Tales from the Ruins: A Post-Apocalyptic Anthology

by Cameron Trost, Claire Davon, Karen Bayly

Fourteen terrifying tales of a ruined tomorrow!

Was it nuclear war, an uncontrollable pandemic, or forces beyond our reckoning? Will we even know what happened once supply lines have been cut, radio silence has kicked in, and our world has come to a grinding halt? Who will have what it takes to carry on? Who will want to?

This cataclysmic anthology casts the reader into a post-apocalyptic world where every step taken and every decision made can mean the difference between life and death. These are epic stories of a world in ruins, but they are also intimate and moving accounts. Our masterful contributors take you by the hand and show you what will be. Don't let go, whatever you do...hold on tight! You will share the characters' struggles as you navigate wastelands or hole up as best you can in the crumbling remains of supermarkets and abandoned houses. You will go hungry. Your feet will grow numb. You will fear, and you might have to fight to the death. But in the end, you will remember it is only a book, and that you can close it, knowing you are safe and sound, because we are not in a post-apocalyptic world. Not here. Not now. Not today. But what will tomorrow bring?

The Aftermath - Claire Davon
Hell Takes All Prisoners - Karen Bayly
Chasing the White Limousine - Kurt Newton
An Interlude in the English Civil War - David Turnbull
A Kissidougou Christmas - Michael Picco
The Fields - Mark Towse
Cast Upon the Water - Joseph S. Walker
Help, Scotland - Malcolm Timperley
The Deep End - Cameron Trost
End of the Line - Louise Zedda-Sampson
The Death of a Raccoon - Adam Breckenridge
Darkness at the Edge of Men - Stuart Olver
Sailors' Delight - Claire Fitzpatrick
Homecoming - L.P. Ring

237 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2023

About the author

Cameron Trost is an author of mystery, suspense, post-apocalyptic, and horror fiction best known for his puzzles featuring Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable. He has written four novels, Dead on the Dolmen, Flicker, The Tunnel Runner, and Letterbox, and three collections, Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable, Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales, and The Animal Inside. He runs the independent press, Black Beacon Books, and is a member of the Australian Crime Writers Association and The Short Mystery Fiction Society. Originally from Brisbane, Australia, his home is now in southern Brittany, between the rugged coast and treacherous marshland.

I aim to rate every book I finish and I usually leave a short review. I rarely leave one-star or two-star ratings. If I don't like a book, I won't finish or rate it. I'm here to share good reads.

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Reviews

[Deborah Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining anthology, with stories across the range of spec-fic, offers a variety of subgenres. Post-apocalyptic fiction is depressing, by definition, so don't expect too many happy endings.

[L.P. Ring · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the world has always been a topic diligently mined by the religious, the political, and the creative. John of Patmos wrote about four horsemen, Norse literature had Ragnarok. H.G. Wells thought it might come from beyond the stars, Stephen King from a world-wide pandemic. The 21st Century has seen no downturn in such fascination with Cormac McCarthy, Emily St. John Mandel, and plenty others putting pen to paper to take about what happens to what is left. ‘Tales From the Ruins’ brings together 14 tales of urban, rural, and psychological decay for you to while away your evenings once you’ve tired of seeing how the end of the world plays out on the news or Netflix.

Brittany-based Black Beacon Books have brought anthologies based on Hitchcock, Apocalyptic fiction, and mysteries in the past and will soon be bringing anthologies of Ghost stories and Horror to bookstore shelves. Writers including Joseph S. Walker, Malcolm Timberley (his ‘Help, Scotland’ was my personal favorite) and Black Beacon’s own Cameron Trost offer their different takes on searches for a new home, conflicting tribes, and hope. There are also tales which reflect present day concerns. What will happen to the less fortunate or the at risk among us? Will an apocalypse only trigger humanity’s worse impulses? Thoughtful pieces by Karen Bayly and Adam Breckenbridge offer thoughts on those. There’s action and teenage kicks too courtesy of Kurt Newton’s Chasing the White Limousine. The less said about my effort ‘Homecoming’ the better – I shouldn’t appear biased 🙂

[Luke Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always liked a good apocalypse story and this collection doesn't disappoint. Some absolute crackers in here (and the bonus for me - finding new authors I'll definitely check out).

[Jim X Dodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories that are sometimes sad, sometimes tense, and many are thrill rides of dark fiction. All of them are better experienced than explained. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction you need to read Tales From the Ruins. The end of the world has never been this much fun. -Jim X Dodge, author of Theta House and The Bite.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will say up front that I have a story in this collection. However, I have had stories in anthologies where I haven’t given five stars. I aim for objectivity.

This is a fine collection of post-apocalyptic tales. The stories are dramatic and often bleak, although some offer a glimmer of hope. Each story is a slice of someone’s life where the characters play out scenarios of constant struggle, hope vs. surrender, moral decline, empathy and connection. Some die, some carry on surviving, if not thriving.

The post-apocalyptic worlds are well-imagined, and there are some great characters here. I especially loved the old man in The Death of Raccoon, Tessrah in Darkness at the Edge of Men, Lydia in Sailor’s Delight.

This anthology is well-worth your time, but if you like your stories sugar-coated, this may not be for you.

[Robin Knabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW:
I was excited as soon as I opened this book and looked at the Table of Contents, because I recognized a handful of authors whose work I’ve enjoyed in the past! That’s always a bonus when I am reading an anthology.

This anthology has everything you would expect in a post-apocalyptic collection of stories: violence, despair, evil, terror, fear, factions, bloodlust, humans acting dastardly—and a few glimmers of hope.

There’s a variety of dystopian landscapes in here, dripping with an overlay of despair and utter desolation. Just the way you want it to be for this horror subgenre. The stories will reach into your chest, grab your heart, and make you ponder what you’d do. What would the world be like? How would you handle it? What would you do if faced with similar situations, whether by choice or force?

It feels weird to say I enjoyed reading these stories, based on the fact that they highlight some of the worst aspects of humanity. Of course, the stories have a bleak overview to them. There are many different versions of accepting death versus avoiding it, all depending on each unique situation. I thought the authors did a great job at creating scenarios that were fathomable and quite frankly terrifying if they were to happen.

I love that even though a book is based on dire consequences and the prospect of death and disaster, there are still touching moments between characters. I think that’s one of my favorite things about dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction.

I’d like to share some thoughts I jotted down about each of the stories, listed in order of appearance in the anthology.

“The Aftermath” by Claire Davon: I enjoyed the ecohorror vibe in this story and the realization that blossoms until the end.

”Hell Takes All Prisoners” by Karen Bayly: This gave me pause. As a woman, this is terrifying!

”Chasing the White Limousine” by Kurt Newton: Great language and a fun ride. Enjoyed the interactions of the characters.

”An Interlude in the English Civil War” by David Turnbull: Great character relationships. Kicked me in the gut.

”A Kissidougou Christmas” by Michael Picco: Love the train of thought in the story and the main character’s evolution.


”The Fields” by Mark Towse: This one has some gut-wrenching moments. Classic Towse.

”Cast Upon the Water” by Joseph S. Walker: Absolute dread and desolation. Great characters. Beautiful writing.

”Help, Scotland” by Malcolm Timperley: So well written. The dread is creeping up on you the whole time. Chilling.

”The Deep End” by Cameron Trost: This is the epitome of dystopian hell. Scariest to me, because human nature can be terrifying.

”End of the Line” by Louise Zedda-Sampson: Quick but potent story. As a mom, it gutted me.

”The Death of a Raccoon” by Adam Breckenridge: Introspective and calmer tale but still hard-hitting.

”Darkness at the Edge of Men” by Stuart Olver: A constant wager for survival. Layered story of mystery and intrigue.

”Sailors' Delight” by Claire Fitzpatrick: Highlights one of the overlying themes: the freedom of death. Survival and despair at its finest.

”Homecoming” by L.P. Ring: This one hits home and mirrors situations in today’s society, highlighting the fear and desperation.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a good end of the world story, and my favourite ones are the stories where man fights back and tries to rebuild, make a story where all hope was lost, and build it from there, well I want to advice to everyone who starts reading this anthology, abandon all hope when you start, this stories wont bring you into that hope for future, everything ends in some way in this stories, for me it was a very depressing collection of stories, I had to take several pauses meanwhile to be able to finish this book, I also skipped some stories, but there’s always a pot lid for each pot, so I’ll bet that many of you will love this collection, but for me it was a bit depressing, I will still recommend this book when someone asks for short stories about the end, but I will also say that this is a bit depressing and for have that in attention.

I got a copy from this book from LibraryThing and in the same day got a free book from amazon of the same book and this is my honest opinion.

[Anastacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology deals with post-apocalyptic stuff. Roving gangs, zombies, I think a werewolf, and death duels. A good collection of different types. It's not all zombies. I especially liked Mark Towse's story about children planting trees. So depressing! It's the end of the world, and people are going crazy, and it's fun to read about in our trying times.