It's Not the End and Other Lies

by Matt Moore

A horror and science fiction collection with tales of the bizarre, the terrifying, and the all-too-near future.

“Subtle power, intelligence, and humanity are the hallmarks of Moore’s work. These stories are apt to stick in your mind like quills. They did in mine.” —Nick Cutter, author of Little Heaven, The Acolyte, and The Troop

All these worlds, and more, await you. . . . Only able to recall the memories of others, a ghost must solve the mystery of his own death. The zombie apocalypse is the gateway to a higher human consciousness. An amusement park of the future might turn you into the attraction. An engineer-turned-mercenary races to kill the saviour of mankind. After the sky falls, can anyone still hope? Twelve new thought-provoking stories of the bizarre, the terrifying, the all-to-near future.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Science Fiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2018

About the author

I'm an author, columnist and poet whose works have appeared in On Spec, Leading Edge, The Ottawa Citizen, Jamais Vu, The Drabblecast, and more. I won the Prix Aurora Award for poetry in 2018, been nominated seven other times in various categories, and twice been shortlisted for the Sunburst Award in short fiction.

Beyond writing, I'm a contributing editor for AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review.

Raised in small-town New England, a place rich with legends and ghost stories, I now live in Ottawa, Ontario.

Find more at mattmoorewrites.com.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moore offers us a collection of 21 stories of varying lengths, styles, and themes, ranging from horror to crime fiction to science fiction. When you read his stories, you often are sort of peeling back the layers of an onion. Not everything is obvious at first. Stories start in one place and take you to different places than you expected. A hunter takes on ferocious six-legged monsters to save a pioneer town. Three teenage boys break into an old man's house to torment him and get more than they expected. Pi is the one constant, but what happens if it's not constant. What would the world look like if a different religion was dominant in the West, one which says a newborn can only exist if an old soul is extinguished. Odd, different, offbeat, and mind provoking stuff, indeed.

[Benoit Chartier · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this collection of short stories, author Matt Moore takes us on a multitude of wild rides. If there is one thing I can say about these, it's that they are action-packed. One could mistake them for mindless thrillers if it weren't for the deep thought that resides as the backbone of each and every one. In the first story, Delta Pi, Mr. Moore forces our perspective to show us what would happen if some basic element of our universe were to shift. This story sets the tone for all the others, as the story itself, and those that follow, are only preambles.

I write short stories. I'm not going to say good short stories, but I write them nonetheless. For me, the important part of a short story, is the twist ending that precedes the end. It is where the writer turns the story on its head, and the reader must grapple with the ending. What I found fascinating with Mr. Moore's stories was that the story itself was the preamble, and the ending was only the beginning. I have no idea if that makes sense, but that is exactly what happens, in story after story.

The reader has no choice but to imagine what comes afterwards, but is not left wanting by this prospect. I found this an ingenious literary device, and I commend Mr. Moore for having used it to such great effect.

Mr. Moore is also very good at wrenching emotion out of his readers, whether abject horror, or discomfort, the effect is visceral and real. Stories all tackle some sort of issue, bringing to light an aspect that people may not have thought of previously. "In the Shadow of Scythe" looks at extremism in one form that I'm sure has been overlooked. "The Weak Son" looks at mental abuse in a very different way. "The Thing That Killed Her" is a curious look at decision-making. Please note, I won't go into detail about these stories, because I'd rather you read them yourselves.

I rather enjoyed Mr. Moore's collection of short stories, and I recommend them to you. Many are action-packed, thoughtful, and some, full of dread. There is one great feel-good story, "Brief Candles", and this one I recommend reading for its thoughts on religion.
The only downside I can speak of, is that some of these stories made me feel awful. However, this is what they were meant to do, and I can't hold it against them: they're just doing their jobs. Well done.

[Axelle Blanpain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories was everything I love and more.

This book read like different episodes of Black Mirror, one of my favorite show. Each story is different than the last yet the autor takes you on a rollercoaster in each one.

Prepare for suspence, thriller and plain horror.

I absolutely love it and would recommend it to fans of Black Mirror.

[Geoff Gander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have written alongside Mr. Moore for roughly seven years, and have had the privilege of reading and critiquing many of the stories contained in this collection. Although my review could be considered to be biased, I like to think that my critiques of his early drafts were as balanced as could be. His stories stand by themselves.

That being said, this collection is a wonderful introduction to the mind of Matthew Moore, and the many worlds he has created. The stories range from classic horror to science fiction, with many stops in the land of weird fiction along the way. I won't do a detailed breakdown of the entire book's contents - you'll have to read it yourself to get the full experience - but I will share some thoughts about some of the stories that stood out most for me.

"Delta Pi": A strong lead story that makes you ponder what *would* happen if something we take for granted as a mathematical constant, becomes variable. I also enjoyed the almost Lovecraftian undertones.

"Silverman's Game": This dramatically tense story takes you into the main character's traumatic trigger point, and immediately drags you down into their past to witness a pivotal point in his life where that trauma originated. I found it to be a relatable story - not because I experienced something similar but because, like the main character, I was something of an outsider wanting in as a child. I felt his fear of being excluded, or being shamed, and I understood why he accepted the dare, which in turn set things in motion for the later conflict. I couldn't put this one down.

"That Which Does Not Kill You": Fast-paced military-infused body horror. 'Nuff said.

"The Thing That Killed Her": A refreshing take on the zombie trope, which I enjoyed greatly. Transformation has many facets, and what may seem horrific from one perspective can in fact be the first step to something greater when viewed from another.

"The Weak Son": This ghost story delivers an emotional punch to the gut in the way it handles memory and loss. The feels were strong in this one. A must-read.

"Touch the Sky, They Say": This story changes one thing that we take for granted - this time, the sky itself - and spins a very personal tale. It's a satisfying counterpoint to "Delta Pi".

Overall - a great collection.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a couple truly good stories in this collection; however, some of them missed for me.

[Charl · Rating 5 out of 5]

You've read the blurbs, maybe even a couple of the other reviews. All I have to add is that if the blurb makes it sound at all interesting, go for it.

The description nails it. These stories range the full gamut of genres, and not one ends like I expected. Some of them just have a nice little twist, others blew me away. It amazes me that one person came up with such a variety.

I often skip one or two stories in a collection because they're just not working for me. It's not a big deal, if there's a variety of stories, it's normal for one or more to just not appeal to me. But I read every single one of these, and I just don't have any higher praise for a collection.

If you're at all intrigued, read it. You won't regret it.

Now I gotta see what else he's written....

[Stephanie Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel at Can*Con where Matt Moore was the moderator. Afterwards, I asked him for the title of this book as it sounded like the type of book I'd enjoy reading. He told me that, sadly, it was out of print - but he had a copy in his bag if I wanted to buy it. Money well spent! This collection of apocalypses is EXACTLY the kind of sci-fi/horror/cosmic horror collection that appeals to me. All of the stories are knockouts, but my favourites are "Brief Candles" and "Delta Pi" (this was the story Matt described that made me want to buy the collection).

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, though I skimmed the stories that I didn’t finish.

First one was the only one that was any good. They got increasingly worse at a rapid rate.