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Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box
A new short story from Mira Grant, the author of Feed. Every week five friends get together to play a game-- a game they call the Apocalypse Game. It's a fun time with chips and beer and plotting the end of the world. Except this time, one of them is missing and the stakes are higher than ever before.
Word count: ~3,900
Word count: ~3,900
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2011
30 people are currently reading
1747 people want to read
About the author
Mira Grant
49 books6,112 followersMira also writes as Seanan McGuire.
Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallenged.
Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
Mira sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests that you do the same.
Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallenged.
Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
Mira sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests that you do the same.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
August 7, 2021
this is the best review i have ever written!! i am entering it into a book-reviewing contest. in which i will also eat pie!!
hahahah awesome! if every book i read this year is as short as this one, i am well on my way to victory!!!
but i am not trying to cheat - i really did want to read this, and since i borrowed this blessed nook, i was able to read all sorts of interstitial and prequel type books and stories.
and this one.
which is kind of neither, but is a fantastic story by an author who has consistently given me good stuff to read. i would love to read a book of short stories by her, so i am hoping that at some point, one becomes available.
because this is such a tease. it is like 15 pages long or something. and it seems i can read even more quickly when i am reading on a device, so it zoomed by, even though it said there were 10 pages left, which turned out to just be 10 pages from a book of hers i had already read. dammit..
makes me think that someday i might actually take the plunge and invest in a nook for myself. but i don't think they will pay for all the stuff i wanna read like they are with the one i borrowed from work. but they should. it would be a wise investment. i would talk about how great the device is here on the interwebz, i would!
if you are one of those people who already read stuff on a device, might as well go ahead and read this one. it is another fine piece of writing from ms. grant, and is spooky and funny with a little barb at the end. v. similar to matheson's the box, but who cares. is good. is very good.
come to my blog!
hahahah awesome! if every book i read this year is as short as this one, i am well on my way to victory!!!
but i am not trying to cheat - i really did want to read this, and since i borrowed this blessed nook, i was able to read all sorts of interstitial and prequel type books and stories.
and this one.
which is kind of neither, but is a fantastic story by an author who has consistently given me good stuff to read. i would love to read a book of short stories by her, so i am hoping that at some point, one becomes available.
because this is such a tease. it is like 15 pages long or something. and it seems i can read even more quickly when i am reading on a device, so it zoomed by, even though it said there were 10 pages left, which turned out to just be 10 pages from a book of hers i had already read. dammit..
makes me think that someday i might actually take the plunge and invest in a nook for myself. but i don't think they will pay for all the stuff i wanna read like they are with the one i borrowed from work. but they should. it would be a wise investment. i would talk about how great the device is here on the interwebz, i would!
if you are one of those people who already read stuff on a device, might as well go ahead and read this one. it is another fine piece of writing from ms. grant, and is spooky and funny with a little barb at the end. v. similar to matheson's the box, but who cares. is good. is very good.
come to my blog! 
November 3, 2017
This isn't worth reading because it's more like the first chapter of a book, or part of a short story. Cool idea- not even close to enough words. I like Mira Grant's writing and was hoping for a complete short story.
April 16, 2022
4 Stars for Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box (audiobook) by Mira Grant read by the author.
This was a interesting prequel for the series. It’s a very story story and it gives a possible cause of the apocalypse.
This was a interesting prequel for the series. It’s a very story story and it gives a possible cause of the apocalypse.
October 14, 2020
A very short short story ~ about 20 minutes long, but interesting enough that I'll check out Feed.
May 12, 2016
This novella cost less than the price of a good cup of coffee yet I still felt a bit cheated.
This is one of the few author who normally publish quite meaty novellas, all of them never less than 100 pages so this 15 page one was definitely not expected. I didn’t even look at the length before buying this because I thought after reading 4 of her novellas I knew what to expect.
So although a let-down in terms of quantity, the quality was still as good as her other work in the Feed series yet this one was too short to leave a lasting positive impression.
This can’t be read as a standalone so if you are a fan of this series then you will most probably read this regardless of my review, just prepare yourself for the (inadequate) length of the story.
If you have no idea who Mira Grant is and you are open to reading zombie themed books I can highly recommend that you start with Feed
This is one of the few author who normally publish quite meaty novellas, all of them never less than 100 pages so this 15 page one was definitely not expected. I didn’t even look at the length before buying this because I thought after reading 4 of her novellas I knew what to expect.
So although a let-down in terms of quantity, the quality was still as good as her other work in the Feed series yet this one was too short to leave a lasting positive impression.
This can’t be read as a standalone so if you are a fan of this series then you will most probably read this regardless of my review, just prepare yourself for the (inadequate) length of the story.
If you have no idea who Mira Grant is and you are open to reading zombie themed books I can highly recommend that you start with Feed
April 28, 2017
Er... How is this connected to the Newsflesh Trilogy again? Can anyone explain it to me? Sure it was a fun story but I kept waiting for the zombies to pop in and felt disappointed when it ended so abruptly.
June 11, 2023
Decisions, decisions. What sort of decision do you make when you friend has initiated the apocalypse? Nice speculative story but ending on a cliff-hanger/open ending. This should have been a book.
November 3, 2015
If the concept of Kindle locations maps evenly to pages across different books, I make this short story about 11 pages long. At £1.49 that's 13.5 pence per page. Which seems pretty expensive for a book. I probably wouldn't be complaining if the short story wasn't 'only' 50% of the download. Thinking I was approaching the half-way mark I was pretty disappointed to suddenly be presented with a page about Mira Grant, a photograph of her in an odd pose (I didn't read the accompanying text) and then the second half of the download is a preview chapter from the larger novel
Feed
. I felt cheated. Maybe if I hadn't already read Feed I at least could have read that to soften the let down. Rant over.
It's difficult to review Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box in too much detail without pretty much writing more than the story itself (sorry I'm ranting again – my grumpiness with standalone short stories is documented in other reviews). But, it's the story of a group of friends who met as students – mostly now couples by the sound of it – and began playing an interesting game: each member of the group takes a turn to describe an apocalypse scenario – some situation or event that could cripple society, destroy the world as we know it, etc. The rest of the group discuss, debate and argue the scenario while all enjoy drinks and each other's company.
It's difficult to review Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box in too much detail without pretty much writing more than the story itself (sorry I'm ranting again – my grumpiness with standalone short stories is documented in other reviews). But, it's the story of a group of friends who met as students – mostly now couples by the sound of it – and began playing an interesting game: each member of the group takes a turn to describe an apocalypse scenario – some situation or event that could cripple society, destroy the world as we know it, etc. The rest of the group discuss, debate and argue the scenario while all enjoy drinks and each other's company.
September 10, 2015
The Good: I never buy short stories, but since I've loved everything written by Mira Grant, I decided to give this one a shot. It was much shorter than I expected, but the story was totally worth the purchase. This story was utterly captivating. Good premise, huge tension, abrupt on-point ending, every element of the story perfectly executed. This is how you do a short story.
The Bad: Not a thing.
The Bad: Not a thing.
November 15, 2015
Wow...Amazing!
August 22, 2023
This felt more like a prologue to a novel rather than a novella on its own.
September 14, 2018
Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box is short, sick and sharp. Well worth the 15 minutes it will take you to read. 5 stars!
July 2, 2012
this should be made into a novel... because i'm wanting more. i'm still thinking what could have happened...
April 2, 2020
4.5 stars. This is how to write a short story. Even though there's obvious connection to the main series, it stands alone perfectly. There aren't any overlapping characters and it's extremely short, but the horror tension is built up SO WELL as the story unfolds, with just the right amount of detail to get the background we need. And that ending sent chills up my spine.
September 25, 2023
I need about a million of these. Holy shit.
My breath caught.
There will be a lot of people too dense to appreciate this because it’s not “complete”, but that’s the point isn’t it?
You panic and it leaves you with the question nobody wants to answer: now what?
My breath caught.
There will be a lot of people too dense to appreciate this because it’s not “complete”, but that’s the point isn’t it?
You panic and it leaves you with the question nobody wants to answer: now what?
August 10, 2024
Wanted to give Mira Grant a try, so started with this little gem.
It made me think about so much…
Assuming everyone is about to die, who would I save?
Would I want to die or live on, if very few could survive?
If there is an apocalypse, what would likely cause it and what scares me the most?
Why don’t I do Friday game nights with my friends?
I love this type of book.
It made me think about so much…
Assuming everyone is about to die, who would I save?
Would I want to die or live on, if very few could survive?
If there is an apocalypse, what would likely cause it and what scares me the most?
Why don’t I do Friday game nights with my friends?
I love this type of book.
April 29, 2021
Short story with a big personality.
I've got the first novel of the Newsflesh series to read and figured I would read from the beginning of the storyline to include the novellas. I was not disappointed! This first book was a few pages long and had so much going on in a very accessible narrative.
I've got the first novel of the Newsflesh series to read and figured I would read from the beginning of the storyline to include the novellas. I was not disappointed! This first book was a few pages long and had so much going on in a very accessible narrative.
October 12, 2019
This one is hard to write a review on, simply due to its short length. The audiobook was about 20 minutes long, so you can imagine that any real plot points I describe would end up being spoilers. So I'll keep it brief and just reference the title: a group of friends like to play a sinister game of imagining apocalypse scenarios. The story focuses on one of those scenarios, and this one might not strictly adhere to the game's rules. Things may or may not spiral out of control, and the friends are confronted with a situation they didn't quite expect.
Even for a story so short, I thought it was a fun concept. The audiobook was well presented and immersive. It's difficult not to feel like something was missing from the story though. I kept wishing that the author had more time to flesh out the plot. I'm not sure this would be worth purchasing, again just based on the page count, but it was a great Hoopla find. It was definitely a good reading experience for what it was.
Even for a story so short, I thought it was a fun concept. The audiobook was well presented and immersive. It's difficult not to feel like something was missing from the story though. I kept wishing that the author had more time to flesh out the plot. I'm not sure this would be worth purchasing, again just based on the page count, but it was a great Hoopla find. It was definitely a good reading experience for what it was.
October 24, 2018
Audiobook
So this is how it started? Was the second wave because of something these people did? Or was it truly a mutation. I DON'T KNOW!!
So this is how it started? Was the second wave because of something these people did? Or was it truly a mutation. I DON'T KNOW!!
October 10, 2011
While I really like everything else by Mira Grant that I've read, this one didn't quite do it for me. One major problem I had with it: if the pathogens have already been released and people were already symptomatic, inoculating people with a vaccine wouldn't actually do anything. Once you've had a pathogen introduced to your immune system, introducing MORE of the pathogen (which is what a vaccine does) would do very little to protect you.
I'm sad that this shortshort story wasn't better. Still worth reading if you're a big fan of Mira Grant, but not as fantastic or enjoyable as her other works.
I'm sad that this shortshort story wasn't better. Still worth reading if you're a big fan of Mira Grant, but not as fantastic or enjoyable as her other works.
June 21, 2016
This was a bit disappointing. It reads like the cold open of a procedural TV show like Bones or House, and I'm left waiting for a story where something actually HAPPENS. This is all prelude, and while it does have a certain "Monkey's Paw" kind of charm at the end, I did not feel like I got my money's worth ($1.99 on Amazon).
February 15, 2019
The basic premise is amazing and is worth 5 stars. But it is just too short. It looked like a novella but half the pages were ads which I took a star off for. Worth reading but don’t expect to spend more than 10-15 minutes.
January 28, 2012
This must be the shortest short story ever written. But who cares!? It was perfect.
September 19, 2020
Altså, jeg er godt klar over at de her "novelle-prequels" sjældent er sådan...super meningsfulde at læse, før man læser selve de romaner, det hele drejer sig om, og at det er sådan lidt min egen skyld. Men den her novelle er faktisk totalt ligegyldig. Det er et meget sjovt koncept, at en flok venner har en "samtaleklub", hvor de debatterer forskellige måder verden kan gå under på, sat som et "spil", hvor de prøver at overgå hinanden. Men det virker også totalt ligegyldigt.
Som enkeltstående værk er det her ligegyldig læsning. Jeg håber, det giver mere sammenhæng, når jeg læser de "rigtige" bøger, men lige nu? Niks.
Som enkeltstående værk er det her ligegyldig læsning. Jeg håber, det giver mere sammenhæng, når jeg læser de "rigtige" bøger, men lige nu? Niks.
September 5, 2020
2.5 stars
February 17, 2022
This was so fucking good
August 2, 2023
Cool concept! I wish this was at least a novella as it read more like a preview than a completed short story
March 27, 2019
Short scary and gets you thinking.
April 8, 2024
Three stars for a decent read, although I don't see myself ever wanting to re-read. This short story is about the trigger for a viral apocalypse. It's quite clever, although the reader isn't able to form much emotional connection to the characters in such a short format.
April 1, 2023
This was such a fascinating situation. I really enjoyed it but I do think it would have been a lot better if it was a bit longer and didn’t end on such a cliffhanger. I really think Grant could make a whole novel out of this idea. I love everything that Mira Grant releases, whether it is a short story or a whole series. I highly suggest this if you are looking for something short, open-ended and thought-provoking.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews