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A review by haramis
The End Has Come by John Joseph Adams, Hugh Howey
5.0
Even though I adored the first two in this series (more so the first), I ended up putting off reading this one, because when I went to look at the reviews on Amazon, they were pretty dismissive. I hate being disappointed, so I waffled a bit on starting this one. I wish I hadn't waited. While I will say that some of the authors' best entries were in the earlier books, I think this was overall a better entry than [b: The End is Now|18870656|The End is Now|John Joseph Adams|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392378585s/18870656.jpg|26869773]. I'll start by mentioning how much Carrie Vaughn's "Bannerless" threw me for a loop, on two counts. First, since it mentioned floods and plague, I thought it was a continuation of Toiya Kristen Finley's "Outer Rims" until I remembered that that particular story was by a different author and in [b: Wastelands 2|23295033|Wastelands 2 - More Stories of the Apocalypse|John Joseph Adams|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424856822s/23295033.jpg|21954205]. Also I was trying to remember if I had read it before, and then realized that is a prequel story to Vaughn's "Amaryllis" in [b: Brave New Worlds|8966218|Brave New Worlds|John Joseph Adams|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1298782758s/8966218.jpg|13843176], which I read back in 2012. Oops, maybe it's time to take a break from JJA anthologies.
I really liked "Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod." I think it was my favorite of Will McIntosh's three, and I very much liked the way it explored how someone might react to having their entire family suffer lock in. I think I liked Sarah Lagan's "Love Perverts" best, but "Prototype" is pretty freaky. Sean McGuire is back with a pair of stories, one finishing up her creepy fungus triptych, and one gleefully expounding on her love of Disneyland. I think I liked the first two better on the fungus, but "The Happiest Place..." is a keeper. Ben H. Winter's final story "Heaven Come Down" gives the last piece to his eerie world, and I was into it.
For Jack Kerr, Annie Bellet, and Tananarive Due, I think I liked earlier stories better,"Wedding Day," "Good Night Moon," and "Herd Immunity" respectively. Due's "Carriers" is pretty good, it's just that her middle story was fantastic. I think what really surprised me was the authors that had their best story in this third volume. Jamie Ford turned in his first passable effort with "The Uncertainty Machine." "The Gods Have Not Died in Vain" and "The Last Movie Ever Made" were the best of their respective triptychs, and as he sometimes does, Jonathan Maberry wrote a story that I genuinely loved. His "Jingo and the Hammerman" has a premise so funny that I was completely enchanted. I very much liked Elizabeth Bear's second offering "Margin of Survival," which was one of the standalone stories.
I have to say I was baffled by Hugh Howey's "Into the Woods." I don't think it would make sense if you haven't read his books, and if you have read them, it's like getting a surprise punch in the gut. What on earth was he thinking?
All in all, I have to say that if you liked the first two books, you're going to like this one too, so go ahead and get reading. 4.5/5.
I really liked "Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod." I think it was my favorite of Will McIntosh's three, and I very much liked the way it explored how someone might react to having their entire family suffer lock in. I think I liked Sarah Lagan's "Love Perverts" best, but "Prototype" is pretty freaky. Sean McGuire is back with a pair of stories, one finishing up her creepy fungus triptych, and one gleefully expounding on her love of Disneyland. I think I liked the first two better on the fungus, but "The Happiest Place..." is a keeper. Ben H. Winter's final story "Heaven Come Down" gives the last piece to his eerie world, and I was into it.
For Jack Kerr, Annie Bellet, and Tananarive Due, I think I liked earlier stories better,"Wedding Day," "Good Night Moon," and "Herd Immunity" respectively. Due's "Carriers" is pretty good, it's just that her middle story was fantastic. I think what really surprised me was the authors that had their best story in this third volume. Jamie Ford turned in his first passable effort with "The Uncertainty Machine." "The Gods Have Not Died in Vain" and "The Last Movie Ever Made" were the best of their respective triptychs, and as he sometimes does, Jonathan Maberry wrote a story that I genuinely loved. His "Jingo and the Hammerman" has a premise so funny that I was completely enchanted. I very much liked Elizabeth Bear's second offering "Margin of Survival," which was one of the standalone stories.
I have to say I was baffled by Hugh Howey's "Into the Woods." I don't think it would make sense if you haven't read his books, and if you have read them, it's like getting a surprise punch in the gut. What on earth was he thinking?
All in all, I have to say that if you liked the first two books, you're going to like this one too, so go ahead and get reading. 4.5/5.