What do you think?
Rate this book
Apocalips
“The End” is only the beginning. From the coziest living rooms to the death zone of Mt. Everest, Apocalips looks at a variety of The Ends and explores new narratives. In “Fridge Notes,” a man keeps tabs on his roommate from beyond the grave via Post-It notes on their shared refrigerator. A divorced couple is similarly haunted in “Love Zombies from Ohio” when they reunite in a dive bar by the miracle of online dating. “Two Days Out” gets apocalyptic when a teenager finds love two days before sinister space aliens take over the world. Characters in these stories and many more discover that what they thought was the end of everything is only the beginning of something lovely, at times horrific, or frequently…really weird.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2016
51 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 5, 2023
I love Beth May
July 14, 2024
I have a hard time with short stories, because I always find myself wanting more. Fortunately for me, Beth May is a poet and poets know how to end things with flair. This was a unique experience in my life, and I want to weep that it's over.
Mr. Pink & Me 4.5/5
The first story in this collection made me think that this would end up holding a great amount of comedic relief, but instead it set the mood before dropping me off a big, existential cliff. This was a comedic story, but also a sad one. The rest of them are sad. This was funny sad.
"It's probably on Twitter," I mumble. Shit. Who's going to update my Twitter now that I'm dead?
Stu, our protagonist, has been shot and is being wheeled into the hospital when we meet him. He tried to stop the man that robbed him of his wallet. We get to hear his morphine riddled delirious account of the events as he tells the police what happened. I think this one has a happy ending? Maybe?
Apology 5/5
This one is a heavy hitting 1.5 pager about letting one bad choice ruin your life.
Fridge Notes 5/5
...your room is starting to feel like a museum. -Wes
Wes and his roommate Cam leave fridge notes for one another. One day Cam decides to move out with his pregnant girlfriend, but Wes never stops leaving him notes, even through tragedy. This is about friendships changing, moving on after tragedy, and coming to terms with loss.
Summit, Some It 4/5
"I'm going to keep existing until someone likes me because I'm there."
This one is about Abbie, whose mother died without living her dream to summit Everest. Her father wants to live that dream, and all but manipulates Abbie into doing it. People die on Everest all the time. Deep down, I think this one is about losing respect for the people you care about. Realizing that they aren't' quite who you thought they were.
A Box 5/5
I thought this was going to be a sweet love story, an overcoming of self-loathing, love over depression. Should have known it's never that easy. Our protagonist, Claire, was in the hospital for two months after an attempted suicide. Her and her boyfriend lost their little girl, Gabby, and she couldn't stand the loss. Her boyfriend proposes to her right out of the hospital and she feels like she owes him, and says yes. As we follow Claire's hopeful recovery, she discovers some things about her fiance (who is a doctor) that are somewhat suspicious. She thinks that she's going insane because of it, and her "recovery" halts.
There are two voices bidding or control of this head. Neither one of them is me.
A Little Lake Town Disaster
I have no rating for this one, because I've never read the book this is based off of.
Love Zombies from Ohio 4/5
"Fate is just a word guys use after they're able to find a girl's G-spot for the first time. It doesn't actually mean anything."
This one is about two people who were in love accidentally finding eachother's dating profiles and meeting up in a bar. It's' as simple as that, but somehow so raw and painful.
The Dot Com Cure 4/5
This one is your typical story about loving someone who has cancer, but it's done in such a tasteful, poignant way that left me thinking about it all day.
After the Bombs 3.5/5
This one is about a clean-up squad during WWII, where our protagonist finds a dying soldier on the other side of the war. She asked him to kill her, because she has been suffering. This is about the understanding between them that no matter what side of the war you're fighting on, neither is the good side.
Two Days Out 5/5
I wanted so much more of this one! I need Beth to write a whole story about this alien invasion, and inject it straight into my brain. This was phenomenal! All bout an alien invasion of the earth where the people are given an ultimatum: give us your blood, or die in two days. Humans being humans, have a hard time believing that aliens could do that. This one is told as a diary entry of a 16 year old girl named Charlie, who is somewhat pessimistic, meeting a boy named Charlie who is greatly optimistic about the outcome.
