Obsolescence: A Dark Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Anthology by Alan Lastufka

Obsolescence: A Dark Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Anthology Reviews

• 
  Maisy Kane

  Lots of really fun tech-based horror stories by authors I already loved as well as some new ones I'm excited to read more from. Notanle favorite stories were:
  The Harbinger by Katie Young - because I'm trash for mixed media and found footage horror
  Planned Obsolescence by Nicole Dieker - because Linguistics is my hyperfixation and we love a good fourth-wall-break
  Secretshit.txt by David Niall Wilson - because it reminds me of an adult version of the kind of scary stories I was obsessed with as a kid
• 
  Summer Yasoni

  I backed this on kickstarter and I am SO glad I did. Loved nearly every story (2 or 3 were underwhelming but still enjoyable), reminiscent of Black Mirror and Love, Death + Robots.
• 
  David Wilson

  Full disclosure, I have a story in this collection. I won't be reviewing my story, but I have read the book in its entirety and it requires comments. First, the presentation is the most elegant I've ever seen on a trade edition. The book came in a special box that matched the cover art, with bookmarks and swag. There were multiple versions of the cover art... spectacular and well above the norm in quality.
  
  I really enjoyed the foreword by Naomi Grossman, who I loved in American Horror Story. Unlike so many other forewords, she spoke directly to the reader about horror, and stories, and didn't make it sound like a book report with comments on every story.
  
  My general grading scale for an anthology is pretty simple. If there are three or more stories in a book that I remember and felt were superior, that's a good book. Obsolescence goes well beyond this. I felt as if there wsa a strong theme through most of the stories, also a difficult thing to pull of with a variety of literary voices.
  
  Theere were five stories that stood out for me in particular, Hailey Piper's "Why a Bicycle is Built for One," "The Best Buggy Whip Ever," by David Lee Zweifler, "Sleep Study," by Tanya Pell, "555 Raleigh Avenue," by Nick Kowalski, "Everywherever" by Johny Compton, and my absolute favorite, "Premium Platinum Plan," by Ai Jiang. That story gives me strong Philip K. Dick vibes and I could very easily see it developed into a Bladerunner like movie, or a streaming series. It also has the same feel as Ai's novella I AM AI, also from Shortwave Publishing.
  
  This book needs to be read, and the book (and several stories) need to be on reading lists and award ballots in the coming year. Do not sleep on this collection. Kudos to Alan andf the entire crew at Shortwave Publishing.
  
  Highly Recommended.
• 
  Stephanie

  Pleased to have been a Kickstarter supporter for this collection!
  
  A good selection of tech-related short stories. I expected more horror than sci-fi, but I'm still happy! There were quite a few that made me think about all the possibilities with technology, and I appreciated none of them was just a broad "technology bad lol".
  
  My favorites were: "The Invisible Cure" by Gemma Church, "Hush, Little Sister" by Lyndsey Croal, and "Partingwords.exe" by Caitlin Marceau. Other really good ones: "The Harbringer" by Katie Young, "The App" by Kealan Patrick Burke, and "All Our Fertile Bones" by Teagan Olivia Sturmer.
• 
  Sam Hughes

  I LOVE HORROR ANTHOLOGIES, AND I AM LIVING FOR OBSOLESCENCE.
  
  First, I am so thankful to Shortwave Publishing and editors Alan Lastufka and Kristina Horner for sending me a gorgeous finished copy of this gem that has made all my spooky nightmares come true. Obsolescence is out now, and I highly recommend you grab your copy today.
  
  Some of my favorite authors contributed spooky pieces to this collection, including Gabino Iglesias, Clay Macleod Chapman, Johnny Compton, Eric LaRocca, Hailey Piper, and Al Jiang!
  
  There's paranormal horror, mutilated bodies, brutal viruses, and many other instances of found footage and jump scares.
• 
  J.L. DuRona

  Great anthology! The best stories had a real Twilight Zone vibe. Some of the them felt like they ended either too abruptly or that the writer didn't quite know how to stick the landing, but overall it's an excellent collection!
• 
  S.E. Martens

  The stories in this collection are short, quick reads that meld sci-fi and horror. Most were pretty solid, some didn't work for me - that's always the dice you roll with a multi-author collection, though.
  
  My favorites were:
  
  Sleep Study by Tanya Pell - a very creepy horror story set at a sleep clinic. This was an effective horror tale and I wanted more!
  
  The Harbinger by Katie Young - a paranormal investigation show uncovers a spooky clip that's a little too real.
  
  Hush, Little Sister by Lyndsey Croal - what if you could keep your deceased loved ones around as holographic ghosts? An interesting idea. Very sad.
  
  partingwords.exe by Caitlin Marceau - what happens when you allow an AI access to all of your departed loved one's online profiles and applications, and then allow it control over your futuristic smart home system? Maybe nothing good. This was sort of the opposite of Hush, Little Sister but I quite enjoyed both of them.
• 
  Horror DNA

  Technology’s role as a double-edged sword is an often-explored theme in horror. Many writers have examined what happens when tech overwhelms humanity. In the anthology Obsolescence, editors
  Alan Lastufka and
  Kristina Horner bring a variety of terrifically frightening stories that explore the role of tech in the world and the myriad ways the theme can be interpreted.
  
  You can read
  Zachary Rosenberg's full review at Horror DNA by
  clicking here.
• 
  John Keegan

  This is a really interesting collection of techno-horror stories that could easily be the basis of some solid Black Mirror episodes. My favorite story is about a sleep study that goes very, very wrong. But there are plenty of gems in this collection worth reading. Highly recommended!
• 
  Valerie | starrynight.reads ✨

  3.5 stars