Children of the Apocalypse: Volume 1. West Port

NPR’s Book Concierge

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It's just growing food! Aside from that the story was great, although the ending, while supposedly happy, was a serious case of fridge horror for me. Pretty bleak, and also a bit contradictory. The woman helps the man, but doesn't trust him. Prior to the apocalyptic earthquake events across the globe, a group of scientists had gone rogue and taken control of all nuclear weapons in protest of the Darkroad Project's access to the Pleiades computer.

Very, very bleak story, and a bit less clear than I would have preferred. Dreams in Dust , D. Thomas Minton A member of a Mechanist guild or possible religious order? When a child finds a bag of old books washed up on the beach, her grandma decides to read them to her instead of confessing the "sin" they found. This decision has serious repercussions. Interesting and philosophical look at a world that makes sense in context, but is so different from ours.

His customers all have their own stories to tell, and Jimmy's cafe provides things they didn't know they needed. Weird, weird story - I'm still not sure if Jimmy is insane or what, but I liked it. This story has one of my pet peeves, which I mentioned before in this review, which is that a young woman who everyone thinks might be the only fertile woman left, is set up as some kind of breeding cow.

Each many gets three months with her to have sex as much as they can, and then there's a month off before the next man gets a turn. That way they'll know who the dad is. Does this woman have any meaningful choice in the matter? That's not really mentioned at all. Do the men have a meaningful choice? Anyway, our narrator fathers an elephant-baby with the woman, and it grows so big that the month gestation kills the mother. The elephant-baby runs away to live with the elephants, who view spoiler [turn out to have been the creators of mankind, as well as the creators of the plague that killed everyone, and are now trying to create a better version of human.

A man wandering solo after the world ends finds a postal worker's body, and takes his uniform and mail bag. He finds that it has an almost magical effect on the people he meets, who desperately need the hope they see in the idea of a postman. While they have their superficial conversations, hints are dropped that the world is in truly dire straits. The disconnect between the calamities happening in the world and the lack of reaction or concern from the dinner party guests is really startling.

Great concept, but ultimately I hated all these people. Our narrator is trying to travel to hopefully meet up her lover, while avoiding the angels. Very creative, really creepy. Reminded me of "The Passage. Humanity's near-extinction has provided the environment for a miraculous rebirth of a bird species, giving Carson something special to add to his "life list. I liked that this world wasn't full of insane people murdering everyone they ran into.

We get hints of what's happening outside, but it's from the perspective of a sweet, friendly year-old who has lost his entire family, so we have to piece together the little signs of trouble, like when he mentions off-handedly that most of the doctors have moved inside the hospital.

This story is moving and powerful - I loved it. One of the brutal, mean stories I dislike. A young man who is mentally disabled lives with his father, who kills everyone who passes by their house. The father believes his son has no soul, and is killing people in the hopes of finding a soul good enough to get the boy into heaven.

One day a motorcyclist comes by while the father's asleep and changes everything. On their way back, they pick up a man whose car broke down, only to discover that what he's carrying is worse than a flood. Bleak, but very good,especially in its examination of the tiny choices we make that can change our lives forever. Kehrli Marie lives in a world in which advertisements are people-shaped. Mechanical androids have taken the place of door-to-door salesmen, and can change their forms and mannerisms to look like people you know, including her dead husband.

Her cabin in Montana is overrun by the ads, and Marie finds it curiously hard to destroy the ads that are destroying her garden, now that she's the only person for miles around, maybe even at all. Fascinating concept, and bittersweet. For a while, things were okay, but eventually the crabmen and the sealmen and the insectmen began to war with each other. Creative, but didn't really work for me. Can be listened to here: Lansdale Super gory story about a former nuclear-scientist and his wife surviving a post-nuclear-war world.

The wife blames her husband for their daughter's death, and he agrees, and every night she tattoos a little more of her daughter's face on his back. Super gross, highly-sexualized, and waaaay too incesty for my liking. McHugh A mother and daughter are making their way to Canada after some sort of catastrophe. The mother is exasperated with her daugther's weakness, constantly comparing her daughter to herself at the same age. They meet up with a man, and travel together for a while.

I liked the portrayal of the mother - it was unusual characterization. Weird, and I didn't like how blue it was, but it was kind of cool at the end. Just when it started to get really good, the story ended so abruptly I double checked my iPod to make sure it hadn't skipped ahead. More stories of the Apocalypse Edited by John Joseph Adams I sincerely enjoyed the first collection of apocalypse stories that John put together so I was real eager to read this volume. I have to say it did not disappoint. Like most anthologies there were a few duds, at least they were duds to me, I am sure other people would consider some of my favorites as duds.

John's style of editing anthologies is short foreword and a small bit of author info at the end. No stories from the auth Wastelands 2: No stories from the authors of where they were when they thought of this book or a long history of the apocalypse fiction. The Tamarack Hunter by Paolo Bacigalupi https: I don't know what it is about this writer. I love his stories, but always find them a bit off. Maybe because he always writes from a side of a minority and I'm just not reading from that perspective.

This story is about a farmer trying to make it in North California. Water is available, but lawsuits have made it illegal for him to use the water in the rivers as it is saved for south California. The Tamarack is a plant that he hunts for a bounty as it is a leach to the rivers. His reward for the plants he kills is an allocation of water. A bit scary as we are starting to see water shortages like this in North America already and I can see lawsuits and laws happening where a situation will result in that people can not use the water that is flowing right by them.

Deep Blood Kettle by Hugh Howey https: Aliens have sent an asteroid onto a collision course with Earth. They will stop the asteroid and make it a valuable orbital space station if Earth will give up half of its land. The governments are, of course, spending all of their time arguing over whether to give in and if so whose land gets lost. The family of rednecks in this story are convinced nothing will affect them because they got their guns.

Animal Husbandry by Seanan McGuire https: I didn't realize this was Mira Grant's real name. I love the Deadline series she writes under the pen name Mira Grant. This story is about a veterinarian who is trying to make it to a safe place with all the animals she can save. Despite as put together as she comes across you realize at the end of the story that the apocalypse has broken her in ways you couldn't imagine.

If you do not know who George R. Martin is, then you have been living in a cave. This story is about a group of survivors after an apocalypse. One of them has found a way to visit the past. Chislehurst Messiah by Lauren Beukes https: It's the millennials vs the baby boomers. Neither side comes off looking good in this story. One of the stories I did not really care for. The ending is a bit cosmic and just sort of out there. The laws of science are breaking down and a couple who met on the internet are hoping to find a safe haven that they also found on the internet.

Ellie by Jack McDevitt https: I have read this one before as well. If the apocalypse ever does happen what will happen to all the products of science that we rely on civilization to keep in check. When there is no one to watch the nuclear power plants, when vats of chemicals are left unattended, when a small black hole is being held in check by a atom collider? Foundation by Ann Aguirre https: This story has gay kids coming to age in an underground bunker where their families have taken them to keep them safe from a plague.

Unfortunately, someone brought the plague along. I've read this one before, and it was part of a short story collection Cory has done. I like his writing and this story was enjoyable. The weird title refers to a band that plays but has to stop every eight bars because of the sounds of automated bombers flying over them every eight bars.

Written sort of in a second person tone, the story is of you, the survivor, and how even when you survive and have safety, are you really the lucky one? Wondrous Days by Genevieve Valentine https: I got a bit lost in this story, but I still like how it ended and enjoyed it. The narrator, however, may not have enjoyed as much. Dreams in the Dust by D. This one is more hopeful than the Tamarack Hunter. I think of the two I like this one better because of the hopeful tone. This one is sad because I can easily see people without science going down this road.

Heck we have science today and we still have people who do not believe in it. Jimmy's Roadside Cafe by Ramsey Shehadeh http: I am not sure if Jimmy is simple or if he is just really messed up from what he has survived. He hates gay people The story while nice has been ruined for me now that I see who wrote it. The Postman by David Brin https: Do not hold it against it.

This is a great story and if you like it, know that he wrote two more stories based on this and eventually combined them all into a novel. I have read this one before and posted about it, it was in Nebula Award Stories 8 A couple hears tales of their friends who all have gone on time travel trips to go see the end of the world many years in the future.

1000 novels everyone must read: Science Fiction & Fantasy (part one)

An issue arises when each couple describes a different type of world ending event. The last life form dying in a barren world. An asteroid collision with the planet. The sun's heat death. All the futures are far away. Seemingly unnoticed in the background of the story the world in which they currently live in is being torn apart by wars, diseases and natural disasters.

Out there and a bit confusing for me. Final Exam by Megan Arkenberg https: There is a story between all the questions and answers but I feel it was weak and quite possibly why it was written this way. Ornithology and the end of the world. Just because the world ends for humans it doesn't mean it's the end of the world for everyone. Patient Zero by Tananarive Due https: The story is about a young boy who is called the patient zero for a plague that has pretty much killed off everyone.

He is in isolation as it has been found out he is contagious, but also the only one who has survived the disease so far. The young man is considered by his father to be soulless and in order to help him his father has taken to killing survivors and searching for a soul to give his son. Outer Rims by Toiya Kristen Finley https: Very dark and sad.

Advertising at the End of the World by Keffy R. This means that the last few people on earth are in for a lot of advertising. How the World Became Quiet: Even with help humanity is going to do it's best to destroy the world. I've read this one.

A man spent his whole life working on nuclear weapons and now has to live in a world that his work has caused. I really want to be hard on the protagonist in this story for the decision she makes at the end. But I am here, safe, well fed and do not have to worry about tomorrow. Maybe, I don't like her because I don't want to know what I would decide in the same situation. The Traditional by Maria Dahvana Headley https: The third of the duds in this book Very far out there with worms and people developing magic.

Bones used as weapons and hair decoration Monstro by Junot Diaz https: I read someone ease's review of this story and they said that they liked it but felt like it was just the introduction for a novel. However, I must say I like the language and the perspective of it. The story is in the form of a Wikipedia article about an writer who survived the destruction of North America. Interesting, but the stories described in the article sound more interesting than the one we are reading. With the second anthology, I feel that overall the stories were better, the writing was better.

I liked that several of the stories were told from the standpoint of young people, kids. Personally I don't read a lot of short stories, this was fun. I enjoyed the majority. I would like to see a few of them expanded upon. I just enjoy this author's point of view. Reminded me a little of Footfall.

One of my favorites from this group of stories. Hippie commune survives the end of the world. It was a good story. Poor towards the meh side of ok. It was rather bizarre. It didn't really work for me. It was on the bleak side of things. But I enjoyed the boundaries being pushed and that it was told from a teens point of view.

Beat me Daddy Eight to the Bar: I loved that there was music. Music seems to be missing in most ends of the world. I would have been there every night. A Beginners Guide to survival etc etc: This should be expanded upon. Like in diary form. By Fools Like Me: Grandma reminded me of my mother and grandmother.

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It tugged at my tiny little heart strings. The Elephants of Ponzan: I am not sure how I feel about it. I am not gonna lie, skipped this, I read the book, I liked it. When we went to see the End Of the World: I would never have been invited to a party like this in a million years. The Revelation of Morgan Stern: But I tend to like things in diary format. Maybe that book from middle school made a lasting impression. A Flock of Birds: This was another stand out for me. There was a sadness but hope as well.

Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)

It was heartbreaking as a parent. Soulless in his Sight: I just didn't like it. I liked this one as well. Advertising at the End of the World: I didn't care for it. How the world became Quiet: I just stopped reading this one. I had to many questions. Even if it really pissed me off. Not in a good way Monstro: Once I got the rhythm, I enjoyed this. Life of Julian Prince: I just gave up after the first page. I thought I'd never finish this book this year, let alone the other 11 I challenged myself to read in , due to the absolute suckfest of my life in But finally, once a few of the stressors that controlled my life were taken out of the equation, I had a lot of time to just read, not to mention write, watch shows and game.

But after my writing, which is both my escape and my job description pfft, yeah, "job" he says , well, my go-to uncompleted read was this one. I wasn't too amazed by so I thought I'd never finish this book this year, let alone the other 11 I challenged myself to read in , due to the absolute suckfest of my life in I wasn't too amazed by some of the earliest stories, they didn't really disappoint, just didn't really do much for me. This being the sequel to one of my two favourite anthologies of all time, once I got the chance to, I pretty much devoured it to make up for lost time.

Wastelands 1 was filled with stories I loved to pieces. Wastelands 2 started off with ones I didn't like as much, but, as I got through a few, I gained momentum. I won't spoil the endings and contents of the stories themselves below, but, I will give some examples of the contents. Consider it spoiler-ish, at least to a degree. Elephant mutants, Lovecraftian mermen in the context of a multiple-choice exam they broke reality that badly , a girl who summons angels, a patient who is the cure to a world that's finding it harder and harder to hold on while they treat him, a field guide to holding onto your humanity when the world goes to shit and you're branded a criminal for being different, a post-water desertpunk world, a cult where reading is a sin, a wikipedia article on a prize-winning apocalypse author, a haitian mutation sorry!

Anthologies are very hard to rate. Some stories are really great, others just mediocre, some totally suck. There were more really good ones than sucky ones in this anthology. Of course, any PA anthology that has an excerpt of "The Postman" in it gotta be good. Only one story besides "The Postman" that I had already read, so that was a bonus. A few of the better ones: After the Apocalypse - Maureen F. For a Single Yesterday" - George R. So very many, many apocalypses. So very many ways for civilization to crumble. While I didn't find anything in here of earth-shattering originality, I did find consistently enjoyable end times.

Some interesting voices, sure, but with so many stories concentrating on the collapsing of society aspect I think it's hard to bring something outrageously new to the table. Post-apocalypse is my favorite SF sub-genre, and this collection of short stories does not disappoint.

Brian W Aldiss: Non-Stop (1958)

Like all anthologies, stories are hit and miss, but most are hits. A worthy follow-up to the first volume. I'll read this one and its predecessor more than once. A very solid collection of apocalyptic tales, including a gem from George RR Martin who typically does fantasy fiction. There were a few that were slow, but most of these were great and I'm going to have to get my hands on the first Wastelands ASAP. Dec 11, Spike Gomes rated it really liked it. It seems the case that follow-ups are usually never as good as the original.

It's almost a trope, if you will. For most of the reader's of this, the other reviews seem to suggest that it's so, however, in my case, I found this one a lot better than the first collection. It's rather funny, since I've also read quite a bit of the stories in here already as well, and there's not really a significant change in tone or taste on the part of the editor, but Adams just seemed to be picking higher qualit It seems the case that follow-ups are usually never as good as the original.

It's rather funny, since I've also read quite a bit of the stories in here already as well, and there's not really a significant change in tone or taste on the part of the editor, but Adams just seemed to be picking higher quality stuff this time. What follows is just some of the stories that stood out for me. A slow motion ecological and demographic one " Martin can write something that's nuanced and emotionally delicate instead of latter-day swords and dragons soap operas.

By the way, can we have less messages please? Not exactly deep or moving, but a damn fine example of science fiction in the short form. Fully immersive in just over five pages. Because you should just go out and get the novel it expanded into.

Shadows of the Master, Star of Deltora Book 1

One of the best post-apocalyptic novels ever. It needs to be dwelt upon to see why. The really bad ones? Well, oddly enough the Bruce Sterling and Rudy Rucker one. Shitty concept, shitty delivery and probably a couple of the most annoying characters I've ever read. It was like someone was trying to make a bad parody of a cyberpunk story, only it seemed really straight up.

It's like if Tommy Wiseau directed a cyberpunk version of "The Room". Also, my bete noire, Cory Doctorow; again with a story that is fucking ludicrous on all levels. First off, he wants us to believe that the urban survivors of robotic carpet bombing and biowar induced pandemics would gather daily, after scrounging the shattered ruins for expired canned food, to listen to four guys acting as a jazz quartet playing on literal garbage with a low functioning autistic guy on drums, er empty cans. A woman shows up with a bunch of seeds and begins gardening. The self-appointed militia leader of the community and there is the assumption here that for some reason in this wasteland, nothing worse than fist fights happen is somehow incredibly pissed off that this near starving community suddenly has a second source of food really?

Of course in this lawless hellhole, that means beating someone repeatedly without ever causing anything worse than a bloody nose has Doctorow ever been in anything stronger than a slap-fight before or lived anywhere besides among wealthy white nerds? So what does the women and her new friends decide to do? A true friendship starts to develop between them after this destined encounter. A blind woman falls in love with a man who uses kindness and humor to make a connection with her. Friends attend the wake of Trisha, a Filipino transgender woman.

They look back into the her life as she faces the adversities and triumphs of living as a transgender in Filipino society. Jewel is a mysterious woman who lives alone in the city. She has a secret which has led her to settle into a lonely existence. That is, until she meets Nico, a broken-hearted, down-and-out Ditas, a recruit in the world of prostitution joins the whorehouse owned by Nanay Xedes and handled by the most favored pimp, Nonoy Laki.

In the heat of the moment, he killed Nanay Xedes and the two were back to the scum of society. Days before graduation, two college best friends go on one last road trip where they settle how they really feel for each other. But to put it upfront, this is not a love story. Clara, a 65 year old widow and retired music critic, was born into a wealthy and traditional family in Recife, Brazil. She is the last resident of the Aquarius, an original two-story Together, a filmmaker and her characters venture into a personal research project about intimacy.

Jocelyn, Rainier, and Bingbong are three film school graduates who are dead set on making an Oscar-worthy film. They set out to do a quick pre-production as a courtesy call to their lead The film is set in surfing town of Baler where Ford who is wasting his youth away. Named after Francis Ford Coppola.

As another surfing season is ending, he is forced to confront his past, including the myths and myths about his life. I am glad this has finally seen its commercial run. This is not really a love story, so don't get your hopes that this is rom com. Call it a snapshot of what happens when Ford Lucero finds his boyhood friend in the person of Rich Bagatsing , who is now a politician, in the surf town of Baler.

This movie lets you peek on how their lives are. Beautifully acted and written, especially by lead Lucero. All the supports are great and even the musical score is fresh. This is really different from the usual films. The relationship between mother and son as well as the missing dad is also portrayed in an honest way. The dialogue here is easy to relate as well. Truly, a refreshing face in Philippine cinema. Start your free trial. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!

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