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Everything Feels Like the End of the World
Everything Feels Like the End of the World is a collection of short speculative fiction exploring possible futures in an Australia not so different from our present day to one thousands of years into an unrecognisable future.
Each story is anchored, at its heart, in what it means to be human: grief, loss, pain and love. A young woman is faced with a difficult choice about her pregnancy in a community ravaged by doubt. An engineer working on a solar shield protecting the Earth shares memories of their lover with an AI companion. Two archivists must decide what is worth saving when the world is flooded by rising sea levels. In a heavily policed state that preferences the human and punishes the different, a mother gives herself up to save her transgenic child.
These transformative stories are both epic and granular, and forever astonishing in their imaginative detail, sense of revelation and emotional connection. They herald the arrival of a stunning new voice.
Each story is anchored, at its heart, in what it means to be human: grief, loss, pain and love. A young woman is faced with a difficult choice about her pregnancy in a community ravaged by doubt. An engineer working on a solar shield protecting the Earth shares memories of their lover with an AI companion. Two archivists must decide what is worth saving when the world is flooded by rising sea levels. In a heavily policed state that preferences the human and punishes the different, a mother gives herself up to save her transgenic child.
These transformative stories are both epic and granular, and forever astonishing in their imaginative detail, sense of revelation and emotional connection. They herald the arrival of a stunning new voice.
264 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2022
21 people are currently reading
1040 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
October 26, 2022
3.5 stars.
Such a unique reading experience for this reader where I feel I encountered a speculative dystopian short story compilation centering on the mess Australia has made of climate control. I don't know how to better describe!
AI characters, human individuals requiring permits to breed, no water to launder clothing, birthing children a risk to everyone involved - how does one live in a world where there is no food or water - and in some instances, only for the rich. This divide between rich and poor; prosper or die is confronting. This is startling reading, but very clever and original writing.
In the audio format each chapter alternated between a male and female narrator, a couple of the stories were narrated by the voice of an artificial voice, an AI being typing, where the keystrokes form the background of the robotic voice. My nit picky observations prevailed - I touch type loudly and the sound effects were not en pointe, but no biggie.
One AI voice was trying to read the human's emotion, while using emotive language comparing the botanists heart (who was making notes on a tree's physical condiiton), from flailing to dying. Struggle to death. She was trying to capture the man's heart's feelings whilst describing an avacado seed to descrbe his central organ inside of his body.
The world is no longer fertile, it is barren. The overarching message to this unique piece of work is that yes, reallyeverything feels like the end of the world.
I found this not likeable, but compelling, and yet very good writing. I'd say young readers will embrace this, and relate to the mess the world is in. Not ten year olds, but kids that are smart and can see what's happening to the planet. Not everyone will like this but it is important, distinctive and affecting.
This is hectic, unusual, serious and troubling in a very small package that I pondered quite deeply upon, moreso than enjoyed. There was nothing light about it.
With my sincere thanks as always to Allen & Unwin Australia for my uncorrected proof copy.
Such a unique reading experience for this reader where I feel I encountered a speculative dystopian short story compilation centering on the mess Australia has made of climate control. I don't know how to better describe!
AI characters, human individuals requiring permits to breed, no water to launder clothing, birthing children a risk to everyone involved - how does one live in a world where there is no food or water - and in some instances, only for the rich. This divide between rich and poor; prosper or die is confronting. This is startling reading, but very clever and original writing.
In the audio format each chapter alternated between a male and female narrator, a couple of the stories were narrated by the voice of an artificial voice, an AI being typing, where the keystrokes form the background of the robotic voice. My nit picky observations prevailed - I touch type loudly and the sound effects were not en pointe, but no biggie.
One AI voice was trying to read the human's emotion, while using emotive language comparing the botanists heart (who was making notes on a tree's physical condiiton), from flailing to dying. Struggle to death. She was trying to capture the man's heart's feelings whilst describing an avacado seed to descrbe his central organ inside of his body.
The world is no longer fertile, it is barren. The overarching message to this unique piece of work is that yes, reallyeverything feels like the end of the world.
I found this not likeable, but compelling, and yet very good writing. I'd say young readers will embrace this, and relate to the mess the world is in. Not ten year olds, but kids that are smart and can see what's happening to the planet. Not everyone will like this but it is important, distinctive and affecting.
This is hectic, unusual, serious and troubling in a very small package that I pondered quite deeply upon, moreso than enjoyed. There was nothing light about it.
With my sincere thanks as always to Allen & Unwin Australia for my uncorrected proof copy.
August 7, 2022
These short, sharp stories are like fireworks. Fitzgerald is clearly a writing talent to be reckoned with. I particularly appreciated her brilliant use of simile and metaphor, the kinds of descriptions that make you say “woah” out loud.
My full review of Everything Feels Like The End Of The World is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of Everything Feels Like The End Of The World is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
July 9, 2022
The cumulative effect of these stories, story after story, wave after wave, has a quietly devastating impact. This can be the power of a short story collection. I loved seeing and feeling how the parts became the whole. Some stories are merely flashes (though sadly the flash fiction peters out in the final third). In others you’re invited to see into the lives of those living through the climate realities of our ever closer future. I was ready to face the inevitable void we all know is coming with these stories but I wasn’t prepared for the perfect encapsulation of youth in some of the early stories and this juxtaposition undid me. As the collection unfolds it becomes a kind of choose your own adventure for the end times. It can be bleak, it can be brutal, it can be strange, characters might fight, they might resist, they might surrender or they might just adapt and adapt and adapt. The ideas in these stories are kaleidoscopic. It’s so thrilling to see so many outstanding recent Australian short story collections, from SHIRL to HOLD YOUR FIRE to SHE IS HAUNTED to BORN INTO THIS to AN EXCITING AND VIVID INNER LIFE, and now EVERYTHING FEELS LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD. The form allows the writer to do so much and, for me at least, it’s all about how they read together as a collection. Fitzgerald has written a bold and memorable collection – it is grounded in loss and despair, grief and anger but is somehow suffused with love and wonder.
November 27, 2025
This is a brilliant collection of speculative fiction short stories.
Set within the possible futures of Australia, including climate disasters and various health challenges. Some of these stories are not dissimilar to our current times, and some are set in an unrecognisable future.
Each story is emotive and impactful, largely about the essence of what it means to be human, and the complexities of the human experience, including themes of grief, loss, love, connection, adapting, sacrifice and resilience.
The title perfectly illustrates this incredible collection, and this offers plenty of opportunities for pondering!
4.5stars (rounded up)
Set within the possible futures of Australia, including climate disasters and various health challenges. Some of these stories are not dissimilar to our current times, and some are set in an unrecognisable future.
Each story is emotive and impactful, largely about the essence of what it means to be human, and the complexities of the human experience, including themes of grief, loss, love, connection, adapting, sacrifice and resilience.
The title perfectly illustrates this incredible collection, and this offers plenty of opportunities for pondering!
4.5stars (rounded up)
December 1, 2022
The first half of this book for me was something like "Every single story feels the same". Countless white female narrators moan about bushfires, drought, floods, relationship breakdowns, fertility issues, angst over whether or not to have children in a dying world. I was so close to DNFing it. I'm glad I didn't though because things definitely picked up at the story 'Simulacrum' and continued on a high from there. In the second half, there were stories about cool stuff like VR/AR, uploaded consciousness, amphibious people, cat people, drowned cities, human sacrifice, machines yearning for a way to turn off. Definitely an improvement in topic and theme; how is it that I could relate to and enjoy those weird stories when the ones about women loving/wanting/mourning children left me cold? 'Simulacrum', 'Fibian', 'The Gift', 'Salvage' and 'Sheen' were my favourites and put me in mind of so many speculative fiction stories I've either read or watched. And yet, they felt fresh and I would've loved to linger in some of those worlds. Also loved that most of the stories were set in Melbourne or regional Victoria; it was a lot of twisted fun to read about post-apocalypse times while gazing on the Yarra River or city skyline.
October 21, 2023
This is Else Fitzgerald’s debut collection, and its fictional vision is both deeply resonant and utterly unique. These speculative yet immediate stories reveal ourselves and our planet as we are now, and as we could be in the decades, centuries and millennia to come if climate catastrophe remains unchecked. They are filled with a preemptive nostalgia for the sublimity and fragility of the natural world.
Everything Feels Like the End of the World sent my heart and my hope up in flames, dumped them out on the rising sea levels, then breathed the faintest glimmer of new life into them, a tiny green shoot unfurling.
Everything Feels Like the End of the World sent my heart and my hope up in flames, dumped them out on the rising sea levels, then breathed the faintest glimmer of new life into them, a tiny green shoot unfurling.
January 18, 2023
Made me angry cos this book is basically the future. I really like collections of short stories and this book is why - the stories left me thinking and wanting more.
July 31, 2022
A really interesting collection of short speculative fiction bundled together in what is both a call to action and an exploration of the emotional responses in an unknown future.
August 31, 2022
sometimes i enjoy a book that dispirits me.. and sometimes i don't
December 30, 2023
Dulu aku membayangkan dunia akan berakhir seperti di komik adzab dan hari kiamat. Sekarang mulai bergeser bagaimana jika dunia hancur karena krisis iklim, oleh karenanya sudah dua tahun ini aku ngulik buku genre climate fiction atau fiksi iklim. Tanpa sengaja aku ketemu Else di salah satu panel UWRF lalu, dia seru banget cerita soal bukunya. Waktu mau beli udah ciut duluan karena bukunya Else ini nggak dijual di Indonesia, ya memang agak susah nemu sastra Australia di rak toko buku kita. Akibat keajaiban kak @alien dan @transit akhirnya aku mendapatkannya.
Buku ini membawa perasaan sangat depresif, aku bahkan sampai harus istirahat membaca beberapa minggu untuk bisa kembali lanjut baca. Mirip dengan nonton black miror tapi lebih “logis” serta mencekam.
Aku baru sadar sangat penting untuk bisa mendeskripsikan alam ketika dia baik-baik saja untuk bisa membayangkan bagaimana dia hancur dan musnah. Buku ini berlatar di Melbourne, aku sengaja googling seperti apa Melbourne dan tanya ke beberapa teman, untuk mendapatkan pengalaman membaca lebih mantap. Walaupun bagian teknologi jujur tetap nggak terbayang oleh warga gaptek sepertiku.
Aku merekomendasikan buku ini di bookclubnya Greenpeace saking sukanya aku dengan buku ini. Habis ini mungkin aku nulis email panjang ke Else, sebab dia baik banget kayak ibu Peri 🧚
#WhatSekarReads2023 #WhatSekarReads #ElseFitzgerald
Buku ini membawa perasaan sangat depresif, aku bahkan sampai harus istirahat membaca beberapa minggu untuk bisa kembali lanjut baca. Mirip dengan nonton black miror tapi lebih “logis” serta mencekam.
Aku baru sadar sangat penting untuk bisa mendeskripsikan alam ketika dia baik-baik saja untuk bisa membayangkan bagaimana dia hancur dan musnah. Buku ini berlatar di Melbourne, aku sengaja googling seperti apa Melbourne dan tanya ke beberapa teman, untuk mendapatkan pengalaman membaca lebih mantap. Walaupun bagian teknologi jujur tetap nggak terbayang oleh warga gaptek sepertiku.
Aku merekomendasikan buku ini di bookclubnya Greenpeace saking sukanya aku dengan buku ini. Habis ini mungkin aku nulis email panjang ke Else, sebab dia baik banget kayak ibu Peri 🧚
#WhatSekarReads2023 #WhatSekarReads #ElseFitzgerald
October 22, 2022
So this is one of those books which is 100% a "good book"...really well written and powerful. But just not one that I enjoyed reading? Potentially too grim for my life at the moment or maybe short stories aren't my vibe.
August 9, 2022
Holy shit 🤯
This short story collection of speculative fiction explores climate change, technology and the future of the Earth. The stories started off featuring natural disasters not unlike what we see in today’s world, but as the book progressed, Fitzgerald paints life on Earth as utterly bleak and harrowing.
Some of the stories felt like plot points of Black Mirror episodes!! They had that weird and wonderful merging of technology/AI with humans. Begging readers to question the ethics of using technology in these ways and of the dangers it can bring.
The stories are set in Melbourne/Victoria and this particularly hit home for me as you find glimpses of the Melbourne you know and love, buried deep beneath the Melbourne of the future.
Fitzgerald confronts the big issues in her stories in nuanced ways. On overpopulation, a story here about a couple wanting to have a child, another about a couple that feel they couldn’t bring a child into this world to the way different societies of the future introduce laws around reproduction. It was amazing to see so many different possibilities and to get a glimpse of the nuances of each.
Despite the doom and gloom, I felt that the ultimate message was that the future is still full of possibilities and that there is hope.
I usually don’t love short stories and find it quite jarring to meet a whole new set of characters each story but that was not my experience at all with this book. It all flowed so beautifully and seemed to cohesively ease you into each new setting and narrator.
Clever and powerful!! A must read 🙌🏽
Trigger Warnings ⚠️: abortion, grief, loss, suicide
Thank you @allenandunwin for the #gifted copy!
This short story collection of speculative fiction explores climate change, technology and the future of the Earth. The stories started off featuring natural disasters not unlike what we see in today’s world, but as the book progressed, Fitzgerald paints life on Earth as utterly bleak and harrowing.
Some of the stories felt like plot points of Black Mirror episodes!! They had that weird and wonderful merging of technology/AI with humans. Begging readers to question the ethics of using technology in these ways and of the dangers it can bring.
The stories are set in Melbourne/Victoria and this particularly hit home for me as you find glimpses of the Melbourne you know and love, buried deep beneath the Melbourne of the future.
Fitzgerald confronts the big issues in her stories in nuanced ways. On overpopulation, a story here about a couple wanting to have a child, another about a couple that feel they couldn’t bring a child into this world to the way different societies of the future introduce laws around reproduction. It was amazing to see so many different possibilities and to get a glimpse of the nuances of each.
Despite the doom and gloom, I felt that the ultimate message was that the future is still full of possibilities and that there is hope.
I usually don’t love short stories and find it quite jarring to meet a whole new set of characters each story but that was not my experience at all with this book. It all flowed so beautifully and seemed to cohesively ease you into each new setting and narrator.
Clever and powerful!! A must read 🙌🏽
Trigger Warnings ⚠️: abortion, grief, loss, suicide
Thank you @allenandunwin for the #gifted copy!
January 16, 2023
I abandoned this book 1/3 in.
The individual pieces of writing are well constructed and well written but they are more of a series of literary sketches than short stories as such, and they are very short and very similar, so you get the feeling of reading the same thing over and over and they start to blend together. Mainly millennial angst about whether it is moral to have children in a world facing the consequences of climate change and similar allotropes of that unique style of self-loathing…ugh.
The title “story” is a well written sketch of youthful optimism in the face of larger forces, like climate change, and developers, and an apathetic society—had this been expanded into a longer story that provided a lynchpin for the book it may have worked better.
No recommendation. Your mileage may vary.
The individual pieces of writing are well constructed and well written but they are more of a series of literary sketches than short stories as such, and they are very short and very similar, so you get the feeling of reading the same thing over and over and they start to blend together. Mainly millennial angst about whether it is moral to have children in a world facing the consequences of climate change and similar allotropes of that unique style of self-loathing…ugh.
The title “story” is a well written sketch of youthful optimism in the face of larger forces, like climate change, and developers, and an apathetic society—had this been expanded into a longer story that provided a lynchpin for the book it may have worked better.
No recommendation. Your mileage may vary.
September 19, 2022
I LOVED this. I would adore it if some of the stories were full length... But for now I'll just take what I can get from this beautiful, clever, heart breaking writer.
December 9, 2024
i really really liked how this book was written
January 18, 2025
how very depressing!!!!!
September 9, 2022
This book is summed up perfectly by its title. Australian author Else Fitzgerald has put together a most excellent set of short stories.
Bushfires, floods, pandemics, drought. This collection touches on the full array of climate and health crises we humans are experiencing right now. Yet the author takes each just a touch further. This is speculative fiction set in the increasingly not too distant future in a world you can see coming. And that is the horror and deeply unsettling aspect of this book that makes it so compelling.
There are stories set during and in the aftermath of bushfires. In Fertile Ground there is a feeling of impending climate doom with a side of not wanting to bring a child into the world with what the future holds. Can you bring a baby into this world? And if you can should you? Some of the shortest ones are barely a page but the impact is no less. The story called Maps gave me goosebumps as I read the final sentences!
