After the End: The Rebirth

Preface

When Richard Owen, in 1842, gave the name dinosaurs for those creatures found all over the world, after ancient times, maybe he didn’t imagine how popular they would become through the decades, created an intense literature and cinematographic works, products that kids love and wish. For him, probably, they were just animals, antediluvian monsters, beast extinct for a long time. Or maybe he saw them like the Chinese saw: dragons, whose bones and teeth were randomly found, smashed and used for a variety of medications.

Not knowing what is questioned and proven about dinosaurs, the world has placed them belonging to the dragons, or side by side with them. And the fascination has reached the apex with Jurassic Park, the movie that revolutionized the especial effects and created a passionate generation for those animals and, consequently, paleontology. We started to follow closely or with more interest the researches, documentaries about dinosaurs has become more abundant, the children had fun with cartoons of The Land Before Time and wanted the toys that represents them.

I, for example, grew up fascinated for everything involving dinosaurs. Movies, series, cartoons, miniatures, cards, anything that presents those creatures. It was them that made me a writer. I wanted to write about them, read about them, and know about them.

That’s why, when Samuel Cardeal told me about the idea for this tale you’re about to read, all of this came in mind. It wasn’t a text of someone who knew the difference between a Mosasaurs and a Crocodilian or that is wrong to call an Apatosaurus by a Brontosaurus. It was a text from someone who was not familiar with these details that I learned reading and ended up accumulating in the knowledge chest. And that is interesting. Because it becomes something genuine. It was more about a socialist utopic society, but with dinosaurs. Not a lot of problems, it could be a Dinosaurs episode, a series that made a lot of success and I loved.

I like Samuel writing. It’s because he is my friend, but because it is something authentic, no appealing, and no disguises. He has the right hand for criticism and humor, joking without being rude. And After the End: The Rebirth has it, but more to the criticism side than the humor. It is a slap in the face. A really strong one, by the matter of fact. Just like we saw the dinosaurs like terrible and enormous lizard monsters, with cold blood and irrationals, without any sensitivity, the human characters of the tale see the creatures that hunts mercilessly as a food source. And, just like the scientist nowadays started to accept the idea of reptiles with feathers, colored and hot blood, the protagonist is going to review his preconceptions.

I helped on the edition of these material, I advised to potentialize and prolong the social critics. And has dinosaurs, damn it! And them... well... you need to read! Just like I said, it’s a beautiful episode of Dinosaurs.

Alec Silva

I

Year 3572.

The military expedition 836 departed from the continent heading the creatures’ territories.

My name is Rangel Connor, I was euphoric. It was my first mission after my military school graduation. My father has participated in dozens of expeditions like this, and I was expecting to fulfill my old man with pride because