.

America today is teetering on the edge of the alarming vision presented in LeVar Burton’s debut novel, written more than two decades ago....

In 2012, the first African American president is assassinated by a White extremist - just four days after he is elected. The horrific tragedy leads to riots, financial collapse, and ultimately, a full-on civil war. In its aftermath, millions are left homeless as famine and disease spread throughout the country.

But from Chicago, a mysterious voice cries out....

To Leon Crane, a former NASA scientist now struggling to survive on the streets, the pleas he hears remind him of the wife he could not save - and offer him a chance at redemption.

To Jacob Fire Cloud, a revered Lakota medicine man, the voice is a sign that the White Buffalo Woman has returned to unite all the races in peace and prosperity.

And to little Amy Ladue, the cries are those of her mother, who disappeared during the devastating St. Louis earthquake - and who must still be alive.

These three strangers will be drawn together to rescue someone they have never met, a woman who holds the key to a new future for humanity - one remarkably brimming with hope.

“LeVar Burton brings a strong new voice to science fiction with this powerful, even disturbing, novel.” (Ben Bova, New York Times best-selling author)

“An amazingly good first novel.” (Rocky Mountain News)

“I highly recommend this book!” (Whoopi Goldberg)

©1997 LeVar Burton (P)2021 Hachette Audio

Featured Article: The Best Black Audiobook Narrators to Listen to Right Now


A skilled performer has the ability to take the written word to new heights, infusing an author’s work with empathy, warmth, and excitement. And representation matters just as much for audio as it does for any visual medium: listeners should feel and hear themselves in art driven by powerful performers and authentic deliveries. We’ve gathered a few of the best Black audiobook narrators in the business and their can't-miss performances.

What listeners say about Aftermath

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  • Overall
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Scary, frightful, and engaging.

Just a glimmer of hope in a vast expanse of darkness.

I could not stop listening to this story.

I hated that it didn’t continue on.

I wanted to know more about how humanity works out in the future.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Dear Mr. Burton

Il love you. But this was a children's book for adults. Big disappointment. Hope the future brings you all good things

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15 people found this helpful

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I can't believe it...

This book was published in the 90's and I'm only hearing about it now. I've always been a fan of LeVar Burton because I grew up with Star Trek Next Gen and Reading Rainbow. This Audiobook combined many elements I loved from both of those and added so much more. The fact that this was speculative fiction written more than 2 decades ago and is still so relevant is both devastating and breathtaking. It's a brilliant story. It's entertaining and also eye-opening and I'm so happy I finally got the chance to experience it. I'm also thrilled to have hours of one of my favorite narrators handy for when my soul needs healing.

But don't take my word for it 😉

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12 people found this helpful

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Great narration can't overcome poor writing.

First let me say, that I admire Levar as a hero. His importance can't be overstated. That said, I REALLY tried to give this book a chance, but after five chapters, the plot feels more directionless than page one. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say the story has been 95% exposition. Most of which feels like unnecessary information. Mr.Burton's narration kept me wanting to know more but I do not believe this book would have been published without his name behind it.

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10 people found this helpful

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Burton + Sci-Fi = audio gold!

I listened to the abridged version of AFTERMATH many years ago and was thrilled to find out that the unabridged recording is now available. This is an entertaining listen narrated by a real pro. Highly recommend.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Burton can READ!

I LOVE listening to Levar Burton read . . . but even his excellent narration can’t quite bring the clunky writing in this story up to where it could be. I liked the premise of the book and it had its good moments, but Mr Burton needs to practice his writing skills quite a bit more before they will approach his narrating level.

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9 people found this helpful

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A head of it's time

Unbelievable narration! LaVar brought me back to reading Rainbow. Good storyline and very engaging. He should definitely make this a series.

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6 people found this helpful

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Satisfying

A beautiful voice from childhood and a story ahead of it's time. I love LeVar Burton. His voice is an awesome blast from the past. His story is tragically on point with the racial issues of our world though he manages to emphasize racial equality into an amazing plot.

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5 people found this helpful

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Visionary or Prophetic

It’s simply amazing that Levar wrote this book almost a quarter of the century ago; with things happening in this country right now; I could see things playing out like this; will this country survive the coming shaking?

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Love LeVar...not this book

I couldn't finish it. it was all over the place , with 5 different stories going on at the same time. although I was curious as to how they all would end up connected, I couldn't hang in there to find out.

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2 people found this helpful