The title story was very moving. Young adults throwing themselves into living life independently and as full as life as possible while knowing that the world is collapsing and there would be no future for them. “Why try to save something that's already ruined?”
This is a book that builds and builds with quiet intensity. The first half focuses on stories that are so believable in our current reality with people living through natural disasters before slowly moving into the much more futuristic speculative stuff where the stories are just believable enough to shock you. This is heavy stuff! If you weren't switched on to what the future of our planet will be like if we don't start to address climate change right now then these stories will bring it all into sharp relief.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. One of the best short story collections I’ve read. Rival Smart Ovens for Lonely People for those who have been following along with me long enough!
Thanks so much to @allenunwin for my #gifted copy.
Bushfires, floods, pandemics, drought. This collection touches on the full array of climate and health crises we humans are experiencing right now. Yet the author takes each just a touch further. This is speculative fiction set in the increasingly not too distant future in a world you can see coming. And that is the horror and deeply unsettling aspect of this book that makes it so compelling.
There are stories set during and in the aftermath of bushfires. In Fertile Ground there is a feeling of impending climate doom with a side of not wanting to bring a child into the world with what the future holds. Can you bring a baby into this world? And if you can should you? Some of the shortest ones are barely a page but the impact is no less. The story called Maps gave me goosebumps as I read the final sentences!
The title story was very moving. Young adults throwing themselves into living life independently and as full as life as possible while knowing that the world is collapsing and there would be no future for them. “Why try to save something that's already ruined?”
This is a book that builds and builds with quiet intensity. The first half focuses on stories that are so believable in our current reality with people living through natural disasters before slowly moving into the much more futuristic speculative stuff where the stories are just believable enough to shock you. This is heavy stuff! If you weren't switched on to what the future of our planet will be like if we don't start to address climate change right now then these stories will bring it all into sharp relief.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. One of the best short story collections I’ve read. Rival Smart Ovens for Lonely People for those who have been following along with me long enough!
Thanks so much to @allenunwin for my #gifted copy.
October 8, 2022
This is a creative powerhouse of short stories that grip the senses and shake the heart. Speculative fiction at its best. The titles are captioned so succinctly and what follows is prose that is almost poetry-like in its simile and metaphor use. Many times, I lingered over lines for their sheer beauty in describing sometimes terrifying events.
The wastage and destruction of nature hits hard of our transient home. A collection that resonates with anguish, loss, sacrifice and love, too. Many on-the-edge-of-your-seat scenarios where hard decisions must be made in complicated circumstances. They make you question: what would you do when faced with life and death situations? Fires and floods we have already experienced today. And although we have glimpsed their destruction, how much worse will it get?
'Everything Feels Like the End of the World' claws at the false flesh veneer and exposes the raw bare bone facts of survival. Descriptions are given that will make the most-staunch soul flinch. This is an epic collection from a heart that values preservation of the fading green and glorious world we live in. Be prepared to be shaken from complacency as this collection will hit every exposed nerve and leave your mouth wide open in awe. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for a review copy.
The wastage and destruction of nature hits hard of our transient home. A collection that resonates with anguish, loss, sacrifice and love, too. Many on-the-edge-of-your-seat scenarios where hard decisions must be made in complicated circumstances. They make you question: what would you do when faced with life and death situations? Fires and floods we have already experienced today. And although we have glimpsed their destruction, how much worse will it get?
'Everything Feels Like the End of the World' claws at the false flesh veneer and exposes the raw bare bone facts of survival. Descriptions are given that will make the most-staunch soul flinch. This is an epic collection from a heart that values preservation of the fading green and glorious world we live in. Be prepared to be shaken from complacency as this collection will hit every exposed nerve and leave your mouth wide open in awe. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for a review copy.
September 22, 2023
Like a 3.5, idk how else to describe this other than just a nice and easy Aussie read! There’s something comforting about a book that describes Australian nature idk just is! Anyway is a nice book
August 22, 2022
http://jessjustreads.com
Else Fitzgerald’s short story collection Everything Feels Like the End of the World is a series of compact speculative fiction tales exploring possible futures in Australia – some settings don’t seem too far removed from our present life, but others are vastly different and set thousands of years into an unrecognisable future.
God, I really appreciated the brevity of some of these stories – at just 250 pages, this book has thirty-seven stories and they’re all just as rich and engrossing as each other. Jumping through different stories at quite a fast pace is actually a really refreshing read, so many short story collections have substantial (and therefore few in number) stories, and as a result, the pacing can lull a little in the middle. I loved the structure of this Else’s book and the order of the stories, which were scheduled deliberately and work together cohesively across the course of the book.
“Out over the edge of the rooftop the reddish sun is sinking, its brightness so reduced from the smoke that you can stare right at it without hurting your eyes. At the far end of the roof garden shared by all the residents of the building, white sheets on the clotheslines flap in the smoky breeze – surrender of defiance, you’re not sure.”
Else’s specificity, particularly her observations of people and places – of interactions, feelings, and memories – are gems in the story, and one of the strengths of the collection. Her stories show you don’t need to use a lot of words to convey something beautiful or poignant. There is a strong personal undertone to the book, like we’re getting a strong sense of Else not just as a writer but as a person.
Each story explores elements of humanity and what it means to be alive, even when the world is ending – ie. even during times of disaster, we can still feel love and connection, nurture, all the while experiencing heightened levels of grief, heartache, and loss.
I also freakin’ love the cover of this book – the colours and the tone, as well as the title, make for a really beautiful addition to the bookshelf.
“His voice is tender but careful. Before the phone call to tell him what had happened, and to ask if we could come, we hadn’t spoken in a long while. My body trembles, the horror of the past few weeks seeping over the walls I’ve built inside me.”
With each story moving forward in time, we experience the haunting progression of climate degradation and the ramifications of a changing world, sometimes through the smallest of lenses. It’s a clever stylistic technique to keep the reader feeling both unprepared and alarmed as we progress through the future to alternate worlds not overly different to our own.
“The walk down to the town centre only takes ten minutes. It’s midwinter and tourism still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic years, so the place is empty. The pub is closed, but looking over the fence from the street they glimpse a view of the water through the vast beer garden.”
Else’s short story collection is an accessible read for reluctant readers, and perfect for those with only short spans of time to read. With vivid characters and engaging settings, readers will love this book. Readership skews 20+
Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Else Fitzgerald’s short story collection Everything Feels Like the End of the World is a series of compact speculative fiction tales exploring possible futures in Australia – some settings don’t seem too far removed from our present life, but others are vastly different and set thousands of years into an unrecognisable future.
God, I really appreciated the brevity of some of these stories – at just 250 pages, this book has thirty-seven stories and they’re all just as rich and engrossing as each other. Jumping through different stories at quite a fast pace is actually a really refreshing read, so many short story collections have substantial (and therefore few in number) stories, and as a result, the pacing can lull a little in the middle. I loved the structure of this Else’s book and the order of the stories, which were scheduled deliberately and work together cohesively across the course of the book.
“Out over the edge of the rooftop the reddish sun is sinking, its brightness so reduced from the smoke that you can stare right at it without hurting your eyes. At the far end of the roof garden shared by all the residents of the building, white sheets on the clotheslines flap in the smoky breeze – surrender of defiance, you’re not sure.”
Else’s specificity, particularly her observations of people and places – of interactions, feelings, and memories – are gems in the story, and one of the strengths of the collection. Her stories show you don’t need to use a lot of words to convey something beautiful or poignant. There is a strong personal undertone to the book, like we’re getting a strong sense of Else not just as a writer but as a person.
Each story explores elements of humanity and what it means to be alive, even when the world is ending – ie. even during times of disaster, we can still feel love and connection, nurture, all the while experiencing heightened levels of grief, heartache, and loss.
I also freakin’ love the cover of this book – the colours and the tone, as well as the title, make for a really beautiful addition to the bookshelf.
“His voice is tender but careful. Before the phone call to tell him what had happened, and to ask if we could come, we hadn’t spoken in a long while. My body trembles, the horror of the past few weeks seeping over the walls I’ve built inside me.”
With each story moving forward in time, we experience the haunting progression of climate degradation and the ramifications of a changing world, sometimes through the smallest of lenses. It’s a clever stylistic technique to keep the reader feeling both unprepared and alarmed as we progress through the future to alternate worlds not overly different to our own.
“The walk down to the town centre only takes ten minutes. It’s midwinter and tourism still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic years, so the place is empty. The pub is closed, but looking over the fence from the street they glimpse a view of the water through the vast beer garden.”
Else’s short story collection is an accessible read for reluctant readers, and perfect for those with only short spans of time to read. With vivid characters and engaging settings, readers will love this book. Readership skews 20+
Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2022
Everything Feels Like the End of the World is a short story collection with a common theme that grows as the reader progresses through each story. If you were on the fence regarding climate change before reading this, you will certainly understand the impact on individuals, families and the country afterwards. The feelings of devastation, regret and so much loss have a real impact on the reader.
The stories are set in a future Australia, one that scarily enough, may not be that far away. The landscapes are changed irreparably by flood, fire or extremes of temperature. The book starts in a setting that is very familiar to now, and as the stories progress into the future technology takes a greater role as those that still exist must learn to survive in a world that looks so different. Think living underground to deal with the heat, flooding that destroys towns and capital cities or living in the sky leaving an underclass to deal with life on the land. Some of the stories take a more distant view of the impact on people, while others are up close and personal with the effects on individuals and families.
The main themes running through the collection are loss, fear and regret. Sometimes these are at the individual level like regrets in a relationship but a common thread is regret that the people of the world did not do something about climate change before it was too late. An anger that ancestors didn’t lift a finger to help future generations and left a land that was no longer fit for purpose. Individuals fear for their lives and those of their children (deciding whether to have children and subject them to the ravages of an inhospitable world occurs in several stories). A rage where wars are fought over water and home become victim to rising tides. Yet there is evidence of tiny shards of hope in other parts of their lives – the freedom to love whoever and to celebrate connections. Fitzgerald creates scenes that are strong with loss and the desolation of the country.
I did have to stop a few times while reading Everything Feels Like the End of the World as the sense of loss and anger grew. As the book progressed, the scenarios became less familiar and more sci-fi (robots, other AI and new creatures) but it didn’t take away from the devastation. There is a strong undercurrent in this collection that all this could be true if we don’t act on climate change now and that is deeply scary.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The stories are set in a future Australia, one that scarily enough, may not be that far away. The landscapes are changed irreparably by flood, fire or extremes of temperature. The book starts in a setting that is very familiar to now, and as the stories progress into the future technology takes a greater role as those that still exist must learn to survive in a world that looks so different. Think living underground to deal with the heat, flooding that destroys towns and capital cities or living in the sky leaving an underclass to deal with life on the land. Some of the stories take a more distant view of the impact on people, while others are up close and personal with the effects on individuals and families.
The main themes running through the collection are loss, fear and regret. Sometimes these are at the individual level like regrets in a relationship but a common thread is regret that the people of the world did not do something about climate change before it was too late. An anger that ancestors didn’t lift a finger to help future generations and left a land that was no longer fit for purpose. Individuals fear for their lives and those of their children (deciding whether to have children and subject them to the ravages of an inhospitable world occurs in several stories). A rage where wars are fought over water and home become victim to rising tides. Yet there is evidence of tiny shards of hope in other parts of their lives – the freedom to love whoever and to celebrate connections. Fitzgerald creates scenes that are strong with loss and the desolation of the country.
I did have to stop a few times while reading Everything Feels Like the End of the World as the sense of loss and anger grew. As the book progressed, the scenarios became less familiar and more sci-fi (robots, other AI and new creatures) but it didn’t take away from the devastation. There is a strong undercurrent in this collection that all this could be true if we don’t act on climate change now and that is deeply scary.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
November 20, 2022
I was lucky enough to be sent a review copy of this book by the publishers, and a bit surprised to see a large publisher was prepared to publish a collection of short stories.
The collection offers 37 short stories – some of them shorter than a page - offering different characters in separate situations which loosely weave around each other to make a bridge that stretches into what is often portrayed as a dystopian future.
At one end of the bridge, the first story in the collection, The River, establishes the Australian scene that many of the stories share. This story seemed to recount Australia’s recent past referring to a January studded with bushfires and the effect of drought on a local swimming hole. I was fascinated with the author’s ability to describe minutia. Her descriptions of the congealing water hole, baked earth scabs that reveal mud when peeled off were quite evocative.
For a while, the writer’s ��future’ feels a lot like our present, so much so that at times I wondered if she had a crystal ball, as we seemed to be living through some of her stories as I was reading them. Floods, droughts bushfires, how wealth and poverty dictate who can afford to reproduce or not are all touched on subtly, often mentioned in passing as a background reality. The focus of the stories are always the characters.
I was a little disappointed to find the story the book was named after, Everything Feels Like the End of the World, is a coming-of-age piece. For some reason, I was expecting it to be something else – though I don’t know what.
My favourite stories in this book were the futuristic Fibian and Some of These May Hurt that sit side by side in the collection. I had a couple of quibbles with the story Final Broadcast, which wasn’t the final story in the collection, as you might expect, but provided an interesting segway to the final story, the sad and touching Sheen.
After reading this book, I came away thinking while climate change, global warming, infertility, poverty, homelessness, droughts, floods and bushfires are part of our present and will continue to stay with us as we journey into the future - it seems too late to turn back now, the future is already upon us whether we want it or not – what will shape and form the future isn’t so much what assails us, but how we respond as human beings.
Else Fitzgerald is a gifted word-smith and I really enjoyed reading this collection of her stories.
The collection offers 37 short stories – some of them shorter than a page - offering different characters in separate situations which loosely weave around each other to make a bridge that stretches into what is often portrayed as a dystopian future.
At one end of the bridge, the first story in the collection, The River, establishes the Australian scene that many of the stories share. This story seemed to recount Australia’s recent past referring to a January studded with bushfires and the effect of drought on a local swimming hole. I was fascinated with the author’s ability to describe minutia. Her descriptions of the congealing water hole, baked earth scabs that reveal mud when peeled off were quite evocative.
For a while, the writer’s ��future’ feels a lot like our present, so much so that at times I wondered if she had a crystal ball, as we seemed to be living through some of her stories as I was reading them. Floods, droughts bushfires, how wealth and poverty dictate who can afford to reproduce or not are all touched on subtly, often mentioned in passing as a background reality. The focus of the stories are always the characters.
I was a little disappointed to find the story the book was named after, Everything Feels Like the End of the World, is a coming-of-age piece. For some reason, I was expecting it to be something else – though I don’t know what.
My favourite stories in this book were the futuristic Fibian and Some of These May Hurt that sit side by side in the collection. I had a couple of quibbles with the story Final Broadcast, which wasn’t the final story in the collection, as you might expect, but provided an interesting segway to the final story, the sad and touching Sheen.
After reading this book, I came away thinking while climate change, global warming, infertility, poverty, homelessness, droughts, floods and bushfires are part of our present and will continue to stay with us as we journey into the future - it seems too late to turn back now, the future is already upon us whether we want it or not – what will shape and form the future isn’t so much what assails us, but how we respond as human beings.
Else Fitzgerald is a gifted word-smith and I really enjoyed reading this collection of her stories.
September 5, 2022
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I highly enjoyed this collection of short stories. This fiction novel looks directly at climate change, examining the consequences that not making changes today will have on the world tomorrow. The stories are written chronological order, with at least a few stories on each topic or event. This takes the reader on a journey, as the first story looks at the drought and a 'day one' of the climate crisis, while the final book looks at the planet dying and the end of civilisation. Alongside the climate crisis and events such as fires, droughts, and floods which many have already experienced, the book touches on many other relevant topics, including politics, AI, corruption of power, the refugee crisis, the pandemic and overconsumption amongst others. Speculating on the future of the world without climate control, the collection uses a wide range of perspectives and experiences to present the impact of change on every person. Both depressing and eye-opening, this novel puts lack of climate control today in context and forces the reader to confront their actions.
Towards the end of the book, the focus becomes the after effects of significant climate events, with more technologically focused stories. The inclusion of AI, genetic modification and underground communities as a way to deal with a ruined climate was included to demonstrate the significant long term impacts. These stories are longer, presumably because Fitzgerald was trying to establish an entirely different world to what we know, therefore requiring longer form content to develop reader understanding. I didn't enjoy these stories as much, which is not a surprise given I'm not a big fan of fantasy or highly futuristic literature, however some of them were really well written and even I have to admit they were interesting to read.
