The Last Catastrophe: Stories

by Allegra Hyde

A hopeful, speculative short story collection about how humanity grapples in a world transformed by climate change.

A vast caravan of RVs roam the United States. A girl grows a unicorn horn, complicating her small-town friendships and big city ambitions. A young lady on a spaceship bonds with her AI warden while trying to avoid an arranged marriage. In Allegra Hyde's universe nothing is as it seems, yet the challenges her characters face mirror those of our modern age. Spanning the length of our very solar system, the fifteen stories in this collection explore a myriad of potential futures, all while reminding us that our world is precious, and that protecting it has the potential to bring us all together. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, LGBT, Dystopia, Queer

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2023

About the author

Allegra Hyde is the author of the story collection THE LAST CATASTROPHE, which was named an Editors’ Choice by The New York Times. Her debut novel ELEUTHERIA was named a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker and shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Prize. Her first story collection, OF THIS NEW WORLD, won the John Simmons Short Fiction Award.

A recipient of four Pushcart Prizes, Hyde's writing has also been anthologized in Best American Travel Writing, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions. Her stories, essays, and humor pieces have appeared in The New Yorker, American Short Fiction, BOMB, and many other venues.

For more about Allegra, visit www.allegrahyde.com

Or check out her blog, The Simile Museum

Reviews

[Allegra Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, I think this book is pretty good...

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want this book to end. I enjoyed the writing style so much that it became a sort of comfort read that I went back to every day for a couple of pages, alas all good things must end as they say.

While this book is speculative fiction I would think a lot of the stories would also appeal to fans of quiet horror.

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any short story collection, some stories are better than others. As a collective, I think it works well and there are some themes shared across the stories, particularly when it comes to the climate crisis and American capitalism. There are definitely some standout stories and I found that the better stories were in parts two and three. I’ll highlight some of of my favorites.

The Future Is a Click Away: Imagine if Amazon knew all of your needs before you even knew them yourself. That’s the premise here-the Algorithm knows what you need and is constantly delivering what you need to your doorstep. Why question what the Algorithm delivers, because it knows all, right?

Cougar: Set at a treatment center where everyone has some sort of digital addiction: gaming, Instagram, porn, gambling, vlogging, etc. Some of the patients have darker digital addictions than others. I strongly related to the themes of this story because I’ve definitely felt the pull of social media and what having influence feels like.

Democracy in America: This story highlights the further capitalization of beauty in America. Everything is smoke and mirrors, especially when it comes to beauty. It also touches upon the refugee crisis and how countries capitalize on it. There’s no such thing as the American Dream.

Merryweather’s Intergalactic Finishing School for Young Ladies of Grace and Good Nature: Like the title suggests, this story takes place at a finishing school aboard a space ship. A young girl befriends an AI but she eventually unearths the sad origins of said AI. This was a really fun story and I would love to read a full length novel set there.

[HippieWitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never really been into short stories but this book had my full attention. Loved the story’s. Some had me feeling like I was in the twilight zone lol and I loved it. I’d definitely recommend this read. So go check it out. Go on… lol

[Susan Tunis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was my introduction to Ms. Hyde, and it leaves me wanting to get to know her better.

It's a collection of (mostly) quite short stories full of both absurdist humor and social commentary. A fleet of motor homes becomes trapped by a lack of fuel and eventually degrades into its own deposit in "Mobilization." A single woman of a certain age fosters husbands in "Loving Homes for Lost & Broken Men." The stories at the end of the collection are longer and less antic. And despite the humor, heavy topics are addressed. There's a reason the title is The Last Catastrophe.

Hyde's use of language is strong, and her sensibility is quirky. These stories brought some of my favorite authors to mind, most notably George Saunders and Diane Cook. And if that's not high praise, what is?

[Scott Semegran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Catastrophe by Allegra Hyde is a book of speculative short stories about how humanity grapples in a world transformed by climate change as well as other serious issues facing us all. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “A vast caravan of RVs roam the United States. A girl grows a unicorn horn, complicating her small-town friendships and big city ambitions. A young lady on a spaceship bonds with her AI warden while trying to avoid an arranged marriage. In Allegra Hyde's universe nothing is as it seems, yet the challenges her characters face mirror those of our modern age. Spanning the length of our very solar system, the fifteen stories in this collection explore a myriad of potential futures, all while reminding us that our world is precious, and that protecting it has the potential to bring us all together.”

In The Last Catastrophe, readers experience vignettes from different possible futures, most of which stem from environmental catastrophe with the end of the world being the titular scenario. Hyde excels at exposing the humanity in her characters which struggle to connect with others when their worlds are falling apart, literally and figuratively. Several characters have to coddle fragile men—a systemic disease of our society—through the “virtues of white lies” or supporting the “husbands lost in the system.”

The stories “Loving Homes for Lost & Broken Men” and “Cougar” and “Colonel Merryweather’s Intergalactic Finishing School for Young Ladies of Grace & Good Nature” are standouts in this already excellent collection.

In “Loving Homes for Lost & Broken Men,” Claudette fosters abandoned husbands in a cruel system. She’s supposed to keep her distance emotionally from these fragile men but ultimately falls for Mr. Holm, a man with exceptional social skills and poise. When Claudette considers running away with Mr. Holm, something disturbing is revealed to Claudette.

“Cougar” begins with LeeAnn having sex with Viktor in the woods outside of their treatment facility. She’s trying to feel human in a place where the patients are being treated for a variety of technology addictions. LeeAnn’s addiction is a particularly pernicious one, something she tries hard to hide from the other patients. Will she survive her time in this cold treatment center?

In “Colonel Merryweather’s Intergalactic Finishing School for Young Ladies of Grace & Good Nature,” young Karoline confesses to her roommate hBEC-49011 (an AI speaker in the wall of her room that acts like a counselor). She’s part of an interstellar mission to find humanity a new planet, but the young passengers seem more concerned with the promenade to match up girls to eligible bachelors. Karoline is especially close to her hBEC who has its own dark secret.

Hyde is an exceptionally gifted writer. She excels at mining the humanity in her characters who are trapped in their circumstances created by these environmental catastrophes. I will be reading more of her work in the near future.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. I would give this book 6 stars if I could, but 5 stars will have to do in a five-star rating system.

[Erin Crane]

Got to 35%. This reminded me a lot of You Will Never Be Forgotten by Mary South and The Color Master by Aimee Bender - so I'd say if you loved this one, you ought to try those. But I gave those collections 3.5 stars, and I could see this one was headed the same way.

I do like speculative, weird short stories. These stories have that component. But I don't love it when stories that have a weird idea proceed to give me very mundane events and meander. Out There by Kate Folk and Bliss Montage by Ling Ma might fall into this category as well. I really wish I liked these more than I do!

Out of the stories I read in this collection, I mostly enjoyed Mobilization, The Future Is a Click Away, and The Tough Part. But I didn't care for Chevalier, Loving Homes for Lost & Broken Men, Endangered, Afterglow, or Disruptions - I found those pretty forgettable. That's not a good hit rate for me, so I decided to go ahead and stop.

Collections I enjoyed more are The Houseguest by Amparo Davila, Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap, and Transmutation by Alex DiFrancesco.

[Hayden Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lovely varied collection, with a general speculative bent. typical allegra hyde: not a sentence, not a word, that doesn't sing.

[Yash Majalikar · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5, rounded up. Ray Bradbury/Black Mirror vibes

[Danielle | Dogmombookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE LAST CATASTROPHE |

A collection of short stories all in the near to far future where the climate crisis has run its course and humans and animals deal with the fallout.

I very much enjoyed this book. Because these stories take place in the future, wherein people are mourning the past, there's an imbued sense of forlornness, missing that which can never exist again because of the irreparable damages we've done to our living environment.

Some of these stories reminded me of Black Mirror (The Eaters, Loving Homes For Lost and Broken Men, Democracy in America, Colonel Merryweather's Intergalactic Finishing School For Young Ladies of Grace and Good Nature, The Future Is A click Away) they are all so good. These are also the ones that I think enjoyed the most. They're a bit scary, the premises are kooky. A finishing school for the top 1% left of humanity's young girls who have escaped earth on a spaceship. An enclosed camp of final survivors who are holed up surrounded by humans effected by a gene-damaging drug that make them non-stop eat. A couple dress up in a moose costume to shepherd the last 5 moose across to safe lands in Canada.

I also appreciate that these stories are not blameless. There is a cast villain of capitalism, of greed, of compliant consumerism that we're all complicit in, trudging along because we think we're satiated and happy by what the algorithm tells us.

This was a top read of the month for me

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love short stories and I loved The Last Catastrophe by Allegra Hyde! I loved these stories! These fifteen stories take you to alternate realities of a world affected by climate change. The opening story Mobilization dives right into that as it’s about a caravan of RVs trying to live in a ravaged world. I loved how one story was 3 pages and another was 59 pages. One of my fave stories is The Tough Part where the narrator is trying to lure the five remaining moose in the world to the “peopleless wilderness in Canada”. I loved the Canadian setting and the humour. The song “Lack of Love” by Adonis and Charles B. is mentioned in this story and I just had to listen to it. My other fave story is The Eaters which has multiple POV and an intense foreboding element. This is a five star book for me!

Thank you to Vintage Anchor Books for my advance review copy!

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost across the board, I thought the shorter stories were weaker than the longer-form ones, which have time to flesh out themes and history. Or perhaps, due to the stories being about what has happened after climate change catastrophe, the longer stories have more space to set up cause and consequence and really get me invested.

Overall, a solid collection and some standouts for me but also a few short ones that left be unsatisfied and pulled down my overall rating (and enjoyment) of the book.

[Alika]

Unfortunately I did not like it but I think that is the point

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allegra Hyde assembles a vast collection of endings within the pages of The Last Catastrophe. Each of the numerous tales explore the conclusion of a reality - for good or for ill - and how a single decision can change everything. The opening number, Mobilization, follows a city-size caravan of drivers that crisscrosses America until the gas runs dry and permanently halts their lifestyle. The four-page story Disruptions tells of roaming feral teenage girls, fathers shuttering in man-cave attics, naked mothers taking to the shopping aisles, and young boys hiding from this new society in a weak attempt at survival. Convinced by his eco-conscious wife, a husband abandons his job to share a costume with her and lead the few surviving moose to Canada as The Tough Part unfolds. The increasing number of people trying to commit suicide by animal forces zoos to close, and leaves the protagonist of Zoo Suicides awaiting his own slow death in the butterfly exhibit. A mediocre theater teacher attempts to put the color back in her life by only drinking Gatorade, sacrificing her physical health to see the world through sugar-coated lenses as Afterglow unfolds. The residents of the titular locale of Chevalier cling to their small-town worries and doldrums despite the popular high school girl growing a predominant horn from her head one day. The Future Is a Click Away showcases a world where an all-powerful Algorithm provides the country with items they desire - until it turns instant delivery into unwanted junk piles. The preserved species of Endangered are actually artists, trapped within glass cases to preserve their creativity while also stifling it behind four walls. A middle-aged woman spends her time helping single men become husband material again by fostering them in Loving Homes for Lost & Broken Men, but faces a tough customer who reawakens her own desires with his charm and charisma. The female protagonist of Cougar tries to prey on young men at her rehab clinic out of boredom, but the truth behind her addiction leaves her face-to-face with the consequences of her own selfishness. Frights hints at a ghostly world becoming populated with remnants of animals, plants, and more as humans destroy the planet; Democracy in America follows a European researcher who abandons his girlfriend when she chooses to sell her beauty yet continues to pine for her company in the years that follow. The very short Adjustments tells of a time when ice has become a forgotten commodity, taken for granted as the world temperature has risen and flooded cities. Colonel Merryweather’s Intergalactic Finishing School for Young Ladies of Grace & Good Nature highlights young women being trained as dutiful marriage prospects for starship captains, yet one seeks to discover more about the planet humanity abandoned and why she feels out of place among the interplanetary aristocracy. The collection concludes with The Eaters, as a commune of humanity tries to survive amidst a world of voracious omnivores determined to devour everything in their path. Hyde’s tales offer glimpses into universes where humanity’s overall needs outweigh its environmental balance. Whether by greed, pride, sloth, or envy, the characters are all plagued by personal sins that have delivered ruination upon a lifestyle; humans become their own worst enemies. The Last Catastrophe hints at any number of possible fates that can be avoided, but the tales told within demonstrate the inevitable downfall or humankind.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Last Catastrophe” by Allegra Hyde

A fleet of RVs and campers moving around the nation in modern nomadism. A disturbing trend arises in a zoo. A researcher attempting to write about America but also unable to avoid its trappings. A post-apocalyptic colony struggles with itself standing on the precipice of collapse. With a sharp eye for detail, a sense of dark humor, and a voice that balances both dire warning and necessary hope, Allegra Hyde offers a searing look at our planet which, while speculative, feels not speculative enough when read in the current political and ecological climate. 


