Godspeed, Cedar Key (Michael Presley Bobbitt's Cedar Key Trilogy) - Softcover

Bobbitt, Michael Presley

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798218360849

Publisher: Aphroditois Books, 2024

Synopsis

An anti-dystopian saga of community, survival, and the tides of history *** Critically acclaimed · Award-winning series ***

The story

In a flash of light, the old world is gone forever. But on a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico, 300 people refuse to go gently into the dark.

Cedar Key, Florida. A chilly February morning. The smokestacks across the bay vanish in a microsecond of piercing light — and just like that, the world as we knew it ends. No broadcasts. No rescue. No cavalry. Only gray skies closing in overhead, and an island community that must now survive as their ancestors did: by the sea, by their hands, and by each other.

This isn't another post-apocalyptic story about the collapse of civilization. It's a story about what endures. Spanning 25 years and three centuries of Cedar Key oral history, the trilogy follows islanders who bury their loved ones in the morning and plant spring vegetables in the afternoon — battling mainland invaders, hurricanes, disease, and the slow dread of silence from the wider world, all while holding fast to community as their only true survival tool.

The trilogy Book 1 Godspeed, Cedar Key

The debut novel. The old world ends in a flash — and Cedar Key's 300 survivors must rebuild from scratch, guided by the ghosts of their forebears.

Book 2 Forever, Cedar Key

A standalone sequel. War arrives on the horizon in a fleet of sailing ships, reopening a dark chapter from the island's past — inexorable as the tides.

Book 3 The Republic of Cedar Key

Twenty-five years on. Old heroes. A new threat claiming to be the U.S. government. One island's final choice: submit or resist.

Why readers can't put it down

• Set on a real Florida island — Cedar Key's geography, history, and culture are woven into every page, making the world feel lived-in and true
• An anti-dystopian vision — not a story of collapse, but of resilience; characters are defined by what they build, not what they lose
• Multi-generational depth — 180+ years of island oral history echo through the new world, giving every survival decision the weight of legacy
• Each book works as a standalone — ideal for readers new to the series or catching up before Book 3
• Lyrical, deceptively rich prose — Kirkus praises its "kaleidoscopic perspective"; Goodreads readers call it "one of the best post-apocalyptic novels I've read"
• Written by a playwright — dialogue crackles, characters breathe, and the island itself becomes a character

Perfect for fans of Alas, Babylon, Station Eleven, One Second After, The Dog Stars, A Land Remembered, community-driven survival fiction About Michael Presley Bobbitt

Off-Broadway playwright, novelist, and working clam farmer — Bobbitt lives on Cedar Key itself, in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's coast. His plays have sold out NYC venues and toured regionally. The Cedar Key Trilogy is his debut fiction series, and every page carries the authority of someone who knows this island not as a setting, but as home.

Editorial praise

"The straightforward prose is deceptively rich, drawing readers into a world where adversity is met with unwavering strength and unity."

— Editorial review, Cedar Key Trilogy

Edition details

• Publisher: Aphroditois Books
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798218360849
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 333