This was unexpectedly excellent. I stumbled across it here on netgalley, and found one of my new favorite authors. I'm glad I didn't miss out.

while i did dnf this particular title, i believe that so many people out there will love it. i do love space operas but i couldnt finish this one :)

I received this book as an eARC from Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

William Butcher just died...but now he and his fellow reanimated corpses are off on a mission to spy on an alien species...and potentially stop a war between them and humanity.

The very first thing that drew me into this book was the unique story to it! There was so much worldbuilding to learn about AfterLife and the reanimates that I was sucked into it right away. It's certainly not every day that you see an undead space opera. Stories in this genre can often feel repetitive, but that certainly wasn't the case with this crew of undead!

The further I got into this book, the more I enjoyed the characters. At first, there was a lot going on and it felt a bit overwhelming to try to connect with the characters while learning so much about the reanimates. But as the story went on, I started to really connect with them and become invested in their stories. It wasn't just about the action of a space war, but it was about the intrigue of learning something precious about the characters and really finding pieces of myself in them.

If you're a fan of space operas, this book is definitely the unique twist you need!

You can't escape the rat race, even when you die.

William Butcher, hero has it all. Having survived an horrific planetary battle he is the posterboy for the Navy, with his textbook good looks , mortgage with the AfterLife corporation, well-disguised PTSD and a belief that the resurrected are mindless drones. But on the eve of his engagement he is brutally murdered by an undead waiter. When he wakes, he is shocked to find he is a high-functioning "reanimate", and reassigned to a spaceship crewed by the dead. From the quirky bio-engineer who names her succulents and does guerilla graffiti on the ship to the navigator with a chip on his shoulder over WIlliam's role in the battle. the cool, calm commanding officer, or the "old one" coming to the end of her life after 600 years, William needs their help to adjust to Life after Death, and unravel the secrets surrounding his survival.

I love a good off-the-wall space opera, and this ticks all the boxes. While it does have a slow start, setting the scene and explaining the whole concept of "2nd life", it does ramp up significantly when the crew are sent on their mission into unknown territory. It's a story I could easily see adapted to the screen, and I love the twist that the undead aren't actually mindless zombies, they're wage slaves like the living.

But.. what happens next? Don't leave us in suspense like that!

~~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~~

Thank you to MegaBunny Productions and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

While I am not the biggest sci-fi reader out there, here was a hook I just couldn’t say no to. The idea that you cannot escape capitalism even in death? Sold. Yes please, love it. And as a backdrop, it works. A lot of fun was clearly had by the authors, figuring out just what it means to be a space zombie, and what the space zombies can and cannot do. Good world building backs it all up, and makes for an overall pretty interesting universe that is easy to follow and picture in your head as you go. The themes both present and teased are also among some of the best the genre has to offer, in my opinion.

However, there are, more than anything else, pacing issues. It takes a good half of the book before any plot other than “main character adjusting to undeadness” shows up, and even when things do begin to go down, it’s on the slower side. This isn’t typically a problem so long as the character development then delivers, but that too could have done with some fine-tuning. It’s there, but it could definitely have done more, especially because some pretty good stuff gets hinted at. The most obvious answer here is “first book, new series” syndrome, because this is competently written on the whole, but seems to spread itself too thin. A decent bit of intrigue is left open to carry over into the next one, and I do feel like this, as a series, could become great. The probably worst thing here is some awkward jokes that don’t really land, but humour is subjective and everything else is honestly fine. Not amazing, but perfectly fine.

This would probably go down well with fans of space operas, as I feel like it lands that particular tone quite well, and if you’re a sci-fi fan craving something new from your world-building, well, this definitely fits the bill. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on where this goes.

AfterLife: An Undead Space Opera isn't your normal sci-fi title. First off, the main characters are dead. Well not exactly dead, but on their 2nd life as workers to repay the company for cash that they needed in life 1.o. Our hero was an actual hero -- depending on the perspective -- in his first life, but it's possible that he was murdered because of that heroism, by someone with an opposing view. ok, back up. In this world there a way to raise quick cash, just take out a mortgage on your 2nd life! What's a few years of working for the corporation?

But if your sister had medical bills and then died anyway and your father mortgaged himself to where the loans stopped and his body was mangled beyond reanimation ... then the debt falls to the only heir, William Butcher. But William had his whole life (the 1st one) ahead of him. He was waiting nervously to propose to the love of his life when everything changed. He wakes to find that he owes the corporation 87 years of his 2nd life and he has no idea what he's in for,.

The Space Opera has a Serenity feel and we travel with the survey crew to find out what the other sentient beings in the universe are up to. Fast read that left me wanting more, which is good since this is the first volume of a new series that continues with reanimate sage still to come.

My only complaint was that it ended rather abruptly, but finding out that the series will continue explains why. Book 2 will likely begin soon after this ended. I can't wait for book 2.

I thought this was a highly original book. However I did struggle to connect with it, and found it to be too slow for me. I really wanted to enjoy it more, but just didn't. I hope other readers enjoy it more.

AfterLife was my first real read through on NetGalley. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at what a find this one was. I'm typically more of a reader of fantasy stories but have been mixing in some science fiction here and there. This was an excellent break to throw into the mix. I really enjoyed the story over all. I absolutely love the characters of the Tilly. Their development from the start to the end was so much fun to read! I am hoping this isn't the end of this adventure as I've love to see where things go from here.

The only real issue I had was the amount of typos spread throughout the book. Now seeing as this is on NetGalley and is marked for publishing in less than a week at this point, perhaps this is fairly common. I just wanted to point this out in case the author or publisher might want to keep this in mind with future projects leading up to publication. Might be a chance to improve that step of the process.

This was a very good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The idea of continuing one's life after their death is very intriguing and I think the authors handled it very well.
The story and the characters were all very well done as was the world building. You can tell a lot of thought went into this intricate world that juggles the walking dead and the living and alien species.
I enjoyed the back story of William and how conflicted he was even in death.
The supporting characters were also fun.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next one.
My only gripes are the typos throughout the book. They are minor but there are quite a few and that adds up. The book is well written and none of the typos are deal breakers but I think it should be mentioned.

In a future where humans have colonized space and have developed relations with another species, death is not the end. AfterLife hands out mortgages in exchange for a person’s “2nd life”. William Butcher, after being murdered, is reanimated and employed by AfterLife to work as a pilot with a survey crew, Tilly. Soon, the Tilly is sent out on a very important mission on which the safety of humanity might depend. However, Butcher seems to be hated by almost everyone in the undead world. And there might be some things that AfterLife has been hiding.

The concept of the reanimates is very original and refreshing. And we have a great cast of characters and very well fleshed-out relations. They span a spectrum of sexualities and races. Our main character suffers from intense PTSD and anxiety. However, it is really not my place to comment about how accurately this representation was carried out. The story made me appreciate my ability to feel emotions, even the negative ones, opportunities and little things in life that we tend to take for granted.

The characters, however, could have been given more personality. Apart from a few, the cast is just there in the background. The plot is not very original, but the underlying concept of the reanimates makes it feel fresh. The action does not pick up until the second half of the book, which might make the first half seem a bit slow, but that was necessary, in my opinion, to get to know the characters and the world.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I found it hard to get through the slow half of the book but the attachment to the characters and the curiosity of what would happen next kept me going.

This is hard science fiction and suitable for seasoned science fiction readers. If you love space operas, this is one that is definitely worth checking out. I, personally, took some time to grasp somethings but it did not, by any means, kill the enjoyment. I will definitely get to the sequel someday.

5 stars, Forget everything you've ever learned about zombies

AFTERLIFE: AN UNDEAD SPACE OPERA book 1
By BL Craig

Forget everything you've ever learned about zombies. This novel takes it to a whole new level.

William Butcher has been thwarted at love. Now, he's dead and employed as a pilot (once a pilot, always a pilot) for the mega AFTERLIFE CORPORATION. He has no control over his body at this point. He has to follow Afterlife's rules and instructions. The entire crew on the spaceship he's on is undead.

Veritably original, highly recommend it.

Thanks a million to #netgalley #blcraig for the complimentary copy of #afterlifeanundeadspaceopera I was under no obligation to post a review.

AfterLIfe: An Undead Space Opera
The Reanimate Saga Book 1
by BL Craig
BooksGoSocial

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this unique and terrific book! I was so thrilled with it! One of the best books I have read this year!

This is an excellent space opera novel with encounters with alien life. But the big difference is that the soldiers are dead! Well, reanimated really but dead, or 1st dead. In the future, when someone dies, if they have a loan, they work off their loan in the AfterLife Program. It's a company that reanimated people. You don't eat, barely sleep, they provide Elixer via a port in your arm to keep your body maintenance going. Chips in your brain for some programming. They like having pilots. It's funny how many pilots with loan die....

Our main character is a pilot, dies-murdered, his name is William. We follow him through the process of being undead. He was hailed a hero, when he was alive, by killing the enemy but losing drones. (Drones are very low functioning undead.) Humans thought he was a hero. But it was all a lie!

He is assigned with undead that think he is a murderer and a spy. But he is not. None of it is true. He wants them to know the truth but how? Plus, they are back into the war where it all happened and he suffers from PTSD. Yes, A walking corpse with PTSD!

Very exciting, emotional, unique, action packed, thoughtful, and very humane in an unhuman world! Loved it! Can't wait for a book 2! Science fiction lovers, grab this book!

Dying while owing money from a loan will land you a spot in the AfterLife program where you will either be a reanimated mindless drone or a special A type that died with a useful skill. 1st life needs help with a possible evasion from space elves but the military has lain dormant for so long that they are no longer useful. A plan is made to use a crew of the reanimated dead for their disposability and have them do reconnaissance to find out what the enemy is planning.

Fans of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War will instantly fall in love with this book. Full of likeable characters and space fights and trying to stick it to the company. I’m looking forward to the next book in this trilogy.

While looking up information about the author, I was surprised to learn B.L. Craig are not only a married couple, but they are also extremely awesome. Seriously, look up their website.

William Butcher is Dead . . . but there's still work to do.

Forever removed from the love of his life and the future they planned to build, the young navy pilot must now spend the remainder of his existence in service to the leviathan AfterLIfe Corporation.

With a crew of fellow reanimates, William is sent on a secret mission into alien space. Their job, to determine if a rival species plans to invade a vulnerable Earth colony. It is a journey that will challenge the very heart of what it means to be human.

William will have to decide where his allegiance lies. Is it with the living he left behind or the dead whose fates are bound together?

With the secrets AfterLife has hidden from the living and the dead for centuries unravelling, William and the rest of the undead have to survive long enough to stop a galactic war.

The only certainty for the dead is that the end is only the beginning. To be honest this isn’t my usual read. This has been a read filled with tension and suspense and I have been completely hooked. I have adored the way this has been written and fully engaged in this novel.