This is a short story collection that I did not know I needed. It’s been on my shelf for a bit, but I kept passing it up for what seemed like more tempting reads. But this was a stunning piece of work. Each story is its own discrete unit, but when considered together you can’t help but get a cohesive tapestry of Hyde’s point of view. It would be tempting to call this collection one of ecological apocalypse fiction, which is the focus of many of the stories. But not all the stories quite fit this frame. But when you look at the ones that don’t fit, the ones which don’t have the obvious throughline of ecological warning, it is the human consumption that stands out. My interpretation here is that Hyde has masterfully crafted a blaring warning not about our climate, but about the single-minded perception of our assumed exceptionalism which defines the way we eschew the interdependent balance of our planet toward constant consumption (of which ecological collapse is, yes, the most significant consequence). I wish I could take credit for this thesis, but Hyde smartly includes a character section in the last story of the collection which lays bare this flaw in modern human civilization. It fits the story, but also speaks directly to the reader, a callout of human history that we best learn from quickly. 


This is one of those collections for which I have no critique, no weak points. Some stories are quite short, and therefore may stand out less, but for me they function as the interstitial threads which let go of plot and instead focus on narration. Their purpose seems clear and their writing is impactful despite their brevity. My favorite stories included “The Tough Part,” “The Future is a Click Away,” “Cougar,” and the haunting pseudo-zombie story “Eaters.” 


This is a phenomenal collection, one which will likely take me to Hyde’s other work. I know that we’re just over halfway through the year, but I can see this collection ending up in my top ten by the end of 2024 because I don’t know that I’ll be able to stop thinking about it.

[BookBagDC · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are stories about navigating family, friendship, and community in a world reshaped by the impact of climate change and technology.  Some of the stories are set in the near future; others seem set further out in time -- although one of the effective tools of this collection is that it is never quite clear just where in time the story is occuring.  And the stories explore how individuals have adapted to a reshaped world, and the ways their behaviors and actions are fundamentally different from what one may expect in the current world and the ways they are familiar.

Several of the stories explore the intersection between technology and wealth, including one about a new technology that allows wealthy people to borrow the outward appearances of younger people on "consignment" to maintain their youth and another about a shopping algorithm becoming increasingly assertive.  Others pose interesting ideas such as the concept of "foster husbands" and the unusual potential futures of zoos.

This story collection is engaging and always thought-provoking.  A common theme throughout many of the stories is how individuals respond to disruptions and displacement -- and the principles that individuals turn to when they seek to rebuild communities in the aftermath.  One particularly powerful story is about a young woman resisting an arranged marriage aboard a spaceship seeking out a new habitat by bonding with the ship's AI, and what she learns about how the world the ship's leaders seek to build relates to the world they and she left behind.  Another powerful story is the final one in the book, which describes a planned community of individuals seeking refuge from a world reshaped by efforts to address food shortages.  I really enjoyed the author's novel Eleutheria, and this was a terrific follow-up that explored many of the same themes in new and creative ways.

Strongly recommended!

[Alex G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Catastrophe was a book that innervated me with interest based off its premise. A book that tackles our future. Using a collection of short stories as a vehicle for exploring the weird, wacky, and wild possibilities that could await us. Certain parts left me bereft of speech. Others made me furrow my brows in understanding. Some even left me in bunches laughing from the sheer insanity of it.
When I finished this book however, I was once again left bereft of speech. All I could do was stare at it. It’s a book that require a bit of digestion, you could say. It’s ending, and truly all of the stories ending, are hard to move on from. And that is what I love about this book. Some of these stories are ridiculous. A lot of them are actually. Yet it is rooted in something terribly real.
A technology detox center is something that will probably become more prominent in the future, one would imagine. So we have this realistic root and then the story shoots off in absolutely insane ways, and all you can do is be gripped by it.
The uniqueness of the prose from story to story also keeps you gripped to it. Each story felt distinct in their own way. I’ve read short story books written by the same author that sort of become redundant by the end, as the prose doesn’t shift for each story, for each character. This book suffers not from that. Some changes are more subtle than others, but it fits the respective story very well.
I’ll keep this review short and light on spoilers and leave it at this. This book, however weird, wild, wacky it may be, gives a realistic and haunting view on society. And all I could do is sit by and watch, watching all of this unfold. Happy to give this book 4.5/5 stars.

[Jennifer Koskinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow… this one is special...

The moment I realized these speculative-fiction short stories were gathering momentum as tools to build one surreal story of humanity careening toward, well, the last catastrophe, I experienced a legit, full-body shiver.

The fact that somehow I found this to be delicious, disturbing, propulsive, rewarding and strangely fun to read is QUITE an accomplishment given the topic!

Most impressive: the whole is even more searingly magnificent than the sum of its parts, each one its own blazing spectrum of quirky and brilliant originality.

At some point I started to perceive the stories as skipping like a stone across a lake of time. With each bounce we catapult towards deeper waters. And this moment came with its own sense of wonder.

There’s also the simple, staggering power of Hyde's creative writing. Within a few sentences, characters and settings vibrate beyond their prose. Metaphors are big enough to encompass societal conditions and the idiosyncrasies of our time. They ooze with meaning and urgency, creativity and a desire to shape an entirely original narrative around our greatest challenges of consumption, greed, survival, economic inequality, and yes… climate-driven catastrophe.

I laughed at her biting wit.

I cried (HARD, when I least expected it).

I muttered, "oh hell yeah!" sometimes and slung expletives under my breath at humanity's propensity for seeking short-term gain at the expense of long-term survival.

I said, out loud, "damn woman you can write!" to the pages… more than once.

And I felt wonder, aching beauty, love and hope, and appreciated that emotions were delivered both as little gifts and big gut punches.

I also *loved” her first novel, Eleutheria and it's safe to say she’s officially an auto-buy author for me. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next!

[Bry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this collection after reading “the Future is a Click Away” in the Pushcart 2024 anthology… it is amazing.

Hyde really goes all out in exploring how technologies are changing the way we understand ourselves and relate to each other in human society while relying on the underlying theme of climate breakdown. While the creepy on-going, real-time experiments of hyper-connection, dis/misinformation, massive surveillance, datafication of the self and capitalist algorithmic domination continue to unfold amongst us today (driving some to truly believe “climate change isn’t real”???), I expect this genre to start to grow more as those who are apt to speculation through writing and art continue to send out calls for us to truly grasp the implications of not demanding and creating the changes we need to offset the ravages of industrialization and automation. She does a great job of making a commentary on the wild hypocrisy of Western culture with dark humour sprinkled throughout the stories in the collection. The creative exploration of the existential reality of the 21st century is oddly comforting even as it is terrifying to consider the truth in the speculation. This kind of story telling may help people feel less alone and less helpless, may remind us that even while these threats of extinction are present, there is still room for love and hope in each other and in the natural world that we are a part of.

Standouts: “Zoo Suicides”, “Cougar”, “Democracy in America”, and “the Eaters”.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Once again, Allegra Hyde's ability to capture human emotion through vivid worldbuilding has dazzled me. Each of the 15 stories in this collection was unique in creativity. Yet, they all echoed the power of our humanity and how it shapes our world even in times of crisis.

Hyde has a gift for creating memorable characters. I appreciated how each story took on a different vantage point or format (interview transcript, shifting first-person perspectives, second person, etc.) to demonstrate her brilliant range. Each story focused around a different theme within climate or tech dystopia, and I was blown away by how imaginative Hyde is in her writing.

Some highlights include a conversation between a Young Lady and her AI companion as she longs to know more about Earth while facing arranged marriage to a male space captain, a convoy of motorized vehicles that falls into decay as the Earth runs out of oil, a woman who fosters husbands and remembers the high of being shown affection, and a woman who is counting down the days until she can leave the digital addiction facility she is in.

This is the kind of book that takes me to places that I feel all too close on the horizon. Hyde is the kind of writer that makes me want to mine my own creativity, write, and think critically about the world around me.

An absolutely outstanding collection of stunning stories. I cannot recommend this collection enough.

[Heather Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely fantastic anthology. The imagination & creativity was amazing and the heart in every story was so perfect. I think the story “Mobilization” really set the tone of the collection for me. Humorous and sad and thoughtful. A top anthology of the year!! And one that I want to reread, these stories were quite layered.

“A hopeful, speculative short story collection about how humanity grapples in a world transformed by climate change.
A vast caravan of RVs roam the United States. A girl grows a unicorn horn, complicating her small-town friendships and big city ambitions. A young lady on a spaceship bonds with her AI warden while trying to avoid an arranged marriage. In Allegra Hyde's universe nothing is as it seems, yet the challenges her characters face mirror those of our modern age. Spanning the length of our very solar system, the fifteen stories in this collection explore a myriad of potential futures, all while reminding us that our world is precious, and that protecting it has the potential to bring us all together.” (From the book blurb)

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super excited to read another Allegra Hyde book--it's always a fascinating experience. The Last Catastrophe includes stories of a wide range of lengths and genres, so some were of course more to my tastes than others, but the overarching themes of our communities and our relationships to the environment are nicely explored.

Here's my listing of the stories:

-Favorites:
Mobilization
The Tough Part
The Future Is a Click Away
Frights

-Finished:
Disruptions
Zoo Suicides
Afterglow
Chevalier
Endangered
Loving Homes for Lost and Broken Men
Cougar
Adjustments

-DNF:
Democracy in America
Colonel Merryweather's Intergalactic Finishing School for Young Ladies of Grace & Good Nature
The Eaters

[Carrie Esposito · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Catastrophe is an incredible collection of stories with fresh premises. In these stories, we begin with a collective of RVs, increasingly finding fewer places to land. We encounter a woman who fosters husbands and another in a spaceship being trained in making centerpieces and pleasing a husband while they’re searching for a home planet. We see a prescient near future in which a god-like algorithm controls society through a seemingly harmless delivery of products. Lastly we get the crowning novella, where we see a society desperate and starving who has turned to literally enacting the Dickens quote “let them eat grass.” If you’re searching for smart, funny and hopeful stories that both celebrate our intimacies and play with our absurdities, this is for you!

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of short vignettes each depicting a version of the end of the world: from the breakdown of a relationship to the end of an idyllic phase of life to environmental collapse to post-earth existence. As readers, we get a window into the ways the characters crack up, devolve, scrabble, etc. and into how they implicate others in their downward spiral and in the creation of something new (not always something better). Although the writing style for each vignette varies to match the protagonists’ voice, the author has a unique (cumulative) writing style that progressively builds intensity and tension! PS: In my opinion, the final story (The Eaters) was the best. PPS: The tone is reminiscent of Kate Folk’s Out There, which was one of my favs of 2022.

[Soren Everest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very delightful collection to read. A majority of the pieces are built off of one imaginative concept, and explored through a variety of different prose forms. What I mean by that is that some shorter works feel like prose poetry, while some are a typical short story format. However, they are tied together by the great quality of the writing. Each concept is explored in a way that is satisfying and impactful to the characters we are introduced to. There is a clear progression of information given to us that drive me forward towards the end. In some instances, I am left wanting more, like with my favorites of the collection, "Frights" and "Colonel Merryweather."

A good collection to pick up, especially if you are interested in Climate Fiction.

[kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this intermittently so it basically took me a whole month, but that wasn't because I didn't like it. I really liked it. The humor softens the heavy topics while not taking away from them, and literally all the stories do a good job of striking that balance. I liked some more than others, kind of a given w short story collections, but Hyde wrote them all well and I love her quirky style. (I almost shelved this under dystopian books because it's not that far off but I can't find a fitting shelf for it.)

[Toby LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because of my interest is climate-based fiction (wink). This book was tentative to start at first, like entering an occupied hotel hot tub. But the second part molly wopped me and I never got my feet under me again. There is a golden thread of genius Hyde holds gently, yet taut enough to hum throughout. Golden, too, is the grief we feel that Hyde carefully cradles. Her humor of the absurd blurts out truth the way good literature should. Read this one, and then read it again in a year. That’s what I want to do. What remains fiction, and what is absurd, I’m sure will change.

[Tuni · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 50%

It's not bad. It just wasn't good enough to justify finishing.

Usually these collections are a mixed bag with at least one real winner. However, none of the stories hit a 5/5 for me. Even the few that caught my attention in the front half lost it by the end. And I didn't foresee that changing in the back half.

Interesting ideas and a good connecting theme, they just fizzled out every time for me.

[Robert Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a reader's problem with short story collections that are not riveting stories - at the end of each story I lose momentum, put the collection down, and find it hard to pick up again. If the stories are riveting, or connected, then I start the next short story immediately and momentum continues.

I enjoyed "Loving Homes for Lost & Broken Men" and "Colonel Merryweather's Intergalactic...".

Found the writing to be lightweight. The stories not very deep.

Did enjoy it though.

[Kari Barclay · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wildly imaginative in a way that captures our world's absurdity. I particularly loved stories about an algorithm that orders us products before we know our own wants, a divorced drama teacher downing fluorescent sports drinks, and a world of folks in mobile homes guzzling a shrinking fossil fuel supply before becoming fossils themselves. The idea of "global weirding" is so evocative, and these stories capture that feeling brilliantly.