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Doom Days
Twenty-five years ago, an epidemic decimated mankind. In the US, people fled for remote areas -- refugee camps in Mexico, the Canadian outback, private bunkers, protected enclaves.
The old American cities have now become a new frontier, an opportunity to scratch out a living among the bones of the old world. Thorn Creek, founded in an abandoned North Carolina gated community, is struggling to become a town: to trade and prosper, to defend itself from slavers and pickers and strangle runner vines.
Learn their stories and join the town of Thorn Creek in this first volume of Doom Days:
“Trade Secrets” (Sara Beaman)
When the Collapse hit, Isaac and Josephine, employees of Odyne Corporation, fled to a secluded compound in rural Mexico. A year later, Josephine is pregnant, and Odyne’s corporate policies force them to choose between giving up their baby to be sold to the highest bidder or setting out into the wilderness on their own.
“Finding Joy” (Arlene Blakely)
Angry at the world after the death of her cousin, Rina escapes her grief by accepting a job delivering mail to the homesteads that surround Thorn Creek. Riding the circuit is dangerous, but Rina is willing to risk bandits and strangle runner to avoid dealing with her pain. But when she gets a chance at a new life with a new love, will she risk her heart?
“The Monk” (CS Cheely)
Margotty is an educated but isolated young woman who walks a line between serving as the town’s much-needed midwife and falling victim to its superstitions. Her client Irene is struggling to conceive a baby. When a travelling monk passes through Thorn Creek he offers both of them an opportunity for hope and change.
“Grasshopper Song” (K.D. Edwards)
Scout, never quite at home within the gates of Thorn Creek, defends his hard-won outpost and the spoils of a crumbled civilization from a clan of greedy newcomers.
“Veneranda and the Spy” (Dan Wood)
When a suspicious man claiming ties to a shadowy government appears and requests help from Isaac’s daughter, Veneranda, she stumbles into a dangerous combination of intrigue and violence at the nearby University.
The old American cities have now become a new frontier, an opportunity to scratch out a living among the bones of the old world. Thorn Creek, founded in an abandoned North Carolina gated community, is struggling to become a town: to trade and prosper, to defend itself from slavers and pickers and strangle runner vines.
Learn their stories and join the town of Thorn Creek in this first volume of Doom Days:
“Trade Secrets” (Sara Beaman)
When the Collapse hit, Isaac and Josephine, employees of Odyne Corporation, fled to a secluded compound in rural Mexico. A year later, Josephine is pregnant, and Odyne’s corporate policies force them to choose between giving up their baby to be sold to the highest bidder or setting out into the wilderness on their own.
“Finding Joy” (Arlene Blakely)
Angry at the world after the death of her cousin, Rina escapes her grief by accepting a job delivering mail to the homesteads that surround Thorn Creek. Riding the circuit is dangerous, but Rina is willing to risk bandits and strangle runner to avoid dealing with her pain. But when she gets a chance at a new life with a new love, will she risk her heart?
“The Monk” (CS Cheely)
Margotty is an educated but isolated young woman who walks a line between serving as the town’s much-needed midwife and falling victim to its superstitions. Her client Irene is struggling to conceive a baby. When a travelling monk passes through Thorn Creek he offers both of them an opportunity for hope and change.
“Grasshopper Song” (K.D. Edwards)
Scout, never quite at home within the gates of Thorn Creek, defends his hard-won outpost and the spoils of a crumbled civilization from a clan of greedy newcomers.
“Veneranda and the Spy” (Dan Wood)
When a suspicious man claiming ties to a shadowy government appears and requests help from Isaac’s daughter, Veneranda, she stumbles into a dangerous combination of intrigue and violence at the nearby University.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 1, 2013
Doom Days is an anthology in the same spirit as Larry Niven's
Man-Kzin Wars
series or Robert Lynn Asprin's
Thieves' World
[1] -- a "shared world" anthology conceived by one author, but the individual (and loosely-connected) stories written by several others besides. This particular set of stories is set in a post-apocalyptic United States [2] -- specifically the fictional town of Thorn Creek, North Carolina, a bit outside of Raleigh. The nature of the apocalypse ("the Collapse") is never really explored, and stories focus instead on the hard-scrabble lives of the characters scraping out their existence within the milieu. The stories are populated by a diverse cast of relatable, mostly "morally good" [3] protagonists against a largely invisible back-drop of scavengers, opportunists, bandits, slavers, and... intellectual terrorists? [4]
At their hearts, post-apocalyptic stories tend to be "what if?" fantasies that let the author(s) plant little utopian seeds in the midst of some of the most difficult and taxing periods they can imagine. (It's convenient, really.) They're fun to contemplate. "What if we got rid of all these modern trappings and went down to basics--would we wind up making the same mistakes?" They're fables, morality plays. They're easy because we get to have a simple-yet-familiar world in which to explore what feel like fundamental questions. But just because they're easy doesn't make them bad. They work. As Dale Bailey wrote:
And the Doom Days anthology is no different. [5]
Overall, the stories are pretty good. "Grasshopper Song" alone makes the whole thing worth the $2.99 Kindle price.
-----
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy from the author in exchange for writing a review.
-----
[1] The former was the first one that came to mind for me; the latter was the one cited in the author's note.
[2] No real discussion of whether this "Collapse" affects the rest of the world. It's suggested that it does, but it's also suggested that places like Canada and Mexico are somehow "safe(r)". It doesn't totally add up, but given its local focus and the somewhat specifically narrow scope of the story, I don't think it matters that this isn't explored.
[3] "Morally good" being in the traditional Western more/less Judeo-Christian sense of the phrase here. Not Mega-Church Ultra-Right Family Values "Good", but a more (Western) universally palatable good vis-à-vis hard work, fairness, justice, etc.
[4] Not exactly a spoiler alert here but... A couple of the stories refer to "the University" in rather ominous terms. The University appears to be a town/commune built up around an abandoned college campus in Raleigh, NC. The narrative paints The University's inhabitants as an oligarchy of unscrupulous academics and engineers that have walled themselves off in this compound so that they can pursue a rigorous eugenics program while trying to fashion themselves into the post-apocalyptic world's first nuclear power. I was really hoping that there would be more to this -- that The University and the circumstances around it would be more nuanced... But instead it's almost cartoonishly flat and carries a latent anti-intellectualism that was my biggest disappointment with the anthology.
[5] Hell, it starts with what is basically a twisted cast-out-of-Eden retelling.
At their hearts, post-apocalyptic stories tend to be "what if?" fantasies that let the author(s) plant little utopian seeds in the midst of some of the most difficult and taxing periods they can imagine. (It's convenient, really.) They're fun to contemplate. "What if we got rid of all these modern trappings and went down to basics--would we wind up making the same mistakes?" They're fables, morality plays. They're easy because we get to have a simple-yet-familiar world in which to explore what feel like fundamental questions. But just because they're easy doesn't make them bad. They work. As Dale Bailey wrote:
The truth is, almost all end-of-the-world stories are at some level Adam-and-Eve stories.
And the Doom Days anthology is no different. [5]
Overall, the stories are pretty good. "Grasshopper Song" alone makes the whole thing worth the $2.99 Kindle price.
-----
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy from the author in exchange for writing a review.
-----
[1] The former was the first one that came to mind for me; the latter was the one cited in the author's note.
[2] No real discussion of whether this "Collapse" affects the rest of the world. It's suggested that it does, but it's also suggested that places like Canada and Mexico are somehow "safe(r)". It doesn't totally add up, but given its local focus and the somewhat specifically narrow scope of the story, I don't think it matters that this isn't explored.
[3] "Morally good" being in the traditional Western more/less Judeo-Christian sense of the phrase here. Not Mega-Church Ultra-Right Family Values "Good", but a more (Western) universally palatable good vis-à-vis hard work, fairness, justice, etc.
[4] Not exactly a spoiler alert here but... A couple of the stories refer to "the University" in rather ominous terms. The University appears to be a town/commune built up around an abandoned college campus in Raleigh, NC. The narrative paints The University's inhabitants as an oligarchy of unscrupulous academics and engineers that have walled themselves off in this compound so that they can pursue a rigorous eugenics program while trying to fashion themselves into the post-apocalyptic world's first nuclear power. I was really hoping that there would be more to this -- that The University and the circumstances around it would be more nuanced... But instead it's almost cartoonishly flat and carries a latent anti-intellectualism that was my biggest disappointment with the anthology.
[5] Hell, it starts with what is basically a twisted cast-out-of-Eden retelling.
January 16, 2021
Nice group story.
I found this collection hunting more stories by K. D. Edwards. I hope it becomes a series. I like this world.
I found this collection hunting more stories by K. D. Edwards. I hope it becomes a series. I like this world.
October 11, 2020
I like when anthologies are written like this, where the authors write in the same world and the same characters pop up throughout.
However, I only really liked two of the stories here. Edwards and Wood's. This book was a lot more romance based than I thought it'd be. Was still interesting seeing the different ways each person contributed (or didn't) and the solutions that were found.
Thoughts on each story (there's already summaries around):
Trade Secrets by Sara Beaman
2 stars. Meh. Just all set up. Found myself waiting for the end. At least Josephine knew what was up.
Finding Joy by Arlene Blakely
2 stars. Wasn't expecting (or wanting) such a romance with a side of mush. Awful business but always good to see that end well. Writing style was okay though.
The Monk by CS Cheely
1 star. Nope. Didn't like the premise or the happenings. Kind of appreciated Margotty with how she didn't care about perceptions and did what she needed.
Grasshopper Song by K.D. Edwards
3 stars. By far the best one. Picked this up because of this author. Edwards has quickly and easily become one of my favorites and he did not disappoint here. I liked the characters (except the obvious) and the solution. Good riddance. I also appreciated how the romance wasn't the main or obvious focus. Merely suggested towards the end, and what a pleasant picture it painted. The last sentence was a great way of ending this short story.
Veneranda and the Spy by Daniel Wood
3 stars. Was worried when I learned the MC was a 15 year old but ended up liking her. Glad we got to see some insight to the first story's child and what happened to Josephine. Again I appreciated how romance wasn't the main focus here and was barely even mentioned. Good relationship between father and daughter though. I'd give the author another go.
However, I only really liked two of the stories here. Edwards and Wood's. This book was a lot more romance based than I thought it'd be. Was still interesting seeing the different ways each person contributed (or didn't) and the solutions that were found.
Thoughts on each story (there's already summaries around):
Trade Secrets by Sara Beaman
2 stars. Meh. Just all set up. Found myself waiting for the end. At least Josephine knew what was up.
Finding Joy by Arlene Blakely
2 stars. Wasn't expecting (or wanting) such a romance with a side of mush. Awful business but always good to see that end well. Writing style was okay though.
The Monk by CS Cheely
1 star. Nope. Didn't like the premise or the happenings. Kind of appreciated Margotty with how she didn't care about perceptions and did what she needed.
Grasshopper Song by K.D. Edwards
3 stars. By far the best one. Picked this up because of this author. Edwards has quickly and easily become one of my favorites and he did not disappoint here. I liked the characters (except the obvious) and the solution. Good riddance. I also appreciated how the romance wasn't the main or obvious focus. Merely suggested towards the end, and what a pleasant picture it painted. The last sentence was a great way of ending this short story.
Veneranda and the Spy by Daniel Wood
3 stars. Was worried when I learned the MC was a 15 year old but ended up liking her. Glad we got to see some insight to the first story's child and what happened to Josephine. Again I appreciated how romance wasn't the main focus here and was barely even mentioned. Good relationship between father and daughter though. I'd give the author another go.
September 18, 2023
As I learned from the other reviews, I'm not the only one who specifically got this for more KD Edwards content. And I ALSO ended up liking his story the most though I really enjoy the setting.
Ultimately the stories were too character focused with too little world-building for my taste. I usually end up at this point with short stories or anthologies. Not enough time spent with the characters or the story ends right when I feel like I settled into the world.
KD's story absolutely delivers though - you can hear echoes of Rune and Brand in his protagonist here and it made me anxious for the next Tarot book all over again. Definitely worth it for desperate fans like me :)
Ultimately the stories were too character focused with too little world-building for my taste. I usually end up at this point with short stories or anthologies. Not enough time spent with the characters or the story ends right when I feel like I settled into the world.
KD's story absolutely delivers though - you can hear echoes of Rune and Brand in his protagonist here and it made me anxious for the next Tarot book all over again. Definitely worth it for desperate fans like me :)
July 20, 2022
Ok, you got me. I only got this so I could read the K.D. Edwards story. And it was worth it! (So that's a good thing!) I do like dystopias so I may go back and give the other stories a chance when my life has time for it. But, if you, like me, are a K.D. Edwards fan, Scout's story will make you want to learn more about him and his part of this shared world!
I only gave it 3 stars because I only read the one story. When I know more about the others, I will hopefully be able to grade it higher!
I only gave it 3 stars because I only read the one story. When I know more about the others, I will hopefully be able to grade it higher!
September 18, 2021
Short stories by several authors (including K. D. Edwards, who I really like 0 his story was my favourite in the set) set in a post-apocalyptic world and community. Just what I needed to read during a pandemic - I love a good disaster novel, or movie for escapism … weird, huh?
February 19, 2013
I do not read much in the dystopian genre because I tend to confine myself to classic literature (so, more of a statement about me than the dystopian genre). But "Doom Days" was put in my hands, and I thought, why not? And I'm very happy to have spent time with it. Collaboratively written by five authors, each contributing a short story to an inflected cycle, "Doom Days" steers clear of flashy devices - science fiction-y new technology, zombie-like mutation - and focuses on the drama inherent in the struggle to stay alive that becomes acute when all number of basic things can no longer be taken for granted.
In a post-Collapse world, North America has returned to a settlers' territory, with the economy reduced to agriculture and trade in the dwindling remnants of civilization: medicine, batteries, and weapons. The first three stories are practically fictionalized sociological writing, making case studies of small sets of characters that illustrate the challenges of this unfortunate new world, in which social compacts are held only when convenient, and each pregnancy takes on miraculous significance in a time that is barren in so many ways.
On one level, I admire the sociological tone of these three stories because they are convincing in detail. It wasn't until the fourth section by KD Edwards, though, that I was completely gripped by "Doom Days." In 'Grasshopper,' the challenges of this world are finally put to the service of a dramatic story requiring an emotional investment from the reader. As the patriarch of one family exploits the gray areas in the fragile civilization of an outpost town in North Carolina, actions and their consequences resonate very personally for the people around him, shaping their concepts of honor, loyalty, and love. This is a story deserving of expansion, though it certainly benefits from the context of the first three stories.
The last story provides a solid final upping of the stakes. The potential dangers of the roving criminals in earlier stories are eclipsed by the greater threat of an organized group that possesses enough resources to transform North America into a despotic regime. But this piece is cluttered with some unnecessary details, hampered by an ambiguous ending, and rife with copy editing errors, a bit of a let-down after the previous stories had maintained an admirable level of quality for a self-published work.
Nonetheless, I recommend "Doom Days" as a strong example of collaborative writing and world-building. There is much here to admire, and much to provoke thought.
In a post-Collapse world, North America has returned to a settlers' territory, with the economy reduced to agriculture and trade in the dwindling remnants of civilization: medicine, batteries, and weapons. The first three stories are practically fictionalized sociological writing, making case studies of small sets of characters that illustrate the challenges of this unfortunate new world, in which social compacts are held only when convenient, and each pregnancy takes on miraculous significance in a time that is barren in so many ways.
On one level, I admire the sociological tone of these three stories because they are convincing in detail. It wasn't until the fourth section by KD Edwards, though, that I was completely gripped by "Doom Days." In 'Grasshopper,' the challenges of this world are finally put to the service of a dramatic story requiring an emotional investment from the reader. As the patriarch of one family exploits the gray areas in the fragile civilization of an outpost town in North Carolina, actions and their consequences resonate very personally for the people around him, shaping their concepts of honor, loyalty, and love. This is a story deserving of expansion, though it certainly benefits from the context of the first three stories.
The last story provides a solid final upping of the stakes. The potential dangers of the roving criminals in earlier stories are eclipsed by the greater threat of an organized group that possesses enough resources to transform North America into a despotic regime. But this piece is cluttered with some unnecessary details, hampered by an ambiguous ending, and rife with copy editing errors, a bit of a let-down after the previous stories had maintained an admirable level of quality for a self-published work.
Nonetheless, I recommend "Doom Days" as a strong example of collaborative writing and world-building. There is much here to admire, and much to provoke thought.
March 20, 2013
Doom Days is a series of short stories about the rebuild of society following a rapid destruction of most of mankind. This book is not a style that I would typically read, honestly, and I was a bit skeptical as I started reading it. Through the first story, I initially had trouble identifying with the characters and what was driving their responses and behaviors, along with the overall premise. As the stories progressed, I got pulled more and more into this future world and it's challenges. The writers did a great job of writing separate stories, while together driving toward the creation of this new world. While the topic of this book wasn't "light" per se, it really was a fun/fast read - the type of book that would make a great summer beach read. Serious enough topic to be interesting, very well-written, and a page-turner. The only thing I struggled with was the ending. I wanted one more story - something that pulled some of the characters together in some way - I had gotten attached to them, and didn't want it to end without an encore of sorts. I would definitely recommend!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews