Scan barcode
civil6512's review against another edition
4.0
[b: Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse|1705697|Wastelands Stories of the Apocalypse|John Joseph Adams|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391343189s/1705697.jpg|2661660] is a collection of short stories, all having in common that they happen after the world as we know it has ceased to exist. The reason of the apocalypse is stated in some of them, and left unmentioned in others, and goes from the typical nuclear holocaust to some deadly virus.
I enjoyed most of the stories, and will leave a brief summary of each of them for future self-reference.
The End of the Whole Mess, by [a: Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg], is an interesting account about how the side-effects of a cure can go terribly wrong. I specially liked the concept and development.
Salvage, by [a: Orson Scott Card|589|Orson Scott Card|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1294099952p2/589.jpg], left me unimpressed: Mormons trying to get something from the bottom of a lake.
The People of Sand and Slag by [a: Paolo Bacigalupi|1226977|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1375566282p2/1226977.jpg], describes genetically modified super-humans with incredible healing capabilities that find an unmodified animal. I found it quite interesting.
Bread and Bombs by [a: M. Rickert|126765|M. Rickert|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1381955473p2/126765.jpg] is a really good short story set in a small town in the United States where some war refugees settle. It covers topics such as trust, prejudices, war, children and vengeance, and had a powerful ending.
How We Got In Town and Out Again, by [a: Jonathan Lethem|6404|Jonathan Lethem|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1431787014p2/6404.jpg]. Two characters join a VR thing touring, in order to get food and shelter for a while.
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels, by [a: George R. R. Martin|346732|George R.R. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351944410p2/346732.jpg], is a story where humans colonise the Moon, only to later engage in some nuclear war on the Earth. Many generations later, Moon dwellers manage to go back to the Earth in search for answers, and what they find there is quite disturbing. I really liked the concept and its development.
I didn't like Waiting for the Zephyr, by [a: Tobias S. Buckell|107891|Tobias S. Buckell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1370963821p2/107891.jpg], too much. In the future described here, communication between cities (or even communities) is no longer viable, roads are almost gone, and some ship-like vehicles using sails are used to go between settlements. The main character is waiting for one of these ships to come, since she wants to enrol into its crew. This could be a good introduction for a bigger book, but in this shape seemed to lack something.
Never Despair by [a: Jack McDevitt|73812|Jack McDevitt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1225722326p2/73812.jpg] displays a nice concept. Two explorers are taking shelter from a storm, in what seems to be some ruins from a collapsed past, and somehow "someone" from that past is able to communicate with them. Quite Fallout-ish!
I found When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth, by [a: Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1361468756p2/12581.jpg], quite interesting due to my own background (Software Engineering). Things go quite wrong due to some terrorist attack, and due to how it was arranged, it happens to leave many sysadmins unharmed around the world. Soon after, they start to organise. While the idea and the initial development are quite good, I think it loses interest after a while.
The Last of the O-Forms, by [a: James Van Pelt|645132|James Van Pelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1276554006p2/645132.jpg], describes one of these futures that don't seem necessarily impossible. In this story, nature has gone wrong (I can't remember if it is stated that we are to blame or not), and most living beings start producing malformed offspring. The idea is sad and scary, and the story makes it look quite plausible.
Still Life With Apocalypse, by [a: Richard Kadrey|37557|Richard Kadrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1252945001p2/37557.jpg], is more a description of the collapse of the world due to people going on a violent rampage rather than a short story.
I liked Artie’s Angels, by [a: Catherine Wells|528175|Catherine Wells|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. After the world is no longer safe to stay outdoors, some communities exist under "domes" protecting them. However, these domes have a limited capacity, and you have to be valuable somehow to be allowed in. This is a sort of futuristic, cavalry tale, about some of the inhabitants in the dome.
I found Judgment Passed, by [a: Jerry Oltion|12580|Jerry Oltion|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], very, very good. It describes some astronauts coming back to the Earth to find out that God arrived and the Last Judgement took place. Simply brilliant!
Mute, by [a: Gene Wolfe|23069|Gene Wolfe|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207670073p2/23069.jpg], was a disturbing story about two brothers that get home somehow, and find that nobody is there. But somebody was there when they were arriving. Or maybe not. Really unsettling.
Inertia, by [a: Nancy Kress|21158|Nancy Kress|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1232323985p2/21158.jpg], tells the story of the inhabitants of a community of diseased people that somehow survive against all odds. When people in the outside join them to study why they still survive and how their society manage their limitations, some struggle happens between the changes proposed by the outsiders and the attitude from the insiders.
And the Deep Blue Sea, by [a: Elizabeth Bear|108173|Elizabeth Bear|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1422586829p2/108173.jpg], talks about a courier that has to deliver a package in a wasted world. I didn't like it too much.
Speech Sounds, by [a: Octavia E. Butler|29535|Octavia E. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1242244143p2/29535.jpg]: take [a: Saramago|1285555|José Saramago|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1437073728p2/1285555.jpg]'s [b: Blindness|2526|Blindness (Blindness, #1)|José Saramago|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327866409s/2526.jpg|3213039] and replace sight with speech. A nice setting and development, I liked this story.
To me, Killers, by [a: Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg], was a story about how, even in a post-apocalyptic world, primary instincts like lust or jealously still define everything. A sick and injured person gets to a town, it is helped by one of the residents, and then things get ugly when she introduces him to the rest of the community.
Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus, by [a: Neal Barrett, Jr.|7065145|Neal Barrett Jr.|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383457304p2/7065145.jpg], is a story about a small party that try to earn some money to survive in a wasted world, tricking people using sex as a bait, and their guns as a deterrent. It was OK.
The End of the World as We Know It, by [a: Dale Bailey|91717|Dale Bailey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1335278122p2/91717.jpg], is probably the best one in this collection. It is a reflection on what we expect from end of the world stories, on what the stereotypes are, on how the end of the world already happens every day for people that experience a terrible lost or trauma. With plenty of references to classic books in the genre, this story is a must read.
A Song Before Sunset, by [a: David Grigg|12868490|David Grigg|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], is an example about how priorities would shift if the end would come, about barbarians, about appreciating arts... About how humans could survive but still Civilization could fall.
Episode Seven... by [a: John Langan|7083558|John Langan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is an interesting story about a deadly chase that gets the best out of these survivors, but also the worst, things that even they didn't know about.
I enjoyed most of the stories, and will leave a brief summary of each of them for future self-reference.
The End of the Whole Mess, by [a: Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg], is an interesting account about how the side-effects of a cure can go terribly wrong. I specially liked the concept and development.
Salvage, by [a: Orson Scott Card|589|Orson Scott Card|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1294099952p2/589.jpg], left me unimpressed: Mormons trying to get something from the bottom of a lake.
The People of Sand and Slag by [a: Paolo Bacigalupi|1226977|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1375566282p2/1226977.jpg], describes genetically modified super-humans with incredible healing capabilities that find an unmodified animal. I found it quite interesting.
Bread and Bombs by [a: M. Rickert|126765|M. Rickert|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1381955473p2/126765.jpg] is a really good short story set in a small town in the United States where some war refugees settle. It covers topics such as trust, prejudices, war, children and vengeance, and had a powerful ending.
How We Got In Town and Out Again, by [a: Jonathan Lethem|6404|Jonathan Lethem|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1431787014p2/6404.jpg]. Two characters join a VR thing touring, in order to get food and shelter for a while.
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels, by [a: George R. R. Martin|346732|George R.R. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351944410p2/346732.jpg], is a story where humans colonise the Moon, only to later engage in some nuclear war on the Earth. Many generations later, Moon dwellers manage to go back to the Earth in search for answers, and what they find there is quite disturbing. I really liked the concept and its development.
I didn't like Waiting for the Zephyr, by [a: Tobias S. Buckell|107891|Tobias S. Buckell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1370963821p2/107891.jpg], too much. In the future described here, communication between cities (or even communities) is no longer viable, roads are almost gone, and some ship-like vehicles using sails are used to go between settlements. The main character is waiting for one of these ships to come, since she wants to enrol into its crew. This could be a good introduction for a bigger book, but in this shape seemed to lack something.
Never Despair by [a: Jack McDevitt|73812|Jack McDevitt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1225722326p2/73812.jpg] displays a nice concept. Two explorers are taking shelter from a storm, in what seems to be some ruins from a collapsed past, and somehow "someone" from that past is able to communicate with them. Quite Fallout-ish!
I found When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth, by [a: Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1361468756p2/12581.jpg], quite interesting due to my own background (Software Engineering). Things go quite wrong due to some terrorist attack, and due to how it was arranged, it happens to leave many sysadmins unharmed around the world. Soon after, they start to organise. While the idea and the initial development are quite good, I think it loses interest after a while.
The Last of the O-Forms, by [a: James Van Pelt|645132|James Van Pelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1276554006p2/645132.jpg], describes one of these futures that don't seem necessarily impossible. In this story, nature has gone wrong (I can't remember if it is stated that we are to blame or not), and most living beings start producing malformed offspring. The idea is sad and scary, and the story makes it look quite plausible.
Still Life With Apocalypse, by [a: Richard Kadrey|37557|Richard Kadrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1252945001p2/37557.jpg], is more a description of the collapse of the world due to people going on a violent rampage rather than a short story.
I liked Artie’s Angels, by [a: Catherine Wells|528175|Catherine Wells|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. After the world is no longer safe to stay outdoors, some communities exist under "domes" protecting them. However, these domes have a limited capacity, and you have to be valuable somehow to be allowed in. This is a sort of futuristic, cavalry tale, about some of the inhabitants in the dome.
I found Judgment Passed, by [a: Jerry Oltion|12580|Jerry Oltion|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], very, very good. It describes some astronauts coming back to the Earth to find out that God arrived and the Last Judgement took place. Simply brilliant!
Mute, by [a: Gene Wolfe|23069|Gene Wolfe|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207670073p2/23069.jpg], was a disturbing story about two brothers that get home somehow, and find that nobody is there. But somebody was there when they were arriving. Or maybe not. Really unsettling.
Inertia, by [a: Nancy Kress|21158|Nancy Kress|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1232323985p2/21158.jpg], tells the story of the inhabitants of a community of diseased people that somehow survive against all odds. When people in the outside join them to study why they still survive and how their society manage their limitations, some struggle happens between the changes proposed by the outsiders and the attitude from the insiders.
And the Deep Blue Sea, by [a: Elizabeth Bear|108173|Elizabeth Bear|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1422586829p2/108173.jpg], talks about a courier that has to deliver a package in a wasted world. I didn't like it too much.
Speech Sounds, by [a: Octavia E. Butler|29535|Octavia E. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1242244143p2/29535.jpg]: take [a: Saramago|1285555|José Saramago|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1437073728p2/1285555.jpg]'s [b: Blindness|2526|Blindness (Blindness, #1)|José Saramago|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327866409s/2526.jpg|3213039] and replace sight with speech. A nice setting and development, I liked this story.
To me, Killers, by [a: Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg], was a story about how, even in a post-apocalyptic world, primary instincts like lust or jealously still define everything. A sick and injured person gets to a town, it is helped by one of the residents, and then things get ugly when she introduces him to the rest of the community.
Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus, by [a: Neal Barrett, Jr.|7065145|Neal Barrett Jr.|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383457304p2/7065145.jpg], is a story about a small party that try to earn some money to survive in a wasted world, tricking people using sex as a bait, and their guns as a deterrent. It was OK.
The End of the World as We Know It, by [a: Dale Bailey|91717|Dale Bailey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1335278122p2/91717.jpg], is probably the best one in this collection. It is a reflection on what we expect from end of the world stories, on what the stereotypes are, on how the end of the world already happens every day for people that experience a terrible lost or trauma. With plenty of references to classic books in the genre, this story is a must read.
A Song Before Sunset, by [a: David Grigg|12868490|David Grigg|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], is an example about how priorities would shift if the end would come, about barbarians, about appreciating arts... About how humans could survive but still Civilization could fall.
Episode Seven... by [a: John Langan|7083558|John Langan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is an interesting story about a deadly chase that gets the best out of these survivors, but also the worst, things that even they didn't know about.
millennial_dandy's review against another edition
4.0
I suppose one could say that going into year three of the Covid-19 pandemic has got me in the mood for a bit of cathartic apocalypse reading. Enter 'Wastelands.'
With stories from 22 different authors, 'Wastelands' as a collection really does have something for everyone: technology and nuclear-warfare run amok, check. Inter-planetary travel, check. Commentary on religion, check. And plague and mutants, of course. We get to see the world end 22 different times, in 22 different ways.
To say that 'cynicism' runs as rampant as some of the viruses in this collection would be a collosal understatement, so no new ground was trod there, yet the stories were picked with enough care that this rather bleak messaging at least didn't feel redundant.
There are some big names in 'Wastelands': we start off with Stephen King, we get George R.R. Martin, Octavia Butler, Orson Scott Card, and a slew of others that, based on the brief biographies, seem like fairly heavy-hitters in sci-fi/dystopian fiction.
Were there any standouts? Well, this is where we get subjective. The very stories I found to be the least punchy could easily be someone else's favorite, but I will say that I was personally more impressed by some of the authors I'd never heard of than the ones I had. Not because the more famous names had done less impressive work, just that if you've read one King or Butler story, you kind of know what to expect, and you get it.
My personal favorites, i.e. the ones I found the creepiest, the most uncanny, the ones that really got under my skin, were:
1. The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi -- If you're an animal lover, this one is tough, but Bacigalupi does an amazing job really taking a look at the dark side of things like cloning and hyper-advanced medicine.
2. A Song Before Sunset by David Grigg -- A truly heartbreaking counterpart to the infinitely more optimist 'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel, this story explores a similar thesis: 'survival is insufficient.'
3. When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth by Cory Doctorow -- This wasn't so much creepy as it was novel in its perspective. The apocalypse itself was your standard 'everyone catches a mysterious illness and dies instantly' fare, but our POV characters are a group of data scientists and programmers who try to keep the internet running post-apocalypse by networking with small groups like theirs around the world. Some of the lingo likely went over my head, as I've limited proximity to that sphere, but it was an interesting thought experiment.
4. Judgment Passed by Jerry Oltion -- What if the Day of Reckoning Comes, but you were off-planet and so you missed it? That's the premise of this short story. A small group of astronauts return to Earth only to discover that in their absense, God or Jesus swooped down and took away all the people, leaving them the sole humans to populate the planet. This sparks discussion among them of whether or not to try to get God's attention and let Him know He missed a few. Though seemingly an on-the-nose examination of religious fanaticism, Oltion does it in such a smart way that it feels fresh.
With stories from 22 different authors, 'Wastelands' as a collection really does have something for everyone: technology and nuclear-warfare run amok, check. Inter-planetary travel, check. Commentary on religion, check. And plague and mutants, of course. We get to see the world end 22 different times, in 22 different ways.
To say that 'cynicism' runs as rampant as some of the viruses in this collection would be a collosal understatement, so no new ground was trod there, yet the stories were picked with enough care that this rather bleak messaging at least didn't feel redundant.
There are some big names in 'Wastelands': we start off with Stephen King, we get George R.R. Martin, Octavia Butler, Orson Scott Card, and a slew of others that, based on the brief biographies, seem like fairly heavy-hitters in sci-fi/dystopian fiction.
Were there any standouts? Well, this is where we get subjective. The very stories I found to be the least punchy could easily be someone else's favorite, but I will say that I was personally more impressed by some of the authors I'd never heard of than the ones I had. Not because the more famous names had done less impressive work, just that if you've read one King or Butler story, you kind of know what to expect, and you get it.
My personal favorites, i.e. the ones I found the creepiest, the most uncanny, the ones that really got under my skin, were:
1. The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi -- If you're an animal lover, this one is tough, but Bacigalupi does an amazing job really taking a look at the dark side of things like cloning and hyper-advanced medicine.
2. A Song Before Sunset by David Grigg -- A truly heartbreaking counterpart to the infinitely more optimist 'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel, this story explores a similar thesis: 'survival is insufficient.'
3. When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth by Cory Doctorow -- This wasn't so much creepy as it was novel in its perspective. The apocalypse itself was your standard 'everyone catches a mysterious illness and dies instantly' fare, but our POV characters are a group of data scientists and programmers who try to keep the internet running post-apocalypse by networking with small groups like theirs around the world. Some of the lingo likely went over my head, as I've limited proximity to that sphere, but it was an interesting thought experiment.
4. Judgment Passed by Jerry Oltion -- What if the Day of Reckoning Comes, but you were off-planet and so you missed it? That's the premise of this short story. A small group of astronauts return to Earth only to discover that in their absense, God or Jesus swooped down and took away all the people, leaving them the sole humans to populate the planet. This sparks discussion among them of whether or not to try to get God's attention and let Him know He missed a few. Though seemingly an on-the-nose examination of religious fanaticism, Oltion does it in such a smart way that it feels fresh.
danielv64's review against another edition
5.0
Some amazing stories including many set it well established SF universes
suzemo's review against another edition
4.0
If you're looking for a good, solid anthology of post-apocalyptic short stories, then this book is awesome. I've seen complaints that this book is too sci-fi or not sci-fi enough or that the stories aren't well fleshed out, and I think it's unfair. This is a collection of short stories, not a collection of novellas, and to be honest, I like that the stories don't tend to focus on what caused the end of the world; I want the reactions of the people and what happens to the lives in that world.
Most of these stories are very well written. Yes, some of them have a political bent, but I think that the post-apocalyptic sub-genre is inherently political since much of it involves societies, why they fall, how they react to extreme stress and how they form (or don't).
Like any anthology, this series has its highs and lows. I think that the stories in this book were largely good, off-setting any not-so-great stories.
My favorites were:
"The People of Sand and Slag" by Paolo Bacigalupi
"Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" George R R Martin
"Judgment Passed" by Jerry Oltion
"Speech Sounds" by Octavia Butler
and
"The End of the World as we Know it" by Dale Bailey (My favorite, perfectly written)
I did not like three stories. Coincidentally, the first two stories ("The End of the Whole Mess" by Stephen King and "Salvage" by Orson Scott Card) were two of the three I did not enjoy, and when I started the book I was really disappointed, thinking that I had made a drastic error in picking up this book. Luckily other stories make up for the bad start quickly. The story I liked the least was one I was really looking forward to after reading the introduction, "Episode Seven..." by John Langan. It was written as a kind of "answer" to Bailey's story, but the style of narration and the stream of consciousness writing did not work for me and distracted greatly from the story.
My only real complaint was that I don't think "Mute," by Gene Wolfe, should have been included. I think the story is absolutely fantastic and loved it, but I don't feel it belongs in this anthology because it is not post-apocalyptic, but pure horror (about Death, not a post apocalyptic world in any way).
Most of these stories are very well written. Yes, some of them have a political bent, but I think that the post-apocalyptic sub-genre is inherently political since much of it involves societies, why they fall, how they react to extreme stress and how they form (or don't).
Like any anthology, this series has its highs and lows. I think that the stories in this book were largely good, off-setting any not-so-great stories.
My favorites were:
"The People of Sand and Slag" by Paolo Bacigalupi
"Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" George R R Martin
"Judgment Passed" by Jerry Oltion
"Speech Sounds" by Octavia Butler
and
"The End of the World as we Know it" by Dale Bailey (My favorite, perfectly written)
I did not like three stories. Coincidentally, the first two stories ("The End of the Whole Mess" by Stephen King and "Salvage" by Orson Scott Card) were two of the three I did not enjoy, and when I started the book I was really disappointed, thinking that I had made a drastic error in picking up this book. Luckily other stories make up for the bad start quickly. The story I liked the least was one I was really looking forward to after reading the introduction, "Episode Seven..." by John Langan. It was written as a kind of "answer" to Bailey's story, but the style of narration and the stream of consciousness writing did not work for me and distracted greatly from the story.
My only real complaint was that I don't think "Mute," by Gene Wolfe, should have been included. I think the story is absolutely fantastic and loved it, but I don't feel it belongs in this anthology because it is not post-apocalyptic, but pure horror (about Death, not a post apocalyptic world in any way).
bkeving_74's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed stories but not as captivating as I had hoped
This book was abit of hit and miss for me. I am not sure that I like short story form for this genre. I have read The Road, Swan Song, The Stand and others that reached their full potential because their was time and length to do so. I have a couple of other anthologies for this genre to read and perhaps I will change my mind.
This book was abit of hit and miss for me. I am not sure that I like short story form for this genre. I have read The Road, Swan Song, The Stand and others that reached their full potential because their was time and length to do so. I have a couple of other anthologies for this genre to read and perhaps I will change my mind.
mellabella's review against another edition
3.0
After reading the first, few of the stories, I almost didn't go on...
They were weird and not holding my interest. I don't need zombies, other monsters, and special powers to hold my interest. But... I'm glad I kept reading. They got much better as they went on.
3.5 stars.
They were weird and not holding my interest. I don't need zombies, other monsters, and special powers to hold my interest. But... I'm glad I kept reading. They got much better as they went on.
3.5 stars.
jlgadberry0384's review against another edition
5.0
Great collection of short stories. Perfect for Halloween.
scheu's review against another edition
4.0
The selection of stories was surprisingly good. The lead-off Stephen King story, although a great idea, had some totally implausible dialogue (which tends to kill my urge to read Stephen King). I do have the urge to read some James Morrow, though...
paganhill's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A good anthology that would probably end up being better if you didn’t read it all at once. The breadth of story types is wide and some clash with each other while others aren’t good and bring the reading to a slog. I would recommend taking this collection one or two stories at a time.
Still though I like many of the short stories and none of them were too long to get frustrated with the book. Some were forgettable. I mean this. I forgot two of them.
I lean towards liking the weirder and more B-movie post-apocalyptic tales.
1) The End of the Whole Mess by Stephen King -
Great start to the collection. Not a POST-apocalyptic story though. It’s happening as the story happens. A short roller coaster ride from hope to destruction.
2) Salvage by Orson Scott Card -
I truly don’t remember. I will have to jog my memory. Give me one sec...Okay, it was a fine treasure hunting story. Doesn’t criticize the Morons(LDS) enough for me. The ending is a deflater.
3) The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi -
This is one of the stories that kept me reading. Its bonker characters and world are exactly what I want. Mutant humans that are so far removed from pre-apocalyptic life that we find ourselves in fantasy. Weird, imaginative, and B! Don’t let your logic get in the way.
4) Bread and Bombs by M. Rickert -
I liked the goats. The “twist” was easily guessed and the ending I liked but not convinced that the characters that start it would do it. Middling story at best.
5) How We Got in Town and Out Again by Jonathan Lethem -
Great world building in this short kind of sweet story. A young wasteland harden smart girl and her chummy dumpy pal, a young boy, get themselves fed. The traveling side show guys are assholes. Fine story, that through the boy’s POV.
6) Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels by George R. R. Martin -
Rat friend aside the story is nothing special and we know the ending long before it comes. The POV gimmick feels like that, just a gimmick.
Like most of the stories it does stick around long enough to cause hardship.
7) Waiting for the Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell -
Feels like the beginning of something grander. A fine short that wants to continue the adventures of the protagonist. Maybe that’s the point. We can go off and have the adventures in our imaginations. This story has a bit of hope at its conclusion. Kind of a traveling side-show.
8) Never despair by Jack McDevitt -
I vaguely remember reading this one. I have no clue what I thought about it while reading it but it must have been not much. I forgot the whole story and reading a plot summary barely sparks a memory of it.
9) When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth by Cory Doctorow -
I like who the people are that survive the apocalypse. Who they are and what they do during it feels unique. But, this is also not a POST-apocalyptic story. It happens a little before and mostly during with a bit of a hopeful after.
I like people with good morals being smart.
The odd part about this one I got the feeling they mentioned about five different world/society ending things that happened and I wasn’t clear if that was speculation on the character’s part or all of the disasters actually happened.
10) The Last of the O-Forms by James Van Pelt -
Love this one. Bio-mutant critters and traveling circus! I think I am just a sucker for traveling side-shows. I love the main character’s little bio creation and another hopeful, jolly, ending that could turn into some funny wasteland antics. The main POV character is a loser and I hope the assistant takes over the business.
11) Still Life with Apocalypse by Richard Kadrey -
Very short piece. I liked it though. Would like to spend more time in this world that seems pleasantly rough. Lighthearted with funny things falling from the sky, that’s okay in my book. Neighbors even get along.
12) Artie's Angels by Catherine Wells -
Artie’s Angels reads the most like a complete story while still being short. Arcs come and get complicated. The main characters are likable and the POV one gets her world rocked hard at the end. Thought it might have been another hopeful apocalypse but no.
13) Judgment Passed by Jerry Oltion -
Fuck Dave. Good little story again. I would have gotten to enjoying myself on a mostly empty Earth a lot sooner than the characters in the book but love the kind of humorous biblical apocalypse with a minor oops I forgot those ones. I would have liked it to be a bit more humorous but it’s fine.
Fuck Dave.
14) Mute by Gene Wolfe -
Was the bus real? The bus seemed really real.
This is not a great story. I am guessing it plays with the power of a child’s imagination. Plus it’s a ghost story? Not sure if it is post-apocalyptic or just abandoned rural US. It didn’t seem to commit to anything therefore all seems like a first draft of a story.
This is my least favorite story due to too many changes to what world we are in.
15) Inertia by Nancy Cress -
This one's good. Love the ideas behind this pandemic enhanced post-apocalyptic world. It has characters to love and hate, a statifing reveal, and an ending that justifies the dislike of some characters and leaves you hoping the best for others.
16) And the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth Bear -
Another great B-movie book. Inanimate objects with feels, desert roads, deal giving devils, and a post-apocalyptic dealer job. The story is just fun through one of the more harsh environments of this collection.
17) Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler -
Way better use of a bus.
A bleak and hopeful story, hurray. Disease causing mental illness pops up in a handful of the stories. This being one of them. Butler is a great writer and this is a fine addition to her works. I got sad when a curtain thing happened near the end.
18) Killers by Carol Emshwiller -
I bet the story was pointing to the dark nature within us all that hovers just below the surface. I would rather know how we got two types of humans. What did the war or government do to them?
And what’s your excuse for being awful at the end main-character? Hmmm? Well? A fine story, not the best. I needed more than it offered.
19) Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circusby Neal Barrett Jr. -
I give you one guess from the title of this one on how I feel. I loved it. : )
Traveling attractions in the post-apocalyptic world must be my hero's journey dream life. Love the main characters, each is unique. Love the cookey world, office supply wastelanders, perfect. Love the traveling snakeoil, side-show pleasure wagon.
Great little story would follow this troupe into more adventures.
Card-playing dog, perfect.
20) The End of the World as We Know It by Dale Bailey -
A normie ends up not dying when the rnd kills so many.
Harmless story about a guy that may not survive long into the apocalypse he finds himself in. Also not POST-apocalyptic. It runs before and during.
Harmless story I didn’t need to read but it’s not the worst.
21) A Song Before Sunset by David Grigg -
The classy B-movie book. Great world, great piece of a story, great main character. I wanted more. It felt like a section of a greater story.
Even though the world building came across wonderful and loved the characters instantly.
22) Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack In the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers by John Langan -
End this anthology with one more B. Mutant animal tracking the characters through the ruins of the world and mutant powers! Don’t get too excited. The story is fine, seems a little rushed. I like the potential for this world.