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books_and_keys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
wendycherie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
3.0
allisoncread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
lbelow's review against another edition
Nothing wrong with the quality of this anthology or the variety of stories, but I was hoping for something a bit lighter right now. Apocalyptic stories are making me anxious. 😅
alwaysshure's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness and Ableism
tzipporahkeshet's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my favorite short story collections. It contains such unique stories and other stories that are deeply emotionally resonant.
tortue_abroad's review against another edition
3.0
A mixed bag, but worth reading for the stories I really liked.
lukeasaur's review against another edition
5.0
Like any anthology, Defying Doomsday has stories that spoke to me and ones that didn’t; thankfully, the former outweighed the latter. My favorites: Selected Afterimages of the Fading, No Shit, Something in the Rain. The only story I actively disliked was Spider-Silk, Strong as Steel, which felt flatly high fantasy in an otherwise speculative collection, but it wasn’t strictly speaking bad, just not to my taste; the more young-adult-type-stuff also didn’t appeal as much.
The selection of stories is very diverse; tightly themed anthologies like this risk feeling monotonous or veering off-course, but each story neatly fits the theme without feeling samey. You probably won’t like all of them as a result, but you won’t dislike all of them, either (unless you hate apocalyptic fiction, but in that case, why are you reading this?) For me, the strong points way outweigh the weak ones.
The selection of stories is very diverse; tightly themed anthologies like this risk feeling monotonous or veering off-course, but each story neatly fits the theme without feeling samey. You probably won’t like all of them as a result, but you won’t dislike all of them, either (unless you hate apocalyptic fiction, but in that case, why are you reading this?) For me, the strong points way outweigh the weak ones.
lackyducks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
An incredible collection of stories full of variety in both character and setting. The creativity in each of the apocalypse scenarios was outstanding, and I can't think of a story where the worldbuilding was not done well.
The characters are all very well fleshed out. None of them felt flat, no matter the setting they were in. They all had different motivations and wants that created interesting stories within their universe.
I think my favourite story in the anthology was 'Did We Break the End of the World?' by Tansy Rayner Roberts Ditmar. I enjoyed the characters and the setting they were in. It felt incredibly alive and well thought out. The story throughout also felt very complete, with lots of exciting twists throughout.
The characters are all very well fleshed out. None of them felt flat, no matter the setting they were in. They all had different motivations and wants that created interesting stories within their universe.
I think my favourite story in the anthology was 'Did We Break the End of the World?' by Tansy Rayner Roberts Ditmar. I enjoyed the characters and the setting they were in. It felt incredibly alive and well thought out. The story throughout also felt very complete, with lots of exciting twists throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, War, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Excrement and Gun violence
bookwyrmed's review against another edition
4.0
A few of these stories weren't that great, but overall, this was weirdly uplifting to read in the midst of profound existential anxiety and depression.