Reviews

The End is Nigh by Ben H. Winters, John Joseph Adams, Sarah Langan, Desirina Boskovich, Nancy Kress, Tobias S. Buckell, Jonathan Maberry, Hugh Howey, Megan Arkenberg, Robin Wasserman, Annie Bellet, David Wellington, Tananarive Due, Jake Kerr, Seanan McGuire, Charlie Jane Anders, Jack McDevitt, Jamie Ford, Ken Liu, Matthew Mather, Will McIntosh, Scott Sigler, Paolo Bacigalupi

egladil's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

fedak's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting concept- 3 books in this series, each a collection of short stories by different well known authors each providing one story to each book with the books covering the before, during, and post period of some global apocalypse.

So this book was the "life before the world ends" entry in the series and was honestly kind of depressing- with a good assortment of inbound asteroids, alien invasions, and plagues with the overarching umbrella that most everyone involved with each story was going to die.

sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition

2.0

Any anthology collection is a mixed bag, and this one had a few gems, but there was a lot of weeds to wade through to get to them. And very few of the stories had a unique take on the apocalypse set-up.

Plus, one of the stories made me close to physically sick with horror - I didn't see it coming and I'm just not the kinda reader that enjoys that sorta scare.

hivequeen's review against another edition

4.0

This is such a cool idea for an anthology, I can't wait for the next one to come out! Each story was so unique and interesting. There were a few that left me wishing they were full length novels rather than short stories. I would definitely recommend this book to people who love apocalyptic tales!

amybraunauthor's review against another edition

4.0

This was quite a collection. Everything in an apocalyptic story was here. Aliens, dystopias, comets, even cannibalism.

Yup. That one will stick with me for a while.

I dnd’t expect a light hearted romp from tale to tale, but some of the content really startled me. Which is not to say the stories are not very well written and unique. There are so many talents in this collection, so many amazing voices that were both familiar and new to me. It’s honestly hard for me to pick a favourite! None of these books shy away from the brutality, terror, or sadness that the end of the world might have, and most carry a meaningful message. A great series that I would recommend for lovers or horror and dark, speculative fiction!

birdloveranne's review against another edition

4.0

Review for all three books in the series. I read them in order by author, as much as I could, which though a lot of work, was a better reading experience. All of the stories were well written. I liked many of them, others, not so much. Hint: if you are reading these just for the Hugh Howey stories, don't. The last one was very disappointing. I can think of so many different ways that could have gone, and it seems like he took the fast, easy way out. Bang, you're dead, the end.

banjax451's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

3.5

bunrab's review against another edition

4.0

Theme anthologies are a good thing, but in this particular case, the sheer depressingness of the theme means it's really not fun to read too many of the stories in one sitting. It's not a spoiler to tell you that these stories each end right as the disaster (whichever one it may be, man-made, natural, aliens...) is beginning - so basically, it's "OK, everybody we just read about now is going to die."

lizella's review against another edition

4.0

I’m not a regular reader of anthologies or short stories collections, but I’m glad I picked this one up. In addition to some first rate stories by authors I already enjoy, I have a handful of new authors to explore. I am also a big fan of apocalyptic tales and am intrigued by the concept of this trilogy and the exploration of the three phases of disaster that will be explored.

The authors explore a wide range of ideas in this collection and I was pleased to find minimal overlap throughout. A few stories may have explored similar big picture scenarios, but with such different characters and walks of life that I found it to be a strength. I look forward to see which stories are carried through all three volumes in addition to hearing from new voices.

spinstah's review against another edition

5.0

This was really great. It's the first in a three-part series of short stories set before, during, and after the apocalypse. What I didn't realize until I started reading was that the authors were asked to contribute a story for each book, so some of the stories will continue. As is always the case with story collections, I liked some more than other, but in general this was excellent and I'm looking forward to the next two books.