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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Real hit or miss. The title story and a couple others are very powerful and engaging. The rest are... not.
1.5/5
You can take these 1.5 rounded up to two stars as the average score of the nine stories, with 'The Kingdom of the Blind' getting a solid 4.5 stars, a couple others getting threes, and the rest a mix of ones and twos. A reiteration of the usual excuse of my not being a fan of short stories goes here, along with the acknowledgement that I'm simply too sensitive to prose to be able to excuse a poor show of it if the narrative(s) don't excel in other respects. Otherwise, I'm just rather sick of the whole fetishizing of post-apocalyptica in the media; if you're wondering, then, why I went ahead and picked up a book that literally has part of the genre in its title, it's not abnormal to pin a hope of redemption of personally maligned subject on a work that's managed to survive the long years sitting on one's shelves. Unfortunately, I spent the majority of this already extremely short work increasingly bored, and the only real time I felt the menace of a plausible future of absolute destruction was in the aforementioned story with its HAL 9000 incipience, which may just have been a side effect of my Silicon Valley location. Ah well. At least this wasn't especially difficult to get through, which, to be honest, didn't help it in my estimation either.
Had I known that McHugh was the author of 'China Mountain Zhang', I may have gone as far as to put this book in time out, or even off my shelves entirely. Despite the success of [b:Strange Fruit|815721|Strange Fruit|Lillian E. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328875063s/815721.jpg|801643] in winning me over, I still avoid the large majority of narratives involving white authors trapezing over non white people lands, and the short story 'Special Economics' involving China and bird flu and (surprise surprise) collectivizing dystopias stood out like a awkwardly toned sore thumb as much as that one collectivizing dystopia stood out in 'Cloud Atlas', although I didn't have the words to describe my poor reception of such way back when I read the latter. The first story, 'The Naturalist', had an admittedly interesting conceit, but it marked the beginning of a weird reoccurring obsession with black people that, ultimately, made the feeling of wading through some white suburban conception of the apocalypse even stronger. The main character of the titular last story even has a midlife crisis because she's no longer on the side of the imperialism that usually renders other countries apocalyptic sites, which could've still been interesting if the narrative hadn't taken it so seriously. All in all, lack of international awareness makes for some pretty shoddy storytelling, and considering how late in the Internet game these short stories were published, there's very little excuse for it.
It's a shame how poorly this one work went, as Small Beer Press has published a number of works I'm very much looking forward to such [b:Kalpa Imperial|534595|Kalpa Imperial The Greatest Empire That Never Was|Angélica Gorodischer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354903256s/534595.jpg|184641] and [b:A Stranger in Olondria|12814333|A Stranger in Olondria|Sofia Samatar|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342108396s/12814333.jpg|17963617], among others, and it always does well to support indie presses, especially what with B&N being bought out by a hedge fund of all things. I suppose I'll simply have to be better about browsing the Fantasy/Sci-Fi sections, as I usually only look for a few names and forget that quite a few of the works I'm looking for are easily shoved under one or another of those genre categories. I get that the average rating for this is not so great, but in terms of the number of much liked, praise filled reviews for this: I don't get it. I wouldn't have spent so much time commenting on the headache inducing solipsism of most of these stories if all of them had been as uniquely trepidation-inducing as the aforementioned TKotB, so I guess for a lot of the audience, their version of the end of all days looks very different from my own. Eh. Ultimately, water under the bridge, and a very short bridge this was. Onto the next choice in my rather haphazard quest to read works that aren't likely to be useful for future reading challenges.
You can take these 1.5 rounded up to two stars as the average score of the nine stories, with 'The Kingdom of the Blind' getting a solid 4.5 stars, a couple others getting threes, and the rest a mix of ones and twos. A reiteration of the usual excuse of my not being a fan of short stories goes here, along with the acknowledgement that I'm simply too sensitive to prose to be able to excuse a poor show of it if the narrative(s) don't excel in other respects. Otherwise, I'm just rather sick of the whole fetishizing of post-apocalyptica in the media; if you're wondering, then, why I went ahead and picked up a book that literally has part of the genre in its title, it's not abnormal to pin a hope of redemption of personally maligned subject on a work that's managed to survive the long years sitting on one's shelves. Unfortunately, I spent the majority of this already extremely short work increasingly bored, and the only real time I felt the menace of a plausible future of absolute destruction was in the aforementioned story with its HAL 9000 incipience, which may just have been a side effect of my Silicon Valley location. Ah well. At least this wasn't especially difficult to get through, which, to be honest, didn't help it in my estimation either.
Had I known that McHugh was the author of 'China Mountain Zhang', I may have gone as far as to put this book in time out, or even off my shelves entirely. Despite the success of [b:Strange Fruit|815721|Strange Fruit|Lillian E. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328875063s/815721.jpg|801643] in winning me over, I still avoid the large majority of narratives involving white authors trapezing over non white people lands, and the short story 'Special Economics' involving China and bird flu and (surprise surprise) collectivizing dystopias stood out like a awkwardly toned sore thumb as much as that one collectivizing dystopia stood out in 'Cloud Atlas', although I didn't have the words to describe my poor reception of such way back when I read the latter. The first story, 'The Naturalist', had an admittedly interesting conceit, but it marked the beginning of a weird reoccurring obsession with black people that, ultimately, made the feeling of wading through some white suburban conception of the apocalypse even stronger. The main character of the titular last story even has a midlife crisis because she's no longer on the side of the imperialism that usually renders other countries apocalyptic sites, which could've still been interesting if the narrative hadn't taken it so seriously. All in all, lack of international awareness makes for some pretty shoddy storytelling, and considering how late in the Internet game these short stories were published, there's very little excuse for it.
It's a shame how poorly this one work went, as Small Beer Press has published a number of works I'm very much looking forward to such [b:Kalpa Imperial|534595|Kalpa Imperial The Greatest Empire That Never Was|Angélica Gorodischer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354903256s/534595.jpg|184641] and [b:A Stranger in Olondria|12814333|A Stranger in Olondria|Sofia Samatar|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342108396s/12814333.jpg|17963617], among others, and it always does well to support indie presses, especially what with B&N being bought out by a hedge fund of all things. I suppose I'll simply have to be better about browsing the Fantasy/Sci-Fi sections, as I usually only look for a few names and forget that quite a few of the works I'm looking for are easily shoved under one or another of those genre categories. I get that the average rating for this is not so great, but in terms of the number of much liked, praise filled reviews for this: I don't get it. I wouldn't have spent so much time commenting on the headache inducing solipsism of most of these stories if all of them had been as uniquely trepidation-inducing as the aforementioned TKotB, so I guess for a lot of the audience, their version of the end of all days looks very different from my own. Eh. Ultimately, water under the bridge, and a very short bridge this was. Onto the next choice in my rather haphazard quest to read works that aren't likely to be useful for future reading challenges.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[The official book website of the publisher links to some of the stories which appeared online elsewhere. I highly recommend reading them if I could not convince you to get the book. And then getting the book.]
That said: What a great, strong collection! I'm most impressed by the voices: there is a male convict and a female elderly artist and a not-yet-twenty Chinese girl. And every one of them is distinct, clear, believable. Some are likeable, others repulsive, but never without a clear sense of being real.
These are 9 versions life after the apocalypse, every one different from the other, but none (except perhaps for the zombies, but only in the name, and the flying people) too far away from today. Apocalypse for Maureen McHugh is very relative and does not always have to involve the world "nuclear", sometimes its "personal" or "biologic" and even more often "economic". Though the "personal" is, of course, always there.
That said: What a great, strong collection! I'm most impressed by the voices: there is a male convict and a female elderly artist and a not-yet-twenty Chinese girl. And every one of them is distinct, clear, believable. Some are likeable, others repulsive, but never without a clear sense of being real.
These are 9 versions life after the apocalypse, every one different from the other, but none (except perhaps for the zombies, but only in the name, and the flying people) too far away from today. Apocalypse for Maureen McHugh is very relative and does not always have to involve the world "nuclear", sometimes its "personal" or "biologic" and even more often "economic". Though the "personal" is, of course, always there.
Great collection of stories. Crisp writing. Clear voice. I enjoyed the varied forms of story-telling as well. Will be re-reading at some point.
The nine stories in After the Apocalypse focus, for the most part, on what happens next, once the worst has already happened. Whether disaster strikes in the form of zombies, computers run amok, bird flu, dirty bombs, or other types of contamination, life as we know it no longer exists. What the characters do next is what makes these stories interesting.
Particularly good were "The Naturalist", about a zombie preserve where condemned criminals are sent to serve their sentences; "Useless Things", about a dollmaker getting by while the world dries up around her; "The Lost Boy", whose main character has been in a fugue state for five years; and "Honeymoon", about a girl who just wants to have fun, scary medical experiments notwithstanding. For sheer quirkiness, though, I'd pick "Going to France" for its lovely absurdity.
On the downside, this collection seems to have been rather shoddily copy-edited. Typos abound: Acronyms have their letters reversed from one page to the next, character names are often misspelled (June/Jane, Franny/Fanny, etc), and on several occasions I had to stop and reread a sentence that was either mispunctuated or had a word missing.
Given that I typically don't care for short stories, I was more engaged by After the Apocalypse than I'd expected to be. Interesting stories, but the editing problems definitely were a distraction.
Particularly good were "The Naturalist", about a zombie preserve where condemned criminals are sent to serve their sentences; "Useless Things", about a dollmaker getting by while the world dries up around her; "The Lost Boy", whose main character has been in a fugue state for five years; and "Honeymoon", about a girl who just wants to have fun, scary medical experiments notwithstanding. For sheer quirkiness, though, I'd pick "Going to France" for its lovely absurdity.
On the downside, this collection seems to have been rather shoddily copy-edited. Typos abound: Acronyms have their letters reversed from one page to the next, character names are often misspelled (June/Jane, Franny/Fanny, etc), and on several occasions I had to stop and reread a sentence that was either mispunctuated or had a word missing.
Given that I typically don't care for short stories, I was more engaged by After the Apocalypse than I'd expected to be. Interesting stories, but the editing problems definitely were a distraction.
This stories were all well written, and was a pretty strong collection.
The Naturalist: 4 stars
It's the zombie apocalypse, and the main character is one of several men in an enclosed city with other convicts, and zombies. The main character begins watching the zombies, and experimenting with what might attract them and what might keep them at bay. I felt like I’d read more stories in this world.
Special Economics: 4.5 stars
After a worldwide bird flu and billions of deaths, we follow Jjjjjjjjj as she lands both a job with a factory making batteries, and a growing pile of debt as the factory owners charge their workers for everything, from food, to uniforms, to accommodations, and trapping their workforce in massive debt, which they try futilely to pay off.
My absolutely favourite story in this collection. I desperately wanted more story when I came to the end.
Useless Things: 4 stars.
A really interesting story about a custom dollmaker whose life is changed after a migrant (she's known as a way station for people travelling through the area) purportedly breaks into her place.
The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large: 4 stars.
A young man suffering from memory loss is reunited with his family. He had gotten separated from them for some years after a school trip that had to be cut short.
I liked the wistful feel of this story.
The Kingdom of the Blind: 4 stars.
Has a program controlling the services (e.g., lights, etc.) in some hospitals become sentient?
Interesting discussion between two of the characters on what constitutes awareness.
Going to France: 3.5 stars.
The main character helps some people, who can fly, get to the coast so they can meet up with other flyers.
This felt like it was a little short, or missing something to me.
Honeymoon: 4 stars.
A young woman doesn’t get her honeymoon, and realizes her now husband is a dolt. She decides to make money after the disappointment by volunteering for drug trials.
The main character felt really well drawn.
The Effect of Centrifugal Forces: 3.5 stars.
A daughter deals with her mothers, one of whom is ailing from Avian Prion Disease. A story with a fair bit of anger, though I had a little trouble following this.
After the Apocalypse: 4 stars.
This one was good! A mother and daughter are walking from Texas, northwards, in the hope of finding some place safe. The mother is getting frustrated with her daughter, and the girl’s inability to deal with the fear, and privation of the road.
The atmosphere was great, and I liked the slightly horrifying ending.
The Naturalist: 4 stars
It's the zombie apocalypse, and the main character is one of several men in an enclosed city with other convicts, and zombies. The main character begins watching the zombies, and experimenting with what might attract them and what might keep them at bay. I felt like I’d read more stories in this world.
Special Economics: 4.5 stars
After a worldwide bird flu and billions of deaths, we follow Jjjjjjjjj as she lands both a job with a factory making batteries, and a growing pile of debt as the factory owners charge their workers for everything, from food, to uniforms, to accommodations, and trapping their workforce in massive debt, which they try futilely to pay off.
My absolutely favourite story in this collection. I desperately wanted more story when I came to the end.
Useless Things: 4 stars.
A really interesting story about a custom dollmaker whose life is changed after a migrant (she's known as a way station for people travelling through the area) purportedly breaks into her place.
The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large: 4 stars.
A young man suffering from memory loss is reunited with his family. He had gotten separated from them for some years after a school trip that had to be cut short.
I liked the wistful feel of this story.
The Kingdom of the Blind: 4 stars.
Has a program controlling the services (e.g., lights, etc.) in some hospitals become sentient?
Interesting discussion between two of the characters on what constitutes awareness.
Going to France: 3.5 stars.
The main character helps some people, who can fly, get to the coast so they can meet up with other flyers.
This felt like it was a little short, or missing something to me.
Honeymoon: 4 stars.
A young woman doesn’t get her honeymoon, and realizes her now husband is a dolt. She decides to make money after the disappointment by volunteering for drug trials.
The main character felt really well drawn.
The Effect of Centrifugal Forces: 3.5 stars.
A daughter deals with her mothers, one of whom is ailing from Avian Prion Disease. A story with a fair bit of anger, though I had a little trouble following this.
After the Apocalypse: 4 stars.
This one was good! A mother and daughter are walking from Texas, northwards, in the hope of finding some place safe. The mother is getting frustrated with her daughter, and the girl’s inability to deal with the fear, and privation of the road.
The atmosphere was great, and I liked the slightly horrifying ending.
Do not read this book if you’re looking for escapist fiction. Usually sci-fi takes us out of our everyday world, but these stories of survival in the near future feel a lot like the present day. It’s just that Something has happened - a war, an epidemic, an economic collapse. But these are the things that, even now, everybody is worrying about. So it feels almost inevitable.
People are scrounging around, trying to survive, trying to make a living, and dealing with the same old corruption that we see today. Disaster hasn’t made anybody particularly heroic. Why should it? These are stories of today, set in tomorrow. Some of them are very good, while others have a fragmentary feel.
Nowhere is there a feeling of emergency, just an acceptance that this is the way it is now. In some ways, that’s the scariest thing of all.
People are scrounging around, trying to survive, trying to make a living, and dealing with the same old corruption that we see today. Disaster hasn’t made anybody particularly heroic. Why should it? These are stories of today, set in tomorrow. Some of them are very good, while others have a fragmentary feel.
Nowhere is there a feeling of emergency, just an acceptance that this is the way it is now. In some ways, that’s the scariest thing of all.