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Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse
We like to imagine the end. How we might survive. How we might live after the fateful moment that changes everything. That moment has arrived—welcome to Canada, after the apocalypse! Fractured is a collection of stories by more than 20 writers who imagine life after the end of days. The waters have risen around Vancouver, nuclear disasters have devastated the Prairies, a strange sickness has relocated the capital of the nation to Yellowknife, aliens have invaded Manitoba, and even ghosts have returned to exterminate the living. Across this vast nation, a country fractured and rent asunder by disasters both natural and unnatural, come the stories of survivors, of the brave and the wicked, the kind and the hostile. These are tales that reveal the secrets at this critical point for humanity, exploring a diversity of scenarios and settings from small rural communities to large cities and protagonists from all walks of life. Postapocalyptic literature finds its stories in each generation that has something new to reflect upon: Mary Shelley’s 1826 novel The Last Man is considered the first work of modern apocalyptic fiction, and many have followed in her footsteps in both print, with The Hunger Games, I Am Legend, The Road, and Oryx and Crake, and film, with Mad Max, Waterworld, The Book of Eli, and others. Contributors to this volume include T. S. Bazelli, David Huebert, Hilary Janzen, Arun Jiwa, Claude Lalumière, Michael Pack, Morgan M. Page, Miriam Oudin, Frank Westcott, A. C. Wise, and more.
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
14 people are currently reading
832 people want to read
About the author
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
157 books27.3k followersSilvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu's Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 8, 2018
Humanity had a good run. Some folks said it was the end of the world. Nonsense. The world didn't end when a comet took out the dinosaurs. It didn't end with the Ice Age. It won't end now. The world keeps going. People on the other hand...not so much. - from Saying Goodbye, by Michael S. Pack.
The quote above echoes George Carlin, who had his own way of putting it (as he did with most things). This collection really expresses that to it's fullest - from War of the Worlds-style Martian tripods in the early days of America, to unexpected bouts of ageless slumber, to rifts in the very fabric of space and time. Of course, illness and war make their own appearances too, but this collection really blew me away with the sheer range of stories on offer.
The overall quality is excellent, but there were (as always) some standouts. Of the Dying Light by Arun Jiwa builds an extraordinary and inventive world in a matter of just a few sentences, bring shadows and light into a war for our very souls.
White Noise, by Geoff Gander is only a couple of pages long but absolutely perfectly chilling and incredibly effective.
The Body Politic by John Jantunen shows what we'll do to care for the people that we love, even if we find ourselves facing immense hardship alone. Absolutely beautiful piece of writing and very cleverly told.
Matthew, Waiting by A.C. Wise shows us that no Canadian collection is complete until Anne of Green Gables is referenced - I actually loved this.
There's a lot of stories here, but the quality is really outstanding - Canada may have a reputation for their niceness, but plenty of these stories demonstrate that they're also willing to do what it takes to survive. And in a country as wild and vast as theirs, it appears anything really could happen.
The quote above echoes George Carlin, who had his own way of putting it (as he did with most things). This collection really expresses that to it's fullest - from War of the Worlds-style Martian tripods in the early days of America, to unexpected bouts of ageless slumber, to rifts in the very fabric of space and time. Of course, illness and war make their own appearances too, but this collection really blew me away with the sheer range of stories on offer.
The overall quality is excellent, but there were (as always) some standouts. Of the Dying Light by Arun Jiwa builds an extraordinary and inventive world in a matter of just a few sentences, bring shadows and light into a war for our very souls.
White Noise, by Geoff Gander is only a couple of pages long but absolutely perfectly chilling and incredibly effective.
The Body Politic by John Jantunen shows what we'll do to care for the people that we love, even if we find ourselves facing immense hardship alone. Absolutely beautiful piece of writing and very cleverly told.
Matthew, Waiting by A.C. Wise shows us that no Canadian collection is complete until Anne of Green Gables is referenced - I actually loved this.
There's a lot of stories here, but the quality is really outstanding - Canada may have a reputation for their niceness, but plenty of these stories demonstrate that they're also willing to do what it takes to survive. And in a country as wild and vast as theirs, it appears anything really could happen.
February 19, 2016
I like these stories a lot. Very wide ranging reasons for the end of the world as we know and all kinds of ways people were trying to survive. My favourite was a wee little 2 page story called White Noise by Geoff Gander. So quick and sharp and anxious making. Like a tiny little slice of Pontypool. Perfect little snack.
Now I want to go read Pontypool again.
Now I want to go read Pontypool again.
December 9, 2019
DNF about half way through!
I was culling my TBR shelf on Goodreads and noticed this was still on there! I read about half during The Reading Rush, but won't be finishing.
I was culling my TBR shelf on Goodreads and noticed this was still on there! I read about half during The Reading Rush, but won't be finishing.
July 12, 2015
I’ve devoured the entire collection, which was edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. In a word, it’s great. It’s got a huge variety (there are many ways the world can end – a plague of bio-tech sleep, alien invaders, climate collapse and rising seas – and even a ghost apocalypse, which I’ll probably talk about another time), and the location of “Canada” doesn’t limit the book at all.
Quite the opposite. There are so many stories that could only be so better told in Canada, and these tales of the “after” are so freaking well done even before you consider the Canuck content that the inclusion of Canada is just the cherry on top. That I’ve actually been to many of the places mentioned in the stories? Awesome – it just adds another shiver to the spine.
Some stories in specific:
“No Man is a Promontory,” by H.N. Janzen
The thing about post-apocalypse is you know you’re going to get dark stories, and this is no exception. But seeing a place I’ve been to (and lived hear) go this dark? Awesome. Kelowna is the setting for this first story in the collection, and we have a native woman – former military – who has survived the fallout and is keenly aware that food is going to be a major issue. The few people who remain are already turning on each other, and though she herself is by no means soft-hearted – I believe the line is “I’ve stolen food from a woman giving birth” – she finds herself drawn to another survivor, a child.
This story is a great example of how less can be so much more. It’s very short, it’s paints a vivid picture of this post-apocalyptic world without listing detail after detail or painstaking world building, and boils down the narrative to a keen edge. And the last line is both chilling and inspiring – in a dark, broken way.
“Matthew, Waiting,” by A.C. Wise
I have a friend I’ve known and worked with for years. She, like me, worked the horror that was Christmas Retail every year and made it through more-or-less mentally unscathed. One year, her mall hired a guy with a whole bunch of musical instruments (read: noisemakers) that he would hand out to a bunch of bored and over-sugared kids, and then head lead them through making music (read: noise). This happened in front of her store, while she was working, and it was torture.
To this, my awesome friend walked to the front of the store and called out, “Needs more cowbell!”
Some people can take something awful and still have fun with it and think about it in a new way. A.C. Wise took an apocalypse and added Anne of Freaking Green Gables! Seriously! Like, this is someone who looks at the end of the world and thinks, Needs more Anne.
I want to be A.C. Wise’s friend. You should, too.
I don’t want to ruin any facet of this story, which is so clever and grounded in a psychology that is as devastating as it is realistic. Taking an iconic piece of Canadian culture and twisting it “just so” into this dark (and yet darkly moving) story was a small stroke of genius in an already solid anthology. It was by far my favourite, and has been the “selling point” I’ve been using with all my friends.
“Post-apocalyptic Canadian Fiction,” I say.
“Huh,” they say, interested, sure, but not sold yet.
“There’s a post-apocalyptic Anne of Green Gables story.”
“What? Really?” Their eyes widen and their fingertips shake, already wanting the book. “What’s the collection called again?”
Quite the opposite. There are so many stories that could only be so better told in Canada, and these tales of the “after” are so freaking well done even before you consider the Canuck content that the inclusion of Canada is just the cherry on top. That I’ve actually been to many of the places mentioned in the stories? Awesome – it just adds another shiver to the spine.
Some stories in specific:
“No Man is a Promontory,” by H.N. Janzen
The thing about post-apocalypse is you know you’re going to get dark stories, and this is no exception. But seeing a place I’ve been to (and lived hear) go this dark? Awesome. Kelowna is the setting for this first story in the collection, and we have a native woman – former military – who has survived the fallout and is keenly aware that food is going to be a major issue. The few people who remain are already turning on each other, and though she herself is by no means soft-hearted – I believe the line is “I’ve stolen food from a woman giving birth” – she finds herself drawn to another survivor, a child.
This story is a great example of how less can be so much more. It’s very short, it’s paints a vivid picture of this post-apocalyptic world without listing detail after detail or painstaking world building, and boils down the narrative to a keen edge. And the last line is both chilling and inspiring – in a dark, broken way.
“Matthew, Waiting,” by A.C. Wise
I have a friend I’ve known and worked with for years. She, like me, worked the horror that was Christmas Retail every year and made it through more-or-less mentally unscathed. One year, her mall hired a guy with a whole bunch of musical instruments (read: noisemakers) that he would hand out to a bunch of bored and over-sugared kids, and then head lead them through making music (read: noise). This happened in front of her store, while she was working, and it was torture.
To this, my awesome friend walked to the front of the store and called out, “Needs more cowbell!”
Some people can take something awful and still have fun with it and think about it in a new way. A.C. Wise took an apocalypse and added Anne of Freaking Green Gables! Seriously! Like, this is someone who looks at the end of the world and thinks, Needs more Anne.
I want to be A.C. Wise’s friend. You should, too.
I don’t want to ruin any facet of this story, which is so clever and grounded in a psychology that is as devastating as it is realistic. Taking an iconic piece of Canadian culture and twisting it “just so” into this dark (and yet darkly moving) story was a small stroke of genius in an already solid anthology. It was by far my favourite, and has been the “selling point” I’ve been using with all my friends.
“Post-apocalyptic Canadian Fiction,” I say.
“Huh,” they say, interested, sure, but not sold yet.
“There’s a post-apocalyptic Anne of Green Gables story.”
“What? Really?” Their eyes widen and their fingertips shake, already wanting the book. “What’s the collection called again?”
August 21, 2014
I'm pretty biased, given that my story City Noise is in here.
September 23, 2014
Damn, this anthology had some awesome stories. I was particularly excited and thrilled by Morgan M. Page's story - which is a unique angle on the post-apocolypse for a group of folks who often get pushed to the margins, even in non-future-wasteland times.
July 18, 2019
I really loved the variety of stories here. It's not just plague versus ecodisaster, there's also a huge variety of perspectives - including a trans woman trying to maintain her transition once medical infrastructure has broken down.
Even when I didn't particularly like a story, there was still always something unique and interesting going on.
Even when I didn't particularly like a story, there was still always something unique and interesting going on.
January 11, 2015
Flooding, ghosts, spreading oil sinkholes, whitenoise, bio weapons, nuclear bombs, sudden population disappearances, a strange rotting of the landscape, persistent sleep, the drying of the world’s lakes, alien invasion, shadows, plague, constant rain, technological crashes, ruptures into the abyss, fires… the visions of the apocalypse are multifaceted and Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse imagines new nuances of each potential end. But ultimately, this is not a collection about the end, not about the apocalypse itself, but the experience of the end and the way that the end can be a beginning of a changed world, a world that envisions a separation from the past but is still haunted by its memory. Fractured imagines what characters in the post-Apocalypse are feeling, how they are making meaning out of their experiences, how they are coping with severe changes to their world, and ultimately, the loneliness that comes from facing the end. This is a volume of endings that embody beginnings.
For a longer version of this review, you can check out my website at http://speculatingcanada.ca/2015/01/0...
For a longer version of this review, you can check out my website at http://speculatingcanada.ca/2015/01/0...
January 25, 2017
Decent collection of post-apocalyptic stories set in post-Canada.
Standout stories:
- No Man is a Promontory
- Persistence of Vision
- White Noise
- D-Day
- Saying Goodbye
- City Noise
- Maxim Fujiyama and Other Persons (this was a nice story to end off with).
Standout stories:
- No Man is a Promontory
- Persistence of Vision
- White Noise
- D-Day
- Saying Goodbye
- City Noise
- Maxim Fujiyama and Other Persons (this was a nice story to end off with).
October 25, 2019
It's always hard to rate anthology stories. Favourite shorts in this one:
No Man is a Promontory, classic feeling of aloneness and desolation à la The Road.
St Macaire's Dome, a sort of Canticle for Leibowitz, generations removed from the cataclysm and what new society formed since (in Quebec City)
Edited Hansard 116, I'm a sucker for fake transcripts in this case of government proceedings about a mysterious unidentifiable growing black spot.
Jenny of the Long Gauge, western frontier post apoc western.
Manitou-Wapow is probably my favourite in all of these, a series of correspondences in the 1840s as the Martians from H.G. Wells' War of the World land in sparsely populated central Canada.
Brown Wave, the final stage in a slow collapse.
Ruptures, whihc includes Time Travel Crimes with Disastrous Consequences
River Road, a good hide and seek postapoc with alien overlords. A Quiet Place type .
I'm undecided about Snow Angels and Of the Dying Light, both stories shows promise for future development
No Man is a Promontory, classic feeling of aloneness and desolation à la The Road.
St Macaire's Dome, a sort of Canticle for Leibowitz, generations removed from the cataclysm and what new society formed since (in Quebec City)
Edited Hansard 116, I'm a sucker for fake transcripts in this case of government proceedings about a mysterious unidentifiable growing black spot.
Jenny of the Long Gauge, western frontier post apoc western.
Manitou-Wapow is probably my favourite in all of these, a series of correspondences in the 1840s as the Martians from H.G. Wells' War of the World land in sparsely populated central Canada.
Brown Wave, the final stage in a slow collapse.
Ruptures, whihc includes Time Travel Crimes with Disastrous Consequences
River Road, a good hide and seek postapoc with alien overlords. A Quiet Place type .
I'm undecided about Snow Angels and Of the Dying Light, both stories shows promise for future development
November 15, 2024
A lot of the stories in this book were too boring or too depressing for me to really enjoy. But there were some that I really liked.
The best was "Maxim Fujiyama and the Other Persons." It was about a man in post-apocalypse Vancouver who makes friends with a family of dogs and a Sasquatch after concluding that they count as people. I think it was the only uplifting story in the book.
Some other good stories in here include:
"Persistence of Vision," about ghosts destroying the world.
"Kalopsia," about a battle that takes place at Playland after a great flood.
"White Noise," about a deadly sound being transmitted across Earth.
"Edited Hansard 116," about Canadian politicians debating what to do about a mysterious destructive mud that's oozing up from deep inside the Earth and threatening humanity.
"Saying Goodbye," about a person who is probably the last human alive on Earth sailing around in his boat, looking for other survivors.
These stories were all great. Most of the others were forgettable.
The best was "Maxim Fujiyama and the Other Persons." It was about a man in post-apocalypse Vancouver who makes friends with a family of dogs and a Sasquatch after concluding that they count as people. I think it was the only uplifting story in the book.
Some other good stories in here include:
"Persistence of Vision," about ghosts destroying the world.
"Kalopsia," about a battle that takes place at Playland after a great flood.
"White Noise," about a deadly sound being transmitted across Earth.
"Edited Hansard 116," about Canadian politicians debating what to do about a mysterious destructive mud that's oozing up from deep inside the Earth and threatening humanity.
"Saying Goodbye," about a person who is probably the last human alive on Earth sailing around in his boat, looking for other survivors.
These stories were all great. Most of the others were forgettable.
June 1, 2020
I had thought of going through each entry in the anthology, but that ran a bit long.
One story is only a single page; points for brevity!
Though there were a lot of entries that relied on clever little tricks like that, none of which really made a big positive impression. The ghost-apocalypse, the desert apocalypse and the sasquatch entry were favorites. Enjoy the Canadian content, sci-fi authors sure think the tar sands will go down in history as the point Canada sold it's future down the drain. (I happen to agree.)
One story is only a single page; points for brevity!
Though there were a lot of entries that relied on clever little tricks like that, none of which really made a big positive impression. The ghost-apocalypse, the desert apocalypse and the sasquatch entry were favorites. Enjoy the Canadian content, sci-fi authors sure think the tar sands will go down in history as the point Canada sold it's future down the drain. (I happen to agree.)
December 6, 2023
It's an interesting anthology of stories all set in post-apocalyptic Canada. And all stories have different apocalypse setting (climate change, virus, nuclear war, demons...). There is inconsistency in style, length, in language used... But the tone is shared - dark. Obviously. And somehow, none of the stories (I think) don't have a happy ending. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, particularly because the fact that I bought this book in a small second-hand bookshop in Toronto.
July 5, 2020
There were some really interesting tales about how the world might be after an apocalypse, and others that I struggled with. However, I do believe there is a really wide selection of different ends and that was awesome. I appreciate the variety of stories provided, none felt the same and they were also different from everything else I've read.
January 6, 2021
Some really good stories, but I am docking two stars because its supposed to be a diverse collection of Canadian stories yet Quebec is the furthest east they go (and the bulk take place in B.C).
Feels pretty crappy to have the entire Atlantic region left out of a really cool concept. May be a case of not having any submissions or authors from here but still.
Feels pretty crappy to have the entire Atlantic region left out of a really cool concept. May be a case of not having any submissions or authors from here but still.
June 17, 2021
An interesting collection of stories. I enjoyed them for the most part - as with collections of this kind, they varied wildly in style and content, but definitely worth reading. I did like that they were all set in Canada.
June 30, 2020
Very disappointed with this book.
January 9, 2025
Plenty of interesting and enjoyable stories in here. Vancouver is a little overrepresented, but that's a nice change from Toronto being the centre of the universe, so I'll allow it.
April 4, 2015
I had seen some good reviews of some of the stories in this so I thought I'd track down a copy.
As the title suggests these are stories set in Canada after a disaster of some kid. They are all by lesser known Canadian authors, which was a bit of a risk but some of them stood out and I may look for more work by them.
The ones I liked are:
No Man is a Promontory, Hilary Janzen - I quite liked this. It was short but well put together.
The Dome of St. Macaire, Jean-Louis Trudel - Thought this had a lot of potential, but fizzalled out.
The Body Politic, John Jantunen - I really liked this, which is unusual for me, because it left a number of
loose ends.
D-Day, T. S. Bazelli - This is one of the best storys. Its a sort of love story told from one side, by someone waiting for the return of their lover. Just very well crafted.
Manitou-wapow, GMB Chomichuk - I really liked this, a sort of Canadian version of War of the Worlds.
Saying Goodbye, Michael Pack - I normally don't like books that leave you hanging, but this was very good.
Dog for Dinner, dvsduncan - Nice love story, enjoyed it
Maxim Fujiyama and Other Persons, Claude Lalumière - Strange little story, but very good.
A lot of the others were sort of okay and a couple I just gave up on.
Overall probably worth the experiment.
As the title suggests these are stories set in Canada after a disaster of some kid. They are all by lesser known Canadian authors, which was a bit of a risk but some of them stood out and I may look for more work by them.
The ones I liked are:
No Man is a Promontory, Hilary Janzen - I quite liked this. It was short but well put together.
The Dome of St. Macaire, Jean-Louis Trudel - Thought this had a lot of potential, but fizzalled out.
The Body Politic, John Jantunen - I really liked this, which is unusual for me, because it left a number of
loose ends.
D-Day, T. S. Bazelli - This is one of the best storys. Its a sort of love story told from one side, by someone waiting for the return of their lover. Just very well crafted.
Manitou-wapow, GMB Chomichuk - I really liked this, a sort of Canadian version of War of the Worlds.
Saying Goodbye, Michael Pack - I normally don't like books that leave you hanging, but this was very good.
Dog for Dinner, dvsduncan - Nice love story, enjoyed it
Maxim Fujiyama and Other Persons, Claude Lalumière - Strange little story, but very good.
A lot of the others were sort of okay and a couple I just gave up on.
Overall probably worth the experiment.
December 16, 2021
What an amazing anthology-I liked just about every story in it! I really enjoyed reading about the Canadian landscape-Canada was a character in itself. Some of my favorite stories were: Maxim Fujiyama and Other Persons (a hopeful story and I really liked Maxim); Edited Hansard 116 (soooo government!); The Body Politic (nice twist!); D-Day (I could read a whole book of this story); Jenny of the Long Gauge (a Wild West apocalypse-what more can you ask for); Snow Angels (loved both main characters-another one I could read a whole book of); Manitou-Wapow (excellent way to present the story and boy did I want more!); Of the Dying Light (creepy and atmospheric); River Road (excellent story-I want the book); and Dog For Dinner (super interesting and a hopeful ending). This was just an excellent book! Definitely a top book of the year!!!
January 28, 2015
dunno if it just wasn't my genre (too "hard"? like, talk about people, not the exact model of nuclear warhead in a basilica) or if the writing was genuinely mostly meh, but i picked it up for morgan page's story, "city noise," which was great. i also liked(?) this hella creepy story about matthew cuthbert eternally waiting for the "real anne" and being disappointed by endless dianas and gilberts ("matthew waiting," a.c. wise). the last story, in which maxim fujiyama makes family with a pack of dogs and a sasquatch, was also memorable: "maxim fujiyama and other persons, claude lalumière. the rest i kinda skimmed.
October 4, 2015
Some of the stories were great and you could follow them with ease. It left a nice little full feeling from it.
There was one that was an excerpt from a larger piece to be published and while it was interesting, I felt that it was lacking something.
Some of the stories were hard to follow, they came across very disjointed and I felt myself struggling to see the bigger, or the more narrow picture for them.
It was certainly an interesting read and I love that the pieces were set with a Canadian backdrop.
There was one that was an excerpt from a larger piece to be published and while it was interesting, I felt that it was lacking something.
Some of the stories were hard to follow, they came across very disjointed and I felt myself struggling to see the bigger, or the more narrow picture for them.
It was certainly an interesting read and I love that the pieces were set with a Canadian backdrop.
November 12, 2015
Fractured;Tales of The Canadian Post-Apocalypse, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, was a truly encompassing book. It described so many people, from so many different parts of Canada, and with so many points of views, that at first it's a bit overwhelming. However each story is very artfully crafted, and the characters are so vivid. The authors are very good at what they do, and its very obvious when reading Fractured. The book was very interesting, but the constant changing of characters made it sort of hard to get into the groove of the book
August 28, 2015
Some of the stories are excellent. They encompass a character's entire world leaving you with a sense of a greater world with other stories just waiting to be explored. Other stories are so bizarre or fragmented that they become hard to follow or leave you with the sense that you're missing important details.
Over all; three were excellent, four were good and well rounded, the rest either too limited or hard to follow.
Over all; three were excellent, four were good and well rounded, the rest either too limited or hard to follow.
November 30, 2017
A solid, but not fantastic, anthology of Canadian Post-Apocalyptic stories. A handful are fantastic, but most aren't all that fantastic. I much preferred Dead North, the zombie anthology in this line. Still, it made for great bathtub reading.
I do want to read a later anthology in the Exile Book Of series, Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories.
I do want to read a later anthology in the Exile Book Of series, Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories.
June 27, 2016
fantastic collection. Enjoyed the variety (can get dry when themes are too tight in these kinds of books) enjoyed the settings, as I have been to a lot of them.
Honestly a lot of fun, and look forward to reading more from several of these Authors.
Honestly a lot of fun, and look forward to reading more from several of these Authors.
March 1, 2016
I really need to stop buying these short story books. You hit on some good ones but most seem like they try too hard to be cute and don't succeed. There were maybe 4 or 5 decent ones in this anthology but most were forgettable.
September 21, 2014
Forget the zombie apocalypse. Canadians have got end-of-life stories to die for. ;)
July 4, 2015
Enjoy the read back in time the present and the unpredictable future.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews