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99 Brief Scenes From the End of the World: An Apocalyptic, Zombie, Alien Invasion, Science Fiction, Horror Adventure
Decades ago, scientists sent a radio transmission into space, hoping to communicate with an extra-terrestrial culture. It detailed our culture, accumulated mathematical knowledge, and the finer points of human physiology. Now, years later, they have finally received a reply…
The Western Hemisphere is plunged into chaos, as exposure to the alien radio signal transforms millions of ordinary citizens into savage lunatics, their re-programmed minds relentlessly driving them to spread mayhem and death. From the southernmost point of Chile to the farthest reaches of Northern Canada, the day dawns upon a desperate struggle for survival. Fleeing from raging fires, disastrous havoc, and the murderous rampaging of the infected, the survivors must try to overcome the odds and survive to see tomorrow - but, with a mentally unstable President contemplating full-scale nuclear war on the East, will there even be a tomorrow?
99 Brief Scenes From the End of The World is a taut, adrenaline-fueled excursion into the darkest depths of the human id. It takes the reader from the embattled streets of suburbia to a besieged church in a Texan border town; to top-secret government facilities, where powerful men play a game of political chess, using people as pawns. Will the alien transmission succeed in destroying us all - or does salvation lie within the extraordinary mind of a catatonic little girl?
The Western Hemisphere is plunged into chaos, as exposure to the alien radio signal transforms millions of ordinary citizens into savage lunatics, their re-programmed minds relentlessly driving them to spread mayhem and death. From the southernmost point of Chile to the farthest reaches of Northern Canada, the day dawns upon a desperate struggle for survival. Fleeing from raging fires, disastrous havoc, and the murderous rampaging of the infected, the survivors must try to overcome the odds and survive to see tomorrow - but, with a mentally unstable President contemplating full-scale nuclear war on the East, will there even be a tomorrow?
99 Brief Scenes From the End of The World is a taut, adrenaline-fueled excursion into the darkest depths of the human id. It takes the reader from the embattled streets of suburbia to a besieged church in a Texan border town; to top-secret government facilities, where powerful men play a game of political chess, using people as pawns. Will the alien transmission succeed in destroying us all - or does salvation lie within the extraordinary mind of a catatonic little girl?
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2012
41 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
T.W. Grim
17 books48 followersT.W. Grim is a horror novelist from Southwestern Ontario. He is the author of 99 Brief Scenes From the End of the World, Tripping Over Twilight, When the Stars Fall and The Promises We Make in December.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.W.Grim_Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWGrim_Official
IG: @t.w.grim
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twgrim
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.W.Grim_Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWGrim_Official
IG: @t.w.grim
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twgrim
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 28, 2024
A story about an alien transmission that sends a signal that scrambles people's brains and drives them insane. Hundreds of millions of people are infected, and chaos ensues. This was a really fun read.
July 20, 2012
Interesting and fairly well written. Author has good story ideas, good skills and an intriguing storyline. Hooray! Thanks for the book!
October 11, 2012
I really liked this book. The concept was fresh and it told its story of the end in short digestible bits. It kept me turning the page.
July 10, 2023
To call this book "ok" is overestimate it. It's cheap zombie narrative.
All in all, every zombie story will be the same: every zombie flick has only some directions to go and what makes a zombie story worth my while is the execution.
When the narrative isn't boring and average at best, it's being desperate to cause something: a dog dies and wonders why his humans are killing him since "I wuv u so much", elderly people going apeshit as zombies and how MISERABLY old and dusty they were alive, a fair bit of Islamophobia (I quit there, because of how annoyingly AMERICA!!!! it was.). Oh yes, also the evil, priest-killing Chicanos. Huh. How comfortable it was to read that stupidity.
Horror involves being uncomfortable, not being stupid. So I was just done with it and I ain't coming back to it at all.
The Velox's math is now 3 books I would rather erase from my head vs 2 amazingly unretouchable anthologies. Let's go to the next.
All in all, every zombie story will be the same: every zombie flick has only some directions to go and what makes a zombie story worth my while is the execution.
When the narrative isn't boring and average at best, it's being desperate to cause something: a dog dies and wonders why his humans are killing him since "I wuv u so much", elderly people going apeshit as zombies and how MISERABLY old and dusty they were alive, a fair bit of Islamophobia (I quit there, because of how annoyingly AMERICA!!!! it was.). Oh yes, also the evil, priest-killing Chicanos. Huh. How comfortable it was to read that stupidity.
Horror involves being uncomfortable, not being stupid. So I was just done with it and I ain't coming back to it at all.
The Velox's math is now 3 books I would rather erase from my head vs 2 amazingly unretouchable anthologies. Let's go to the next.
June 20, 2019
This will have you on the edge of your seat. Never could I ever have imagined that a collection of different but connected stories could paint such a graphic and terrifying picture. This is a 'must-read'. I first heard snippits on the NoSleep podcast but please read the whole thing. It is terrifying but enjoyable.
December 23, 2021
I need more!
I went to find stories by this author after reading a Creepypasta compilation. The story was mesmerizing. My only issue is that there needs to be a sequel! I really want to know what happens to the little girl, and how the little enclaves of humanity handle the end of the world differently. Very good read. Highly recommend!!!
I went to find stories by this author after reading a Creepypasta compilation. The story was mesmerizing. My only issue is that there needs to be a sequel! I really want to know what happens to the little girl, and how the little enclaves of humanity handle the end of the world differently. Very good read. Highly recommend!!!
June 23, 2019
Horrifyingly Brilliant
The perfect apocalyptic read for any occasion. Absolutely amazing story. So many moments that left me speechless or cringing from the details of such horrific deaths. I wish I could give this book 10 stars.
The perfect apocalyptic read for any occasion. Absolutely amazing story. So many moments that left me speechless or cringing from the details of such horrific deaths. I wish I could give this book 10 stars.
November 9, 2018
Good to red
It was a good story, I know that was a good setup and start up for the characters. Sort of reminds of the stand .
It was a good story, I know that was a good setup and start up for the characters. Sort of reminds of the stand .
September 6, 2020
It never really ends
Just great. The world, your personal world, could end at any moment. So read this today, no reason to wait.
Just great. The world, your personal world, could end at any moment. So read this today, no reason to wait.
August 31, 2021
Only okay
While some of these alright, alot were either in bad taste ( my opinion only) or just ended abruptly and left you wondering what's next.
While some of these alright, alot were either in bad taste ( my opinion only) or just ended abruptly and left you wondering what's next.
October 22, 2012
This book started out as a 2.5 and performed the unusual feat of raising itself to a 3.5 by the time I finished it. 99 Brief Scenes From The End Of The World was stealthy, sneak-up-on-you-good, despite some important flaws, and I'm glad I stuck with it.
The bad news first: Right out of the box I was irritated that the structure of the book was not as implied by the title. I expected something more like David Eagleman's strange and wonderful Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, only with splatterrific zombie gore. So, when characters and locales began to make repeat appearances, I had to revise my expectation (99 unique pieces of flash-fiction), to reading what is better described as a novel with 99 chapters. These are not always "brief scenes," and some are really filler-y, not strictly necessary to the story as a whole. It seems to me that a final round of edits could have pulled this all together into a tight, suspenseful novel not reliant on the random titular number for its structure.
The good news: Grim's book does have a number of things going for it, and despite my irritation I found it impossible to put down. First and foremost, Grim -- a talented, descriptive writer -- does good character work. Once I finally got to know the core survivors, I cared about their fate(s), and admired the way his craft allows their singular stories eventually dovetail. Some of the global-picture characters (the foaming-at-the mouth US President, or the morality-challenged leaders of a Japanese science/weapons lab) certainly might have been excised or toned down. Though I suppose they serve to give us a window into the global situation, I found that the struggle for survival (and sanity) of the everyday citizens was more tethered in realism, and gave me more to sink my teeth into.
Speaking of which . . . absolutely key to this particular genre is the splatter, and Grim pours forth an endless stream of surprisingly innovative mayhem. The man knows his gore, and and has a million ways to spill it. in fact, a couple of unbelievably disgusting scenes really worked their way under my skin -- and I eat dinner while watching "The Walking Dead," so do the math. Grim also conceives an unusual twist on the now-standard zombie/rage virus trope (tiny spoiler: it's neither one!) whichmight allow a continuance of the story . . . something challenging to achieve when writing about an extinction-level event.
Because the unexpected twist piqued my interest, and because it takes a lot to actually gross me out, I not only upgraded this book to "liked a lot" status; I'll happily read any follow-up work Grim gets out there.
The bad news first: Right out of the box I was irritated that the structure of the book was not as implied by the title. I expected something more like David Eagleman's strange and wonderful Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, only with splatterrific zombie gore. So, when characters and locales began to make repeat appearances, I had to revise my expectation (99 unique pieces of flash-fiction), to reading what is better described as a novel with 99 chapters. These are not always "brief scenes," and some are really filler-y, not strictly necessary to the story as a whole. It seems to me that a final round of edits could have pulled this all together into a tight, suspenseful novel not reliant on the random titular number for its structure.
The good news: Grim's book does have a number of things going for it, and despite my irritation I found it impossible to put down. First and foremost, Grim -- a talented, descriptive writer -- does good character work. Once I finally got to know the core survivors, I cared about their fate(s), and admired the way his craft allows their singular stories eventually dovetail. Some of the global-picture characters (the foaming-at-the mouth US President, or the morality-challenged leaders of a Japanese science/weapons lab) certainly might have been excised or toned down. Though I suppose they serve to give us a window into the global situation, I found that the struggle for survival (and sanity) of the everyday citizens was more tethered in realism, and gave me more to sink my teeth into.
Speaking of which . . . absolutely key to this particular genre is the splatter, and Grim pours forth an endless stream of surprisingly innovative mayhem. The man knows his gore, and and has a million ways to spill it. in fact, a couple of unbelievably disgusting scenes really worked their way under my skin -- and I eat dinner while watching "The Walking Dead," so do the math. Grim also conceives an unusual twist on the now-standard zombie/rage virus trope (tiny spoiler: it's neither one!) whichmight allow a continuance of the story . . . something challenging to achieve when writing about an extinction-level event.
Because the unexpected twist piqued my interest, and because it takes a lot to actually gross me out, I not only upgraded this book to "liked a lot" status; I'll happily read any follow-up work Grim gets out there.
December 24, 2012
Normally I'm not much into horror. Once upon a time I cackled madly at Anthony Hopkins's antics in Hannibal, but now I can't stomach much more than half an episode of The Walking Dead at a time, and I gave up on the comics entirely.
99 Brief Scenes From the End of the World explores what happens when the radio turns its listeners into brain-scrambled monsters, possessing just enough intellect to royally fuck over the rest of the human race as thoroughly as possible. Shambling hoards of the undead these are not. Grim writes in short chapters, skipping around between the different groups of (mostly endearing) protagonists with one-shot vignettes thrown in for little more than color. Lots of people die, but the main cast escapes mostly scot-free--merciful on the author's part, but honestly a little unrealistic. There's also a character that serves as a literal god from the machine. Grim tries to crouch this stuff in scientific terms, but it just feels like he's waving a wand and stage-whispering, "It's maaaaaagic!"
Oh, and that ending. The initial catastrophe is winding down, though . The protagonists are s you get one last chapter about the majesty of the human race and the continuance of the universe even in the wake of mankind's potential extinction, all this philosophical bullshit that does not answer my question of what happens next, what happens next?!
Still, this is a good book with a bad ending, developed from a short story into a serialization into a novel, which shows. It's gory and clever and worth much more than the ninety-nine cents it's going for on the Kindle... if you can stand the typographical errors. Truncated words, strange line breaks, weird spacing between chapters. The story is engrossing enough that often you can purr right by them, but when they show, ouch.
For less than a buck on the Kindle, this is a no-brainer. The CreateSpace papaerback at $10 might be a little pricey, however.
99 Brief Scenes From the End of the World explores what happens when the radio turns its listeners into brain-scrambled monsters, possessing just enough intellect to royally fuck over the rest of the human race as thoroughly as possible. Shambling hoards of the undead these are not. Grim writes in short chapters, skipping around between the different groups of (mostly endearing) protagonists with one-shot vignettes thrown in for little more than color. Lots of people die, but the main cast escapes mostly scot-free--merciful on the author's part, but honestly a little unrealistic. There's also a character that serves as a literal god from the machine. Grim tries to crouch this stuff in scientific terms, but it just feels like he's waving a wand and stage-whispering, "It's maaaaaagic!"
Oh, and that ending. The initial catastrophe is winding down, though . The protagonists are s you get one last chapter about the majesty of the human race and the continuance of the universe even in the wake of mankind's potential extinction, all this philosophical bullshit that does not answer my question of what happens next, what happens next?!
Still, this is a good book with a bad ending, developed from a short story into a serialization into a novel, which shows. It's gory and clever and worth much more than the ninety-nine cents it's going for on the Kindle... if you can stand the typographical errors. Truncated words, strange line breaks, weird spacing between chapters. The story is engrossing enough that often you can purr right by them, but when they show, ouch.
For less than a buck on the Kindle, this is a no-brainer. The CreateSpace papaerback at $10 might be a little pricey, however.
May 2, 2013
An excellent read. Well developed and interesting characters and a fast paced and riviting plot which is as gruesome as any could want. Not a zombie book, this story's premise is similar but these ghouls are still alive.
The scenes while short have a depth which keeps you running back rather than away. The details make the scenes horrifyingly real as do the characters. Each character quickly comes to life. Many have to because they don't last very long. Others you'll follow deeper and deeper into hell.
You'll want extra lights on, the door locked, a wall to your back and you'll be tempted to keep a weapon in your lap.
The scenes while short have a depth which keeps you running back rather than away. The details make the scenes horrifyingly real as do the characters. Each character quickly comes to life. Many have to because they don't last very long. Others you'll follow deeper and deeper into hell.
You'll want extra lights on, the door locked, a wall to your back and you'll be tempted to keep a weapon in your lap.
August 4, 2012
This is more or less a typical dystopian/zombie apocalypse story, although the cause of the infection, and they way it manifests itself is somewhat unique. In general the writing is pretty good, but there are a lot of typos that should have been corrected in the editing process. Despite a quick start, the story was slow in developing, getting lost in too many stories of people getting mauled, and not enough time developing the characters. By the time the storylines gained some clarity my ability to care had all ready started to flag. Adding to my frustration was the inconclusive end. I suppose the author may have been keeping his options open for a sequal. God, I hope not.
September 28, 2012
A typical WWZ style novel about a radio signal that makes people who hear it go madly homicidal. Towards the middle it gets a little weirder and I won't do spoilers but it does have an unusual supernatural twist.
The ending was a little unsatisfying, leaving me wishing for a second book.
It's a particularly grusome and disturbing book but also something you read casually and for fun. Strange as it may be, this is the kind of book I read when I need to relax. It was a fun read despite it's horridness.
The ending was a little unsatisfying, leaving me wishing for a second book.
It's a particularly grusome and disturbing book but also something you read casually and for fun. Strange as it may be, this is the kind of book I read when I need to relax. It was a fun read despite it's horridness.
November 2, 2012
Loooots of grammar issues.
Doesn't anyone review the PDF or whatever BEFORE it's released? Holy crap.
Also, after seeing the original post on Reddit, and reading a comment about how it's very similar to Crossed,
I have no choice but to agree, because it really is very much like Crossed. At first it wasn't, and then they
introduced the raping of characters and it just became a Crossed that was ALL text.
Doesn't anyone review the PDF or whatever BEFORE it's released? Holy crap.
Also, after seeing the original post on Reddit, and reading a comment about how it's very similar to Crossed,
I have no choice but to agree, because it really is very much like Crossed. At first it wasn't, and then they
introduced the raping of characters and it just became a Crossed that was ALL text.
March 2, 2016
After hearing about this on the nosleep podcast, I really wanted to like this story and at first I did. For some readers the changing perspectives kept everything fresh and interesting. For me it made things a bit confusing, especially because I didn't read this in one sitting. I like to think I can balance multiple storylines, but Grim was overambitious with everything that he wanted to do and trying to fit it all into one story. I feel that it fell through in many places.
January 28, 2024
I love "madness" virus stories. Movies like 28 days later, and the crazies are personal favorites of mine, so I wasn't surprised this book scratched that itch very, very well with surprisingly good and unique twists.
Each story, no matter how brief, adds something to the world building, or in this case, destruction. Some of the scenes are very gorey and even terrifying and have stuck with me long after I put the book down. It's chaotic and shocking and a lot of fun.
Each story, no matter how brief, adds something to the world building, or in this case, destruction. Some of the scenes are very gorey and even terrifying and have stuck with me long after I put the book down. It's chaotic and shocking and a lot of fun.
June 23, 2012
Really enjoyed this book. A fast paced end of the world setting with zombies but not as we know them to be. Got to admit this was a total different direction than I thought it would go with zombies but highly enjoyable . Plenty of action and gore to get your teeth into. Would love to see if a sequel is forthcoming. Can highly recommend this !
July 31, 2012
A really great book that sucks you in and doesn't let go until the end. Grim does a really great job making likable, unique and believable characters that you are thrilled to follow throughout this dark tale. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes horror, post-apocalyptic stories, and/or well fleshed out characters.
March 9, 2015
Petered out at the end
It was ok at first, built on itself and got better, started to become downright good, then scrapped the ending. Its like he didn't know how to wrap it all up, so he didn't. And there was so much potential to keep the story going but it's like he HAD to keep it to 99 chapters so as not to have to change the title. Lame.
It was ok at first, built on itself and got better, started to become downright good, then scrapped the ending. Its like he didn't know how to wrap it all up, so he didn't. And there was so much potential to keep the story going but it's like he HAD to keep it to 99 chapters so as not to have to change the title. Lame.
October 25, 2012
TERRIBLE! Couldn't finish reading it! The book appears to be 99 brief "chapters" of different characters who seem to have no connection at all. The "F" bombis used constantly and adds nothing to the writing style and most all the characters seem to appear and get killed off for no apparent reason.
June 11, 2015
Too poorly written to read. Made it through the 4th "scene" and had to stop and remove it from my Kindle. I hope I didn't spend any money on this crapola. If it were possible I'd give it - - - - - *. (less)
December 28, 2016
So good!
I've been having a hard time finding a book that could grab my attention, but this did the trick. I had read this author's collection of short stories and liked them, but I think he really hits his stride here. I hope we get more soon!
I've been having a hard time finding a book that could grab my attention, but this did the trick. I had read this author's collection of short stories and liked them, but I think he really hits his stride here. I hope we get more soon!
June 23, 2012
Compelling characters, fast paced action, lots of hardcore gore... this is (hopefully) the first in what will be a long and prolific series.
March 4, 2015
It was pretty good for a self-published book, but I think it would have benefited from a (better) professional editor, as the typos and bizarre grammar were quite distracting at certain points.
October 15, 2012
One-and-a-half points.
Somewhat unique take at the reason for the fast zombies. I could have done without the supernatural part of the little girl though, this part destroyed the fun for me.
Somewhat unique take at the reason for the fast zombies. I could have done without the supernatural part of the little girl though, this part destroyed the fun for me.
October 18, 2013
Really enjoyed this story. Like the way it was broken up into different stories. Hope Grim writes another 99.
July 15, 2018
Good on Grimm, no sleep contributor makes the big time. Hey T Dub, dont forget about us little guys!
Seriously this is a good book...
Seriously this is a good book...
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews