Хаос: отступление?

The Apocalypse Triptych #3

by John Joseph Adams (Editor), Джон Джозеф Адамс (Editor), Hugh Howey (Editor)

Созданный под редакцией Джона Джозефа Адамса и Хью Хауи - опытнейших составителей фантастических антологий, Триптих Апокалипсиса представляет собой серию из трех сборников апокалиптической фантастики.
"Хаос на пороге" фокусируется на событиях, предшествующих массовой катастрофе, когда лишь единицы предчувствовали грядущий коллапс. "Царствие хаоса" обрушивает на человечество мощные удары, практически не оставляющие выбора ни странам, ни отдельным людям. "Хаос: отступление?" изображает участь человечества после Апокалипсиса.
В этом сборнике вашему вниманию представлены 22 новые, ранее не публиковавшиеся истории, вышедшие из-под пера Тананарив Дью, Нэнси Кресс, Кена Лю и многих других мастеров современной фантастической прозы.

Описание:

Финальная антология из цикла «Триптих апокалипсиса».

Художник не указан.

Содержание:

Джон Джозеф Адамс. Предисловие (статья, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 7-9
Кэрри Вог. Несертифицированные (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 10-40
Меган Аркенберг. Как все прекрасные места на свете (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 41-54
Уилл Макинтош. Танцы с незнакомцем в краю кивающих (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 55-74
Скотт Сиглер. Седьмой день оленьего лагеря (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 75-96
Сара Ланган. Прототип (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 97-112
Крис Эвеллоне. Акт творения (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 113-126
Шеннон Макгвайр. Сопротивляемость (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 127-153
Лейф Шеллкросс. Блуждающая звезда (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 154-167
Бен Х. Уинтерс. Небеса спускаются на Землю (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 168-185
Дэвид Веллингтон. Нейтрализация агента (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 186-214
Анни Беллет. Спокойной ночи, Земля! (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 215-230
Тананарив Дью. Вирусоносители (рассказ, перевод В. Миловидова), стр. 231-252
Робин Вассерман. В долине теней земли обетованной (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 253-281
Джейми Форд. Машина неопределенности (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 282-294
Элизабет Бир. Полоса выживания (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 295-318
Джонатан Мэйберри. Джинго и молотобоец (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 319-339
Чарли Джейн Андерс. Самое последнее кино (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 340-360
Джейк Керр. Серый рассвет (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 361-382
Кен Лю. Боги умерли не напрасно (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 383-412
Шеннон Макгвайр. Самое счастливое место... (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 413-434
Хью Хауи. В лесу (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 435-456
Нэнси Кресс. Благодеяния (рассказ, перевод С. Скворцова), стр. 457-475
Примечание:

Компьютерный дизайн В. Половцева.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Post Apocalyptic, Horror, Anthologies, Fiction, Dystopia

480 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

John Joseph Adams is the series editor of BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. He is also the bestselling editor of many other anthologies, such as ROBOT UPRISINGS, DEAD MAN'S HAND, BRAVE NEW WORLDS,WASTELANDS, and THE LIVING DEAD. Recent and forthcoming books include WHAT THE #@&% IS THAT?, OPERATION ARCANA, PRESS START TO PLAY, LOOSED UPON THE WORLD, and THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH (consisting of THE END IS NIGH, THE END IS NOW, and THE END HAS COME). Called “the reigning king of the anthology world” by Barnes & Noble, John is a two-time winner of the Hugo Award (for which he has been nominated nine times), is a seven-time World Fantasy Award finalist, and served as a judge for the 2015 National Book Award. John is also the editor and publisher of the digital magazines LIGHTSPEED and NIGHTMARE, and is a producer for Wired's THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY podcast. You can find him online at www.johnjosephadams.com and on Twitter @JohnJosephAdams.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from the blog at https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2015/... where it's about 42 times easier to post links, highlights and general text embellishments (as well as a link to an REM song).

Let’s be clear: the title “The End Has Come” implies that the stories center upon the events as the apocalypse is upon us. Little did I know when I bought it that per publisher, The End Has Come is about what will arrive from the ashes.”



Nevertheless, once I dealt with grief caused by unmet expectations of disease, destruction and horror, I enjoyed this collection.

Though I have a fascination with The End of the World (as we know it), I tend to avoid thematic collections of short stories. Too much like a box of chocolates, and, man–do I ever hate the coconut ones disguised as vanilla creme. But the contributing authors have more than the average share of credibility: Hugh Howey (Wool), Seanan McGuire (Incryptid series), Ken Liu (a million short story award noms), Carrie Vaughn (former classmate), Mira Grant (Newsfeed series), Jonathan Maberry (one of the best zombie series I’ve read), Nancy Kress (I’ve always meant to read her), Elizabeth Bear (loved “Bone and Jewel Creatures”), Ben H. Winters (The Last Policeman triology), and others.

There’s great stuff here with interesting worlds and stories. Maberry’s contribution is a short related to the Rot&Ruin world (finally, zombies!) that was a bit more of socio-political bent, and Howey's is about two people who wake up alone in a silo in the world of Wool. I actually liked that less, as I got stuck on the biology in his scenario. Honestly, I didn’t care for plot of Arkenberg’s “Like All Beautiful Places.” Set in a carrier ship off lovely San Francisco, it was a well written attempt to recapture the past, but I enjoyed the prose: “A sky that seemed too big for itself, too solid blue for too many miles, almost threatening to collapse.” Lagan’s “Prototype” was captivating and eerie, centering on a scientist working in isolation to improve the protective suits people need to wear: “What he lacks in social graces he makes up for in creepiness. Most of us add a little personality to our suits… He looks like a six-foot-tall, man-shaped oil slick.” Her sense of humor amused me, and I think she’d be an author I’d enjoy: “I laugh, and decide I’ll spend the rest of the trip needling him. At least one of us will be entertained.”

Sander’s “The Last Movie Ever Made” envisions a post-apocalypse deaf population, but one still deep in the movie craze: “Some of the film geeks wanted us to make a movie about the fact that everyone was deaf, but that seemed like the opposite of escapism to me–which I guess would be trapism, or maybe claustrophilia.” In fact, Sanders is a very interesting writer, and while I wouldn’t say that I loved the story, she got the bulk of my text highlights: “This not-talking thing meant you really had to watch people, and maybe you could see people more clearly when you couldn’t hear them.” I’ll definitely keep an eye out for her. Bear’s “Margin of Survival” was extremely satisfying: a young woman seeking to provide food for her weaker sister by sneaking into a protected facility. It had a horror twist at the end that I didn’t particularly enjoy–it smacked of gimmick–but was well-told and interesting world-building.

Grant’s short is set in Disneyland, and the efforts of a marketing specialist to maintain the Disney spirit. It worked well for Grant’s writing, but again, an idiot end twist. Seanan McGuire’s “Resistance” is the one that really hit home–it was a character piece about an OCD scientist set in a world that covered with a fungus. Brilliant and powerful–that woman does good people. Wellingtons’ “Agent Neutralized” was a bureaucratic Mad-Max type piece. I enjoyed his writing and wouldn’t mind spending some time in the world he created. Likewise Bellet’s “Goodnight Earth,” which reminded me of a cross between Paolo Bacigalupi and the tv series “Dark Angel” as a couple take an unusual family on their boat up the Missip. Another book I’d read. Kerr’s “The Gray Sunrise” is story about a man who has sacrificed much of his life for his dream sailboat, which becomes an escape for him and his son. I liked the ornery independence of an older woman in Due's "Carriers," and wouldn't mind seeing more from her as well.

There were a few misses. Winter’s “Heaven Come Down” didn’t gel; it was an infirm parallel to the re-creation of the world coupled with aliens. I ended up skipping Wasserman’s “In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land” because I couldn’t cope with the Old Testament/religion parallels, and while I like Liu, I found “The Gods Have Not Died in Vain” initial [chat text] format off-putting, A.I. kind of [yawn] and was never able to really immerse in the story. Avellone's "Acts of Creation" is a woman interviewing a person(?) and feels like it needs more context. I did like Shallcross' quilted/story idea; comparing pieces in a patchwork quilt to the scene featuring that material, but it was a little jumpy. Still, a sweet story about preparing for the apocalypse.

Overall, it is an extremely satisfying collection. I’ll say this for it–there’s weren’t any stinkers, just ones that worked less well for my taste. Since The End Has Come is the last collection in a three-volume “triptych,” it appears I’ll be heading back to catch the other two collections. The Introduction notes that some of these stories are capstones to stories in the first two. Honestly, they stood well on their own, but now I’m interested to read more.

Even with the lack of zombies.

[Michelle Morrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final installment in the Apocalypse Triptych, where authors presented three short stories following the threads of before, during and after their myriad apocalypses. Dealing with the "after," this volume nicely wraps up the tales.

Someday I would like to have all three in front of me and follow each story through the volumes. I know I lost a lot of detail reading them over the course of two years. Some I was able to immediately pick up (Seanan McGuire's tale of all-consuming mold, for instance) and some I had zero recollection of what came before.

Thank you Kindle lending library!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Good, solid end to the "triptych-within-a-triptych".

Most of the stories were good, but the best were "In the Woods", "The Happiest Place...", and "Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod".

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I adored the first two in this series (more so the first), I ended up putting off reading this one, because when I went to look at the reviews on Amazon, they were pretty dismissive. I hate being disappointed, so I waffled a bit on starting this one. I wish I hadn't waited. While I will say that some of the authors' best entries were in the earlier books, I think this was overall a better entry than The End is Now. I'll start by mentioning how much Carrie Vaughn's "Bannerless" threw me for a loop, on two counts. First, since it mentioned floods and plague, I thought it was a continuation of Toiya Kristen Finley's "Outer Rims" until I remembered that that particular story was by a different author and in Wastelands 2. Also I was trying to remember if I had read it before, and then realized that is a prequel story to Vaughn's "Amaryllis" in Brave New Worlds, which I read back in 2012. Oops, maybe it's time to take a break from JJA anthologies.

I really liked "Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod." I think it was my favorite of Will McIntosh's three, and I very much liked the way it explored how someone might react to having their entire family suffer lock in. I think I liked Sarah Lagan's "Love Perverts" best, but "Prototype" is pretty freaky. Sean McGuire is back with a pair of stories, one finishing up her creepy fungus triptych, and one gleefully expounding on her love of Disneyland. I think I liked the first two better on the fungus, but "The Happiest Place..." is a keeper. Ben H. Winter's final story "Heaven Come Down" gives the last piece to his eerie world, and I was into it.

For Jack Kerr, Annie Bellet, and Tananarive Due, I think I liked earlier stories better,"Wedding Day," "Good Night Moon," and "Herd Immunity" respectively. Due's "Carriers" is pretty good, it's just that her middle story was fantastic. I think what really surprised me was the authors that had their best story in this third volume. Jamie Ford turned in his first passable effort with "The Uncertainty Machine." "The Gods Have Not Died in Vain" and "The Last Movie Ever Made" were the best of their respective triptychs, and as he sometimes does, Jonathan Maberry wrote a story that I genuinely loved. His "Jingo and the Hammerman" has a premise so funny that I was completely enchanted. I very much liked Elizabeth Bear's second offering "Margin of Survival," which was one of the standalone stories.

I have to say I was baffled by Hugh Howey's "Into the Woods." I don't think it would make sense if you haven't read his books, and if you have read them, it's like getting a surprise punch in the gut. What on earth was he thinking?

All in all, I have to say that if you liked the first two books, you're going to like this one too, so go ahead and get reading. 4.5/5.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology. I'm going to read each author's work in this triptych. Starting with Volume 1, then Volume 2 and lastly Volume 3. I'm hoping that each story will give an extension of the beginning story.

3.79 stars average

1. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn. Fantastic story. Dystopian investigator finds out what's happening in a small village. Love it. 5 stars

2. Like All Beautiful Places by Megan Arkenberg. I may have read this author before. I remember a story of a melting landscape and a sea with no waves. I thought at the time, it's the moon that makes the waves not air. This book is very similar. 2-1/2 stars.

3. Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod by Will McIntosh. Families trying to figure out what their new normal is. 4 stars.

4. The Seventh Day of Deer Camp by Scott Sigler. A man does whatever it takes to save innocents. Really good story. 5 stars

5. Prototype by Sarah Langan. Through evolution, human's have turned into pets/experiments. A really sad story. 4 stars

6. Acts of Creation by Chris Avellone. What is going on? Is it real, a computer, what? 2 stars

7. Resistance by Seanan McGuire. How can the victim keep being told that she's to blame? She didn't make herself the victim of a practical joke that went left. It just didn't make sense. And the ending didn't make sense either. 2 stars

8. Wandering Star by Leife Shallcross. A quilt shows that in the end a family stays together. Sweet story. 4 stars

9. Heaven Come Down by Ben H. Winters. After everyone has died and everything is destroyed and then rebuilt, she learns the truth. 3 stars.

10. Agent Neutralized by David Wellington. 10 years later, he can finally do something semi-good. 5 stars

11. Goodnight Earth by Annie Bellet. I don't understand why this story has this title because the others made sense, this not so much. Much, much, much later the world has changed and not for the good. 3 stars.

12. Carriers by Tananarive Due. Decades later, after being used and abused, a survivor finds some happiness. Loved it! 5 stars.

13. In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land by Robin Wasserman. Now everyone has aged and the leader has told a story to justify everything he's done thinking he'll be able to write the ending the way he wants. I really enjoyed all three stories. 4 stars.

14. The Uncertainty Machine by Jamie Ford. A 3rd survivor doesn't know if he's going to be rescued or forgotten. Okay story. 3 stars.

15. Margin of Survival by Elizabeth Bear. A woman and her sister try to survive not only the first apocalypse but the many afterwards. Sad story. 4 stars

16. Jingo and the Hammerman by Jonathan Maberry. With the new normal, people are just doing their job striking down zombies that accumulate and a coincidence happens. I don't understand Moose's tears at the end, I would think it would be more laughter than anything. Much better than the other two stories. 4 stars.

17. The Last Movie Ever Made by Charlie Jane Anders. The teenagers are older now and the world has changed but not completely. When they find themselves trapped in their hometown, they use a movie to escape but the outcome isn't exactly what they wanted. Really good story. 4 stars

18. The Gray Sunrise by Jake Kerr. The asteroid hits with a father and son trying to escape. Another great story. 5 stars.

19. The Gods Have Not Died in Vain by Ken Liu. After the near destruction of the world, an inventor has found a solution that might save Earth. I really enjoyed these three stories. 4 stars.

20. In the Woods by Hugh Howey. So these idiots extract revenge 500 years later on a lone woman who had nothing to do with what happened How stupid could they be!? The story was good but the revenge was ridiculous. I don't think anyone with half a brain would have done this. So 3 stars for the storytelling but not the ending.

21. Blessings by Nancy Kress. Many years after the 2nd story, the world seems to have changed for the better, but not perfect. Another good story. 4 stars

[Kelly Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished. This is the third book in the apocalyptic anthology trilogy- this volume has stories based after the apocalypse takes place. I loved the first book, liked the second one, but this one was just ok. There were quite a few stories that spanned all three books, and for many of them, I felt the last segment did not do them justice. Will McIntosh's Nodding Virus was a favorite of mine. I just felt the third installment wasn't as good as the two previous. There were some new stories that I really liked- one takes place in Disneyland. I love how they describe an iconic location and its dedicated staff even when the worst of the worst is happening. Unfortunately there were a couple stories I had to fight to get through- maybe going so far as just skimming a few lines each page. (I really do not like to do that!) I did get some closure for stories and characters I have been reading about for quite some time (Seanan McGurie's stories about the R. nigricans infection was my favorite), and for that, I am happy I got to read this.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid finish to this series. I would highly recommend the series to anyone who enjoys apocalyptic fiction.

The following give my ratings for each story and a brief note for myself. The titles in parentheses are the stories from the first and second books that each one follows.

4.0 Bannerless (new story)--The world has reverted to a simpler agrarian society and an itinerant judge is on her last case.

1.5 Like All Beautiful Places (Houses Without Air, Twilight of the Music Machines)--I couldn't get into a character who, even at the end of the world, is still obsessing over a bad breakup.

4.0 Dancing With a Stranger at the End of the World (Dancing With Death in the Land of Nod, Dancing With Batgirl in the Land of Nod)--One of my favorite triptychs; holding on or letting go--which is more painful?

4.0 The Seventh Day of Deer Camp (The Fifth Day of Deer Camp, The Sixth Day of Deer Camp)--Well done ending to this triptych. The lack of real resolution left me with a nice feeling of melancholy.

3.0 Prototype (Love Perverts, Black Monday)--Nice twist at the end but the second story was the strongest.

3.0 Acts of Creation (new story)--Super soldiers transcend humanity.

4.0 Resistance (Spores, Fruiting Bodies)--One of my favorite triptychs; hope of redemption for one of the creators of the fungal apocalypse.

3.5 Wandering Star (new story)--This story really belonged in the first volume. Good story about a couple trying to decide whether to send their children to an uncertain future for a chance of survival or keep them and go to the end together.

3.5 Heaven Came Down (Bring Her to Me, Bring Them Down)--Very unexpected twist to the end of this one.

4.0 Agent Neutralized (Agent Unknown, Agent Isolated)--It's tough being the fall guy for the apocalypse.

3.0 Goodnight Earth (Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Stars)--Much farther in the future than the previous two stories; child super soldiers try to escape their fate.

3.5 Carriers (Removal Order, Herd Immunity)--Interesting social dynamic as healthy plague carriers are outcasts even as their blood is necessary for the development of the vaccine.

3.0 In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land (The Balm and the Wound, Dear John)--This fulfilled all my expectations of what it would be like to survive the apocalypse in a religious cult.

2.5 The Uncertainty Machine (This Unkempt World is Falling to Pieces, By the Hair of the Moon)--This triptych never gelled for me but I did like the fitting end for an unlikeable character.

2.5 Margin of Survival (You've Never Seen Everything)--The story was a little too mysterious although the ending had a nicely creepy feel to it.

3.0 Jingo and the Hammerman (She's Got a Ticket to Ride, Sunset Hollow)--Trying to hang on to a shred of humanity while killing zombies.

1.0 The Last Movie Ever Made (Break! Break! Break!, Rock Manning Can't Hear you)--This was the one triptych I never liked and this story completely lost it in the second paragraph: "So some kind of sonic weapon had gone off the wrong way and now absolutely everybody in the world had lost their hearing." Weakest, stupidest excuse for an apocalypse ever.

4.0 The Gray Sunrise (Wedding Day, Penance)--Everyone needs a dream, especially in the post-apocalyptic world.

4.0 The Gods Have Not Died in Vain (The Gods Will Not Be Chained, The Gods Will Not Be Slain)--One of my favorite triptychs; going post-human.

3.5 The Happiest Place...(new story)--Interesting story about starting over at Disneyland.

4.0 In the Woods (In the Air, In the Mountain)--Excellent post-Wool story. Saying anything else would be a spoiler.

2.0 Blessings (Pretty Soon the Four Horsemen Are Going to Come Riding Through, Angels of the Apocalypse)--This story didn't work for me; disappointing after the very strong second story.

[Andrea McDowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a satisfying end to a solid collection of stories. I've found some new authors to follow, which is fantastic, and have seen yet more evidence of how popular the zombie apocalypse is today in world-ending fictions.

We are the zombies, folks. Our appetites consume the present and the future. No virus required.

I did want to say how much I especially appreciated the ending of Will McIntosh's Nodding Flu series, Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod. The disabled-are-better-off-dead trope was, perhaps unavoidably, especially apparent in this trilogy (of books, not just this storyline in particular), and while it didn't ruin the series for me, there was always that niggling voice in the back of my head going, "You THINK you'd hate it; you THINK you'd feel better off dead;" but from my many friends dealing with varied levels of disability and difference, I know it is very rarely that simple. And that the assumption that the disabled must hate their lives very often damages the lives of the disabled more than the disability does.

So it was really lovely, really wonderful for that story line to wrap up with a person realizing that, inside their paralyzed bodies, her family members are getting real joy out of still living. Thank you, Will.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I listened to all three books in the series and this one suffers in comparison to the other two. The first two usually had the same narrators for each of the related stories--almost none of the narrators from the first two books contributed to THE END HAS COME. This really threw me off when I was trying to figure out which stories were stand-alone and which were being continued from the previous books. The format changed as well--the dramatic, kind of silly but effective, music was gone and the narrators were not identified the way they had been before. I do love the sound of Stefan Rudnicki's voice, though--it is absolutely magnificent.

I agree with the other readers who have said this book did not do justice to the first two. The stories just weren't as good. I love the idea behind the triptych, and applaud the editors and authors for taking on such a daunting endeavor, but the triptych conclusion was a disappointment overall.

[Anissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good end for many of the stories being followed since the first book. I was glad I read this and definitely would recommend it. I'll definitely be looking for more by Tananarive Due.

My favorites here:
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod by Will McIntosh
The Seventh Day of Deer Camp by Scott Sigler
Resistance by Seanan McGuire
Heaven Come Down by Ben H Winters
Agent Neutralized by David Wellington
Goodnight Earth by Annie Bellet
Carriers by Tananarive Due (perfect ending to this story & it'll remain with me for some time)
In the Valley of the Shadow of The Promised Land by Robin Wasserman
The Grey Sunrise by Jake Kerr
In the Woods by Hugh Howey
Blessings by Nancy Kresss

[Kyliecallme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, the whole triptych is now one of my favorite series. I mean, who does that?? A triptych within a triptych. Brilliant!! Only a few stories did I dislike... I'll come back and edit this later to mention which ones. Two things: I got this last volume "free" on Kindle Unlimited, IDK how long they'll be offering it there, so get it while you can.
Lastly, there's a "Wool" (Hugh Howey) "post-quel"- actually there's one in every volume. But the final one in THIS volume? Literally made me cry. Real tears, even! *Sobs*
Definitely check it out. Can't believe more people haven't read this yet....

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting premise right across the series.
Each part of the three books deals with a different stage of the apocalypse and a lot of the authors have a story spread across the three books.
Some very strong entries , beware the Hugh Howey entry here as the outcome will be quite a shock to big fans of Wool.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking and intriguing

It's finally over. I mean the trilogy! The end stories were the interesting reads. Unpredictable and scary. Read them all.

[Todd Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get and read the whole series in order now!

[Bryan Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I finished the triptych, an idea that, in the end, was better in principle than in reality. It's difficult to juggle/remember 15+ different narratives (not every story was in every volume), especially when they are not in the same order in each volume (an easily rectifiable issue), and when some of them jump ahead centuries and don't (understandably) even include the same characters in every installment. Also, if the first part of a story didn't really catch your interest, chances are by the third part of it, you're going to just be flipping through it and moving on to a story you enjoy more.

Still, I'd recommend these books if you're into apocalyptic fiction - there are enough good entries to make the collection worthwhile, and even the less exciting stories aren't particularly time-consuming reading.

[Alicia A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like so many writers, some write great stories but can't conclude a novel. Most of the stories is this book are exactly that, stories with either no ending, or hopelessly jumbled uninteresting conclusions. The exceptions are Hugh Howey and Robin Wasserman. Wasserman's trio of stories spanning all three collections are the most cohesive and I'd love an entire novel about what happens next. I'm glad I read all three, but if you only read the first one and didn't want to be disappointed, skip most of the following two.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all of these books, this grouping was awesome as well. I think I only buzzed through one story, the rest were amazing. I love end of the world stuff, and these are all humanity figuring their stuff out after the worst has happened. Quite entertaining.

[Saya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tenía muchas ganas de terminar esta trilogía. Y le daría 4,5 estrellas, pese a que no le he dado a ninguno de los volúmenes un 5. El viaje ha sido toda una experiencia, y me ha encantado que casi todas las historias tuviesen cierta continuidad (otras no tanto). Me ha ido muy bien alternar cada libro con otras lecturas (cinco o seis, tal vez) de distinta índole: he podido dejar reposar las historias, pero sin que pasase demasiado tiempo como para olvidarlas. El hecho de anotar (con spoilers grandes) mi opinión sobre cada relato también me ha ayudado a recordar detalles que quizá se me escapaban. En resumen: una lectura muy recomendable.

Este último tomo es tal vez el más flojo de los tres. Algunas historias parecen inacabadas, y otras, en cambio, tienen un cierre casi perfecto. Un par de ellas me han sorprendido para bien. Hay varias con temática transhumanista/posthumanista (no tengo muy clara la diferencia porque es un tipo de lectura que nunca me ha llamado especialmente la atención, menos si las historias las cuenta Isaac Asimov). El segundo volumen me deprimió bastante, pero con este… Siento esperanza, resignación, alivio e incertidumbre a partes iguales.

¡Ojo! ¡Alerta! Bloque de SPOILERS MUY TOCHOS a continuación. ¡Deja de leer esta reseña y corre a leer el libro!


“Bannerless”, de Carrie Vaughn: No sé cuál ha sido el fin del mundo, pero la gente vive en una especie de asentamientos fuera de las antiguas ciudades. Los hogares tienen hasta 10 miembros y se necesita un permiso especial para ser madre. Una mujer se arranca del brazo el chip que impide el embarazo y se queda preñada: quiere salir de esa casa. Demasiados matices para resumirlos aquí: solo diré que podría ser un relato distópico sin más, sin necesidad de que se acabe el mundo. El relato fluye muy bien. 4/5

“Like all beautiful places”, de Megan Arkenberg (anteriores: “Houses Without Air” y “Twilight of the Music Machines”): Este quizá es el mejor relato de los tres, aunque no me gusta el estilo de esta autora. Nosequé de realidad virtual y San Francisco y el puente que está destrozado pero Lena quiere reconstruirlo (virtualmente) y la narradora la ayudará aunque odia la ciudad. 2/5

“Dancing With A Stranger In The Land Of Nod”, de Will McIntosh (anteriores: “Dancing with Death in the Land of Nod” y “Dancing with Batgirl in the Land of Nod”): Este es quizá el relato más flojo. ¿Habría que “dejar marchar” a tu familia si estuviera paralizada y empezar una nueva vida con alguien que sí puede besarte y quererte? ¿Y si tu hijo con TDAH muestra una mínima señal de felicidad solo con los ojos? Ojalá una novela larga sobre esta enfermedad, aunque el tono sería muy sombrío y quizá eso funcione mejor en relatos cortos. Ojalá conocer más historias… 4/5 al relato, 5/5 al conjunto.

“The Seventh Day of Deer Camp”, de Scott Sigler (anteriores: “The Fifth Day of Deer Camp” y “The Sixth Day of Deer Camp”): Buen cierre con un George totalmente entregado a su causa y, por tanto, sintiéndose muy solo. A los “niños” les espera una vida bastante… pobre, siempre en esa nave destrozada. Este relato tiene nuchos clichés pero creo que es el mejor de los 3. 4/5

“Prototype”, de Sarah Langan (anteriores: “Love Perverts” y “Black Monday”): Sencillo y va al grano. Han pasado por lo menos mil años desde el anterior relato, y este no deja de ser una descripción de en qué se ha convertido el mundo y los ciborgs que lo habitan. El mejor de los tres, pero le falta algo… 3/5

“Acts of Creation”, de Chris Avellone: ¿Relato posthumanista? Explica tan pocas cosas porque quiere centrarse tanto en el sentimiento y en la crueldad (un “humano” sin uñas, sin dientes, sin orificios, para que no escriba, pinte, convenza) que no entiendo muy bien lo que ha pasado. 2/5

“Resistance”, de Seanan McGuire (anteriores: “Spores” y “Fruiting Bodies”): Creo que este es mi trilogía de relatos favorita. Megan, con su TOC y su resistencia al hongo, está a punto de morir de inanición hasta que los militares la rescatan y se entera de que solo un 2% tiene resistencia también. ¿Su misión? Arreglar el desperfecto que ella misma creó en el momento en que sus compañeros de proyecto no se fiaron de ella y le escondieron cosas por su manera de actuar. Es el más flojo de los tres y quiero saber más: ¿dará Megan con la cura? De nuevo, 4/5 al relato y 5/5 al conjunto.

“Wandering Star”, de Leife Shallcross: Un asteroide chocará contra la Tierra, y los Estados Unidos y parte de Australia (entre otros países) quedarán completamente destruidos. Únicamente los niños podrán emigrar a zonas del planeta algo más seguras. Me gustan las reflexiones de la madre sobre sus hijos y sobre su propia madre, pero he tenido la sensación de que el relato, que se explica desde un futuro en el que analiza una especie de manta hecha a parches, no tenía desenlace alguno. Apuntaba muy bien pero se ha desinflado al final. 2/5

“Heaven Come Down”, de Ben H. Winters (anteriores: “Bring Her To Me” y “Bring Them Down”): Otro relato posthumanista en el que la parte de los humanos que siguieron viajando evolucionó tanto que ya no tienen que morir y por eso están conquistando todo el universo… Menos el planeta de Pea, ya que ella es especial, ella es como ellos. Y ellos al menos le dieron a su gente un motivo para morir. El final es flojillo pero el concepto me ha gustado más de lo esperado. 4/5

“Agent Neutralized”, de David Wellington (anteriores: “Agent Unknown” y “Agent Isolated”): Final más que satisfactorio para una historia más de zombies que no aporta nada nuevo pero que se deja leer. Al final Whitman es obligado a ser una especie de transporte de positivos (que no infectados) de aquí para allá. El autor tiene un libro, Positive, que sigue la trama general (no de Whitman), pero no tiene demasiadas buenas reviews. 4/5

“Goodnight Earth”, de Annie Bellet (anteriores: “Goodnight Moon” y “Goodnight Stars”): No sé si tiene mucha relación con los relatos anteriores. Hay un río (el Missip), y mucha agua por todas partes, y gente transportando a otra gente en barcazas, solo que alguna de esa gente tiene “nanos” instalados, de cuando eran los Niños de la Guerra y les metieron implantes que los hacían máquinas perfectas para matar. Enésimo relato posthumanista (¿o sería transhumanista?), que me ha dejado fría porque además invita a que la historia continúe. 2/5

“Carriers”, de Tananarive Due (anteriores: “Removal Order” y “Herd Immunity”): Han pasado 40 años y Nayima vive apartada de todo. Un día, Raúl le dice que tienen una hija. Pero eso no puede ser, porque los portadores no pueden tener hijos… A no ser que algo haya funcionado tras tantas pruebas años atrás. Relato flojísimo, sin sustancia. Eso sí: está bien escrito (menos algunas cosas que chirrían en español). 2/5

“In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land”, de Robin Wasserman (anteriores: “The Balm and the Wound” y “Dear John”): Mmm no tengo claro el argumento de este relato. El mensaje tal vez sí: el viejo está muriendo, todo era mentira, los hermanos quieren una nueva vida… Y poco más, más allá de ridiculizar las creencias religiosas más absurdas. Muy flojo. 2/5

“The Uncertainty Machine”, de Jamie Ford (anteriores: “This Unkempt World is Falling to Pieces” y “By the Hair of the Moon”): Las ucronías no me gustan, pero este relato es tan sencillo y tan potente a la vez que funciona muy bien, pese a ese extraño invento mágico/fantasioso que predice el futuro de otros. Me sorprende gratamente que me haya gustado tanto. 5/5

“Margin of Survival”, de Elizabeth Bear (anterior, en Now: “You've Never Seen Everything”): No me ha gustado. La narración es lenta y poco interesante al principio. No entiendo la necesidad de que la mujer con la que se encuentra Yana se llame como su hermana Yuliana. Y por supuesto el final (el estado real de su hermana) era muy previsible. ¿Habla tal vez de la locura? ¿Está también Yana condenada? 1.5/5

“Jingo and the Hammerman”, de Jonathan Maberry (anteriores: “She’s Got a Ticket to Ride” y “Sunset Hollow”): Los humanos están matando zombies en grupos, 500 cada día, poco a poco. Mientras van matando zombies, Jingo y Moose dialogan sobre cómo afrontar el futuro. Interesante conversación sobre la actitud de cada uno y que el cambio es una constante. Lo que no entiendo es el zombie alto que deja a Moose perplejo: ¿qué es, el presidente de los Estados Unidos? Se lee rápido. 3.5/5

“The Last Movie Ever Made”, de Charlie Jane Anders (anteriores: “Break! Break! Break!” y “Rock Manning Can't Hear You”): El título promete mucho pero el texto me decepciona muchísimo, como los anteriores. Ni un mundo distópico salva esto. El estilo me aburre profundamente. Una lástima, pero cero sorpresas. 1/1

“The Gray Sunrise”, de Jake Kerr (anteriores: “Wedding Day” y “Penance”): Sin duda, el más flojo de los tres. Un padre y su hijo abandonan tierra firme en su yate, esperando al asteroide. Es más un relato sobre el proceso de madurez del hijo y de cómo se invierten los papeles que otra cosa. 3/5

“The Gods Have Not Died In Vain”, de Ken Liu (anteriores: “The Gods Will Not Be Chained” y “The Gods Will Not be Slain”): El relato con mejores reflexiones de este volumen. Maggie tiene una hermana digital creada por su padre antes de morir luchando contra los dioses. Y los dioses, por tanto, han desaparecido, ¿cierto? ¿Puede la humanidad vivir sin ellos, sin máquinas, sin tecnología? Y Maggie… ¿Qué decisión tomará? Final demasiado abrupto para un relato que me ha recordado a Black Mirror, Ghost in the Shell y Matrix a partes iguales. 4/5

“The Happiest Place…”, de Mira Grant: Imagina que te pilla el fin del mundo en Disneyland, esa ciudad que nunca debe apagar sus luces. Cuando una especie de COVID megamortal arrasa con todo, ¿dónde metes los cuerpos? Este relato está muy bien escrito, es equilibrado y tiene fuerza. También puede sonar un poquito ridículo o demasiado “over the top”, pero eso no importa: El final me ha encantado. 5/5

“In The Woods”, de Hugh Howey (anteriores: “In the Air” y “In the Mountain”): Sinceramente, si has leído Silo pero no has leído Dust, este relato es un poco un spoiler bastante gordo acerca de Juliette (la protagonista de Silo. Es verdad que leí Silo hace tiempo y no recuerdo bien los detalles, pero sé que el mundo era tóxico. Entonces, ¿por qué aquí no lo es? Y los humanos que hay dentro del silo del que sale el matrimonio protagonista, ¿qué son, Morlocks? ¿En serio es tal la degeneración en solo 500 años? ¿Será que han pasado mucho más de 500 años? Este relato deja demasiadas cosas sin explicar (¿quizá porque sería lo suyo haber leído todo Wool primero?). Puede que me salte Shift y vaya directamente a por Dust. Pese a las dudas, todo este universo me gusta mucho. 4/5

“Blessings”, de Nancy Kress (anteriores: “Pretty Soon the Four Horsemen are Going to Come Riding Through” y “Angels of the Apocalypse”): Se veía venir. ¿Qué pasaría si eliminamos todas las pulsiones sexuales y violentas de la humanidad? ¿Cómo sería un mundo sin asesinatos y con seres humanos exclusivamente veganos? La falta de proteínas está mermando la humanidad, tres generaciones después de la llegada de los alienígenas, quienes nos modificaron genéticamente para convertirnos en “seres de paz”. Menos algún reducto de personas… Al final todo son ciclos. Muy buen relato para cerrar antología. 3/5

[Grey Thornberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the other two entries of this triptych, I've got to say I enjoyed this one the most. Many of the stories that struggled to find their footing in previous installments have come to fruition in entertaining and satisfying ways. Unfortunately, some of the weaker stories stayed weak, but overall this volume is a successful conclusion to an inventive genre experiment.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one in the triptych, The End Is Nigh, was a collection of pre-apocalyptic short stories. Book two, The End is Here, took place during the apocalyptic event(s). Now The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych) (Volume 3) takes place after the apocalypse. Most of the stories are also triptychs, with one in each volume, but they’re meant to stand alone and most of them succeed surprisingly well at that. I believe the intro to this volume said that 18 of the 23 stories in here were related to previous stories.

Seanan McGuire’s “Resistance” wraps up her triptych of the fungus that took over the world. Megan is still going, immune to the mold, even though she might have preferred not to outlive her wife and daughter. She’s taken in by the military, who know an awful lot about her and are laying the blame for what happened at her feet. It’s an incredible story of two women sparring verbally and emotionally and what happens from there. I loved it; once again McGuire wrote one of my favorite stories of this volume.

Seanan McGuire has a second story in here under her pen name Mira Grant, and it’s entirely excellent. “The Happiest Place…” takes place in Disneyland. When an epidemic struck, a number of Cast Members didn’t really have anywhere else to go, nor did some customers. Amy, the highest-ranking member of the Guest Relations team still present, ends up in charge as the “mayor.” One of the generators just gave out, and Amy has to figure out how to get more parts to keep things going as long as possible. Yep, I cried at this one.

Carrie Vaughn’s “Bannerless” was an intriguing story of a civilization in which people need permission to have children, and the people who are sent to investigate the situation when a woman becomes pregnant without permission. It’s a surprisingly good story–not at all what I might have expected.

Megan Arkenberg’s “Like All Beautiful Places” takes place on a container ship anchored off of San Francisco, and includes Lena from Arkenberg’s story in volume one, and her attempt to make an immersive VR experience. It was a pretty good story.

Will McIntosh’s “Dancing with a Stranger in the Land of Nod” continues the story of the epidemic that’s paralyzing everyone. I enjoyed this installment more than the previous one. (Installment one was great; the second one just didn’t entirely appeal to me.)

Scott Sigler’s “The Seventh Day of Deer Camp” sees George responsible for ensuring the safety of the alien children. It’s better than the previous two installments; I found it harder to get emotionally invested in those parts of the story.

Sarah Langan’s “Prototype” involves a post-apocalyptic genius who designs suits for those who go above-ground and encounter the deadly sands that blow across the land. He has a pet named Rex. I was genuinely surprised and horrified by where this one went–it was quite good.

Chris Avellone’s “Acts of Creation” involves people called “Sensitives” who were in some way altered to fight a war. Now they seem to be undergoing transformations that make them even deadlier. Agnes is trying to figure out what exactly triggers these transformations. This story really captures the feel of what her subject is like.

Leife Shallcross’s “Wandering Star” is a museum’s thoughts regarding a memento quilt and little flashbacks of the apocalypse to go with it. Interesting, but kind of low-key.

Ben H. Winters brings us back to teenager Pea in “Heaven Come Down.” Pea has developed some very unusual powers, and God, who has finally started speaking to her as well, guides her in remaking her world. Only Pea starts to have questions about what God is really up to. This is an extremely satisfying conclusion to this ongoing story, with some surprises in store.

David Wellington’s “Agent Neutralized” finds CDC field agent Whitman ten years later as he searches for survivors of the apocalypse. One of the little things in this story that I like is that they don’t try to wipe out years of cultural habit of calling mindless, infected attackers “zombies,” even though these zombies are still alive.

Annie Bellet’s “Goodnight Earth” takes place well after her first two connected stories and has little obvious to connect it to them. Karron is a “War Child,” jumped up on nanomachines and used to fight a war. Now she’s hiding what she is. She and her partner Ishim have taken on two children and their parents as passengers to smuggle. Karron ends up having to make some tough decisions.

Tananarive Due’s “Carriers” returns to Nayima now that she’s in her sixties and living in a cabin, living off of the chickens she raises and some items brought by her friend, Raul. Little references give us an idea of what she’s gone through since we saw her last–as an asymptomatic carrier of the disease, she’s been treated very badly and it’s made her paranoid and bitter. This is a very rewarding story.

Robin Wasserman returns to the tale of Isaac leading his followers through the apocalypse in “In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land.” He’s an old man now, and we see his descendants through his eyes… before we get a fascinating finish in which we see things through the eyes of his sons. This is my favorite of this particular triptych of stories.

Jamie Ford’s “The Uncertainty Machine” hearkens back to that deadly 1910 comet strike, as “accidental prophet” Phineas Kai Pengong waits for rescue in his underground bunker. This one is chilling!

Elizabeth Bear’s “Margin of Survival” is also chilling. Yana is trying to steal supplies to help keep her and her starving sister Yulianna alive. She encounters another woman named Yulianna in the storage room she enters.

“Jingo and the Hammerman,” by Jonathan Maberry, introduces us to the clever ways in which post-apocalyptic society has found to destroy zombies in bulk. Jingo has been reading Tony Robbins’s motivational books, and is convinced things will get better soon. His partner Moose Peters isn’t so sure. I love how quirky this one turns out to be–and yet it manages to be quite dark at the same time!

Charlie Jane Anders brings us back to the tale of wacky “actor” and stuntman Rock Manning in “The Last Movie Ever Made.” It’s almost as bizarre as the previous stories. Rock doesn’t actually want to make another movie, but absolutely everyone insists on one more.

Jake Kerr’s “The Gray Sunrise” sees Don and his son Zack attempting to escape the asteroid impact by boat. Seemingly not a lot happens, but the changes in the characters are fascinating, and I might have shed a tear or two by the end.

Ken Liu’s “The Gods Have Not Died in Vain” introduces Maddie to her online “sister,” “Mist.” In trying to help Mist understand humans, she finds out that Mist already knows a lot more than she thinks–and may not see things the way their father would have wanted.

Hugh Howey’s “In the Woods” finds April and Remy waking up from their cryo-storage unit–the one they weren’t told they were going to be put in–only to find that it’s 500 years later and all they have left is the contents of a trunk that were left for them. It’s hard to see, given what they find inside the bunker they’re in, how the power, lights, and even things like the IVs in their arms continued to function for that long, among other things. Still, it’s an intriguing continuation of the story, and I liked it better than the second part.

Nancy Kress’s “Blessings” picks up a couple generations after the previous story. The “Sweets”–people who are basically incapable of violence on any level–believe that they’ve been blessed, and the least they can do is try to help the alien Dant who did this to them. Then some outsiders come along who aren’t so pacifistic. There are some intriguing twists to this one.

On the whole, I absolutely loved this triptych. If you’re an apocalypse junkie like I am, dive on in!

Content note for a brief rape mention.


Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/08/r...

[Severina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of post-apocalypse stories, part of a trilogy that forms the Apocalypse Triptych (where most authors have written stories in the same universe for each volume). The previous volumes included stories set pre-apocalyse and during-the-apocalypse.

Another great set of stories. If anything, I was not prepared for the bleakness of some of the endings… yes, maybe that's crazy since the world has ended and everything, but I do like me something hopeful. Still, some amazing writing here. My favourites:

In Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn, society is rebuilding into small groups of farmholds that can help each other with complimentary skills. In the good groups, they grow to love each other. In the bad, there is violence and deceit. Children must be earned through hard work and good society, and investigators must intervene when someone becomes pregnant without an earned banner.

The Seventh Day of Deer Camp by Scott Sigler deals with a downed alien spacecraft and the one man who vows to protect its cargo of children. I particularly loved the smart details in this, especially using the Anonymous group as the man's staunchest anti-government defenders.

In Carriers by Tananarive Due we find out what happened to Nayima, years after taking care of her ill gramma and meeting that stranger at the fair. This was one of those series where I felt strongly toward the main character and needed for her to be alright, so reading about her trials was hard but still felt… right. Accurate. Real. And in the end, I got my hopeful ending.

The one big disappointment here was Hugh Howey's In The Woods, which continues the story of Juliette and Solo from his Wool series. This... is not what I wanted to happen. I'm just gonna pretend I never read this one.

[Shannon Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third and final installment of The Apocalypse Triptych is finally out (I originally reviewed the FIRST and SECOND). I used to be averse to short story collections but The End is Nigh edited by John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey changed that last year with the beginning of The Apocalypse Triptych. They invited authors to write short stories for each of the books to continue their stories throughout the triptych.

The End has Come deals with the final apocalypse in each authors’ stories. Not every story in the book is a continuation, but you’re happy to see the last stories of the authors that you’ve been reading since The End is Nigh. Some are more successful than others, and I’m not sure if it’s because the first book was from over a year ago, or I’m partial to pre-apocalyptic stories. It could also be that almost none of the endings are positive. What did I expect?

In any case, the idea behind The Apocalypse Triptych was a brilliant one. The editors did such a great job or curating the short stories. At some point, I’d love to go back to The End is Nigh and read the continuations in completion. Start with Spores by Seanan McGuire (still my favorite) and then jump to each installment to read the full story. It might make things end better in my head. If you haven’t read any of these, you now have a chance to be able to read the volumes in succession, and I would be completely jealous of you! You can get the complete Kindle or Nook Triptych for around $17, paperbacks for around $45 or all three audiobooks for around $66. I would suggest that you get all three at once, because when you read The End is Nigh, you’ll be hooked.

[BigJohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book in the Apocalypse Triptych is all about the rebuilding. Or, at least, it's about the slightly-less-tumultuous time after having survived whatever bad thing has happened, and how people are dealing with it.

As with the previous books, it's nice to see the stories wrapped up that are begun in book one and continued in book two. As with some of the others, there are intriguing one-shot stories that have the right context for inclusion in the book, but stand alone. And most of them do a fine job. I'm happy to report that Seanan McGuire's Spores story is nicely concluded, and there's even a nice bonus story that she writes as Mira Grant.

All in all, this is a nice wrap-up to the series. As was intended, the strongest stories, or the ones that resonate the most, are the ones that stick to the theme and continue from books 1-3. Though there are some stories that follow the thread in all three books, they don't necessarily stick to the theme exactly. Hugh Howey's Silo prequel story is one of them; the stories are great, but they don't technically follow the theme (really, just the 2nd story).

This was a pretty neat idea for an anthology series, and there are some really fun stories of the different types of apocalypsi: Medical, Science, Zombie, Asteroid, Alien Invasion, etc. Do yourself a favor and pick up all three books and enjoy the ride. And be thankful these aren't history books.

[Blaine Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the introduction, it's claimed that you don't need to read the first two books in order to enjoy this one, and that is probably true...but having read the first two books led to a much higher enjoyment factor for this third volume. It has been a while since I read them, so it took me a little ways into each story to remember what came before for each individual story, but once I did it was great to connect the dots, especially for the stories that appeared as part of each tryptych. I really enjoyed how there is a large variety of doomsday scenarios in this book, rather than just one thing. There are extinction events, diseases, invasions, and yes, even zombie outbreaks.

Most of the stories can be read in a single sitting, so this is a great book to pick up and read and then to leave off for a while if you like. I highly recommend picking up a copy of all 3 of these books, and now that they're out if I were to read them again I'd probably jump from volume to volume to stay in the same story each time and then go back to the next.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the early reviews of this anthology I read were pretty negative, so I hesitated to read it. However, I am glad I finally did. This was a very strong ending of the triptych. Many of the stories that were continued in all three books ended in unexpected ways. The only disappointment was the way the story by Hugh Howey ended. I don't think it was a bad ending, it was just very sad. If you have read the first two books of this series I recommend you read this one also. If you have not then I suggest you start with the first one "The End Is Nigh".

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, what a great full circle! This entire series was wonderful and really opened my eyes to books that are like this with different writers in a single collection with the same theme but from different angles. The Disneyland story was pretty cool, sad of course but cool none the less. This was another one of those books where I wished it kept going, the possibilities are endless but this was a great collection. Really enjoyed this book as a closure to the entire series.

[Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with a couple of others here about it running out of steam. It really felt like it was an incomplete ending to the series. I really wanted to like it but the stories sometimes fell flat and I do understand these are short stories but many were so far from being the story after the end (more so the end of the "during apocalypse") that there was no sense of closure (again understood that that should not always be the case), whether good, bad or indifferent.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there are some astonishingly wonderful stories in this the third of this series, I would have to say that it is weaker than the other two. There were some stories I hope to continue with that I didn't get to. While I Think the whole idea was very ambitious, in the end, it wasn't fully realized.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two installments more. Many of the stories in the final installment didn't feel connected to the first two. Overall I am not sorry I invested in all three books. I found a couple of new authors I will continue to follow.

[Yev · Rating 2 out of 5]

And so the trilogy concluded. For me, it was a definite failure in terms of enjoyment by the end, but it was informative. Without the first story of this anthology I probably would've been considerably more negative. Most of all I came to appreciate just how much having a few great stories affects what I think of anthologies/collections and how easily I ignore the disliked stories when I'm not actively qualifying them like this. It probably makes all my ratings of collected stories where I didn't write up anything about them invalid. I still don't know if it'd be for the best to remove the star ratings though.

Regardless of what I think of it, this is a relatively successful anthology, even though it's a series. That isn't saying much because most any anthology doesn't sell well at all and the ceiling for even the best selling ones seems to be rather low compared to novels or even single author collections. As far as I've read, the vast majority of professional anthologies are quite lucky to break even on sales. There's a similar situation with magazines these days as well.

full size: https://i.imgur.com/3mqDjMO.png


BANNERLESS - Carrie Vaughn
A very interesting post-apocalyptic pastoral crime investigation story. An investigator is sent to assess the claims of an unsanctioned pregnancy. It was surprisingly upbeat and hinted at a relatively positive world. When I finished, I wanted an entire novel. Apparently a few years later she wrote a novel of the same name, which I'll read eventually. I haven't liked anything else from her, so I may be disappointed, but I'm willing to take that risk. Sometimes there may only be a single work from an author that's enjoyable, which can be a bother because that makes it more difficult to know whether to look at more from an author or not.
Highly Enjoyable

LIKE ALL BEAUTIFUL PLACES - Megan Arkenberg
A VR developer is trying recreate an immersive experience of San Francisco.
Blah

DANCING WITH A STRANGER IN THE LAND OF NOD - Will McIntosh
A man and woman with locked-in syndrome spouses take delight in each other.
Meh

THE SEVENTH DAY OF DEER CAMP - Scott Sigler
The alien children must be protected and he'd do all he could for them. ANONYMOUS, the 4chan originated group, had become the most powerful social movement in the world and ensured that the governments wouldn't interfere. lolwut. There's so much I could say about this, but this isn't the time or place to do so.
Meh

PROTOTYPE - Sarah Langan
More than a thousand years have passed since the previous story. Immortal cyborgs rule the world. Humanity has fallen.
Ok

ACTS OF CREATION - Chris Avellone
An interrogation of a psionic. There's way too much context missing here for me to have enjoyed it.
Blah

RESISTANCE - Seanan McGuire
More and more misery porn. Fungus triumphant.
Blah

WANDERING STAR - Leife Shallcross
A patchwork quilt is used to tell the story of the destruction of Australia by asteroid.
Blah

HEAVEN COME DOWN - Ben H. Winters
The truth of "God" is revealed.
Blah

AGENT NEUTRALIZED - David Wellington
It's now 10 years after the zombie pandemic. This one lacks even more context than the previous one. It's basically an incoherent car chase scene interspersed with flashback infodumps and other problems.
Blah

GOODNIGHT EARTH - Annie Bellet
Sometime in the future some genetically engineered survivors are trying to find sanctuary.
Blah

CARRIERS - Tananarive Due
Several decades later all 15 remaining disease carriers are confined and sealed off from rest of the world. One last surprise awaits one of them.
Blah

IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF THE PROMISED LAND - Robin Wasserman
60 years have passed and the young have become the old. Dementia has set in. The younger generation grow desirous.
Enjoyable

THE UNCERTAINTY MACHINE - Jamie Ford
A wealthy man in his shelter with the machine that predicted the end of the world waits...and waits.
Blah

MARGIN OF SURVIVAL - Elizabeth Bear
Almost everyone is dead. A lone woman searches for food. This is a strange story that may not be what it seems.
Meh

JINGO AND THE HAMMERMAN - Jonathan Maberry
Two guys try to make the best of the zombie apocalypse.
Blah

THE LAST MOVIE EVER MADE - Charlie Jane Anders
It's time for one last movie of ultimate mayhem. How many will die during filming this time? This trilogy of stories had, for me, one of the most irritating narrators I've ever read.
Blah

THE GRAY SUNRISE - Jake Kerr
A father and sun escape by boat before the comet hits and do what they must to survive. The father reminisces about his life.
Meh

THE GODS HAVE NOT DIED IN VAIN - Ken Liu
The first generation of digital minds that weren't originally human has made itself known.
Enjoyable

THE HAPPIEST PLACE . . . - Mira Grant
A disease has killed almost everyone. Come see life in post-apocalyptic Disneyland.
Blah

IN THE WOODS - Hugh Howey
500 years later, they emerge from cryo and observe the state of the world.
Blah

BLESSINGS - Nancy Kress
The domestication of humankind has been a success, but still a few resist.
Meh