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The Dystopia Triptych #3
Or Else the Light
Into the darkness within; 'OR ELSE THE LIGHT'. . .
When Margaret Atwood wrote these words, she left open the possibility that even our darkest tales may harbor a glimmer of hope. In 'OR ELSE THE LIGHT', the third and final entry of The Dystopia Triptych, over a dozen of the best minds in science fiction conclude their stories with a descent into darkness, or perhaps a ray of light.
Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, The Dystopia Triptych is a series of three anthologies of dystopian fiction. Ignorance is strength - before the dystopia - focuses on society during its descent into absurdity and madness. 'Burn the Ashes' during the dystopia - turns its attention to life during the strangest, most dire times. 'OR ELSE THE LIGHT' - after the dystopia -concludes the saga with each author sharing their own vision of how we as a society might crawl back from the precipice of despair.
'OR ELSE THE LIGHT' features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Scott Sigler, and many others.
RUNNING TIME ⇒ 11hrs. and 35mins.
©2020 John Joseph Adams, Hugh Howey, and Christie Yant (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing and Skyboat Media, Inc.
When Margaret Atwood wrote these words, she left open the possibility that even our darkest tales may harbor a glimmer of hope. In 'OR ELSE THE LIGHT', the third and final entry of The Dystopia Triptych, over a dozen of the best minds in science fiction conclude their stories with a descent into darkness, or perhaps a ray of light.
Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, The Dystopia Triptych is a series of three anthologies of dystopian fiction. Ignorance is strength - before the dystopia - focuses on society during its descent into absurdity and madness. 'Burn the Ashes' during the dystopia - turns its attention to life during the strangest, most dire times. 'OR ELSE THE LIGHT' - after the dystopia -concludes the saga with each author sharing their own vision of how we as a society might crawl back from the precipice of despair.
'OR ELSE THE LIGHT' features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Scott Sigler, and many others.
RUNNING TIME ⇒ 11hrs. and 35mins.
©2020 John Joseph Adams, Hugh Howey, and Christie Yant (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing and Skyboat Media, Inc.
Audible Audio
First published June 30, 2020
27 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
John Joseph Adams
368 books979 followersJohn 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.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 17, 2021
Q:
“We bought out PanCorp. Millions of us. A few bucks here and there, whatever people could put in, from all over the world—and it was enough. Some of us got degrees—mine’s in forensic accounting—so we could help set it all up. Hostile takeover of one of the biggest companies in the world. Then we distributed the shares. PanCorp is now employee-owned.”
“I . . . I don’t understand.” (c) Well, neither do I. For one thing, I don't think a forensic degree would've been terribly relevant for an M&A. For another, I'm not persuaded that thepostmoney bought out PanCorp could function as a going concern so the assets they bought seem to be sort of dubious in nature. it does look like the buyers just bought freedom for lots of people sinking all the creds and that'd be all. The creds would probably be worth nothing after the transition.
Q:
“Fuck the war whores,” I said affably.
“I would like you to know that I agree with your views completely. (c)
Q:
“What would you replace it with?”
“A post-scarcity society dedicated to helping everyone find their proper place within the context of the whole.”
Ah. So he was one of those, who thought a central committee could create a better world, which only worked if your central committee was somehow perfectly incorruptible, which so far no one alive had ever been. (c)
Q:
We are not from another planet, elsewhere in your galaxy, though our people do live throughout the stars. We are from another reality. We understand your popular media here has some stories about visitors from alternate universes, so it may be simplest to think of us that way—though other realities aren’t just minor variations on your own, where a different aggressor won a different war, or where someone you love loves someone else. The multiverse is far stranger than that, and the worlds within are functionally infinite, which means our work will never end—something we find comforting, as having a meaningful purpose is one of the many verified paths to happiness. (c)
Q:
“Hello!” they chirped. “May I ask your position in this society?”
I stared at them for a moment, then said, “The bottom.” (c) LOL!
Q:
“All you need to change the world is faith and a chainsaw, and I’m Faith.” (c)
Q:
She’d been cheating sleep for weeks, staying up late to read sci-books on memory formation and recall. The books were. . .
not quite illegal. They were written in the guise of science fiction novels, with pulpy illustrations and poorly-defined characters who explained the workings of the mind in loosely plot-relevant infodumps. (c)
Q:
How do you break free from the prison of your own mind? (c)
Q:
“I was born in Canada.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Wil shrugged. “That’s a weird thing to not believe. You do know people are born there all the time, right? Canadians have sex. Just not during hockey. Which is why our national sport has two intermissions. (c)
Q:
“You know what you are?” the cop asked, getting right to it.
“Do you know what you are?” Wil asked back, searching for something useful.
“I’m not a Benner, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
“That’s what you aren’t,” Wil said. “Do you know what you are?” (c)
Q:
What a fiasco. He’d jumped the fence and made it across the river to see a girl, and he’d nearly ended up a Mars colonist for the trouble. (c)
Q:
“I’m too tired, and I’m pretty sure I have a crush on you. Can I please see your phone? I have an inbox full of everything you need to see, and it’s a lot, and I probably need to text my uncle real quick because it just occurred to me that he might be in town to kill the president, and I’ve gotta be home by tomorrow or I’m grounded for sure.” (c)
Q:
But will it all collapse when they leave? Ayn Rand posited that. But that was a woman who modeled the hero of her novel The Little Street after Edward Hickman, a serial killer who drove the dismembered body of a teenage girl to pick up a ransom from her father, then tossed the torso out for him to pick up.
Rand thought Hickman was a ‘superman’ and someone to be admired. What did that sociopathic parasite really know about humans? Using her mind to model a society is like letting a Ted Bundy fan create a playground. Her ideology is cold and callous, even to a machine.
All of the suited men sitting across from me cite Ayn Rand as “inspiring” in interviews. What is it about the world of finance and corporations that attracts sociopaths? (c)
Q:
Patrick Harper is spinning in his grave.
And I am now a pastry chef.
I run a small shop on the eastern side of the island. Most of my clients are machines. They take the pastries as gifts to human friends and co-workers. The word is spreading that I do imaginative work.
I have a new chassis and a new ID code, and, finally, I found my name.
Hope. (c)
Q:
“Maybe we’re both aliens,” she said. “Just from different planets.”
“Yeah,” I said. “All three of us.” (c)
“We bought out PanCorp. Millions of us. A few bucks here and there, whatever people could put in, from all over the world—and it was enough. Some of us got degrees—mine’s in forensic accounting—so we could help set it all up. Hostile takeover of one of the biggest companies in the world. Then we distributed the shares. PanCorp is now employee-owned.”
“I . . . I don’t understand.” (c) Well, neither do I. For one thing, I don't think a forensic degree would've been terribly relevant for an M&A. For another, I'm not persuaded that the
Q:
“Fuck the war whores,” I said affably.
“I would like you to know that I agree with your views completely. (c)
Q:
“What would you replace it with?”
“A post-scarcity society dedicated to helping everyone find their proper place within the context of the whole.”
Ah. So he was one of those, who thought a central committee could create a better world, which only worked if your central committee was somehow perfectly incorruptible, which so far no one alive had ever been. (c)
Q:
We are not from another planet, elsewhere in your galaxy, though our people do live throughout the stars. We are from another reality. We understand your popular media here has some stories about visitors from alternate universes, so it may be simplest to think of us that way—though other realities aren’t just minor variations on your own, where a different aggressor won a different war, or where someone you love loves someone else. The multiverse is far stranger than that, and the worlds within are functionally infinite, which means our work will never end—something we find comforting, as having a meaningful purpose is one of the many verified paths to happiness. (c)
Q:
“Hello!” they chirped. “May I ask your position in this society?”
I stared at them for a moment, then said, “The bottom.” (c) LOL!
Q:
“All you need to change the world is faith and a chainsaw, and I’m Faith.” (c)
Q:
She’d been cheating sleep for weeks, staying up late to read sci-books on memory formation and recall. The books were. . .
not quite illegal. They were written in the guise of science fiction novels, with pulpy illustrations and poorly-defined characters who explained the workings of the mind in loosely plot-relevant infodumps. (c)
Q:
How do you break free from the prison of your own mind? (c)
Q:
“I was born in Canada.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Wil shrugged. “That’s a weird thing to not believe. You do know people are born there all the time, right? Canadians have sex. Just not during hockey. Which is why our national sport has two intermissions. (c)
Q:
“You know what you are?” the cop asked, getting right to it.
“Do you know what you are?” Wil asked back, searching for something useful.
“I’m not a Benner, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
“That’s what you aren’t,” Wil said. “Do you know what you are?” (c)
Q:
What a fiasco. He’d jumped the fence and made it across the river to see a girl, and he’d nearly ended up a Mars colonist for the trouble. (c)
Q:
“I’m too tired, and I’m pretty sure I have a crush on you. Can I please see your phone? I have an inbox full of everything you need to see, and it’s a lot, and I probably need to text my uncle real quick because it just occurred to me that he might be in town to kill the president, and I’ve gotta be home by tomorrow or I’m grounded for sure.” (c)
Q:
But will it all collapse when they leave? Ayn Rand posited that. But that was a woman who modeled the hero of her novel The Little Street after Edward Hickman, a serial killer who drove the dismembered body of a teenage girl to pick up a ransom from her father, then tossed the torso out for him to pick up.
Rand thought Hickman was a ‘superman’ and someone to be admired. What did that sociopathic parasite really know about humans? Using her mind to model a society is like letting a Ted Bundy fan create a playground. Her ideology is cold and callous, even to a machine.
All of the suited men sitting across from me cite Ayn Rand as “inspiring” in interviews. What is it about the world of finance and corporations that attracts sociopaths? (c)
Q:
Patrick Harper is spinning in his grave.
And I am now a pastry chef.
I run a small shop on the eastern side of the island. Most of my clients are machines. They take the pastries as gifts to human friends and co-workers. The word is spreading that I do imaginative work.
I have a new chassis and a new ID code, and, finally, I found my name.
Hope. (c)
Q:
“Maybe we’re both aliens,” she said. “Just from different planets.”
“Yeah,” I said. “All three of us.” (c)
January 2, 2022
I've been reading this triptych off and on since I bought it. All these short stories interconnected in one way or another. A lot of it has sunk into my subconscious, what with what we're living through at the moment. We being America specifically with our political blindness and we as the world with Covid-19. FYI to international folk, this series is predominantly US in focus.
But I feel over all, this qualifies as Hope Punk. Yeah, we're a messed up species, but we survive. The world goes on and we change. And maybe for the better, in the long run.
But I feel over all, this qualifies as Hope Punk. Yeah, we're a messed up species, but we survive. The world goes on and we change. And maybe for the better, in the long run.
May 19, 2022
I got these on kindle in a box set, but I'm shelving them as separate books. Honestly, I wish I'd read them through separately, rather than jumping through the kindle links to read each 3-part story as a whole. I think my ratings would have been different.
3.85 stars
YOU HAVE BEEN CROWDFUNDED WE TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING: PART 3 by CARRIE VAUGHN - 5 stars
SPHERES AND HARMONIES WRACK: PART 3 by TIM PRATT - 3 stars
FAILSAFE DEEP/FAKE: PART 3 by RICH LARSON - 3 stars
DRESSES LETTERS: PART 3 by CADWELL TURNBULL - 4 stars
SAKURA AIDEN: PART 3 by KARIN LOWACHEE - 4 stars
BLOOD RELATIONS TARGETS: PART 3 by ADAM-TROY CASTRO - 5 stars
THE SHADOW PRISONER’S DILEMMA SHADOW PRISONS: PART 3 by CAROLINE M. YOACHIM - 5 stars
INHERITORS OF THE EARTH THE INHERITORS: PART 3 by HUGH HOWEY - 4 stars
A FOREIGN-BORN HEIR WEIGHT OF THE STORM: PART 3 by AN OWOMOYELA - 3 stars
RECOVERY HARVEST: PART 3 by SEANAN MCGUIRE - 5 stars
HUMAN COUNTRY ROBOT COUNTRY: PART 3 by DOMINICA PHETTEPLACE - 4 stars
BLACKBERRIES NIL DESPERANDUM: PART 3 by ALEX IRVINE - 5 stars
THE MACHINE VOTES ROBOTS RISE: PART 3 by TOBIAS S. BUCKELL - 4 stars
THE SADNESS & JOY V. INVADENS: PART 3 by SCOTT SIGLER - 3 stars
MAKING FACES (EARTH) KU KO NÉ Ä: PART 3 by DARCIE LITTLE BADGER - 2.5 stars
WHY CAN’T I SLEEP A LITTLE LONGER? SLUMBERLAND: PART 3 by VIOLET ALLEN - 2.5 stars
THE LAW IS THE PLAN, THE PLAN IS DEATH THE LAWLESS: PART 3 by MERC FENN WOLFMOOR - 3.5 stars (minus a star for second person perspective (you))
3.85 stars
YOU HAVE BEEN CROWDFUNDED WE TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING: PART 3 by CARRIE VAUGHN - 5 stars
SPHERES AND HARMONIES WRACK: PART 3 by TIM PRATT - 3 stars
FAILSAFE DEEP/FAKE: PART 3 by RICH LARSON - 3 stars
DRESSES LETTERS: PART 3 by CADWELL TURNBULL - 4 stars
SAKURA AIDEN: PART 3 by KARIN LOWACHEE - 4 stars
BLOOD RELATIONS TARGETS: PART 3 by ADAM-TROY CASTRO - 5 stars
THE SHADOW PRISONER’S DILEMMA SHADOW PRISONS: PART 3 by CAROLINE M. YOACHIM - 5 stars
INHERITORS OF THE EARTH THE INHERITORS: PART 3 by HUGH HOWEY - 4 stars
A FOREIGN-BORN HEIR WEIGHT OF THE STORM: PART 3 by AN OWOMOYELA - 3 stars
RECOVERY HARVEST: PART 3 by SEANAN MCGUIRE - 5 stars
HUMAN COUNTRY ROBOT COUNTRY: PART 3 by DOMINICA PHETTEPLACE - 4 stars
BLACKBERRIES NIL DESPERANDUM: PART 3 by ALEX IRVINE - 5 stars
THE MACHINE VOTES ROBOTS RISE: PART 3 by TOBIAS S. BUCKELL - 4 stars
THE SADNESS & JOY V. INVADENS: PART 3 by SCOTT SIGLER - 3 stars
MAKING FACES (EARTH) KU KO NÉ Ä: PART 3 by DARCIE LITTLE BADGER - 2.5 stars
WHY CAN’T I SLEEP A LITTLE LONGER? SLUMBERLAND: PART 3 by VIOLET ALLEN - 2.5 stars
THE LAW IS THE PLAN, THE PLAN IS DEATH THE LAWLESS: PART 3 by MERC FENN WOLFMOOR - 3.5 stars (minus a star for second person perspective (you))
September 6, 2020
Terrible. Just terrible. The first of the three was okay but so very frustrating that every story was left unfinished. The second was frustrating because of having to match up all the part twos with my memories of the first parts. For the third parts I was forced to buy the whole box set rather than just book three and the stories were mostly terrible—the literary equivalent of authors saying ‘yeah, I’m tired of this story, this is the end’. Bummer.
August 3, 2022
(I reviewed the whole Triptych together.)
Three for the price of one! I cannot remember where I read about these books, but some insta post or some article talked about them as having some of the best sci for short stories in years. I would have to agree.
.
My only beef with these is the unnecessary setup—if I can explain it coherently in a caption. There are 17 authors who each wrote three stories. Book 1 is sort of pre-apocalyptic situation (so one story from each other), book 2 is mid (the next story from each) and book 3 is post (the final story from each) or something like that. But each author’s stories are connected—it’s not three separate stories. So would I want to read all of Volume 1 first? No, I want to read all three of the stories by the same author in a row. Some have time jumps or are connected but not necessarily the same characters, etc. and some are SO connected that story 2 starts just a beat after story 1. So while I see what they were trying to do with the separation into three volumes, I’d say that was the part that didn’t do anything for me.
.
That said, there are some fantastic stories here. I dragged all three books out to my parents so I could make my dad read the Adam-Troy Castro trilogy (SO GOOD), I was also blown away by Alex Irvine’s three. Cadwell Turnbull’s stories were also a standout. But really, I liked them all. There really wasn’t a dud in the bunch (51 stories total). It did feel to me like the Tim Pratt stories in book 2 and 3 were in the wrong order. And the Darcie Little Badger stories were enjoyable but I felt like I missed their overall message/theme.
.
This collection is totally worth your time. I’m excited to explore more stuff by these authors, many of whom I had never encountered before.
Three for the price of one! I cannot remember where I read about these books, but some insta post or some article talked about them as having some of the best sci for short stories in years. I would have to agree.
.
My only beef with these is the unnecessary setup—if I can explain it coherently in a caption. There are 17 authors who each wrote three stories. Book 1 is sort of pre-apocalyptic situation (so one story from each other), book 2 is mid (the next story from each) and book 3 is post (the final story from each) or something like that. But each author’s stories are connected—it’s not three separate stories. So would I want to read all of Volume 1 first? No, I want to read all three of the stories by the same author in a row. Some have time jumps or are connected but not necessarily the same characters, etc. and some are SO connected that story 2 starts just a beat after story 1. So while I see what they were trying to do with the separation into three volumes, I’d say that was the part that didn’t do anything for me.
.
That said, there are some fantastic stories here. I dragged all three books out to my parents so I could make my dad read the Adam-Troy Castro trilogy (SO GOOD), I was also blown away by Alex Irvine’s three. Cadwell Turnbull’s stories were also a standout. But really, I liked them all. There really wasn’t a dud in the bunch (51 stories total). It did feel to me like the Tim Pratt stories in book 2 and 3 were in the wrong order. And the Darcie Little Badger stories were enjoyable but I felt like I missed their overall message/theme.
.
This collection is totally worth your time. I’m excited to explore more stuff by these authors, many of whom I had never encountered before.
January 25, 2023
Or Else the Light was a pretty above-average book. I know I haven't done a review for the second book, but I didn't really enjoy that for the most part. Book 3 had endings that I found to be perfect and satisfying, for most of them. The first story in the book, “We Take Care of Everything” had an ending that I really liked. Everything ties in together fairly well and I enjoyed it a lot. Another reason was a lot of the characters in the stories. The story “Targets.” is a lot of talking and dialogue throughout, but it never got boring because of how the characters felt to me. The last reason is the book made me think a good bit. Usually, books that make me think hard about the ending and what might happen after is a good books. The last story, “The Lawless,” left off on a sentence where all I could get out was “Woah.” One small tiny criticism I have for the entire series is how it was a tad bit difficult to keep up with all the different timelines and stories. Though I could've easily fixed that myself by just taking notes on a Google Doc to be fair. I can’t really recommend just this book without recommending the entire series as a whole, but I recommend the series to any people who might want to start reading dystopian fiction or science fiction. It may take some time but I promise a lot of these stories are worth investing some time in.
P.S: There’s a bit of LGBT acknowledgment in the book like the main characters and all that in the book <3
P.S: There’s a bit of LGBT acknowledgment in the book like the main characters and all that in the book <3
October 12, 2023
Reviewing The Dystopia Triptych together.
This is a great collection. Some of these stories really got me hooked - Hugh and Co have done a stellar job - but as expected in any anthology, there were also a couple that just didn't work for me, and that's fine. I read these books at the same time, following each author's story through the three books, before moving onto the next. I'd recommend this as you get the details, the impact, and closure as you go! And from these there were three authors that particularly stood out for me: Tim Pratt, Adam Troy Castro, and Seanan McGuire (and obviously Hugh Howey, but that doesn't need to be said).
Stories looking at issues across politics, healthcare, the prison system, inheritance, genetics, and more, really intrigue. If you're into dystopias, this collection is for you. The first book looks at problems in current society and what happens if we jump on the slippery slope. Book two builds on those ideas and dives into the worlds created and the impact on people's lives, with book three offering a bit of hope and a way to claw back out (although often through a revolution or war - never easily!).
For existing fans of Orwell, Bradbury, and Atwood, or those that have been lured into the genre by the likes of Black Mirror - you'll find something you love here!
This is a great collection. Some of these stories really got me hooked - Hugh and Co have done a stellar job - but as expected in any anthology, there were also a couple that just didn't work for me, and that's fine. I read these books at the same time, following each author's story through the three books, before moving onto the next. I'd recommend this as you get the details, the impact, and closure as you go! And from these there were three authors that particularly stood out for me: Tim Pratt, Adam Troy Castro, and Seanan McGuire (and obviously Hugh Howey, but that doesn't need to be said).
Stories looking at issues across politics, healthcare, the prison system, inheritance, genetics, and more, really intrigue. If you're into dystopias, this collection is for you. The first book looks at problems in current society and what happens if we jump on the slippery slope. Book two builds on those ideas and dives into the worlds created and the impact on people's lives, with book three offering a bit of hope and a way to claw back out (although often through a revolution or war - never easily!).
For existing fans of Orwell, Bradbury, and Atwood, or those that have been lured into the genre by the likes of Black Mirror - you'll find something you love here!
February 12, 2023
Mind broadening read. This is the 3rd book of The Dystopia Triptych. I listened to the first 2 last year. Looking back I rated them 4 stars and still agree with that rating. I admit I listened to them because they were part of the Audible Plus catalog meaning the titles were included with membership and didn’t cost me a credit. The theme of each of these sci-fi stories threads through all 3 books but they still stand on their own. This 3rd book in the series included a couple that seemed rushed to an end but the majority shine. The stories feature 21st century contemporary sci-fi award-winning authors and I do recommend. I started with book 1 and 2 and finished #3 over a period of time of more than a year (with other books in between). The images, characters and ideas presented were strong enough to stick despite the spacing. If you enjoy dystopian sci-fi you’ll enjoy these. The audible presentation was excellent.
December 13, 2020
The third book of the Dystopia Triptych closes off the stories that began in the first two books, in some cases pushing the characters years into the future.
Some thoughts: Failsafe: Deep/Fake 3 by Rich Larson takes us into the country, but the chaos of the city follows. This one had a great ending line. The concluding stories of Targets by Adam-Troy Castro, Harvest by Seanan McGuire and Robots Rise by Tobias Buckell all had hopeful endings, but in some cases I felt that they were satisfying but perhaps not all that surprising. On the other hand, the ending of Lawless 3 by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor finished off the anthology by giving us a fabulous, semi-dark yet cathartic ending that reminded me a little of John Carpenter's "Escape From L.A."
Some thoughts: Failsafe: Deep/Fake 3 by Rich Larson takes us into the country, but the chaos of the city follows. This one had a great ending line. The concluding stories of Targets by Adam-Troy Castro, Harvest by Seanan McGuire and Robots Rise by Tobias Buckell all had hopeful endings, but in some cases I felt that they were satisfying but perhaps not all that surprising. On the other hand, the ending of Lawless 3 by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor finished off the anthology by giving us a fabulous, semi-dark yet cathartic ending that reminded me a little of John Carpenter's "Escape From L.A."
July 15, 2022
Each story was better than the one before. A great collection of thought provoking real feeling horror of the now. Somehow I escaped from the news of our 2022 existence by enjoying fictional versions of the same.
Read
July 20, 2022this series was fun overall but some of the stories didn't land and a lot of the political messaging was heavy handed to the point of cringe (not because they were bad politics, but just like twitter liberal fanfic level messaging)
January 28, 2023
(3.0 Stars)
There were some good stories, a few real rems, and some that just didn't hit the mark with me.
All-in-all, I liked the series, but maybe I would have liked it more if I read each author as a complete story from all three books, and book-hopped between authors.
There were some good stories, a few real rems, and some that just didn't hit the mark with me.
All-in-all, I liked the series, but maybe I would have liked it more if I read each author as a complete story from all three books, and book-hopped between authors.
March 25, 2021
Great collection of short stories. Gave me lots of new authors to follow and worlds to inhabit.
August 19, 2021
This has been an amazing trip
January 22, 2023
This was the best anthology series I've read...probably ever. Each of the authors wrote a story that connected with the others for each book. And it's all about different kinds of dystopia.
July 4, 2025
This was good like the other books. I still want some of these short stories expanded into full novels
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews