| Title | : | Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (Wastelands #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1597801054 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781597801058 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 333 |
| Publication | : | First published March 1, 2008 |
| Awards | : | Locus Award Best Anthology (2009) |
Famine, Death, War, and Pestilence: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbingers of Armageddon - these are our guides through the Wastelands . . . From the Book of Revelations to The Road Warrior; from A Canticle for Leibowitz to The Road, storytellers have long imagined the end of the world, weaving tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity.
Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic literature of the last two decades from many of today's most renowned authors of speculative fiction, including George R.R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Carol Emshwiller, Jonathan Lethem, Octavia E. Butler, and Stephen King, Wastelands explores the scientific, psychological, and philosophical questions of what it means to remain human in the wake of Armageddon.
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (Wastelands #1) Reviews
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I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I think I prefer apocalypse stories with zombies. I've enjoyed Joseph Adams' edited collections before (the
The End is Nigh series has some great arcs), but Wastelands largely feels bleak and depressing. Apparently contributions were curated or written with either physical or emotional desolation in mind.
Deliberately excluding apocalypses resulting from aliens or zombies, Adams attempts to answer the question of what would the world be like after the apocalypse. He contextualized the sub genre in general, suggesting that the genre starts in 1826 with Shelley's
The Last Man. He references a number of iconoclastic works and suggests the genre lost some popularity post-Berlin wall fall but has been enjoying a resurgence since the turn of the century. This collection literally spans decades, from 1973 (R.R. Martin) to 2008 (Oltion). Most of them hold up extremely well. All were generally well-written and a couple were enjoyable enough that I'll make a point of looking for the authors. Adams also provides an extensive bibliography of apocalypse books at the end which may be interesting to genre fans (like me!), including ones that are sort of sub-sub genre, such as Octavia Butler's
Dawn and Kate Wilhelm's
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang.
After pushing to the half-way point, I set it down for a month, lacking the motivation to continue, even in the middle of summer when depressing should be more tolerable. I should have recognized trouble when Adams described a story where a girl's family traps her in the cellar as "the most optimistic story in this volume." However, after a couple month hiatus, I was able to pick it up and finish, discovering that somehow I might have turned an emotional corner. The last half felt more optimistic. Interestingly, I think I confirmed that while some of the historically big names in sci-fi certainly are competent writers (Wolfe, R.R. Martin, Doctorow, McDevitt), something about their writing usually doesn't connect with me. Reviewing the stories, I also discovered that I generally preferred the ones written by women. Hmm. Overall, I'd call the collection three to three-and-a-half-stars with a couple of five-star standouts.
In the interests of both my own limited memory and in case anyone would like to know exactly what stories it contains, notes follow. All of the stories except "Judgement Passed" were published elsewhere and are used with authorial or estate permission.
"The End of The Whole Mess" by Stephen King. Solid. Good characterization, nice sibling dynamic between two brothers. Genius brother does research into bees and has an idea how to make people less aggressive. Feels unremarkable, however, and the "Flowers for Algernon" trajectory uninspired.
"Salvage" by Orson Scott Card. In a far off future, Deaver convinces his friends to go on a salvage run to an underwater Mormon city rumored to be full of riches. Strange tale that likely contains references that went above my head. Maybe about alienation and values.
"The People of Sand and Slag" by Paolo Bacigalupi. Read it before in Paolo's anthology. Good story, but I hate it. Paolo's writing makes me lose hope for humanity.
"Bread and Bombs" by M. Rickert. Children of a small village react to differences in other children, but learn the biggest difference is between them and their parents who destroyed the world by dropping bombs and food packets overseas. Creepy Children of the Corn feel.
"How We Got in Town and Out Again" by Jonathan Lethem. A boy and an older girl join forces with a traveling virtual reality competition team as a way of getting into town and getting access to food. The boy is drawn into participating and ends up subverting the system. Love, companionship and reality.
"Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" by George R.R. Martin. Greel is exploring the Oldest Tunnels when he runs into something he's never seen--a fire. Ciffonetto and Von der Stadt are exploring the tunnels looking for an ancient treasurehouse. Mistakes are made. Depressing, as always. I feel like I've read pretty close to this exact tale before. Hugh Howey did something similar as well.
"Waiting for the Zephyr" by Tobias S. Buckell. A young woman wants to run away to the Zephyr, a giant traveling caravan that periodically comes through her dying, one-horse town. Her family traps her, literally, but her boyfriend loves something and sets it free.
"Never Despair" by Jack McDevitt. Two archeologists are searching for the secrets of the concrete Roadmakers when they find a holograph of one of the ancients. Surprise! The reader is supposed to recognize who he is through increasingly obvious clues. Has a
A Canticle for Leibowitz feel but feels like an incomplete story.
"When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" by Cory Doctorow. Winner of Locus for 2007, and one of the more enjoyable stories. Focused on a computer operation center when everything starts to go down, the Sysadmins try and figure out what is happening. An interesting take on an active apocalypse, as banks of computers are likely highly protected, at least until the power runs out.
"The Last of the O-Forms" by James Van Pelt. Finalist for a Nebula. Everyone is a mutant, even animals. A traveling circus runs into financial disaster but ends up capitalizing on their manager's mutation. Creepy small-town mutant feel.
"Still Life With Apocalypse" by Richard Kadrey. Life post-apocalypse is just trying to keep busy, whether it's recovering records or getting rid of all the dead bodies. Quick little 4-5 page piece that feels like there is potential but is underwhelming due to brevity.
"Artie's Angels" by Catherine Wells. A pair of young kids inadvertently start building a myth in the Kansas Habitat. A genius boy befriends a homely girl and starts a bicycle club for area kids. I thought this one sweet and poignant. Easy four stars.
"Judgement Passed" Jerry Oltion. A fascinating tale of what happened when a spaceship colony crew returns to Earth and discovers everyone has been taken by Jesus, apparently literally. One of the more unique apocalypse scenarios I've read, and one of the only ones in the volume that clearly takes place in the future. Character building was exceptional.
"Mute" by Gene Wolfe. Two kids on a bus ride to their father's house are almost sure he's there. Strangely, the tv is always on 'mute.' A strange little story with quirky-horror overtones. Was the bus driver real? Is the tv communicating? Where is their dad? No idea on the end of the world.
"Inertia" by Nancy Kress. Another interesting take on the dystopian setting. People who have survived a disfiguring epidemic are living peaceably in compounds walled-off from the rest of America that suffers increasing levels of violence. A doctor sneaks in to research why. Very interesting psychological study, as well as an exploration of depression and biology.
"And the Deep Blue Sea" by Elizabeth Bear. A thrill-seeking female bike courier takes a job getting a package to Sacramento, only to be interrupted by Nick trying to re-negotiate another deal. He's having a hard time accepting her refusal. I enjoyed this one, which reminds me I need to seek out more by Bear.
Speech Sounds" by Octavia E. Butler. One I haven't heard of. In a post-apocalypse setting, people are mute, dumb, or cognitively challenged after exposure. A woman trying to get from L.A. to Pasadena runs into a Lone Ranger and discovers more than she expected. Might be one of my favorites by Butler, if only because she doesn't push me anywhere I'm not willing to go.
"Killers" by Carol Emshwiller. After a war, mostly older women are left, getting by on subsistence living level. The men who come back are damaged and tend to be hermits, although someone has been killing them off. A man appears in the narrator's house and appears quite attractive after he's cleaned up. Creepy, speaks to the dark, jealous sides of human nature.
"Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus" by Neal Barrett, Jr. A story that was a Nebula/Hugo finalist. Great done. Ginny, barker Del and Possum the Gun expert are traveling through a post-apocalypse landscape selling sex, tacos and drugs. What makes this one fabulous is the narrative tone and the unapologetic, easy nature of the characters. Really enjoyed it. Will have to check out more from him.
"The End of the World as We Know It" by Dale Bailey draws the parallel that the world is always ending on a personal level, and we might never know the whys or hows. Makes interesting parallels between a man named Wyndham who wakes up one day only to discover everyone around him is head, and various disasters responsible for killing thousands to millions of people. It takes an interesting narrative approach with a somewhat casual tone. Feels rather Zen.
"A Song Before Sunset" by David Grigg is about a man who has survived the apocalypse and now has one last dream before he sleeps: to play on a concert piano. He wheels and deals to get the instrument ready, even as marauders approach the city.
"Episode Seven" by John Langan is a strange piece that is more superhero than Lovecraftian, where a young pregnant woman is saved by her longtime close male friend. He seems to be getting in touch with a latent part of himself, almost Dark Knight-like. The end of the world sounds like nature run amok. Well-written, interestingly told, but a little lacking in the character department into why the woman is troubled. -
At times, I felt like I was slogging through the detritus of the known world, searching for a good story in Wastelands. Finally, towards the middle and end, I found life-sustaining stories to reward me for the trip.
Some were hopeful: 1) "Waiting for the Zephyr" by Tobias S. Buckell, 2) "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" by Cory Doctorow, and 3) "Artie's Angels" by Catherine Wells.
A few were profound, 1) "Inertia" by Nancy Kress, 2) And the Deep Blue Sea" by Elizabeth Bear and 3) "Speech Sounds" by the incredible Octavia Butler.
Two were very amusing, " The Last of the O-forms" by James Van Pelt and Ginny Sweethip's Flying Circus" by Neal Barrett Jr.
And the very last one was a nice little action packed thriller, "Episode 7: Last Stand Against the Pack" by John Langan. -
A tightly themed, well executed collection: Wastelands captures our apocalypse fears and fantasies equally well and sometimes even simultaneously.
Adams wisely chooses
Stephen King's "The End of the Whole Mess" as an opener and moves into all manner of exciting territory from there. Wastelands is the expected mix of strong (and some average) short stories; most of them have a high re-read score and there is an good mix of diverse ideas and themes that keep within the central focus.
THAT SAID: if you are considering this one, read the introduction before you make the purchase. This isn't about zombie plagues or alien invasions or black holes ripping through our space-time continuum. This is about somewhat more plausible apocalypses. Even when they're totally unexplained.
Most of these stories I enjoyed as much as I expected (e.g., "Speech Sounds") and some less so (e.g., "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth") and some more so (e.g., "Salvage"). I won't enumerate the themes you expect in an apocalypse-themed collection; they're all here and they're all in full force. I will remark on the following, however:
* I was a bit amused by how many of these shorts featured nomads;
** and more so by how often those nomads were of the carny folk variety.
* The stories seem to be pretty "current" in their bio-engineered plagues and their genetic fall-out and their post-Peak Oil crises and 9/11-kneejerks; the last star in my review would have been earned by but one thorough and explicit treatment of WW3-ish nuclear winter.
* Remember: you brought this on yourself.
Rated Individually:
• "The End of the Whole Mess" (Stephen King) ★★★★★
• "Salvage" (Orson Scott Card) ★★★
• "The People of Sand and Slag" (Paolo Bacigalupi) ★★★
• "Bread and Bombs" (M. Rickert) ★★★
• "How We Got In Town and Out Again" (Jonathan Lethem) ★★★★
• "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" (George R. R. Martin) ★★★★
• "Waiting for the Zephyr" (Tobias S. Buckell) ★★★
• "Never Despair" (Jack McDevitt) ★★★★
• "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" (Cory Doctorow) ★★★
• "The Last of the O-Forms" (James Van Pelt) ★★★
• "Still Life with Apocalypse" (Richard Kadrey) ★★★★
• "Artie's Angels" (Catherine Wells) ★★★★
• "Judgment Passed" (Jerry Oltion) ★★★
• "Mute" (Gene Wolfe) ★★★★½
• "Inertia" (Nancy Kress) ★★★
• "And the Deep Blue Sea" (Elizabeth Bear) ★★★
• "Speech Sounds" (Octavia Butler) ★★★★
• "Killers" (Carol Emshwiller) ★★★★
• "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus" (Neal Barrett Jr.) ★★★
• "The End of the World as We Know It" (Dale Bailey) ★★★★★
• "A Song Before Sunset" (David Grigg) ★★★
• "Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack in the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers" (John Langan) ★★★★ -
I have been thinking about all these stories. They range from really good to simply meh. I am going to borrow the format some other folks have used, this was a group read for Apocalypse Whenever. I don't think they will mind.
The End of the Whole Mess: Let me just say they didn't think about the unintended consequences of their actions. Folks, let's remember the big picture.
Salvage: First time I have read this author. Felt like the first chapter to a good story.
The People of Sand and Slag: Second time I have read this story. For me it is all about the last paragraph. I really enjoy this author's perspective.
Bread and Bombs : meh, nothing stands out.
How We Got in Town and Out Again: There were things missing. Just so so.
Dark,Dark Were the Tunnels : I really liked this one. I recommend it. George R. can sure write. And he didn't add 500 new characters.
Waiting for The Zephyr: Had a steampunk feel to it. Again, the beginning of a good story.
Never Despair This one was a nice little story. I liked the message.
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth: One of my favorites. Check it out.
The Last of the O-forms: All I could think about was the novel
Geek Love. Is that a bad thing?
Still Life with Apocalypse: Disappointing from one of my favorite authors. Can't even remember what the story was about. Imagine a sad face and the end of this sentence.
Artie's Angels: I enjoyed this one. It was complete. Check it out.
Judgement Passed: I just can't believe Dave was that gullible.
Mute: It was a Twilight Zone episode. We are all scratching our heads.
Inertia: This one made me sad and angry.
And The Deep Blue Sea: I guess the Devil is in the details. Lost me in Chernobyl.
Speech Sounds: Time to buck up and read one of her novels. Very well written. It was a touching story.
Killers: I hear banjos playing in the back ground. Isn't that terrible to stereotype? Well, this one hit me in the wrong spot.
Ginny Sweethip's Flying Circus: yawn.
The End Of The World As We Know It: My favorite one out of them all. Loved it. I read it twice.
A Song Before Sunset:Beautiful. sad.
Episode Seven: I am not even going to finish the title. Yes there is more in the title. It was just too busy. Too much. The previous story would have made a stupendous resounding ending to these stories. But no, we are left with the song "Flying Purple People Eater" on the brain. And that is not how TEOTWAWKI should happen.
So, not a bad volume of short stories as short stories go. Some of the group felt this was was dark reading. For me, I found some very positive things in the End Of the World. -
I've had this on my shelf for years and finally pulled it from my bookshelf to read. There were 22 stories and as with all anthologies, some resonate more than others. 3.5 stars overall.
Thoughts on my favourites:
The End of The Whole Mess by Stephen King- A very sad story in which a brother relates how his brilliant sibling ruined humanity with an unintended eco-catastrophe with biological fallout.
The People of Sand & Slag by Paolo Baciagalupi- Actually more disturbing than enjoyable. This is a hellscape with post-humans and one of the more other-worldly stories in the book. Unsettling.
Bread and Bombs by M. Rickert- A very good story about a world where fear of "the other" is the catalyst for a surprising end.
How We Got In Town and Out Again by Jonathan Lethem- Bleak story of a sort of travelling VR carnival of the carnal that arrives in a town and how the two main characters get in and ultimately away from it.
Waiting for the Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell - I really enjoyed this one and felt it was just too short. After the collapse, rural towns are mere outposts and one character has been awaiting the return of the airship Zephyr to make her escape. This is a great beginning to a story. I need more!
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth by Cory Doctorow- I very much enjoyed this one. A bio-attack destroys the world but systems admin Felix still forges on. The broken Toronto landscape was vivid. I also liked the willingness to forge on and keep trying a civilized society.
Artie's Angels by Catherine Wells- Here's to Artie D'Angelo, a king among couriers of B9. Great short.
More detailed comments to come with the rest of my favourites.
I have the other two books in this series and will continue. -
This book had a strong start with Stephen King's The End of the Whole Mess, but quickly went downhill from there. Bleak story after bleak story had me feeling a little bit down.
There were a few gems amongst them however. My favorites were Speech Sounds, Artie's Angels and Mute. My least favorites were When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth and The People of Sand and Slag. Although to be fair the latter wasn't my least favorite because it was awful, but because of its shocking content. I got a similar feeling after reading Animal Farm or Lord of the Flies, where the cruelty in the story shocked me, but I couldn't stop thinking about the story or the message the author was trying to send.
This book isn't for the faint of heart, but has opened my eyes to some new and exciting writers that I can't wait to explore. -
This sounded like a great idea. I read a lot of post-apocalyptic (and dystopian) books. I mean, a LOT, probably 90% of what I read.
After this book, for the first time in years, I need a break. I've needed breaks from zombie books, but when I, need a PA break, something's clearly gone wrong.
It's not that the stories are bad. Well, some of them aren't so hot, but some of them are quite good, and overall it is a decent collection. But it's all just sooo damn depressing.
To go from one depressing story, to another, TO ANOTHER, it's just too much. Especially with stories like Bacigalupi's in there, who is not exactly known for warm and charming characters. I get it, due to the subject matter, you're bound to have some misery in there. Authors like Bacigalupi don't hold back. However, I couldn't help but wish that when Adams curated this collection he'd made a little more effort to add some diversity in there. There are only so many sad endings a person can take. Some endings weren't just sad but REALLY SAD or just seriously ugly and dark.
Some one-liner thoughts below, which you probably don't actually want to read, but I'm putting them there at least for my own benefit later - or maybe you can see if you agreed on any of the stories.
Introduction by John Joseph Adams
1. "The End of the Whole Mess" by Stephen King
I liked this one personally, an interesting approach to how it all ended.
2. "Salvage" by Orson Scott Card
I was bored by this one and didn't finish it, but since OSC gives me the creeps, I didn't feel all that bad.
3. "The People of Sand and Slag" by Paolo Bacigalupi
This made me want to invent time travel so I could go back and time and *not* read it. I get why he creates stories and characters like this, but I really hate to read them. I'm so done with this guy.
4. "Bread and Bombs" by M. Rickert
Pretty decent one
5. "How We Got In Town and Out Again" by Jonathan Lethem
This one was a little bit baffling in a way, though had some interesting ideas.
6. "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" by George R. R. Martin
I liked this one, memorable and interesting though not full of surprises.
7. "Waiting for the Zephyr" by Tobias S. Buckell
I liked this one, but wanted more.
8. "Never Despair" by Jack McDevitt
I appreciated what he was going for on this one, though it wasn't one of my favorites.
9. "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" by Cory Doctorow
Couldn't get into this one, too, well, techy and dry.
10. "The Last of the O-Forms" by James Van Pelt
Kind of a memorable one, interesting.
11. "Still Life With Apocalypse" by Richard Kadrey
Too short and now I've forgotten what it was about.
12. "Artie’s Angels" by Catherine Wells
One of the best ones in the lot.
13. "Judgment Passed" by Jerry Oltion
I really got a kick out of this one, it was one of my favorites.
14. "Mute" by Gene Wolfe
What the hell, dude. I'm sure this made sense to the author, and he thought he was being oh-so-clever, but in the end I was oh-so-bewildered.
15. "Inertia" by Nancy Kress
I liked this one, and it didn't make me feel as icky as many of the other stories.
16. "And the Deep Blue Sea" by Elizabeth Bear
It was okay, though I disagreed with the MC's logic at the end of the story.
17. "Speech Sounds" by Octavia E. Butler
There isn't much I haven't enjoyed by this author is this was no exception.
18. "Killers" by Carol Emshwiller
This was a decent one. Weird ending. Well, not that weird for PA fiction.
19. "Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus" by Neal Barrett, Jr.
Decent, with interesting characters.
20. "The End of the World as We Know It" by Dale Bailey
Good one.
21. "A Song Before Sunset" by David Grigg
Good-ish, though of course it didn't go where I wanted it to. Like a lot of these stories.
22. "Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack in the 23. "Kingdom of the Purple Flowers" by John Langan
WTF?
"Appendix: For Further Reading" by John Joseph Adams
Including this because it's a good reference. Fortunately JJA was kind enough to post it online, here is the link:
http://www.johnjosephadams.com/wastel...
I'm giving this 3 stars, because in a way, I think it deserves that, but it really felt like a 2 star experience because the stories made me feel so miserable, lol. -
I didn't have great hopes for this since I've read a lot of post apocalyptic stories & books over the years. There's rarely anything new, the same old tropes. Kadrey even explains most of them in his offering as he paints a truly poignant picture that puts them all to shame. Most of the stories here are truly unique & fantastic.
Only Butler's story was a repeat for me. I even liked King's! He was short & to the point for a change. Good point, too. Doctorow's story focused on an overlooked area, not your typical survivor types. I wonder if xkcd was the inspiration.
This was wonderful as an audiobook with a bunch of fantastic narrators. I got this free as a founding supporter of
Skyboat Media's DRIP campaign. That's been a wonderful investment as
Gabrielle de Cuir &
Stefan Rudnicki have discussed how audiobooks are made, published & distributed.
Introduction—John Joseph Adams
The End of the Whole Mess—Stephen King
Salvage—Orson Scott Card
The People of Sand and Slag—Paolo Bacigalupi
Bread and Bombs—M. Rickert
How We Got Into Town and Out Again—Jonathan Lethem
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels—George R. R. Martin
Waiting for the Zephyr—Tobias S. Buckell
Never Despair—Jack McDevitt
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth—Cory Doctorow
The Last of the O-Forms—James Van Pelt
Still Life with Apocalypse—Richard Kadrey
Artie’s Angels—Catherine Wells
Judgment Passed—Jerry Oltion
Mute—Gene Wolfe
Intertia—Nancy Kress
And the Deep Blue Sea—Elizabeth Bear
Speech Sounds—Octavia E. Butler
Killers—Carol Emshwiller
Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus—Neal Barrett, Jr.
The End of the World as We Know it—Dale Bailey
A Song Before Sunset—David Grigg
Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack in the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers—John Langan
If you like this sort of story, this is a must read. One of the best. -
Maybe this particular post-apocalypse sub-genre is not for me; in any case, this collection of short stories left me quite unimpressed, often underwhelmed and occasionally bored. I just can't comprehend the overall high rating of this book, I was expecting something better to be honest.
Some stories were decently good, the first one by Stephen King was really good (together with another couple of stories, out of the 22 in this book), but a few others were really not so good. They also seemed fairly randomly put together. Overall, not terrible but pretty average and definitely forgettable. -
An incredibly solid collection of short stories. Most of them highly entertaining and original. Some more so than others obviously but I wouldn't put any story in the book under 3 stars and most are at 4 stars.
I've acquired a lot of JJ Adams edited compilations here and I'm looking forward to reading them especially if they are as well done as this one. -
The worst:
The End of the Whole Mess by Stephen King: Reviewers keep talking about what a great story this was to open the collection. Nope. It's crap.
Waiting for the Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell: This was a really short and seemingly inoffensive story about a girl trying to escape her family and get on a wind-driven landship out of town, but I hated it. I don't even really know why. It was like 4 pages long but it managed to infuriate me anyway.
Salvage by Orson Scott Card: Mormon propaganda.
A Song Before Sunset by David Grigg: Racist.
Bread and Bombs by M. Rickert: Heavy-handed 9/11 war on terror reaction, written in an annoying fashion.
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth by Cory Doctorow: This story might have been fine, I don't know. I got sick of the computer geek humor after like 3 pages and skipped the rest.
The best:
The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi: Terrifyingly creepy.
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels by George R. R. Martin: Creepily terrifying?
The Last of the O-Forms by James Van Pelt: I had always avoided Van Pelt's novel because of its weak title ("Summer of the Apocalypse") and laughable cover, but I enjoyed this story enough that I'm going to check it out now.
Mute by Gene Wolfe: Not one of his best, but still, his command of the language stands out pretty significantly in this collection. (Also, for him, a relatively simple story. I think?)
Episode Seven… by John Langan: This actually seemed like a story a younger version of Gene Wolfe would write-although Langan is much more explicit than Wolfe ever is.
Inertia by Nancy Kress
Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler
The End of the World as We Know It by Dale Bailey: These three, I thought, did the best job of portraying one individual's attempt to make sense of the world falling apart around them. Van Pelt and Langan did good jobs of this too, actually. -
An excellent collection with generally very high quality stories, many of which have won numerous awards and have been published widely before. In particular, I liked Octavia Butler's story, as well as well as the story by Dale Bailey.
The End of the Whole Mess by Stephen King (4.0) - Two brothers. One a genius, bent on curing the world of it's biggest disease. Violence. This was intriguing and thoroughly engaging, the story narrated as a journal documenting the tale of how the end came, despite good intentions.
The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi (3.0) - Interesting story giving a brief glimpse into a future where nearly all life on Earth, especially humans, are insanely bio-engineered for both performance enhancement and also just to survive in Earth's toxic environment where nearly no natural bio-organisms can survive. Too short.
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels by George R. R. Martin (3.0) - Intriguing setting, but not much depth to the story and feels like well worn territory and not particularly inspired.
Never Despair by Jack McDevitt (4.0) - Something about a quest among ancient ruins for lost knowledge is deeply intriguing to me, so I found this story quite compelling, despite the ending being a bit trite.
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth by Cory Doctorow (4.0) - This has stuck with me since I originally read it a while ago. Surely a sign of a good story. Especially compelling for those of us who work in the field.
The Last of the O-Forms by James Van Pelt (2.0) - Unremarkable story of a traveling circus of freak mutant animals.
Still Life With Apocalypse by Richard Kadrey (4.0) - So weird and short, but very cool! Audio narration for this was incredible.
Judgment Passed by Jerry Oltion (4.0) - Apocalypse in the form of the rapture?! But wait, a few stragglers are left behind. What to do? Great concept, well written, dark, thought provoking.
Mute by Gene Wolfe (3.5) - A eery ghost type story that plays out in an abandoned house and an abandoned neighborhood that seems to contain echoes of its former residents.
And the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth Bear (3.0) - Some excellent post-apocalyptic imagery of a messenger hurtling through the desert wasteland on her ultra fast motorcycle, yet I couldn't make much sense of the alternate timeline, Faustian plot.
Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler (5.0) - Deeply touching and immersive post-apocalyptic tale of loss and the emergence of hope in even the most desperate of circumstances. Butler's style is sparse and economical, but cuts deeps. An absolute master at painting just enough of a picture where your imagination can seamlessly flesh out the rest.
The End of the World as We Know It by Dale Bailey (5.0) - An average guy. An average apocalypse. The flippant narrator is very amusing, with his frequent, random interjections of popular end of the world lore as well as real historical tragedies that kind of put things in perspective.
Episode Seven... by John Langan (4.0) - Love the creativity here and overlap of fantasy, horror and sci-fi elements into something wholly unique, weird, suspenseful and just a bit wacky. -
Would've been ideal if I hadn't read most of the stories in this before, since I'm a big fan of postapocalyptic fiction. But this does collect all my favorite PA stories, so it's handy when I want to go re-read them. Even better was the handful of new stories in the volume.
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The End of the Whole Mess by Stephen King ★★★★★
"The world needs heroic measures, man. I don't know about long-term effects, and there's no time to study them, because there's no long-term prospect. Maybe we can cure the whole mess. Or maybe—"
I read Nightmares & Dreamscapes when it first came out in the early 90s, and was ridiculously proud of myself (huge book); this was the story that stayed with me. It was my first apocalypse story, and it felt real because there were no zombies, no aliens, no Revelation. Just Yankees coming down to Texas and deciding they knew it all and had the right to “fix us all.”
Decades later it’s still chilling. Somehow more so hearing Waco mentioned again and again as a place of peace and madness. Mostly known today for the Branch Dividian Rape Factory, peace and madness indeed.
Inertia by Nancy Kress ★★★★★
“To do the wrong thing, she had decided, is better than to do nothing.”
A beautiful, hopeful version of King’s The End of the Whole Mess. A disfiguring disease has been quarantined for generations, peaceful generations as the outside world crumbled in anger and violence. One doctor would like to cure the disfigurements to spread the peace.
Bread and Bombs by M. Rickert ★★★★½
“The grownups assemble to discuss how we will not be ruled by evil, and also, the possibility of widening Main Street.”
I liked this more than was seemly. With all the adults reminiscing, dangerously, about the old world the children come up with a simple idea about how to stop them.
Killers by Carol Emshwiller ★★★★☆
Loved it! When the men go off to war, and don’t return, the women carry on in peace. They enjoy the few nice men who return, but the bad ones... Well, it’s a long winter. Whahaha.
The Last of the O-Forms by James Van Pelt ★★★★☆
I shuddered at the end of that story. A man with a traveling circus of mutated animals is going out of business. People won’t pay to see the creatures they struggle with daily but his perfect little girl... oh, they are just dying to touch a flawless child. This story reinforces the truth that people who will abuse animals will abuse other people.
Artie’s Angels by Catherine Wells ★★★★☆
“Bicycles are the answer.” And because he was Artie, we believed him.
That was almost a tearjerker. A barrio leader/prodigy sacrifices everything to bring hope to a dying world. It was rather beautiful the way the story would stop and take a moment, This is how the story would go if it ended here with a smile... but this is what really happened...
Judgement Passed by Jerry Oltion ★★★★☆
What an interesting addition. Astronauts come home to a world where all the humans have left in The Rapture. Will God return, is this a punishment? No, it’s a blessing. The whole world is clean, and bright, and yours!
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels by George R. R. Martin ★★★★☆
In a tribute to Atom Age SciFi Martin brings us back to Earth five hundred years after a nuclear disaster cut off contact from Luna. Earth humans have evolved in the dark, developed psychic connections which each other and their pets.
Things go wrong when the Luna explorers freak out and kill a beloved pet. For the record if you shot my German Shepherd I would not be responsible for my crazy vicious actions.
Waiting for the Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell ★★★½☆
Two generations after collapse the big cities cling to life on nuclear power but small towns have entered a dark age. Only the new airships connect towns to cities. This story was not long enough!
Never Despair by Jack McDevitt ★★★½☆
“You've implied that the world outside is in ruins."
“Oh, no. The world outside is lovely."
“But there are ruins?"
“Yes."
It’s a Future Primitive quest for the past story with shades of The Time Machine (2002). Entertaining, but I wanted more.
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth by Cory Doctorow ★★★½☆
“There in the humming of the racks, he never felt like it was the first days of a better nation, but he never felt like it was the last days of one, either.”
Ah the sources code for Walkaway. When the end times come you really need motivated people who can get behind Try, Fail, Tray Again, Fail Better.
A Song Before Sunset by David Grigg ★★★½☆
A painful look at the dying of cultural heritage in the post-apocalyptic world, and the troubling thought that maybe none of it had been worth the efforts.
Salvage by Orson Scott Card ★★★☆☆
“Whenever things got scary in the world, a lot of Mormons moved home.”
A group of Mormons live around the flooded shattered remains of Salt Lake City. Their memories and faith hold them there. The imagery of the metal scrawled prayers given to the temple below the lake was moving.
Told from an outsiders perspective you can appreciate their faith while knowing it’s the past and tomorrow is elsewhere.
An OK story but I expected more from the author of the Enderverse Series.
Still Life With Apocalypse by Richard Kadrey ★★★☆☆
Basically a snap-shot story of a world slowing failing, only the bureaucracy not giving up. It’s the way it failed that felt real.
“TV cameras broadcast the riot live to a country so knotted with fury and tension that riots broke out from Maine to Hawaii. When the footage hit the satellites, riots spontaneously exploded around the world.”
Mute by Gene Wolfe ★★★☆☆
Ah, that special end of the world moment when you get to slip into bed naked with your sister.
Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus by Neal Barrett, Jr. ★★★☆☆
A funny story about people making their way in peculiar fashion; a faux sex carnival operator and the mechanic with a crush on her.
The End of the World as We Know It by Dale Bailey ★★★☆☆
“She's talking about Duty. She's talking about it because that's what you're supposed to talk about at times like this. But underneath that is sex. And underneath that, way down, is loneliness—and he has some sympathy for that...”
The end of the world was a quiet sudden whisper of rot. The survivors find each other but can’t find the will to be human again.
Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler ★★★☆☆
“It happened just that simply, just that fast... And Rye was alone—with three corpses.”
A slightly hopeful ending tacked onto a desolate, bloodthirsty landscape.
And The Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth Bear ★★½☆☆
I have some appreciation for this bike through the badlands, real and imagined, but not for the rest. I did not understand what was in the case or how it could save a city. The character’s dire motivation felt more nihilistic than heroic.
How We Got In Town and Out Again by Jonathan Lethem ★★☆☆☆
A little unpleasant, a lot boring. To get admission into a town with little food, but somehow tons of computer equipment, contestants give up sleep to VR.
Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack In the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers by John Langan ★★☆☆☆
Well, that could have been great. I went back to the beginning to read the story within the story hoping for some novel twist. No luck. Which makes this story a lame kaiju, nothing more.
The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi SKIP
I read 21/22 stories that averaged 3.4 stars. -
Short post-apocalyptic stories by different authors, some better known than others. Below, each of the stories rated with its own stars.
Stephen King - Sfarsitul tuturor problemelor / The End of the Whole Mess - 3.5/5★
Orson Scott Card - Recuperare / Salvage - 3/5★
Paolo Bacigalupi - Oameni de nisip si zgura / The People of Sand and Slag - 4.5/5★
M. Rickert - Paine si bombe / Bread and Bombs - 3.5/5★
Jonathan Lethem, Cum am intrat in oras si cum l-am parasit / How We Got In Town and Out Again - 3.5/5★
George R. R. Martin, Adanci, tot mai adanci, tunelurile / Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels - 5/5★
Tobias S. Buckell - Asteptand zefirul / Waiting for the Zephyr - 3.5/5★
Jack McDevitt - Sa nu disperi / Never Despair - 3/5★
Cory Doctorow - Cand Sysadminii conduceau lumea / When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth - 3.5/5★
James Van Pelt - Ultima dintre formele-O / The Last of the O-Forms - 4.5/5★
Richard Kadrey - Natura moarta cu Apocalipsa / Still Life With Apocalypse - 1/5★
Catherine Wells - Ingerii lui Artie / Artie’s Angels - 5/5★
Jerry Oltion - Dupa Judecata de Apoi / Judgment Passed - 4/5★
Gene Wolfe - Mut / Mute - 4/5★
Nancy Kress - Inertia / Inertia - 4/5★
Elizabeth Bear - Si adanca mare albastra / And the Deep Blue Sea - 4/5★
Octavia E. Butler - Sunetele vorbirii / Speech Sounds - 5/5★
Carol Emshwiller - Ucigasii / Killers - 3.5/5★
Neal Barrett, Jr. - Ginny Solduri-Suave si circul ei zburator / Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus - 2.5/5★
Dale Bailey - Sfarsitul lumii pe care o cunoastem / The End of the World as We Know It - 5/5★
David Grigg - Un cantec inainte de apus / A Song Before Sunset - 4.5/5★
John Langan - Episodul sapte: ultima rezistenta impotriva haitei in regatul florilor purpurii / Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack in the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers - 4.5/5★ -
Some great stories about various post-apocalyptic scenarios. There's a wide range of causes for end-of-the-world scenarios, and how the survivors deal with them.
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4/5
Un delicia para los que amamos las distopías -
El fin del mundo tal como lo conocemos, ese es el tema de esta antología de la editorial Valdemar. La civilización azotada y arrasada por la muerte, el hambre, la guerra y la enfermedad, que dan lugar a la miseria, el sufrimiento y el sálvese quien pueda. Y es que la humanidad se encamina a una perdición inexorable, donde el optimismo brilla por su ausencia. El artífice de esta antología es John Joseph Adams, editor de Lightspeed y Fantasy Magazine, especialista de prestigio en este tipo de recopilaciones.
Estos son los veintiún relatos incluidos en Paisajes del Apocalipsis (mencionar que en la edición original en inglés se incluyen veintidós relatos; el ausente en la edición española es un relato de Stephen King, que por ciertos problemas con los derechos, no ha podido estar presente):
El sonido de las palabras, de Octavia E. Butler (***). En un futuro próximo, los sentidos de la humanidad se han visto afectados, de manera que, por ejemplo, hay personas incapaces de articular palabra. Buen relato, donde se deja sentir esa cierta nostalgia por unos tiempos mejores.
Chatarra, de Orson Scott Card (**). Relato de tintes religiosos ambientado en un futuro afectado por el cambio climático. Cuento regular, perteneciente al ciclo de La gente del margen.
Gente de arena y escoria, de Paolo Bacigalupi (****). En un futuro lejano, regido por el post humanismo y una contaminación extrema, la humanidad es capaz de regenerarse a voluntad. Gran relato, auténtica reflexión del futuro deshumanizador que nos espera como no pongamos remedio.
Pan y bombas, de Mary Rickert (**). Relato sobre la guerra y la xenofobia, donde incluso los niños se ven inmersos. Regular.
De cómo logramos entrar en la ciudad y salir de ella, de Jonathan Lethem (***). En un futuro lejano, en un planeta desértico, la única manera de entrar en ciertos enclaves es participando en unos concursos bastante curiosos. Crítica feroz contra la realidad virtual, se trata de un buen relato, que se queda corto en su extensión.
Oscuros, oscuros eran los túneles, de George R.R. Martin (****). De nuevo nos encontramos en un futuro lejano, en el que por un lado tenemos a un explorador de túneles subterráneos, perteneciente a la parte de la humanidad que se quedó en la tierra, y por otro lado a unos descendientes de aquellos que se fueron en naves. Muy buen relato, triste y emotivo.
Esperando al Zephryr, de Tobias S. Buckell (***). En un futuro en el que los combustibles fósiles están agotados, las esperanzas de una joven están depositadas en la posibilidad de poder embarcarse en el Zephyr, un barco terrestre. Buen relato.
Nunca desfallezcáis, de Jack McDevitt (***). En un futuro hostil, Chaka Milana, la protagonista, anda a la búsqueda del mítico refugio, aunque está a punto de abandonar. Pero un insólito encuentro, le hará cambiar de parecer. Buen relato.
Cuando los Admindesis gobernador la Tierra, de Cory Doctorow (**). Cuando el mundo se está desmoronando, los administradores de sistemas son la última esperanza de mantener Internet. Relato bastante hard, con mucha tecnojerga informática. Interesante sin más.
Las últimas formas-o, de James Van Pelt (***). En un mundo donde las formas originales están desapareciendo, para dar paso a mutaciones e híbridos, los protagonistas hacen negocio con su feria de extraños animales. Buen relato, amargo y nostálgico, donde queda patente la crítica a lo que los juegos con la genética pueden ocasionar.
Naturaleza muerta con Apocalipsis, de Richard Kadrey (**). Pequeño relato que deja patente la desesperanza de una civilización en sus horas más bajas. Regular.
Los Ángeles de Artie, de Catherine Wells (***). Historia sobre el sueño de un muchacho y sus amigos por cambiar sus circunstancias. Buen relato, aunque emotivo y amargo.
El juicio pasó, de Jerry Oltion (*). Historia en clave humorística que trata de una nave que regresa a la tierra y se encuentra con que el Juicio Final ha tenido lugar. Muy flojo.
Modo silencio, de Gene Wolfe (**). Dos jóvenes viajan hacia la casa de su padre, y al llegar no encuentran a nadie, salvo un televisor en modo silencio. Relato muy Gene Wolfe, donde quedan más preguntas que respuestas. Interesante.
Inercia, de Nancy Kress (****). Una enfermedad incurable, que deforma la piel como si de una lepra moderna se tratase, obliga a los infectados a vivir apartados de todo y de todos. Nada entra, nada sale. A pesar de ello, subsisten con la ayuda de donaciones. Gran relato.
Y el profundo mar azul, de Elizabeth Bear (**). En un mundo radiactivo y desértico, la protagonista debe entregar un paquete, y es que el servicio de mensajería sigue siendo importante. Relato irregular, que me recordó a ‘El cartero’, de David Brin.
Asesinos, de Carol Emshwiller (*****). La guerra y el terrorismo han asolado los Estados Unidos, provocando su involución. La gente sobrevive a duras penas, aunque hay algunos combatientes que se empeñan en mantener vivo el conflicto. Quizás el mejor relato de la antología.
El Circo Ambulante de Ginny Caderasdulces, de Neal Barrett, Jr. (**). En un mundo devastado, similar al de Mad Max, la protagonista y sus compinches viven de ofrecer a su público Sexo, Tacos y Drogas Peligrosas. Divertido relato.
El Fin del Mundo tal como lo conocemos, de Dale Bailey (***). Relato autoparódico del subgénero post-apocalíptico, donde el autor trata de plasmar que el fin del mundo no tiene porqué venir dado por grandes cataclismos, sino que una desgracia a nivel personal también puede golpearnos de igual manera.
Una canción antes del Ocaso, de David Grigg (**). El autor abre el debate de si es posible mantener una civilización sin cultura. Interesante.
Episodio Siete: La última defensa contra la Jauría en el Reino de las Flores Púrpura, de John Langan (***). Mientras los dos jóvenes protagonistas están huyendo de la Jauría, una especie de mutantes, sabremos de su pasado a través de sus recuerdos. Buen relato.
En resumen, se trata de una buena colección de relatos, con un buen nivel de calidad, que intenta alejarse de los tópicos de este subgénero. -
I don't get it, I used to love reading this stuff ...
Empty and soulless as most the stories seem to be, I give it this, these guys can write. Having said that...
I thoroughly enjoyed the first tale, by Stephen King. (Has he written anything I don't like? Maybe once.) Then we go on to Orson Scott Card and a story which would only make sense to the Mormons, and then on...
To story after story filled with made-up technological lingo, and huge info-dumps (at the start of most stories, which are mind-boggling and not in a good way.) Let's impress our readers with all that we know - about weaponry, computers, future scenarios, etc. - then make up some stuff, then make up some words to go with the made-up stuff, then set out on an adventure which we will only PARTIALLY explain to said reader...
Though of course the characters understand every bit of what is going on. But let's continue to keep the readers IN THE DARK...
This is my summation of a lot of current Sci-Fi fiction which was once my fav. genre. Tell a little, leave out a lot, and reveal it bit by bit. My thinking goes, if the MC's know something, we all need to know it, readers included. If the MC is in the dark, then leave us in the dark, too. This way everyone DISCOVERS stuff together and we feel PART of the story.
Horror and mystery writers often do this, too, and it drives me crazy. Unless - unless! - you have that rare feature, the unreliable narrator, then DO NOT DO THIS.
I am a mystery reader. I know how it works. You can't leave me in the dark because I'm going to find a flashlight that works - or an oil lantern, or those long-stemmed matches you use to light a fireplace - and shine it on you and if what I discover is blah, boring or just plain stupid, I am NOT reading anymore.
But of course if the MC is also in the dark, then I'm fine with it. I'll walk right alongside him, her, them or it, happily intrigued and possibly scared out of my mind.
So meh, bleh, these stories, except King's, did nothing for me. -
'Chatarra', de Orson Scott Card es un relato cuyos protagonistas son mormones, como es habitual en este autor. Esta vez, por suerte, no se enrolla muy en profundidad con los preceptos de la religión y hace que el relato sea entretenido de leer, con buenos diálogos y un final bastante bueno.
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A lazy holiday caprice which only disappointed. I read the stories by the heavy hitters first and then hunted and pecked, ending with a surprising story Last of the O Levels which was about a carnival and a pervasive mutation. I'm somewhat sure I read the pieces by Stephen King and GRRM before, or maybe the selections matched their typical frequency.
I don't know.
I thought reading these after my Mark Fisher experience would be revelatory.
It wasn't. When the world ends I'll be one of the carbonized mounds that the hero steps over en route to starting the First Church of Jordan Peterson. -
I was looking for something along the pages but I got to end didn't find it. But, it was still a good read.
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I admit it, I love post-apocalyptic fiction. I think my fascination with the subject has a lot to do with a book I got through one of those Scholastic Book Club flyers when I was in elementary school. It was
Daybreak 2250 A.D. by Andre Norton. I went on to reading
Logan's Run and
The Masque of the Red Death among other post-apocalyptic fiction that I no longer remember. Growing up in the Sixties and Seventies, apocalypse seemed like a very real possibility.
Naturally, a short story collection like
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse would pique my interest. John Joseph Adams has done an excellent job of selecting stories for this gem. The stories cover a wide range of plausible world-ending scenarios, none of which involve aliens, zombies or supernatural creatures. The story that really got to me was Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler. The apocalypse here is a world where people have lost the ability to communicate. Some people can't talk at all and others speak jibberish. Nobody can understand anybody else. The result is violence and chaos. The story ends on a surprisingly hopeful note. I also really liked the stories by Gene Wolfe and Jonathan Lethem, two well-known authors that I've never really gotten into.
I highly recommend
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse for anyone who is either a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction or who is interested in exploring different aspects of the genre without committing to a novel. -
I've got a convoluted history with this book. I bought it at a convention some years ago where the editor was appearing and he kindly autographed it for me. It sat on my TBR pile for some time and I somehow never got to it. I saw the Blackstone audio version in the clearance bin at a library sale for next-to-nothing a month or so ago and picked it up to listen to on the drive to and from work, but a couple of the discs were damaged and so I read the stories that were unlistenable and ended up back-and-forthing with the CDs and the pages. All of which means nothing to anyone, so... It's a pretty nice anthology of stories. Most of them originally appeared within a decade to one side or the other of the turn of the century, mostly in the traditional genre magazines of the times, so I was familiar with many of them. They tend to be a little on the dark side as a whole, but that's the theme. There's a nice Stephen King riffing off of Keyes' flowers for algernon, a good George R.R. Martin tale, a fun airship yarn from Tobias Buckell, a short Richard Kadrey piece read by Harlan Ellison that I liked because it was good to hear his voice again, an interesting Jerry Oltion story with a religious theme, a well-written if unpleasant Gene Wolfe story, odd pieces by Lethem and Rickert and Grigg and Bailey and Butler that were okay, a fun Van Pelt and one by Doctorow that tried for fun but was too long, and good work from Kress, Bear, Emshwiller, and Langan. There was a weird thing by Paolo Bacigalupi that did nothing for me, and my second and third most favorites were terrific archaeology stories by Jack McDevitt and Orson Scott Card. My favorite was a great story by Neal Barrett, Jr., Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus. Forget the office supplies... Sex, tacos, and dangerous drugs! What else could you need? There's also a "Further Reading" appendix with which I had great fun adding and subtracting titles, but with which I was mostly in agreement. Altogether a worthwhile volume.
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-Momentos muy variados del fin de la civilización que conocemos.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Como su propio subtítulo indica, “antología de relatos sobre el final de los tiempos”, que excluye voluntariamente las invasiones alienígenas y lo Z, con introducción de John Joseph Adams, con una interesante lista de lecturas recomendadas al final y con relatos que nos llevan a situaciones y ambientes tan distintos como una sociedad que no perdona lo que la guerra provocó ni lo que provocó la guerra, a conocer el trabajo de una mensajera, los subterráneos de una ciudad dentro de varios siglos, un futuro deshumanizado y violento, la realidad virtual como espectáculo itinerante y concurso, una Salt Lake City inundada, una sociedad en la que la expresión oral ha desaparecido y a ver cómo funciona un espectáculo ambulante, entre otros temas.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/... -
Like with so many other anthologies, the stories tend to be a hit and miss. Most of them were very solid and profound and stuck with me for various reasons - such as Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels by GRR Martin, The Last of the O-Forms by James Van Pelt, Artie's Angels by Catherine Wells, or Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler. I didn't care for a few of the stories, such as Mute or Episode 7, but that's probably a matter of personal taste :) Overall it's a pretty solid, thought-provoking, and entertaining anthology if you're a fan of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi genre.
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I don't really have much to say about this one. I bought it years ago and just now got around to reading it. I love post-apocalyptic stories, but some in this collection weren't the best, in my opinion. Some were fantastic, and I discovered a couple new authors to read, but for the most part, this collection was just good.
Yup. -
Usually, if you're lucky, anthologies have a couple of gems mixed in with the filler.
This book is an exception - it is truly exceptional. Kudos to the editor - this is a truly A-list group of authors, contributing excellent stories. Nearly all are top-notch. Highly recommended. -
You might think that a book of stories all dedicated to a niche sub-genre would get old or stale, but Wastelands offers up so many excellent examples of post-apocalyptic fiction, and in such a varied way, that you would be wrong.
Take Gene Wolfe’s Mute for example. This is a story that has more in common with Alice in Wonderland than it does Alas, Babylon. Two children in a world shaped like a ship in a bottle encounter an empty house that holds nothing but secrets... it’s a great story, but if it weren’t framed by this collection I doubt I would have ever considered it post-apocalyptic. Stories such as this one present motifs or tropes that are spiritually linked to post-apocalyptica but serve as reprieves from some of the more overtly apocalyptic stories.
Speaking of which, stories like How We Got in Town and out Again, The People of Sand and Slag, Episode Seven, or Speech Sounds ought to be broadcast through bullhorns by fans of the genre looking to indoctrinate new members. Each one offers a different glimpse at an aspect of life after the end and each glimpse avoids the typical “hero with shotgun and motorcycle takes down raiders” archetype. Some even stray into cheeky po-mo snark of said archetype.
To say the stories of this book kick ass would be a severe understatement. I enjoyed every moment I spent reading Wastelands, and I’ve recommended it to most every reader I know. You can find this book for next to nothing on eBay. I’d recommend picking up a copy.
5 stars -
Magnífica antología dedicada al subgénero dominante en este siglo. Hay algún cuento flojo (Kadrey y sus particularidades), pero en cuanto a calidad la media es muy alta. Más de un relato es incluso extraordinario (a bote pronto, me lo parecen los de Bacigalupi, Kress y Bailey, y cuando pasen unos días seguramente alguno más). Esta veintena de cuentos constituye un imaginativo y magnífico muestrario del juego que puede dar un escenario post apocalíptico, siempre pendulante entre la fascinación que ejercen sus paisajes destruidos y el horror por lo humano bajo condiciones extremas. He de decir que me han sorprendido algunos errores llamativos en la traducción, no numerosos pero sí impropios de un libro de semejante fuste. Aun así, espero que Valdemar se anime a publicar también el segundo volumen.
