I hadn't actually intended to read this - at least not so soon after the first one - but I discovered I couldn't stop thinking about the series, so I figured I might as well.Despite taking place more or less over the same period of time as Life As We Know It, The Dead and the Gone is very different both in atmosphere and in the way the characters respond to the disaster. LAWKI was an epistolary novel, this is a third person narrative. I definitely preferred the epistolary style, but think Susan Pfeffer still did a good job at making the reader feel for the main characters - but of course the happenings can never be as shocking when you know what to expect. I think that might also be why I never got to care as much for Alex, Bri and Julie as I did for Miranda and her family. Still, it's a fascinating book, and I'll definitely be following the series with interest.