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After the Fall: Tales of the Apocalypse
"A desolate landscape, wracked with upheaval, the uncanny nature of a place once so familiar. A revelation of what was formerly undisclosed, the harbingers of apocalypse are edging ever closer..." The wasteland of abandoned memories, the end of the world or a chance for a new beginning. Be it a personal apocalypse, or one of great cataclysm, the stories that arise from the rubble are tales of aftermath and tales of survival. Bridging the gap between Science Fiction and Horror, the gothic overtones of the apocalyptic imagination are explored to their full extent in these short stories. "After the Fall: Tales of the Apocalypse" is a collection of twenty short stories from some of the best up-and-coming writers of modern science fiction. All apocalyptic or dystopian in nature, some stories bring laughter, while others bring tears, but each is unique in its interpretation of the theme. "-After the Fall-" features: "Casting off" by Robert Holtom (Competition winner) As I sit in a cafe, waiting for a loved one, so I contemplate the end of the world. "Nightshade" by Damon DiMarco Civilization's death rattle as we succumb to the Nightshade virus in a curious and ironic way. "In Debt" by Javier Moyano Perez A dystopian story about a fictitious America enslaved for eternity by merciless creditors and artificial age preservation. "The Dying and the Desolation" by Paul S. Huggins Drake is alive, man and animal alike have been wiped off the planet by a virilent form of rabies, immune or lucky he must adapt if he wants to survive. "Seen and not Heard" by Ilana Masad A mother's fight to retain her sanity and her illegal, secret, son in the post-nuclear dictatorship she lives in. "They Turn Red Then Black" by Spencer Lawes In a run-down village dependent on a river of garbage, two boys desperately try to find a way to stop their crippled mother being raped by the inhabitants of nearby villages. "Diary of a Zee" by Brian LeCluyse Set in an apocalyptic, dying Austin, Texas and told from the point of view of a vegetarian, pot-smoking, hippie, liberal zombie. "The Ambulancemen" by Heather Parry A world turned on its head; a world where the sirens of an Ambulance are to be feared, not respected. "You Call This an Apocalypse?" by Errick A. Nunnally Two foster kids more different than alike, from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston during the first day of the zombie apocalypse. Also in the collection: "Rush Hour" by Thomas Brown "Sale of the Century" by Liam Brown "We Don't Go to the River" by Jeremy Watssman "All Clear in the Anderton House" by Claire Fuller "Over the Vanishing City" by Toby Lloyd "Up the Road" by Andrew Saxsma "The End of Time" by Robert Legg "Stasis by Rebecca" Jane Garner "The Comeback Tour" by Andrea Mullaney "Anaesthetised" by Emma Lyskava "The Remnants of Civilization" by Vince Liberato Foreword by Kelly Gardner Cover art: "Wanderers of a Poor Town" by Edwin Yang All proceeds from this collection go towards running competitions for aspiring writers!
246 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 26, 2013
The writers were asked to write stories with an apocalyptic theme. Traditional stories of zombies, wastelands, and viral pandemics were welcomed, but warned that originality was what "After the Fall - Tales of the Apocalypse" most wanted. I was one of the entries in the contest, and lucky enough to be accepted. I was very curious about what other types of stories I would be featured alongside my own and what the end result would be like.
And by my rating above, you can see what I thought of it.
The different takes and styles of the authors keeps each work feeling unique and bristling with creative energy. Yes, there are zombies (not that there is anything wrong with that, my story is one of them), but there are lots of other things killing us off in manners both horrifying and hilarious for people who are tired of the undead. The book has a really cool balance not often seen in anthologies, one that won't leave fans of the apocalypse disappointed when they reach the end.
And by my rating above, you can see what I thought of it.
The different takes and styles of the authors keeps each work feeling unique and bristling with creative energy. Yes, there are zombies (not that there is anything wrong with that, my story is one of them), but there are lots of other things killing us off in manners both horrifying and hilarious for people who are tired of the undead. The book has a really cool balance not often seen in anthologies, one that won't leave fans of the apocalypse disappointed when they reach the end.