Overall, most of these stories left me wanting more, and even if they didn't it's because their ending was nearly perfect. The only "miss" for me was After the Bombs because I don't particularly find historic fiction to be entertaining. Beth May is just has an ability to write in a way that is so deep and despairing, while even finding moments of humor. Several stories had me tearing up, but in the end they're all existential, they all make you wonder what you'd do in these situations and they all make you wonder about the lives of other people.
Mr. Pink & Me 4.5/5
The first story in this collection made me think that this would end up holding a great amount of comedic relief, but instead it set the mood before dropping me off a big, existential cliff. This was a comedic story, but also a sad one. The rest of them are sad. This was funny sad.
"It's probably on Twitter," I mumble. Shit. Who's going to update my Twitter now that I'm dead?
Stu, our protagonist, has been shot and is being wheeled into the hospital when we meet him. He tried to stop the man that robbed him of his wallet. We get to hear his morphine riddled delirious account of the events as he tells the police what happened. I think this one has a happy ending? Maybe?
Apology 5/5
This one is a heavy hitting 1.5 pager about letting one bad choice ruin your life.
Fridge Notes 5/5
...your room is starting to feel like a museum. -Wes
Wes and his roommate Cam leave fridge notes for one another. One day Cam decides to move out with his pregnant girlfriend, but Wes never stops leaving him notes, even through tragedy. This is about friendships changing, moving on after tragedy, and coming to terms with loss.
Summit, Some It 4/5
"I'm going to keep existing until someone likes me because I'm there."
This one is about Abbie, whose mother died without living her dream to summit Everest. Her father wants to live that dream, and all but manipulates Abbie into doing it. People die on Everest all the time. Deep down, I think this one is about losing respect for the people you care about. Realizing that they aren't' quite who you thought they were.
A Box 5/5
I thought this was going to be a sweet love story, an overcoming of self-loathing, love over depression. Should have known it's never that easy. Our protagonist, Claire, was in the hospital for two months after an attempted suicide. Her and her boyfriend lost their little girl, Gabby, and she couldn't stand the loss. Her boyfriend proposes to her right out of the hospital and she feels like she owes him, and says yes. As we follow Claire's hopeful recovery, she discovers some things about her fiance (who is a doctor) that are somewhat suspicious. She thinks that she's going insane because of it, and her "recovery" halts.
There are two voices bidding or control of this head. Neither one of them is me.
A Little Lake Town Disaster
I have no rating for this one, because I've never read the book this is based off of.
Love Zombies from Ohio 4/5
"Fate is just a word guys use after they're able to find a girl's G-spot for the first time. It doesn't actually mean anything."
This one is about two people who were in love accidentally finding eachother's dating profiles and meeting up in a bar. It's' as simple as that, but somehow so raw and painful.
The Dot Com Cure 4/5
This one is your typical story about loving someone who has cancer, but it's done in such a tasteful, poignant way that left me thinking about it all day.
After the Bombs 3.5/5
This one is about a clean-up squad during WWII, where our protagonist finds a dying soldier on the other side of the war. She asked him to kill her, because she has been suffering. This is about the understanding between them that no matter what side of the war you're fighting on, neither is the good side.
Two Days Out 5/5
I wanted so much more of this one! I need Beth to write a whole story about this alien invasion, and inject it straight into my brain. This was phenomenal! All bout an alien invasion of the earth where the people are given an ultimatum: give us your blood, or die in two days. Humans being humans, have a hard time believing that aliens could do that. This one is told as a diary entry of a 16 year old girl named Charlie, who is somewhat pessimistic, meeting a boy named Charlie who is greatly optimistic about the outcome.
Overall, most of these stories left me wanting more, and even if they didn't it's because their ending was nearly perfect. The only "miss" for me was After the Bombs because I don't particularly find historic fiction to be entertaining. Beth May is just has an ability to write in a way that is so deep and despairing, while even finding moments of humor. Several stories had me tearing up, but in the end they're all existential, they all make you wonder what you'd do in these situations and they all make you wonder about the lives of other people.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews