Why Aren't You Dead Yet?: A Disability In Dystopia Anthology

by Ella T. Holmes (Other)

A mother donates her fat for money. A woman must buy hormones in secret. A young man survives surgery when he wasn't meant to.

Sixteen disabled and chronically ill authors challenge our ideas of who is allowed to survive the end of the world in stories that are by turns visceral, heartbreaking, romantic, and at times, gooey. From deeply speculative to almost too real, these stories not only twist dystopian tropes and narratives on their head, but actually let disabled characters live.

From editor Ella T. Holmes who brought us the Amazon Bestselling Artifice & Access anthology, comes this heart pounding disability in dystopian anthology. Why Aren't You Dead Yet? continues the project of uplifting some of the most marginalised voices in publishing.



While Artifice & Access boldly proclaimed "we belong!" This time we're screaming "you can't get rid of us!"



Stories

Cat and Mouse by Ashley N.Y. Sheesley

Mind For Sale by Morosia Tindilos

Someone's Gotta Shovel It by Sally Sultzman

Reduce, Reuse by Ellis Nye

Heartbeats by Kara Siert

Toward The Light by S. Leigh Ann Cowan

If You Go Into The North Today by Shantell Powell

Redheads by Gabriella Hassan

Opportunity Cost by Alexis Ames

A Girl's Best Friend by Morgan Greensmith

Fat Is An Essential Medicine by Ella T. Holmes

Soft Edges by Ceinwen Langley

Cattle and Mulch by Nora Black

Vermin & Whimsy by Casper E. Falls

The Storm Runners Julie March

The Holes in Her Head by Kate Orman

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Disability

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 20, 2026

Reviews

[Katie (Semi Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC Heartbeats, Towards the Light and Mirror Image were particular favorites!

[The Reading Frog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Ella T. Holmes, all authors who contributed, BooksGoSocial, NetGalley & BookSirens (accidentally got approved on both) for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review

Rating: ~4/5 ⭐
CW: Chapter-specific content warnings are provided at the start of this collection.
Explicit | ableism, blood, gore, gun violence, injury, medical procedures, misogyny, slurs, violence
Moderate | body horror, death, eugenics, excrement, exploitation, grief, homophobia, (past) parental death, queerphobia, targeting by cops
Mild | bigotry, COVID, criminalisation of mental illnesses, criminalisation of trans people, fat shaming, forced institutionalisation, hallucinations, hypothermia, internalised fatphobia, mention of euthanasia, mention of panic attack, mention of sexwork, mention of war, mentions of war, suicidal ideation, vomit
My chosen soundtrack(s): Body - Mother Mother | The Seed - AURORA

(...) I argue that dystopian conventions are married to disability, and they cannot be divorced, no matter how good their lawyers are. It’s a genre that circles around the same anxiety over and over: what happens when a body refuses to comply?

Themes
being unhoused, biological warfare, chosen/found family, chronic pain, climate change, cloning, community, designer babies, disability, dynamic disabilities, dystopia, eugenics, healing/destruction of nature, healthcare systems (or the lack of them), hope, marginalised groups and bodies, mass extinction/biodiversity crisis, otherness, pollution, prevailing, rebellion, resilience, (semi) invisible disabilities, systemic oppression.


What I liked/loved
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ Starting this collection with a short essay laid out an amazing framework for reading these stories
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ There is an acknowledgement of intersectionality and BIPOC regarding oppression and marginalisation, which I'm glad to see.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ The stories are very diverse in terms of genres, moods, prose, concepts, level of tension, and level of darkness.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ A short outro follows each chapter, written by its author. I really enjoyed receiving this extra context.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ I'm really grateful for this collection. It introduced me to more disabled writers, specifically queer disabled writers.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ I wasn't aware that each chapter would be accompanied by an illustration, which was a happy surprise. They are propaganda/satirical posters that really enhanced the reading experience.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ I love this collection for its diverse characters (and writers!) and for the fact that I've never encountered so many characters who mirror my experience with disability and chronic illness. I actually became a bit emotional about it. It really shows that representation DOES matter.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Regardless of individual ratings, I'm just really enthusiastic that this collection exists. It feels very underrepresented and is really a needed publication. It was really a breath of fresh air.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ My favourite stories/chapters: Dystopia: A Crip Genre Essay | Heartbeats | Redheads | Opportunity Cost | Fat is an Essential Medicine | Mirror Image | Vermin & Whimsy


What I didn't like/felt lacklustre about
‎ ‎ ‎ ✦ As with every anthology ever, some stories will really resonate on a personal level while others don't. Which I of course also experienced with this collection.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ In some cases, I was intrigued by the concept or characters, but was unable to really immerse myself because they were really short or hard to follow on a narrative level. That's always a risk with short-form content. I believe it's just a really hard format to pull off. I also believe that there are stories that weren't a hit for me, but will definitely be a hit for a different reader.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Overall, the quality of this collection is great!


Individual ratings
Note: I try to correctly list all representations in each chapter. My notes were a bit of a mess, though, so I might have missed some here and there.
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Dystopia: A Crip Genre Essay ELLA T. HOLMES | 5⭐
An amazing introduction. I annotated many parts since Ella T. Holmes just kept hitting bar after bar. I can't really give a short list of rep or tropes like the other chapters, but here is a quote to give an impression of the quality of this short essay:

(...)war is one of the clearest mass-disabling events there is. State violence, forced labour, war, starvation, imprisonment, underfunded medical systems, bigotry, systemic exclusion-these worlds feel dystopian not just because the government may be cruel, but because the environment itself is designed to produce disabled bodies.

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Cat and Mouse ASHLEY N.Y. SHEESLEY | 4⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Dynamic disability, use of a cane, use of finger splints
╰┈➤ BIPOC | Unspecified side character ZigZag, "her rich brown hand" "tightly curled hair"

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Friend to enemies, Tom and Jerry vibes
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Heist

(...) anyone with two braincells to rub together knows that disabilities aren't being cured.
Disabled people are going missing.

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Mind for Sale MOROSIA TINDILOS | 3.5⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Schizophrenia, autism
╰┈➤ Queer | TransFem

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ The lengths one has to go through to access medicine/care
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Discourse on fetishisation and the male gaze

A laugh and a shake of the head is the best medicine I have since they outlawed psychiatric care. Otherwise known as Darwin’s Law, it was pitched as the final solution for the trans agenda. No more money going to “crazy people”.

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Somebody’s Gotta Shovel It SALLY SULTZMAN | 3.75⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Use of a crutch
╰┈➤ BIPOC | Unspecified BIPOC rep ("there were plenty of people with different color skin, some darker like mine(...)")

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Discourse on pollution
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Dystopian yet hopeful

No quote this time, just one of my notes: "I didn't expect a story about shit (yes, literal shit) to be so touching and hopeful?? wtf Sally Sultzman, how did you do that?"

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Reduce, Reuse ELLIS NYE | 3.5⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Chronic pain, back-related issues, limited hip mobility

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Preventive care vs reactive care
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Being unhoused

“They kill you anyway and turn you into dirt!” Soraya said gleefully, drawing their finger across their throat and miming a gruesome death.“No they don’t,” Marjorie said. “They just kick you out once they realize you’re not serious about being recycled.”“Committing suicide,” Magdi said, and picked at the edges of a hole in their jeans. “And it’s compost, not dirt.”

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Heartbeats KARA SIERT | 4.75⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Unspecified heart disease/condition, pain from medical procedures
╰┈➤ BIPOC | Unspecified rep, "brown skin, and dark ringlets curling around a serious face"

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Dystopian yet hopeful
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Discourse on designer babies, clones, eugenics
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Discourse on dependence on medication

Humanity, it seemed, never changed—neither their penchant for companionship nor their fondness for mutual destruction.

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Toward the Light S. LEIGH ANN COWAN | 4⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Deaf and HOH, cochlear implants, sign language

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Survivalist thriller
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Surprise, you're a parent of 13 kids now!
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ This story was inspired by real-life events: Minnie Freeman, a schoolteacher in Nebraska who became a symbol of heroism after saving her pupils during the January 12, 1888 blizzard.

When there’s disaster, always the most vulnerable people get forgot and left to die. Old. Poor. Disabled. Jeff’s mama was an amputee. She didn’t make it out of Hurricane Katrina. Neighbors busy saving themselves, roads choked up. Same old story.

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If You Go into the North Today, You’re in for a Big Surprise SHANTELL POWELL | 3⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ BIPOC | (Paleo) Inuit-centred

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Discourse on definitions of culture-specific morality and perceived superiority
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Discourse on Colonialism
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Commodification and appropriation

These fluffy fake seal pups call out for their mamas in squeaks made by someone who’s never seen a real seal before, but who thinks they know what they must sound like based on ancient animated gifs. The mama seals don’t answer, of course. They’re animatronics and no one remembered to recharge their lithium batteries.

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Redheads GABRIELLA HASSAN | 4⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Multiple and diverse mobility aids and assistive devices

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Essay-like
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Focus on activism and strength in numbers

There’s no cowering, no folding in on ourselves and fawning. Not one of us keeps our mouths shut. There is no more being the bigger person when you’re not considered a person, after all.

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Opportunity Cost ALEXIS AMES | 4.25⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Chronic pain, aching joints, easily out of breath, unspecified chronic illness, hand prosthetic
╰┈➤ Queer | (Past) MLM dynamic, unspecified queer characters, character with they/them pronouns

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Smuggling
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Lawfully wrong but morally right
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ ACAB

(...) nearly everyone needed medication at some point in their lives. Many of them needed medication to keep themselves alive, like those who relied on daily insulin.

Or those who would die without treatment whenever their illnesses flared up, like Kael. But it was prohibitively expensive to acquire those medications the legal way, and that was where the biohackers came in.

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Fat is an Essential Medicine ELLA T. HOLMES | 4.5⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Queer | Unspecified queer MC, implied past WLW

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ (Internalised) fatphobia
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Fat as a commodity
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Revenge/Female rage
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Forced intimacy (as coined by disability rights advocate Mia Mingus)

Eat a few dozen burgers loaded with artificial calories your body will absorb and transform into fat safe for harvest, and your belly will bulge enough that you can earn a sizable cheque once a month. Ten kilos on, ten off, every four weeks. No time to heal, really, (...). You’re a commodity now, even if wealthy people bid hundreds of dollars not to have to sit next to you on flights.

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Mirror Image MORGAN GREENSMITH | 5⭐ (one of my favourites!)
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Immunocompromised MC, ambulatory wheelchair user, unspecified heart condition/illness, becoming disabled later in life
╰┈➤ Queer | Unspecified but heavily implied lesbian MC, WLW dynamic

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ The cat distribution system still works during the apocalypse
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Queer rage
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Romance

Iris is a zombie. It sounds like an obvious statement. They're walking through an apocalypse, and Iris' skin visibly rots from her bones.

But for the first day, Penelope manages to forget the context. They're just two chronically ill girls walking through ruins, co-parenting a cat with tragic survival instincts.

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Soft Edges CEINWEN LANGLEY | 3.5⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Visual impairment, background character with Alzheimers

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Worst fear come true: losing your glasses in the apocalypse
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Intense, suspense
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Uncanny valley humans

‘His face,’ Paul wheezes into the wet grass as she kneels beside him, a tentative hand on his shoulder. ‘His face. Did you see his face?’ ‘It’s okay, Paul…’‘It’s not okay. It’s catching. Everyone’s fucked. (...)’

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Cattle and Mulch NORA BLACK | 2⭐ (Amazing worldbuilding, but I was unable to fully follow the story)
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Endometriose
╰┈➤ BIPOC | Unspecified (described as having brown skin)
╰┈➤ Queer | Implied, though I might be wrong, transmasc character

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Handmaid's Tale level of systemic misogyny and oppression
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ If us and pigs by Sofia Isella was a short story

Rob wasn’t due back for another thirteen hours. She’d be in the pens by then – head shaved, nursing a brand. (...) She knew he’d stop by the pens eventually, like all the men of the town did. It wouldn’t be for her. This was one of the better towns, they said.

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Vermin & Whimsy CASPER E. FALLS | 4.75⭐ (One of my favorites)
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Joint pain, chronic pain, immunocompromised
╰┈➤ Queer | Transmasc, side character uses they/them pronouns, MLGQ (male-loving-genderqueer) dynamic, T4T dynamic

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Passing as able-bodied
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Jester (literally)
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ "Because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD"

(...) Roach was fine, basically fine. As long as he had his cane. And his costume. And his disinfectants. As long as no virus struck him down and no flare chewed through his jagged edges, he was fine. (...) He was basically ablebodied. If you didn't look too close. If you squinted a little. If you didn't pull the curtain aside.

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The Storm Runners of Hatteras Island JULIE MARCH | 4⭐
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Fainting often, cane usage, dislocations, unspecified chronic illness

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Pirates!!
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ (Found) family
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Lawfully wrong, morally right
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Badass FMC

In the midst of their gun-laden posturing, she was the eye of a hurricane they’d been too cowardly to face.

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THE HOLES IN HER HEAD KATE ORMAN | 3.25⭐ (I loved the concept, but the narrative was hard to follow)
Representation
╰┈➤ Disability | Unspecified condition mirrors chronic fatigue syndrome, prion disease
╰┈➤ BIPOC | Unspecified side character "her skin is radiation-reflective, deep black with a sheen of silver. Her hair coils loose above her head in zero gee."

Trope/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Biological warfare (If you know what prions are... you're in for a treat)
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Outer space
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Discourse on intentional mass-disabling events

In a space war, you want something that will kill people without damaging valuable infrastructure. Better still, something that will incapacitate people, forcing the enemy to waste resources.

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Conclusion/Notes
I'm so beyond happy this collection exists! It was political, intense and at times heavy but also fun, wacky, and hopeful.

It made me emotional to see so many different disability representations and experiences reflected on these pages. I have never felt this represented before.

If you are disabled, chronically ill, queer and/or are interested in 'otherness', dystopian, scifi and speculative fiction, you should definitely pick this one up!

Why Aren't You Dead Yet? Is still available to request as an ARC on both NetGalley and BookSirens.

It's set to release on July 20 2026.


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[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a unique anthology of dystopian shorts focusing on disabled characters written by authors who themselves are either chronically ill or disabled.

I absolutely loved the resilience shown by the characters in these stories. I also think it has a decent amount of dark humor to it that I greatly appreciated.

Many of the stories were bleak but also had an underlying sense of solidarity, strength and hope.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

(rounded down from 4.25)

The idea of exploring dystopia through the explicit lens of disability rather than able-bodied main characters who persevere, sometimes at the expense of sidelined disabled characters, is an incredibly interesting one, and I was incredibly keen to read this anthology that promised to be dark and gritty enough to look dystopian disability in the eye and not flinch.

I especially appreciate that this anthology does not shy away from looking at things like sex work and self-sacrifice because you are less disabled than the person you love, but also at hopeful topics like seeing past the othering of someone in a zombie apocalypse and finding love and connection.

Each of the stories is short, sets up an interesting corner of a dystopian world, and highlights an aspect of chronic disability or chronic illness that most dystopian settings ignore. I especially enjoyed the little commentary after each story from the author that talks about what they wanted to accomplish/highlight in their story and what their inspirations were for it. I do wish some of the stories were longer because it takes a little bit to get fully immersed in a new dystopian setting, and the characters presented, and most of the stories are relatively short, so we are whisked out of them quickly. That is a minor quibble, however, since most of the stories are impactful and will make you view the world a bit differently, even if you have no direct experience with disability.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As a big fan of dystopic literature, especially dystopic literature that explores the lifes and survival of those we are always told are certain to die during less structured times, such as disabled people, I knew I would have to pick a copy of this collection up the moment I saw it announced. I am very grateful to have received an e-ARC and that I got to read and enjoy it.
Starting out with an essay examining the way dystopias function as a crip genre was a wonderful addition to this collection, especially as it linked common dystopic tropes to the actual lives experiences of disabled people right now to highlight why this collection is necessary. By taking disability not just as a metaphor or a frightening worst-case scenario to scare the actual main characters as other pieces of dystopic fiction do, but allowing it to be the thriving heart of these stories this collection does something truly beautiful and important.
The short story collection also includes trigger warnings to allow readers to go into each short story prepared, which is something I really appreciate. Another cool part is that after most short stories the authors themselves added a short paragraph about what inspired their short story and I really adored that. And finally, there's also always a little poster by The Company advertising a variety of dystopic scenarios, which is darkly humorous and terrifying at the same time and helps to break up the short stories a bit. I also really enjoyed that each short story had an art piece introducting it, which allowed each story to really feel a part of an anthology.
My favorite short stories were Mind For Sale by Morosia Tindilos, Reduce, >Reuse by Ellis Nye, Toward The Light by S. Leigh Ann Cowan, Mirror Image by Morgan Greensmith, Soft Edges by Ceinwen Langley, Cattle and Mulch by Nora Black and Vermin & Whimsy by Casper E. Falls. I did also like all the other stories, but these ones stood out to me in particular, so I really enjoyed the selection of stories presented here!
If you like your dystopia with a somewhat positive spin to them (while the stories may feature horrifying, oppressive scenarios, they also try to provide a bit of hope as well), great representation of a wide variety of disabilities (and to some extent queerness) and disabled people surviving, disrupting the system or just eeking out ways of living that work for them despite the odds, then you have to check out this anthology. It is a really great addition to genrefiction that refuses to bow to ableist ideals and refuses to leave people behind.

Cat and Mouse by Ashley N.Y. Sheesley: A government creating lists of disabled people (ostensibly with the goal of helping them find "a cure", but we all know where things like that lead) is never a good sign. But thankfully a small group of disabled people keeps corrupting their files. A short but intense game of cat and mouse ensues and while it only offers a short glimpse into this world and how it differs from ours, this one really shines through its well developed and badass main character and their friends.
TW: ableism, eugenics, gun use, violence (threats of)

*FAV* Mind For Sale by Morosia Tindilos: All forms of psychiatric healthcare (including trans healthcare) have been banned and a schizophrenic trans woman is forced to rely on a rich and powerful man to access the care she needs. Haunting in just how close it feels to reality with things just being slightly worse than they already are, this was quite tense, but I really adored the tender ending.
TW: ableism, coerced medication, fetishization of trans women, mental illness, sex work (allusions to), substance use

Someone’s Gotta Shovel It by Sally Sultzman: In a world ravaged by climate change some people have to do the hard work necessary to reclaim the desert by laying down layers of fertiliser. But after her father's death Poopsie decides she wants a different life and begins the long walk to the city. Full of grief and love, this is a gorgeous piece of climate dystopia.
TW: ableism, death, grief, human waste, attempted murder of a child (past)

*FAV* Reduce, Reuse by Ellis Nye: Taking ideas of assisted suicide to the next level, this story examines a world where people (often poor, often disabled, often homeless) can choose to allow their bodies to be turned into fertilizer. A disabled homeless man decides to take the risk for the chance of one peaceful night of sleep. Truly heartbreaking and harrowing, I found this short story incredibly tense and utterly dystopic.
TW: assisted suicide, eugenics, suicidality (allusions to)

Heartbeats by Kara Siert: Cybernetic enhancements and the bodies burned through in order to achieve this scientific development are a staple of dystopia and this piece, which follows children raised in labs with the intention to be enhanced and transformed and those that fail discarded, dives deep into what that means for those discarded. This is a really tense piece about escaping from an oppressive regime and I liked that it took its time unravelling the ableist underpinnings of this world for us.
TW: ableism, body augmentation, child endangerment, death (off-page), eugenics, surgery (allusions to)

*FAV* Toward The Light by S. Leigh Ann Cowan: A summer sign language camp finds an aprubt end when a blizzard rolls in. The counselors realize it is now their job to protect the children. When the first counselor does not return from his journey to find help, the other counselor sets out with thirteen children in tow. The stunning (and harrowing) depiction of the icy landscape and the care among the campers and the counselor made this an incredibly interesting survival short story, exploring in particular who is most vulnerable during ecological disasters.
TW: abandonment, death, grief, injury, natural distaster

If You Go Into The North Today by Shantell Powell: A sarcastic piece that explores the possible future of Inuit if climate change and species extinction continue on the way it does now. Quite dark, using satire to show some of the issues in how hunting is disparaged for certain people. Disability is explored, but due to this being a quite short piece plays a lesser role here than in other stories so far, but I still enjoyed reading this piece.
TW: animal extinction, body horror (mechanical), climate change, death, environmental collapse, food insecurity, loss of wildlife, simulated hunting

Redheads by Gabriella Hassan: A short scene describing disabled revolution in a smog filled city, exploring the strenght that can be found in unity. I really liked the writing style.
TW: ableism, arson (allusions to), eugentics (allusions to)

Opportunity Cost by Alexis Ames: Forced to live in underground cities by climate change, eeking out a living against corporate rule has become even more difficult for disabled people, as the corporations claim copyright for lifesaving medical tech. Thankfully some tinkeres can still be found. This is a very interesting cyberpunk future that takes disabled lives seriously and explores what corporate rule means for the real disabled cyborgs of this world in ways that don't seem too farfetched from current reality.
TW: ableism, child endangerment, death (implied), physical violence, police harassment, withheld medical care

Fat Is An Essential Medicine by Ella T. Holmes: With organic food a scarcity, the rich have developed a new need for fat which can be upcycled for clean consumption (if you are rich enough to afford that). Dependend on the money she receives for each donation, a woman finds herself at her breaking point. A haunting examination of medicinal and societal fatphobia and its intersections with class. The ending was very satisfying and I loved the theme of motherhood explored.
TW: ableism, body horror, fatphobia, medical procedure, murder (allusion to), needles

*FAV* Mirror Image by Morgan Greensmith: Like many disabled people who enjoy dystopic fiction Penelope has a plan for if an apocalypse happens. But then a cat becomes dependent on her survival and together they venture out into the world for food, discovering what is left over after the zombie apocalypse. I really loved how this story examined the survival of chronically ill disabled people and those with food sensitivities, two categories of people, who are often ignored in apocalypse stories (how would they survive after all?), but also the sick zombies themselves and their own autonomy and survival strategies. Cripping the monster is done truly beautiful here and I really adored this story.
TW: body horror, food insecurity, gun violence, suicidality, virus infection

*FAV* Soft Edges by Ceinwen Langley: When a helicopter crashes in the middle of the park and all hell breaks lose, a woman loses her glasses and has to find her way home barely able to make anything out. Accompanied by a lost teenager, they soon find the world changing around them. Terrifying and somehow also strangely beautiful, this is eco/body horror of the best variety, deeply enjoyable to read, incredibly tense and heartbreaking. I really love this one, it was incredible!
TW: body transformation, death (allusions to), gore (allusions to), lost mobility aid, mass casualty event

*FAV* Cattle and Mulch by Nora Black: Threatened with the reality of being sold off to a breeding farm to repopulate humanity, a woman with endometriosis has to reach out to the one friend she rejected after she came out to her as trans. I really enjoyed how this combined disability and feminist horror and functions as an examination of how women, who cannot bear children, would actually be treated under such circumstances. The beginning is very medias-in-res and at first left me floundering to find my footing, but I really enjoyed how this story came together.
TW: blood, forced consumption of allergens, hanging (allusions to), forced detransition (threats of), forced pregnancy (threats of), murder, rape (allusions to), transphobia, violence against women

*FAV* Vermin & Whimsy by Casper E. Falls: Post pandemics, the state and its law abiding citizens only want one thing: a return to normal. Disabled people, those who have to protect themselves from viruses, are forced to find ingenious ways to survive, relying on luck and costumes to achieve at least a bit of safety. Roach has to brave the streets to get to the theater where he works, trying to earn enough money to provide for his partner. An absolutely haunting piece for anybody who is still masking in public, with an ending that eviscerated internalized ableism in the relationships among disabled people.
TW: dead body, eugenics, forced detransition, gun use, pandemic imagery, police violence, transphobia

The Storm Runners of Hatteras Island by Julie March: A smuggler story about using the climate change induced storms to provide life saving medical care to people left behind by corporate greed. Moira and her crew manage the run to deliver the goods, but their luck runs out on their way back home. I loved how this showed the care and love in disabled families and how Moira's disability was accommodated by her crew and a tool for survival in a world where disability has become unthinkable.
TW: arson, death, eugenics, execution (threat of), gun use, medical neglect, physical violence

The Holes in Her Head by Kate Orman: A scientist inventing new biological weapons for the endless war against the Inners tries to find ways for her own condition to stop hindering her work. Failure is not an option in a place where those who can't work in the labs are sent to do the dangerous work outside the space station. I really enjoyed how this short story adressed the ways disabled people can express ableist thinking about others and how internalized ableism harms them.
TW: ableism, biological weapons, death, non-consensual medical procedures, physical injury, stimulant use

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Selling Pitch:
A dystopian short story collection about disabled characters. Weaker stories up front, but the back half packs a punch. Kind of a must read if you're a fan of the genre.

Pre-reading:
So intrigued by a dystopian disability rep collection as an epileptic girlie who’s always been like if the meds run out, so do I 😂

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
I like the cheeky little intro essay. I maybe wouldn’t have double-dipped with my movie references, but go off.
~
Cat and mouse:

Pretty YA and cheesy but I do love enemies to lovers.

A good chapter 1, but not much of a short story. 2.5/5
Oh cool, and then they have an author’s note about their stories after. I like that. I wish more collections did that.
~
Mind for Sale

Oh, that is bad dialogue. I like this sort of edgy trans dystopian and sex work commentary. I just think Gretchen and Torrey do it better. It just makes me wish I was reading their books again.
2/5
The posters are fun.
~
Somebody’s Gotta

Should I stay or should I go is so on the nose dialogue unless you’re making a cheeky joke with the song.

OK, ew, less literal shit please.

I can’t just can’t take the name Poopsie seriously.

I mean, even if you don’t have winter, you still have the sense of cold. Days aren’t static. Temperature isn’t static.

But like bacteria-

How would she not eat something poisonous?

I feel like there has to be a bit of in-between though. Maybe we go to the city and we get some clean clothes first. 3/5
~
Reduce Reuse

Oh my god, the disability medical system is so fucked. Unemployment sucks.

4/5 that was good. I wish we explored it more. Give it more pages. Unsurprised this was written by a New Englander.
~
Heartbeats

OK, 1984.

Another good concept, but like I need you to make it a full book. This is too underdeveloped to really win me over. 3/5
~
Toward the Light

A me!

I think a summer camp or like kindergarten teachers are some of the best untapped potential for dystopians because right there you have a population that can’t take care of themselves and is immediately sympathetic. Like how does one adult wrangle all that when the world is hostile to them let alone kids?

This is heartbreaking. I think dystopians do forget the young and old a lot.
That was really good. I'd like a whole book. 5/5
~
If You Go

3/5 super voicey and snarky and fun but more of a description than an actual short story plot.
~
Redheads

Uh, 1/5 that did nothing. We didn't even finish the description. LA’s? Skid Row in a dystopian event (not that it isn't one already) has a lot it can do and this did nothing.
~
Opportunity

I would read the hell out of this one. I love enemies to lovers.

4/5 like 5 star potential because I was instantly invested, but it was very generic.
~
Fat Is

All Flesh would like to chat.

‘Vacuum your body clean’ is heavyyy and relatable.

5/5 gimmie more
~
Mirror

A cat book

Going from high achieving to young and disabled is a special kind of hell.

Violet is purple not pink though.

Iris is also purple.

4/5 super fun premise. Need more logistics about the zombies to buy in, but really enjoyed. Would take a full book.
~
Soft Edges

I was so confused by CBD at first and then realized it was Central Business District.

A little hard to interpret. Everyone’s melting and changing into animals? Kinda Shark Heart-y. It was good writing though. Instantly sympathetic and invested. I would've read a whole book. 4/5
~
Cattle

Endo, that's me!

Oh, this is gonna be dark as hell, huh. No more women just incubators. And opposing it with farm animals who we kinda exploit always hits.

Yada cubed instead of yada yada yada is obnoxious.

Yeah, you take out the Northeast, you take out a lot of science.

Yeah, so whole ass book of that one, thanks. That's ready to go as is. 5/5
~
Vermin

How do you put a headset on if you have fake ears on?

I do hate the spoon analogy. Like I think it’s apt, but I think reducing my actions to cutlery is cringe. Also, I just don’t like the word spoon.😂 Even for cuddling. I don’t know why it makes my skin crawl. Maybe because it makes me think of soup and then it makes me think of slurping and I hate mouth sounds?

He kinda reminds me of Fizzarolli from Hazbin.

This is entertaining, but too far-fetched to buy into, but I like the exaggeration for the sake of horror and social commentary.

The truffle pigs metaphor is clever.

This is good dialogue

Good, good writing.

Dipping into bad dialogue.

Ending’s a little rushed, but what a bar to end on. Like a 4.5/5 I’d want to read this author again for sure.

The posters on these last couple stories are still good, but they don’t fit the stories as much. I wonder which came first, the story or the poster?
~
Storm Runners

I know we’ve got limited pages, but a little too much telling, especially when the details themselves are good. I like a nurse ship called the Florence. I always like a Yankee in the south.

Dystopian pirates is so fun!

Chem as a name is bad.

This is an excellent premise, and I would like a whole book with a cleaner execution at the beginning. I know we had to rush because short story, but it’s the Amina El Sarafi I wanted to read.

Very this is the day you almost caught Jack Sparrow, and I love that.

I don’t know if the book is going for a romance with Yank, but I want it.

Ha, I’ve always been able to slip cuffs too. Oh, the hypermobile lol.

Another 4.5. Would’ve been a 5 if the beginning hadn’t been so push push push. I think it could’ve been a little subtle, but I also understand it was a limited page count.
~
Holes

All right, last story. Some of these have been so good. They better end on the best one.

She has narcolepsy? Or? (Yes.)

This one’s got some fun 1984 comrad vibes.

A society that self polices is-

That was good. Not my fave, but good. And the go to sleep line is a good end to the collection. 4/5.

The stories are organized and progress so smartly. I wish the first couple had been stronger though. It kinda lulls you into thinking it’s gonna be a meh collection.
Originally had: it’s a fun collection that reminds me of Zombies vs Unicorns. More riffs than actual narratives but it's a fun dip in the genre, but the back half annihilated the validity of that.

Post-reading:
I was pretty lukewarm on that first half, but the back half has too many strong writers to bury under a 3.

This collection is incredibly well organized. I think anthologies can struggle to find a throughline especially when you're collecting this many authors. This was an effortless, natural progression. It really feels like an exploration of the genre. The range housed here is incredible. I think you pick up diversity dystopian and expect some same same flavor. That's not a problem here. Even stories with similar themes feel distinctly different from one another. It's good, good work.

Ironically, for having the weaker stories, the front half of this has better posters. I'm curious about which came first. Were authors writing to the assigned poster, or did an artist create propaganda after the fact? The early stories fit their graphics. The back half match the vibe but do their own thing. And that back half comes in to wollop you. Even the stories that didn't quite earn a 5 are so much more memorable.

I think the standout story to me in this collection was Vermin and Whimsy. I think it's flawed and the most exaggerated. It needs you to suspend your disbelief to function, but I can't shake its voice. There's definitely a romantic, tragic undercurrent to the back half’s stories, and it fucking works.

The first half lulls you. You’ll get a little sleepy. We’re working off classic tropes of the genre, and they feel pretty half-formed. It only further contrasts the back half where I'd argue the majority are ready for publishing deals today. I'm genuinely so disappointed that I can't read the novel version of a few of these. Tender is the Flesh X Manhunt X The Handmaid’s Tale? Get her a contract. March wrote the dystopian pirates that I wish Amina El-Sarafi was even half of. Cowan’s bleak, bleak story was the charged tonal shift of this collection. Like the escalation in writing chops is undeniable, and you are missing out if you like dystopian horror as a genre and value reading critically and diversely and don't pick this up.

Redheads is the weakest story in the collection. It's barely a description. I don't think it had any business being included. There's so little to it, it's hard to even critique. I also really disliked Somebody’s Gotta Shovel It. Call me too precious, but I can't take a character named Poopsie seriously, and it's a shame because the story itself isn't awful. Does my Capricorn ass even remotely understand the martyred charity of returning to suffer for the sake of invisible others? Fuck no! But I think it's a change from a notoriously selfish-minded genre. Survival’s a bitch like that. I think that's why those latter stories that manage to balance the demands of the self against idealism and caring for a larger whole impressed me so much. Like you can't get too Kumbaya I only exist for the betterment of society and expect me to still find them a believable character.

If you like dystopians, pick this up. If you pointedly read diverse fiction, pick this up. I’m leaving with a renewed appreciation for the genre and a list of authors to follow. Even if you don't love every story in this collection, the ones that do snag you will make your invested time and attention worth it.

Who should read this:
Dystopian fans
Horror fans
Social Commentary fans
Feminists
Fans of chronically ill and disabled representation
Queer romance fans

Ideal reading time:
Anytime

Do I want to reread this:
Honestly, maybe. I will be seeking out some of these authors’ other work

Would I buy this:
Yes

Similar books:
* Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica-lit fic, dystopian, horror, social commentary
* Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin-dystopian horror, queer, trans, social commentary, zombies
* Stag Dance by Torrey Peters-short story collection, lit fic, historical, horror, gothic, queer, trans, social commentary
* The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica-dystopian, horror, religious commentary, queer
* American Rapture by C. J. Leede-dystopian, horror, queer, social and religious commentary, zombies
* Shark Heart by Emily Habeck-lit fic, dystopian, horror, family drama, social commentary
* Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffman-dystopian, sci-fi, queer, autism, trans, social commentary
* Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots-dystopian, satire, urban fantasy, disability, social commentary
* The Gravewood by Kelly Andrew-YA, dystopian, urban fantasy, why choose romance, disability, vampires
* For Human Use by Sarah G. Pierce-lit fic, dystopian, classic retelling, social commentary
* All Flesh by Ananda Devi--lit fic, horror, family drama, social commentary, disability
* How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu-short story collection, lit fic, sci-fi, dystopian, family drama, social commentary
* Local Heavens by K. M. Fajardo-dystopian, sci-fi, lit fic, classic retelling, family drama, social commentary
* You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White-dystopian, horror, queer, trans, autism, social commentary
* Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang-dystopian, urban fantasy, social commentary
* Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin-dystopian, lit fic, horror, family drama, queer, vampires
* 1984 by George Orwell-OG lit fic dystopian

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Crystal Staley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*thank you netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book for review

The theme for this collection pulled me in right away as I’m always looking for stories by disabled authors. I loved the exploration of disability in dystopian settings. The stories collected here were varied and explored different disabilities—all offering much food for thought. I very much enjoyed these stories and the different ideas brought by the authors. This is a very solid short story anthology.

Some of my favorite stories are Mind For Sale by Moriosia Tindilos, Somebody’s Gotta Shovel It by Sally Sultzman, Toward the Light by Leigh Ann Cowan, Mirror Image by Morgan Greensmith, Cattle and Mulch by Nora Black and The Storm Runners by Julie March. But all of the stories were very enjoyable. Definitely recommend this collection’

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to rate a book of short stories, especially when they’re all about such a unique concept. Some of them were great while others seemed to have world-building that was beyond my understanding. My favorites were “Reduce, Reuse”, “Opportunity Cost”, “Mirror Image”, and “Soft Edges”. Those stories stuck out in particular to me (with “Mirror Image” being my absolute fave).
The topic of disability in dystopian fiction should definitely be explored more often in a way that the reader doesn’t have to fear that the character they may relate to most is doomed from the start. I really appreciate all the authors that contributed to this anthology and the perspectives they share through their writing.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?

[Nicole Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've kept saying that I've been trying to find a weak story in this anthology. Yes, there were stories that didn't gel with me specifically, but that doesn't mean they were poorly written. For this review, then, I'm just going to focus on the ones that got a specific reaction from me.

Overall, this anthology is beautifully balanced. There's some really great headliners, two really disconcerting ones, bunches of Australian writers. Content wise, there's queer reps of all kinds, stories where being transgender was outlawed from both a male perspective and a female one, found family, lighter stories to balance against the darker ones. I was particularly excited for Casper Falls' story cause I read their Survival & Other Surprises last year, and I've already ended up with an ARC of Alexis Ames' upcoming novel after really loving hers as well!

Sally Sultzman's "Someone's Gotta Shovel It" would be an amazing story in any anthology, but it was particularly great here on account of the protagonist's choice to turn away from the shiny city and all its opportunities so they could instead carry on their father's legacy. Yes, shovelling "it" isn't glamorous but, as this anthology shows again and again, glamour isn't all it's cracked up to be.

From here, "Reduce, Reuse" by Ellis Nye offered a scathing indictment on various assisted suicide legislation for people with disabilities. In this dystopian short, there are Recycling Centres and last suppers offered for anyone who chooses this way of contributing to society. In effect, their organs can be reused by people rich enough to be able to afford it.

On the continuing theme of the rich being able to co-modify the poor and disabled in this anthology, Alexis Ames' "Opportunity Cost" explores an underground compound where medication and prosthetics are too expensive and often updated in order to keep the rich richer and only the ones with money able to afford the things they need. This story's main characters are illegal runners who source such required items at danger to themselves.

Of the first of the two especially disconcerting reads reads in this anthology, Ella T. Holmes offers a dire comparison between the hundreds of thousands of dollars currently being spent for weight loss surgery against fat people being shipped around the world for that same body mass to be farmed out of them for the sake of people who can afford it in the midst of a food shortage. "Fat is an Essential Medicine" is at times hard to read with its second person point of view, despite there not really being any commonly appearing content warnings that it ticks.

This book really only has one story in it where romance is the focus and Morgan Greensmith's "Mirror Image" tells that romance between a girl in a wheelchair and a zombie with beauty mixed with horror. Recently, Emma Osbourne's Grief Eater took the cake as my favourite zombie story, but this one has almost immediately thereafter taken that title.

The second disconcerting read comes from "Cattle and Mulch", a story about a woman with endometriosis living on a farm that needs money to buy itself out of debt. Nora Black's story shows a dystopia where women are second class citizens. Women like Netty who can't even breed are shot for their uselessness when the places to which they're leased to boost the population find this out.

Casper E. Falls' "Vermin & Whimsy" is the only story to include internalised ableism from its main character. It would have been a very different kind of story if it had gone unchallenged. I myself have found myself considering myself as 'very nearly able-bodied' as Roach does in this one. I feel like this was an important viewpoint to include at least once in such an anthology.

I didn't honestly believe, before this, that there were so many ways that disability and dystopia could be realised. I can't believe this is only the second anthology that Holmes has curated and cannot wait for many more!

[Cori Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe it's taken 10 years for another anthology of disability in dystopia to pop up on my radar, but when I saw this at NetGalley I requested IMMEDIATELY, hoping to fall in love the way I did with Defying Doomsday.

And, while it wasn't love, I still enjoyed it overall. Disclaimer, I am a temporarily able-bodied reviewer, and of course these stories will land differently depending on personal circumstances and taste. Overall I scored 3 amazing, 9 okay, 4 really not for me.

The collection starts with an introductory essay -- an excellent setting of the scene, and a reframing of dystopian literature as innately and unavoidably disability-connected which will now inform everything I read in this genre from now on, thank you Ella T. Holmes.

The standout stories for me were:
* Someone’s Gotta Shovel It by Sally Sultzman -- about the people at the end of the sewage pipe literally and metaphorically.
* Toward The Light by S. Leigh Ann Cowan -- a deaf camp counsellor walking with a group of kids through an apocalyptic blizzard (inspired by a true story and beautifully written.)
* Mirror Image by Morgan Greensmith -- a lovely take on a zombie apocalypse, which reminded me somewhat of the Seanan McGuire story in Doomsday (in no way a copy, just vibes.)

While If You Go Into The North Today by Shantell Powell wasn't for me, I admired how it went all-out. Likewise, though The Storm Runners by Julie March didn't do much for me as a story, it packed a lot of tension into a short number of words, and is definitely the one (perhaps along with Mirror Image) that I would most like to see as a full novel.

The other stories ranged from "not my jam but well-done" to a few "I plain don't know what's going on here." Which is probably about the size of things in a typical anthology.

Overall, if you want a supportive, mostly positive read, track down Defying Doomsday, and if you want an vibrant, argumentative read (with moments of beauty, love and a lot to think about) then read this one. Honestly, read both, they're worth the time. And if you spot any others, let me know!


Rating: 14/20 - rounded up
This review is based upon a complimentary advance review copy provided by the publisher.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the introduction to Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?, the editor equates living with a disability to living in a dystopia. That was an incredibly thought-provoking statement, and it stayed with me throughout this anthology.

We see people with disabilities living their lives every day, with different challenges and different levels of independence and success. So at first, comparing disability to a dystopia seemed extreme. Dystopias are places where simply surviving can be difficult, even for people who don't have disabilities. But the more I thought about that comparison, the more it put something into perspective for me: what might the world feel like when it was never designed with your body, your needs, or your survival in mind? For some people, that describes the world as it is today.

Reading this collection made me uncomfortable.

I received an advanced reader copy of this anthology through BookSirens, and as I worked my way through these dystopian stories, I found myself wishing for a future in which that discomfort wouldn't exist because we would finally stop seeing disabled people as "Other."

At first, I felt guilty about being uncomfortable. Then I realized something important: sometimes discomfort is good.

In this case, my discomfort was showing me that I had attitudes and assumptions about disability that I needed to examine. That's one of the reasons books featuring disabled characters, and especially collections like this one that center their experiences, are so important. Sometimes a book needs to make us uncomfortable. Sometimes discomfort is the crack where learning gets in.

Because recognizing that discomfort gives us the opportunity to ask why we feel it. And maybe that's one of the first steps toward learning not to define people by their disabilities.

I hope there are readers who pick up Why Aren’t You Dead Yet? simply because they love dystopian fiction and have a fantastic time reading these stories.

But I also hope some readers experience what I did. I hope they're uncomfortable. I hope they sit with that feeling long enough to recognize assumptions they didn't realize they carried. And then I hope they begin changing them.

A book doesn't have to make you comfortable to be worth reading. Sometimes the books that unsettle us are the ones that have the most to teach us.

[Julia Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Why Aren't You Dead Yet' by Ella T, Holmes, along with multiple other (new to me) authors, is my latest read this month. I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my opinion. Once I read the description and realized it was a dystopian anthology, I clicked 'request' immediately! Dystopian and apocalyptic books have been one of my favorite genres for a very long time! However, I find I have a hard time finding something truly original and brilliant in the current market. This book has a very special theme that is truly original, especially in this particular genre. The sixteen stories in this anthology feature stories by disabled and chonically ill authors. The characters in these stories are not fodder or expendable in these tales. They are in the center of each tale, surviving, resisting, and rebelling.
This collection explores a variety of doomsay scenerios; environmental collapse, societal berakdwn, and other events that lead to world altering events, as well as other worlds devastated by the damage that have occurred. Each story is its own. There is no repeating. If you're a fan of the dystopian genre, then I would highly recommend this collection.
One of these anthologies' greatest strengths is its commitment to authentic disablity represensation. This is a genre where disabled characters are usually overlooked, sidelined, or written out of survival all together, Seeing protagonists with disablities take center stage in dystopian and horror stories felt both refreshing and necessary These characters aren't solely defined by their disabilities. They're complex, resourceful, flawed, and resilient. They are people whose experiences shape them in meaningful ways. This collection challenges long-standing genre conventions and proves that these voices deserved not just to be included but celebrated. The stories in this book include themes such as: body horror, gore, zombies, and medical experimentation. However, the stories are united by themes of resilience, community, and defiance. Some stories I did enjoy more than others, but overall it was a good read. I'm rating it 4.25 stars overall, rounded down to 4.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection may be the best I've ever read.
It is so brutal and so good I needed full on breaks between every story to process.
At first I was scared 16 dystopian stories would feel repetitive, but it's actually so interesting and the variety of well-known tropes and/or landscapes being used allows them all to be so different.
If you are a fan of dystopian stories, then you will love this collection.

Multiple times while I was reading, I had tears in my eyes which, for me, is a big deal, because I have a hard time connecting with short stories as I usually need a much longer time to start to care about characters and yet! these stories that are between 3 and 20 pages all got to me.

As a disabled person myself, I have always loved the dystopian genre because of its central theme of wanting to force down the current government to make a new better world, but one cannot miss the obvious omission of disabled people in the plot and decision making of the main characters. In these fictional worlds, it seems it is often the objective to avoid becoming disabled at all costs, which is both unrealistic and generally shitty.

Absolutely recommend it to everyone, and I'll be looking to get myself a physical copy because I need to reread and highlight and annotate some of these. I gave 5 stars to almost every story, but special mentions to my personal favourites : Cat and Mouse | Reduce, Reuse | Heartbeats | Toward the Light | Fat is an Essential Medicine | Mirror Image


Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this ARC. Why Aren't You Dead Yet comes out on July 20th, 2026.

[✩｡°⋆ Lala ⋆｡°✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖋️ Author: Ella T. Holmes
📅 Pub Day: Jul 20, 2026
💌 Publisher: BooksGoSocial
📚 Format: Digital 
🏷️ ISBN: 9781763767720
⏱️ Length: 256 pages
⭐ Star Rating: 4

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──  

The title alone had me. And then I read what it actually was and I needed it immediately. Sixteen disabled and chronically ill authors writing dystopian fiction through an explicitly disabled lens, no magical cures, no inspiration porn, no disabled characters conveniently dying to motivate the able bodied protagonist. Just disabled people surviving, thriving, getting revenge, and refusing to disappear.

As an anthology it's naturally a bit uneven, some stories hit harder than others, but the ones that land really land. The stories exploring the economic value and disposability of bodies were especially striking and more than a little uncomfortable in the best way. There's body horror, there's romance, there's mutual aid and community and survival in forms that mainstream dystopian fiction almost never bothers to imagine.

This is exactly the kind of anthology that needs to exist and I'm glad Ella T. Holmes is out here making it happen. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──  

If you like:

✔️ disabled protagonists
✔️ dystopian anthologies
✔️ anti capitalist themes
✔️ mutual aid and community
✔️ social commentary
✔️ speculative fiction 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thank you to NetGalley, Ella T. Holmes, and BooksGoSocial for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

[Kira K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I got suggested this anthology after having read and enjoyed Casper E. Falls’ Survival and Other Surprises last year so I went in with a few predictions and I wasn’t let down. The opening essay ‘Dystopia: A Crip Genre Essay’ by Ella T. Holmes is the only piece of non-fiction in the collection but opens it up really well with what we can expect to encounter throughout the different stories. As with all short story collections, some felt stronger than others but in a collection like this it’s natural that we’ as readers will feel a stronger connection to the stories we feel represented in. I liked that there was a story focusing on shortsightedness as the disability as it’s something we often don’t think about when discussing disability day to day but in those kinds of situations they’d struggle just as much as the rest of us. There were a great variety of different disabilities referenced and also different sexualities and gender identities so there’s a high chance you’ll find at least 1 character representing you. Overall, it’s a good collection not only for the representation but for the creativity of the writing and worldbuilding despite the conciseness of the stories.

Favourite Quote:
“Many of the "worst case scenarios" that play out in dystopian stories are based on or reflect the real-life oppressions of marginalised communities in the past and in the present.”

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?’ is a short story collection that showcases disabled, chronically ill and queer authors’ stories, bringing unique perspectives to the table that are unfortunately often marginalised. It starts off with an essay on how disability relates to dystopian literature. This was a perspective I’d never considered before and I found it insightful. What follows is a collection of stories that fit this theme, many of which also include climate issues, with these issues often being the catalyst for the dystopian worlds the various characters live in. Like any anthology it was a mixed bag for me. My favourites were ‘If You Go Into The North Today’ and ‘Soft Edges’. The latter particularly resonated with me because I experience similar eyesight issues to the protagonist and I have never seen this represented before.

Overall some of the messaging was a bit heavy-handed. I prefer more subtlety but I appreciate the limitations of this format and having to pack your message into very few pages. I found another limitation of the format was that some stories clearly had complex worlds and although I got glimpses of them it wasn’t quite enough to leave me satisfied.

Ultimately though this was well worth the read for the opportunity to see the world from perspectives that are under-represented and there’s a great range of stories here to sink your teeth into.

I received a free copy from BookSirens and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

[‎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an interesting and needed anthology. It explores dystopian and apocalyptic settings through the lens of disabled and queer characters, written by disabled authors. It's deeply reflective, hopeful, and at times quite dark. Some of these scenarios feel a bit too close to modern-day society, while others lean more into speculative end-of-the-world fantasy, but they all tell a story.

I personally really liked many of these short stories. A few were just okay and some were a bit surreal, but the overall experience was great. 

"Mirror Image" was definitely my personal favorite, a wholesome story with a wlw zombie romance adopting a cat? Sign me up.

"Someone's Gotta Shovel It" was a bit rough at first since I'm pretty squeamish, but despite all the shit (pun intended), it was actually a weirdly poetic story about deciding to go back and do a job nobody else wants or cares about, finding your place even if it's not where you initially expected to be. 

I'm not entirely sure about the plot of "Soft Edges", but I really liked the narration and the vibes, it ended on a nice note so I felt somehow comforted by the end of the world, in a way.

I also appreciated the author afterwords for each piece, they gave great context regarding personal experiences and added so much depth to the collection. The satirical posters were also a really fun touch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this anthology in exchange for an honest review.

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for a copy via NetGalley.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. It is a very interesting short story collection overall, but I found that really only 1 story stood out to me as a “favourite” (Mind for Sale by Morosia Tindilos).

The stories themselves were good, but I think there was something missing for me to love this collection more than I did.

I did really enjoy the exploration of disability in dystopia though! It’s an interesting concept for a short story collection overall, so if you are interested in this, definitely pick it up!

The queer rep in this was also really nice. I knew there would be some since I found this arc on the LGBTQIA section of NetGalley, but was excited to see trans rep (trans woman, trans masc, and nonbinary)!

One last thing I enjoyed was each story had their own poster after you read the story. Very nice addition.

Overall, I found that the stories themselves were good, but overall, the collection just fell a bit flat for me so it’s getting a 3 star rating. I still recommend it!

[Ashley Sheesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Artifice & Access was a love letter to disabled people, Why Aren't You Dead Yet? is a hate letter to the systems that want disabled people to disappear.

A big thing to note is this anthology is NOT Artifice & Access. It's much darker, and many of the stories fully lean into grimdark dystopian stories full of disabled rage and warnings of what could be if we don't do anything to stop it now. However, there are also many stories along the way that have hope, community, rebellion, and the promise of a better future even when the present is crappy.

Do definitely pay attention to the content warnings. Some of these stories are almost more horror and some have elements of body horror that I ended up having to skip through because I am wimpy baby.

As a disclaimer, I am the author of Cat and Mouse in this anthology and am reviewing the contributor copy and also received a copy from Netgalley!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cool theme to explore. As with most anthologies, some short stories worked more for me than others, but all were worth reading. The satirical posters between the stories were also a great addition.

My favorite piece in the anthology would have to be "Mirror Image" by Morgan Greensmith, which focuses on empathy and society's fear of the sick from the perspective of a chronically ill woman in a zombie apocalypse; the writing was beautiful and I definitely got emotional while reading. Other standouts include "Reduce, Reuse" by Ellis Nye, "Toward The Light" by S. Leigh Ann Cowan, "Fat Is An Essential Medicine" by Ella T. Holmes, and "Soft Edges" by Ceinwen Langley.

I received this ebook for free via Netgalley. This review is my honest opinion. Why Aren't You Dead Yet? releases on July 20th, 2026.

[Tessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was immediately intrigued by this book and its dark, tongue-in-cheek subtitle. I've pondered about how I'd fare in an apocalypse with my disabilities and the answer was invariably that I'd be screwed. So naturally I was curious about how this anthology would explore the topic, and if they would come to a different conclusion.

"Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" starts with an introduction about the relationship between disability and dystopia in literature and popular culture. This excellent essay by Ella T. Holmes alone makes this book a worthwhile read!

With anthologies, it's unavoidable to like some contributions better than others; however, I found that the overall quality of the stories was very good. Some were desperate, dark or leaned towards body horror. Others were valiant, activistic and resilient.

Most stories took place in future, exaggerated late stage capitalistic societies, in which (able bodied) productivity is explicitly rewarded, and disabled people left to fend for themselves. Perhaps the most frightening takeaway from this is that, while overdone, this supposedly faraway future really doesn't feel that much detached from the current disabled, lived experience.

I liked the more hopeful stories about community, resilience and resistance most. Among my favourites were Cat and Mouse by Ashley N.Y. Sheesley (about disability registry), Mind for Sale by Morosia Tindilos (autism and shrizophrenia rep), Reduce, Reuse by Ellis Nye (disability quality of life), Toward the Light by S. Leigh Ann Cowan (deaf rep) and Mirror Image by Morgan Greensmith (dynamic disability rep).

I loved how each chapter was illustrated and ended with a short note by its author, their biography and a satirical poster.

There's something moving about reading stories in which representation is done right, and where having continuous considerations about how your body reacts is normalised. Many of the stories really make you think about things. I definitely don't want to read ableist dystopian books anymore. We need more stories like this.

Thank you, NetGalley and the authors, for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The intro of this anthology really makes you think: dystopian literature is disabled literature. Dystopian books show us people fighting to survive against a system not made for them/made against them, and if you're not the rich/able/majority, this system is actively working on your eradication.
Does it take us reading fiction to realise our society is already dystopian for those outside the norms? It took me a long time to accept I was disabled, and through these stories I felt the rage, the fear, but also the hope of others like me who will not give up on living.

[D Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most anthologies are a bit of a mixed bag, but the vast majority of works in this collection with their sharply pointed criticisms of contemporary ableist culture and displays of disabled resilience and not in frequently revenge were truly a delight. The writing stiles lean toward clean contemporary language without a lot of flowery lyricism, or intense surrealism, though there are moments here and there. And with more than one story, exploring themes of the economic value and disposability of bodies, there is no particular shortage of body horror or gore.

[nico · Rating 4 out of 5]

rtc!!!

i really enjoyed this; you rarely see disabled characters in dystopia front and center without being used as some kind of tool or plot device. mirror image was def my fav but i am a sucker for zombies so...

the only thing was i wish some were longer ofc, obviously world building and immersion is a bit more difficult for short stories, especially short stories in dystopian worlds. but honestly just wish some of these could be turned into fuller stories individually !! (ehem, zombies..)

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️

I feel like a lot of these stories have potential but in this format they couldn’t be fully explored I also think a lot of them where very heavy handed in what they where trying to portray and I think in a lot of the stories this limited what they could explore and how they could explore it

Honestly I felt like a lot of these stories weren’t written very well the ones that had dialogue felt unrealistic and the others had major issues with the plots

Thank you Netgalley and booksgosocial for the digital arc

[KazReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The compilation of stories really brings to light how prevalent it is for disabled and chronically ill people to be dismissed even in a genre where we’re so central to the premise. I felt seen and at the same time deeply apprehensive of how much worse we’d be treated if the state of the world keeps declining the way it is. It was eye opening, and I feel it’s a really important read for anyone, regardless of whether you’re disabled or not.

[TheAmyrlinSofaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping. Thought provoking. Bleak, dark and yet full of hope, warmth and community.

This anthology of short stories talks about how disability and the dystopian genre have always been intertwined, except this time the disabled people get a voice and decide how the stories go.

Some of these tales were bone chilling and too close to reality but underneath the dystopian horror was always a message of resilience, of standing together against oppression and finding strenght in likeminded people.

This book is a must read, especially in today's political climate.

[Noir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally read short story anthologies but this one piqued my interest and I'm really glad I gave it chance! As with any anthologies, I liked some stories more than others but I really did like all of them overall. Setting up stories of people with varying disabilities in various dystopian worlds works because it shows how strong and resilient they are as the book title says: why aren't you dead yet?

Thanks to netgalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy to review.

[Moth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Ella T. Holmes, the wonderful authors who contributed, and Netgalley for the advanced copy they provided!

I love me a good anthology, and doubly so when it covers stories of people both queer and disabled, and ‘Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?’ does both excellently.
With anthologies, it can be easy sometimes to not fully gel with them because of the range of different stories and authors which are blended together, but this book avoids that spectacularly, as I found myself enjoying every single story inside. In addition to that, each short story has its own post-apocalyptic advertisement poster which was both funny and perfect simultaneously, with each giving a ‘Black Mirror’-like tone to the overall collection.

A few stand out stories for me were……

‘Mind for Sale’ by Morosia Tindilos–
A sugar daddy with the communication skills of a balloon gives our trans fem protagonist something illegal in exchange for her services. It is brutal, funny and hits a little too close to our real home.

‘Fat is an Essential Medicine’ by Ella T. Holmes –

What happens when fat becomes something desirable that the rich want to buy from you, and the government takes a little too much interest in how much they could *safely* remove in one sitting….

And ‘Mirror Image’ by Morgan Greensmith –

Penelope is living with chronic pain, on a barge, in the middle of an apocalypse that may or may not involve some zombies rattling around. One day she finds a cat, some people with fingers too eager to pull a trigger, and a girl called Iris who is also sick. Some companions occasionally just fall into your barge one day, and then you decide to carry on with them by your side. This was my personal favourite in the book, with a cute core to the horrors of the apocalypse that gives you hope for tomorrow.

A new favourite anthology book that I will 100% be picking up a physical copy of!

[Payal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this disability in dystopia anthology. Short story collections always run the risk of being uneven in quality, but every one of these stories was fantastic.

(Review copy from NetGalley)