Some of my favourites were Feed, Borders, Some of These May Hurt and The Gift.
Some of my least favourites were What Three Words, How Dark the Nights, Fibian and Diviner.
This collection offers a dire warning to all, while promoting the importance of social connection on surviving with change, utilising a range of perspectives to deliver an impactful and confronting novel.
A huge thank you to Allen and Unwin for providing me an ARC to read and review!
I highly enjoyed this collection of short stories. This fiction novel looks directly at climate change, examining the consequences that not making changes today will have on the world tomorrow. The stories are written chronological order, with at least a few stories on each topic or event. This takes the reader on a journey, as the first story looks at the drought and a 'day one' of the climate crisis, while the final book looks at the planet dying and the end of civilisation. Alongside the climate crisis and events such as fires, droughts, and floods which many have already experienced, the book touches on many other relevant topics, including politics, AI, corruption of power, the refugee crisis, the pandemic and overconsumption amongst others. Speculating on the future of the world without climate control, the collection uses a wide range of perspectives and experiences to present the impact of change on every person. Both depressing and eye-opening, this novel puts lack of climate control today in context and forces the reader to confront their actions.
Towards the end of the book, the focus becomes the after effects of significant climate events, with more technologically focused stories. The inclusion of AI, genetic modification and underground communities as a way to deal with a ruined climate was included to demonstrate the significant long term impacts. These stories are longer, presumably because Fitzgerald was trying to establish an entirely different world to what we know, therefore requiring longer form content to develop reader understanding. I didn't enjoy these stories as much, which is not a surprise given I'm not a big fan of fantasy or highly futuristic literature, however some of them were really well written and even I have to admit they were interesting to read.
Some of my favourites were Feed, Borders, Some of These May Hurt and The Gift.
Some of my least favourites were What Three Words, How Dark the Nights, Fibian and Diviner.
This collection offers a dire warning to all, while promoting the importance of social connection on surviving with change, utilising a range of perspectives to deliver an impactful and confronting novel.
A huge thank you to Allen and Unwin for providing me an ARC to read and review!
January 28, 2023
“We live the way we live now so we don’t make those same mistakes.”
A mix of short stories that seem to link to each other as you progress through them: the backdrop to them all is the end of the world as we know it. It is a no too distant future, some stories slowly reeling you in, some grasping out and running with you, unprepared for the aftermath: “… but even retreating into data we understood the earth could not reset itself that the desolation that occurred at our hands could not be undone …”
The imagery is overpowering and tangible: “Tenderness in our limbs in those hangover mornings, our mouths sour an ashy, but still bright with last night’s pink lipstick, smeared with kisses”. These are stories that are imprinted upon an Australian landscape, you cannot help but feel the connection in each and every one. There are elements of climate change and the decay of the environment as we know it, and the impact this has on people and their families and how they are living their lives. The despair and loss is bleak and startling, and there are glimmers of hope in amidst the anxiety. The memories of happier times are scattered through the stories, possibly to remind us to not let go of hope and to continue to strive for a better future. And I think that might have been one of the key messages to take from these little stories: we have to start hoping now and believe that we will have a better future ahead, and not wait to have hope in a distant time that may be unrecognisable. The hope we have now for a better future will make a difference when we get there.
“It is important to be here, through all of this, one way or another. There is still so much to come”.
Thanks to https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1... for sharing the book with me.
A mix of short stories that seem to link to each other as you progress through them: the backdrop to them all is the end of the world as we know it. It is a no too distant future, some stories slowly reeling you in, some grasping out and running with you, unprepared for the aftermath: “… but even retreating into data we understood the earth could not reset itself that the desolation that occurred at our hands could not be undone …”
The imagery is overpowering and tangible: “Tenderness in our limbs in those hangover mornings, our mouths sour an ashy, but still bright with last night’s pink lipstick, smeared with kisses”. These are stories that are imprinted upon an Australian landscape, you cannot help but feel the connection in each and every one. There are elements of climate change and the decay of the environment as we know it, and the impact this has on people and their families and how they are living their lives. The despair and loss is bleak and startling, and there are glimmers of hope in amidst the anxiety. The memories of happier times are scattered through the stories, possibly to remind us to not let go of hope and to continue to strive for a better future. And I think that might have been one of the key messages to take from these little stories: we have to start hoping now and believe that we will have a better future ahead, and not wait to have hope in a distant time that may be unrecognisable. The hope we have now for a better future will make a difference when we get there.
“It is important to be here, through all of this, one way or another. There is still so much to come”.
Thanks to https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1... for sharing the book with me.
September 3, 2022
Oof, this book really hit hard. The first half mostly deals with the near-future, drawing on recent events and current issues, and as you read, it's like a mounting tidal wave of despair, rage, hurt and frustration. I had to put it down and have a break, even though each story is sharply written and incredibly prescient.
Something that always gets me in speculative or climate fiction is the element of regretful nostalgia, and this book has it in droves. Why didn't we listen, why didn't we do more, remember how it used to be, look how swiftly it changed. Look at the chances we squandered. The stories are all to real, clever and unsparing.
The second half moves into the more distant future, where humans are evolving into animals, or AI, or back to more pre-industrialised rituals. Some of these stories lost my interest a bit, though I can appreciate what they represent. They didn't have the urgency of the first half, but the last couple of stories really hammer home what we stand to lose. I'm in awe of writers who can convey these intricate, intelligent and prophetic ideas in a few short pages.
You have to read this book. It is incredible.
Something that always gets me in speculative or climate fiction is the element of regretful nostalgia, and this book has it in droves. Why didn't we listen, why didn't we do more, remember how it used to be, look how swiftly it changed. Look at the chances we squandered. The stories are all to real, clever and unsparing.
The second half moves into the more distant future, where humans are evolving into animals, or AI, or back to more pre-industrialised rituals. Some of these stories lost my interest a bit, though I can appreciate what they represent. They didn't have the urgency of the first half, but the last couple of stories really hammer home what we stand to lose. I'm in awe of writers who can convey these intricate, intelligent and prophetic ideas in a few short pages.
You have to read this book. It is incredible.
December 8, 2022
A short story collection of speculative fiction, which is literally about the end of the world. The stories start against a backdrop of natural disasters akin to what we experience now - bushfires, droughts and floods - but as the book progresses, the health of Earth declines and the prospects of it's inhabitants worsen. There are land areas that repeatedly burn while others are inundated by surging sea levels. Fierce temperatures, water shortages, polluted air, and disease outbreaks prompt cities to build shields and lock others out. There are water wars and food shortages.
It takes a lot for me to enjoy short stories. It's jarring and hard work to meet new characters for each story, but that's overcome here by the characters not really being introduced. They're mere foreground - literary tools - rather than traditional characters. The stories are more about the themes: climate change, wanton consumption, over-populating, technology integration with humans, genetic tinkering to adapt the species. It's confronting, depressing and horrifying.
It takes a lot for me to enjoy short stories. It's jarring and hard work to meet new characters for each story, but that's overcome here by the characters not really being introduced. They're mere foreground - literary tools - rather than traditional characters. The stories are more about the themes: climate change, wanton consumption, over-populating, technology integration with humans, genetic tinkering to adapt the species. It's confronting, depressing and horrifying.
March 12, 2025
The first half of this book didn't really grasp me - it felt like a lot of very similar stories just being retold, and they weren't diving into any dystopian or speculative elements that were the reason I was intrigued to pick it up in the first place. Thankfully, some of the stories in the latter half diverged from that trend, touching on interesting topics like AR/VR/MR simulations and the ethics of creating a digital self.
The Australian setting was a welcome feature, though my Sydney-centric brain did relate George St and Carlton to their NSW rather than Victorian counterparts as was intended. Given its Australian setting, I did wish we got a bit more of a diverse cast of characters - while I appreciated the variety of sexualities displayed, I don't think any character was explicitly of any other race except white. It might have been the author's intention to make the characters deliberately vague in their descriptions - but if that was the case, I wish there had been some less European-centric names included in the mix.
The Australian setting was a welcome feature, though my Sydney-centric brain did relate George St and Carlton to their NSW rather than Victorian counterparts as was intended. Given its Australian setting, I did wish we got a bit more of a diverse cast of characters - while I appreciated the variety of sexualities displayed, I don't think any character was explicitly of any other race except white. It might have been the author's intention to make the characters deliberately vague in their descriptions - but if that was the case, I wish there had been some less European-centric names included in the mix.
September 24, 2022
Living for this cover 🙌
This short story collection feels like someone put the world in a snow globe. At the beginning it's tipped over ever so slightly but by the end, the snow globe is upside down and the world is hundreds of years in the future, far removed from what we know today.
There are moral dilemmas as the book describes the journey out earth. I felt all the descriptions in the earlier chapters of a near future with disintegrating landscapes, right through to the black mirror-like chapters, with sky domes, underground cities and digital children.
I love the way Else Fitzgerald throws you in, she doesn't overly explain but trusts the reader to grasp each story. She has thought of every single thing and I was so drawn into each chapter. The time, place and characters are so realised, even though the worlds she creates only last a few pages.
I will remember this book for a long time and can't wait for more from this writer.
This short story collection feels like someone put the world in a snow globe. At the beginning it's tipped over ever so slightly but by the end, the snow globe is upside down and the world is hundreds of years in the future, far removed from what we know today.
There are moral dilemmas as the book describes the journey out earth. I felt all the descriptions in the earlier chapters of a near future with disintegrating landscapes, right through to the black mirror-like chapters, with sky domes, underground cities and digital children.
I love the way Else Fitzgerald throws you in, she doesn't overly explain but trusts the reader to grasp each story. She has thought of every single thing and I was so drawn into each chapter. The time, place and characters are so realised, even though the worlds she creates only last a few pages.
I will remember this book for a long time and can't wait for more from this writer.
January 14, 2023
3.5 stars.
The millenial colours got me good when I did what they say never to do - judge a book by it's cover. It's a collection of short speculative fiction centring around the impacts of climate change and the end of the world. Each story really packed a punch and I'm impressed with the author's ability to convey emotion in such short pieces of writing. It's no doubt that the author is extremely talented but it begs the question - who has the emotional capacity, in this economy, to have their anxiety exacerbated about what we know to be true? I actually felt my mood declining all week and I had to start reading this book is shorter bursts because of how hopeless it was making me, a girly with climate anxiety, feel.
Nevertheless, this is a great read and I can really see the benefit of these stories having been included in newspapers and online media spaces to be consumed as individual stories.
The millenial colours got me good when I did what they say never to do - judge a book by it's cover. It's a collection of short speculative fiction centring around the impacts of climate change and the end of the world. Each story really packed a punch and I'm impressed with the author's ability to convey emotion in such short pieces of writing. It's no doubt that the author is extremely talented but it begs the question - who has the emotional capacity, in this economy, to have their anxiety exacerbated about what we know to be true? I actually felt my mood declining all week and I had to start reading this book is shorter bursts because of how hopeless it was making me, a girly with climate anxiety, feel.
Nevertheless, this is a great read and I can really see the benefit of these stories having been included in newspapers and online media spaces to be consumed as individual stories.
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