November 3, 2013
Apocalyptic fiction is perhaps the growth subgenre of the last few years. I have spoken in some of my blog posts about the correlation between the economic downturn and end of the world fiction. We are fascinated by how it might imminently come about and there is not a science fiction writer who has not presented their own vision of the apocalypse. This volume of short stories is a publication by Almond Press and in the collection are the 20 short-listed stories for a recent competition, and of course, the winner.
What does the end of the world mean to you? How will it come about? Will it be violent? So sudden that you barely have time to think? What emotions might you feel and when? These are the sorts of questions that the authors have asked themselves in their stories. Each feel personal, some are amusing, some serious, some show a world racked with violence. I continue to be astounded at this seemingly endless supply of offerings about the end of the world – and where it might come from. The publisher has carefully selected from a wide range of examples of the sub-genre.
Here are my personal favourites:
The volume opens with Casting Off by Robert Holtom (the competition winner), a rather poingnant and personal story of a man sitting in a cafe watching the world go by. It is a short tale and a comment on our modern lives as an image of the end of the world itself. Very short and a very clever twist on some of the ideas about how we live today.
Sale of the century is a quirky look at how the big events are sponsored by big business. It takes a satirical look at a “celebrity culture” and consumerism and how those aspects of modern life might take part in the end of the world. It’s silly but serious at the same time. You’ll never laugh so much at the impending doom of humanity!
Diary of a Zee is the last thoughts of a man becoming a zombie. Slowly, he is losing his mind, reflecting on the disease that led to the zombie apocalypse. There are touches of a wasted life and it could have been far more poignant with a greater emphasis on this. However, it remains one of my favourites in the volume for its slightly different approach to the zombie story.
In Up the Road, a boy and his mother are stuck in a traffic jam when “it” happens. It is a short, personal terrifying tale, made terrifying because you don’t know what is happening until quite near the end and this boy is desperately trying to rescue his mother. What is happening? Will he get her out? 15 pages of pure tension! And I loved the unconventional nature of what was causing the destruction.
This is a great volume and shows that there is a lot of unsigned authors out there. Indie publishing is on the rise and if this is the sort of quality that we can come to expect then long may it continue!
See more book reviews at my blog
What does the end of the world mean to you? How will it come about? Will it be violent? So sudden that you barely have time to think? What emotions might you feel and when? These are the sorts of questions that the authors have asked themselves in their stories. Each feel personal, some are amusing, some serious, some show a world racked with violence. I continue to be astounded at this seemingly endless supply of offerings about the end of the world – and where it might come from. The publisher has carefully selected from a wide range of examples of the sub-genre.
Here are my personal favourites:
The volume opens with Casting Off by Robert Holtom (the competition winner), a rather poingnant and personal story of a man sitting in a cafe watching the world go by. It is a short tale and a comment on our modern lives as an image of the end of the world itself. Very short and a very clever twist on some of the ideas about how we live today.
Sale of the century is a quirky look at how the big events are sponsored by big business. It takes a satirical look at a “celebrity culture” and consumerism and how those aspects of modern life might take part in the end of the world. It’s silly but serious at the same time. You’ll never laugh so much at the impending doom of humanity!
Diary of a Zee is the last thoughts of a man becoming a zombie. Slowly, he is losing his mind, reflecting on the disease that led to the zombie apocalypse. There are touches of a wasted life and it could have been far more poignant with a greater emphasis on this. However, it remains one of my favourites in the volume for its slightly different approach to the zombie story.
In Up the Road, a boy and his mother are stuck in a traffic jam when “it” happens. It is a short, personal terrifying tale, made terrifying because you don’t know what is happening until quite near the end and this boy is desperately trying to rescue his mother. What is happening? Will he get her out? 15 pages of pure tension! And I loved the unconventional nature of what was causing the destruction.
This is a great volume and shows that there is a lot of unsigned authors out there. Indie publishing is on the rise and if this is the sort of quality that we can come to expect then long may it continue!
See more book reviews at my blog
December 12, 2013
I was given a copy of After the Fall - Tales of the Apocalypse by the publisher in exchange for writing a review, so here's that review:
This collection of short stories contains apocalyptic fiction of an unusual (for me, anyway) sort: one that doesn't focus on the means that have caused the apocalypse so much as the immediate after-effects. This provided for not only a wide range of imagined post-civilization landscapes, but also a wide range of hinted-at apocalyptic agents. The variety is probably the greatest strength of the book, and provides a testament to the different ways that humans imagine their eventual destruction.
I had two main criticisms, and one of them isn't even really a criticism so much as a whine. Number one: I wanted MORE. There are a LOT of stories in this book, and most of them are quite short. On the one hand, this creates a rich array of microstories but also means that many stories feel like they end as soon as they begin. There were several that I wanted to see more of, especially more character development. So many of the stories focused on setting and describing the scenery of post-apocalyptic life that it felt like I was looking at someone else's holiday photos rather than being shown a fully fleshed out story. I don't know what kind of word limits were put on the authors, but I wanted most of the stories to be novels because I wanted so much more.
Number two: there were a lot of spelling and grammar errors that could (and should!) have been easily corrected with a thorough proofread. In some cases, the typos were downright distracting.
All in all, though, this was an enjoyable and intriguing new take on apocalyptic fiction.
This collection of short stories contains apocalyptic fiction of an unusual (for me, anyway) sort: one that doesn't focus on the means that have caused the apocalypse so much as the immediate after-effects. This provided for not only a wide range of imagined post-civilization landscapes, but also a wide range of hinted-at apocalyptic agents. The variety is probably the greatest strength of the book, and provides a testament to the different ways that humans imagine their eventual destruction.
I had two main criticisms, and one of them isn't even really a criticism so much as a whine. Number one: I wanted MORE. There are a LOT of stories in this book, and most of them are quite short. On the one hand, this creates a rich array of microstories but also means that many stories feel like they end as soon as they begin. There were several that I wanted to see more of, especially more character development. So many of the stories focused on setting and describing the scenery of post-apocalyptic life that it felt like I was looking at someone else's holiday photos rather than being shown a fully fleshed out story. I don't know what kind of word limits were put on the authors, but I wanted most of the stories to be novels because I wanted so much more.
Number two: there were a lot of spelling and grammar errors that could (and should!) have been easily corrected with a thorough proofread. In some cases, the typos were downright distracting.
All in all, though, this was an enjoyable and intriguing new take on apocalyptic fiction.
January 27, 2016
I really wanted to like this book. I wasn't sure how many stars to give this because I liked some parts of some of the stories and not others.
The stories were generally well written and quite atmospheric with lots of description of the post-apocalyptic scenery but that was about it. The plots didn't go anywhere and many left me frustrated, disappointed and sometimes just plain confused. As a previous reviewer says, the publishing errors don't help, for instance the first paragraph of Diary of a Zee (which was actually very good) is repeated in its entirety and I don't think it was deliberate.
They say there are only so many plot lines in the world and this is confirmed here - in the pursuit of originality (which apparently was the requirement for this anthology) the authors have been left with nowhere to go.
The stories were generally well written and quite atmospheric with lots of description of the post-apocalyptic scenery but that was about it. The plots didn't go anywhere and many left me frustrated, disappointed and sometimes just plain confused. As a previous reviewer says, the publishing errors don't help, for instance the first paragraph of Diary of a Zee (which was actually very good) is repeated in its entirety and I don't think it was deliberate.
They say there are only so many plot lines in the world and this is confirmed here - in the pursuit of originality (which apparently was the requirement for this anthology) the authors have been left with nowhere to go.
June 8, 2018
Yawn
Zombies.
Weather.
A. I.
Humans.
Etc.
All stories about after the apocalypse, yet I found none of them enthralling, none worth looking as a second time. And far too many dogs getting killed. Below average. And it could have used some editing.
Zombies.
Weather.
A. I.
Humans.
Etc.
All stories about after the apocalypse, yet I found none of them enthralling, none worth looking as a second time. And far too many dogs getting killed. Below average. And it could have used some editing.
December 31, 2013
Not bad at all. Some stories were a little...less compared to others, but all together, a good anthology!
September 4, 2019
Interesting but unpolished
First, the stories: this was an interesting concept, a post-apocalyptic anthology where the apocalypse could be anything, so it wasn't all zombies and EMPs. Some of the concepts are really quite clever. "The Ambulancemen" by Heather Parry was, I thought, the best in the collection and I long to see the concept expanded into a novel.
The polish, or lack thereof: I was unpleasantly surprised to find an anthology from an actual press and apparently possessing an editor containing so many textual errors--missing words, misused words, typos, and two stories where the second paragraph was a duplicate of the first. I'm not sure what the editor of this anthology did, but it wasn't what I would call editing.
First, the stories: this was an interesting concept, a post-apocalyptic anthology where the apocalypse could be anything, so it wasn't all zombies and EMPs. Some of the concepts are really quite clever. "The Ambulancemen" by Heather Parry was, I thought, the best in the collection and I long to see the concept expanded into a novel.
The polish, or lack thereof: I was unpleasantly surprised to find an anthology from an actual press and apparently possessing an editor containing so many textual errors--missing words, misused words, typos, and two stories where the second paragraph was a duplicate of the first. I'm not sure what the editor of this anthology did, but it wasn't what I would call editing.
August 15, 2020
Bought book of short stories all centred on the theme of apocalypse. Seemed like appropriate for the current situation. Unfortunately I did not like most of the stories, hated some and thought a couple were ok. All were totally forgettable.
February 18, 2021
I think I finally need to accept I won't finish this. I got half way through and did enjoy a few of the stories, but it was such a mixed bag and very poorly edited with one story having a whole section repeated.
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July 30, 2024Hi Kelly Gardner!
Great work! I've enjoyed your book and insights. If you're interested, my fantasy novel, The Book Of Aesop, might be up your alley. Thanks for sharing your love of reading!
Enter the realm of wonder - visit my site now! - https://iamoliver22.com/
Great work! I've enjoyed your book and insights. If you're interested, my fantasy novel, The Book Of Aesop, might be up your alley. Thanks for sharing your love of reading!
Enter the realm of wonder - visit my site now! - https://iamoliver22.com/
March 8, 2019
3.5 stars. A mixed bag.
December 14, 2016
This is a mixed bag. There are some good writers here, some good ideas, and some writers and ideas with potential. It's not well edited, though, either in terms of selection or corrections. The first story, Casting Off by Robert Holtom, which is the one which won the competition which resulted in this anthology, is atmospheric and beautifully descriptive. Sale of the Century and The Comeback Tour use humour well, but naturally, given the linking theme, most of the stories are dark and/or frightening. Other stories I found memorable are: Diary of a Zee, Seen and Not Heard, Over the Vanishing City (a real sense of continuing life in a near-dead world), Stasis and The End of Time (which has a feel of Vonnegut and Azimov combined). Some of the others feel like early drafts, or like they've not been fully thought through. You Call This An Apocalypse is one of the best of these, it feels like a great set-up for a longer story. I wanted more story and more detail from In Debt, but that had potential, too. Some of the others are rather obvious or don't quite make sense. It's worth getting to support nascent writers and a new, independant press, but don't expect it to be too polished!
August 2, 2015
Okay...
...Not great... I'm a big fan of short stories, especially apocalyptic ones, but I found a great many of these disappointing.
...Not great... I'm a big fan of short stories, especially apocalyptic ones, but I found a great many of these disappointing.
November 22, 2015
Not the best collection I've read by far.
January 6, 2017
I normally love short stories, but some of these were so fragmented as to make no sense. I suspect that, had the authors had more time to develop characters and plot, I'd have liked them better.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews