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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
This falls exactly in between two of my strongest reading preferences:
apocalypse, yay! and short stories, boo!
and therefore it was a definite three-star book for me. So...there you go.
apocalypse, yay! and short stories, boo!
and therefore it was a definite three-star book for me. So...there you go.
In this collection of stories McHugh explores the ways life goes on after or in the face of catastrophes big and small. "The Naturalist" looks at the days of a criminal, who is banished to the zombie-infested outskirts of the world and expected to die—instead he becomes fascinated with the dead.
Set in China after a bird flu epidemic has killed thousands, "Special Economics" is about a woman who finds herself trapped within the economic system of a large corporation.
In "Useless Things" an artist, who creates true-to-life baby dolls, home has become a stopping point for immigrants and vagrants expecting a little kindness in the desert.
"Going to France" is the story of a migration of people who have literally learned to take flight, and a mother and her unwanted daughter make their way across the dilapidated landscape of the U.S. in collapse in "After the Apocalypse."
Those are just a few of the stories that stuck out most in my mind. McHugh touches on the human side of disaster, which comes to be in her stories, ultimately mundane. Life goes one, hearts get broken, we close ourselves off, or open up to new possibilities. I enjoyed each of these stories in turn, with "The Lost Boy: A Reporter at Large" being the only one I didn't quite connect with. A fantastic collection of stories, which I would recommend even if you don't often read science fiction or apocalypse stories.
Set in China after a bird flu epidemic has killed thousands, "Special Economics" is about a woman who finds herself trapped within the economic system of a large corporation.
In "Useless Things" an artist, who creates true-to-life baby dolls, home has become a stopping point for immigrants and vagrants expecting a little kindness in the desert.
"Going to France" is the story of a migration of people who have literally learned to take flight, and a mother and her unwanted daughter make their way across the dilapidated landscape of the U.S. in collapse in "After the Apocalypse."
Those are just a few of the stories that stuck out most in my mind. McHugh touches on the human side of disaster, which comes to be in her stories, ultimately mundane. Life goes one, hearts get broken, we close ourselves off, or open up to new possibilities. I enjoyed each of these stories in turn, with "The Lost Boy: A Reporter at Large" being the only one I didn't quite connect with. A fantastic collection of stories, which I would recommend even if you don't often read science fiction or apocalypse stories.
Overall, a good collection, though not all as post-apocalyptic as they attempt to be: with a minor detail change, most of these stories could be current. Some stories have hints of societal failure, or economic collapse, or other issues, but they're not the point of the story. This isn't a criticism--they're still good stories, mostly--but an observation.
The last one, the title story, is really great, though, and it's worth picking up the collection just for that one.
The last one, the title story, is really great, though, and it's worth picking up the collection just for that one.
This was a nice collection of short stories. There were a few weak ones, but the rest were so good they brought the book up as a whole. The story about the zombies in Cleveland or the hospital AI was my favorite
Really torn between four and five stars. This is a really stellar and different collection of short stories. What I liked most about it was how varied the stories were, but how well they all fit together. The writing is a little touch-and-go in spots, and the stories aren't at all plotty, so you may get frustrated if that's what you're looking for, but this is an awfully good book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A deceptively small book of short stories dealing with the aftermath of apocalypses big and small, yet all distilled to a very personal perspective. The stories were tight and poignant, and each with its own distinct flavor. Nominated for a Phillip K Dick award, and very rightly so.
To be clear, a few of the stories in here I would rate higher, a few lower. As a whole, though, it was an enjoyable (in that dark way that's the most unenjoyable of enjoyables, mostly) anthology of short stories.
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
I’m not sure why I haven’t read more of Maureen McHugh’s stories. She has a subtle, quiet style and writes with a graceful economy of language that is powerful but not overwhelming. There is no filler here, no unnecessary words or overly descriptive scenes. What these haunting stories have in common is their exploration of various ways in which the world could fall apart and how humanity copes. I loved these wonderfully character-driven stories and am thrilled I was able to find this at the library.
This collection definitely has more hits than misses.
The very first story, The Naturalist, is not your typical prison or zombie story. The humans were definitely scarier.
Special Economics takes place in a China ravaged by bird flu. Young Jieling is desperate for money and takes a job in a biotech company that sounds perfect until she discovers the reasons why people can never quit.
Useless Things is about a dollmaker who lives in a southwest severely affected by drought. She is alone in her house, protected by several large dogs.
The dolls creep me out, almost as much as clowns do, but the real strength of this story is the arid atmosphere, the loneliness, and the sense of danger.
In The Lost Boy: A Reporter at Large, dirty bombs explode in Baltimore and a young boy remembers nothing about his family.
The Kingdom of the Blind is an intriguing story about two programmers who work in a medical facility and discover that they can’t outsmart their computer system. Too much tech talk and too many acronyms kept me from truly enjoying this one.
Going to France went over my head, just like the people who were flying.
If I could pick out one favorite from this collection, Honeymoon would be it. A wedding that never happened, the start of a new life, and a need to save money for a trip to Cancun. This is a taut and disturbing story that made me miss my bus stop.
A young girl’s mom is dying of Avian Prion Disease (APD) in The Effect of Centrifugal Forces. This chilling story makes me never want to eat chicken again.
After the Apocalypse is the perfect conclusion to this collection. A mother and daughter do their best to survive in spite of homelessness, unemployment and a constant threat of danger.
I typically take short breaks between short stories, but I found myself immersed and had difficulty putting the book down.
Highly recommended to those who like thoughtful short fiction that feels intensely real.
I’m not sure why I haven’t read more of Maureen McHugh’s stories. She has a subtle, quiet style and writes with a graceful economy of language that is powerful but not overwhelming. There is no filler here, no unnecessary words or overly descriptive scenes. What these haunting stories have in common is their exploration of various ways in which the world could fall apart and how humanity copes. I loved these wonderfully character-driven stories and am thrilled I was able to find this at the library.
This collection definitely has more hits than misses.
The very first story, The Naturalist, is not your typical prison or zombie story. The humans were definitely scarier.
Special Economics takes place in a China ravaged by bird flu. Young Jieling is desperate for money and takes a job in a biotech company that sounds perfect until she discovers the reasons why people can never quit.
Useless Things is about a dollmaker who lives in a southwest severely affected by drought. She is alone in her house, protected by several large dogs.
“I make reborns. Dolls that look like newborn infants. The point is to make them look almost, but not quite, real. People prefer them a little cuter, a little more perfect than the real thing. I like them best when there is something a little strange, a little off about them.”
The dolls creep me out, almost as much as clowns do, but the real strength of this story is the arid atmosphere, the loneliness, and the sense of danger.
In The Lost Boy: A Reporter at Large, dirty bombs explode in Baltimore and a young boy remembers nothing about his family.
The Kingdom of the Blind is an intriguing story about two programmers who work in a medical facility and discover that they can’t outsmart their computer system. Too much tech talk and too many acronyms kept me from truly enjoying this one.
Going to France went over my head, just like the people who were flying.
If I could pick out one favorite from this collection, Honeymoon would be it. A wedding that never happened, the start of a new life, and a need to save money for a trip to Cancun. This is a taut and disturbing story that made me miss my bus stop.
A young girl’s mom is dying of Avian Prion Disease (APD) in The Effect of Centrifugal Forces. This chilling story makes me never want to eat chicken again.
After the Apocalypse is the perfect conclusion to this collection. A mother and daughter do their best to survive in spite of homelessness, unemployment and a constant threat of danger.
I typically take short breaks between short stories, but I found myself immersed and had difficulty putting the book down.
Highly recommended to those who like thoughtful short fiction that feels intensely real.