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Countdown to Midnight
Stories deal with a military conspiracy, postnuclear societies, the arms race, and the horror of nuclear war
Mass Market Paperback
First published December 4, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 31, 2024
Average rating: 3.29/5 stars
Full of unique visions of a fear-laden nuclear future, this anthology boats a unique diverse collection of short stories from all over the globe. However, it lacks the punch I was hoping for in this collection.
Besides a few outliers, the stories were middling. Frequently I found myself wondering: “Are these truly the best nuclear-inspired short stories?” Some—such as Harlan Ellison’s legendary “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”—feel like they’re only included because they’re post-apocalyptic—not nuclear. Other stories only have nuclear themes hidden deep in the background. You can only blink and you’ll miss it.
It’s an odd choice, and I wish the editor had been better at his choices. I think his decisions created a lukewarm thematic anthology that begs for something of more substance.
”To Still the Drums” - Chandler Davis - 3/5
More political thriller than science fiction, “To Still the Drums” is a simple premise: a man becomes a whistleblower to stop a nuclear war from being precipitated by a hawkish faction within the US.
Written in 1946, just a little bit after the first atomic bombs were dropped, Davis creates the existential jump after the nuclear Pandora’s Box was opened—how long before these ultimate weapons are used to destroy?
Decent but nothing special.
”Thunder and Roses” - Theodore Sturgeon - 3.5/5
Hatred. Anger. Revenge. When the United States is destroyed by multiple nuclear blasts, the remaining survivors begin to slowly die from the radioactive fallout. Yet should they retaliate with missiles of their own?
An emotional tale of a surviving soldier in a bunker on the last legs of death. Perhaps most poignant is the singer idol who rallies the disheartened troops and preaches a message of non-retaliation.
It’s a pretty good story, but it was lacking the oomph that I was hoping for.
”That Only A Mother” - Judith Merril - 5/5
A woman has a baby in the nuclear age.
I won’t spoil this one, but wow. This was incredible and smacks you in the face. No wonder Judith Merril had such a huge reputation in SF!
”Lot” - Ward Moore - 3/5
Following the internal monologue of a doomsday preparer is dark, gritty, and frustrating. It’s well written, but that doesn’t mean I thought it was necessarily a good story.
I would have much preferred a sharper approach with less internal monologue and more emphasis on the action. Cut about 5 pages and this would’ve been better off, I think.
That said, the editor mentions a sequel story which sounds like it would fulfill more of the complete picture that Ward was going for.
”I Kill Myself” - Julian Kawalec - 3/5
I had never heard of this author, but that’s because he’s from Poland! Pretty cool to see an international crowd in this collection.
This story explores the corruptive power that comes with nuclear weapons. The main character slowly becomes more unhinged as he goes from wanting to destroy this ultimate weapon, to wanting to use it to become god. It happens so quickly that it makes the character seem less like a sane person who’s become corrupted by the lure of power, and more like an insane person who’s become more insane after possessing power.
Regardless, it’s ok. Not really unique, but fine.
”The Neutrino Bomb” - Ralph S. Cooper - 1/5
At barely a page long, this satirical piece makes fun of the arms race. It’s written almost like a bulletin rather than a story, per se. Why it was included here feels like they needed something else—something short—to make the “12 hours of the countdown clock”.
”Akua Nuten (The South Wind)” - Yves Thériault - 4/5
Nuclear annihilation from the perspective of an indigenous Native Canadian, written by an indigenous Native Canadian. Full of flavor and fresh perspective, this simple story takes the science fiction trope of a nuclear attack and turns it on its head.
It’s not just the “civilized” people who get affected by the effects of nuclear devastation. And this native author hits the mark well. The only disappointment is that the ending was comparatively weak. It left me hoping for something more to really put the nail on the head.
”I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” - Harlan Ellison - 5/5
Of all the stories in this collection, there’s one legendary story that rises above them all. More than that, it’s likely one of the most popular science fiction short stories of all time.
And it’s an Ellison story.
Full disclosure here, usually I find Ellison middling. He’s either ok or really bad. I don’t think I have ever found a story that left me loving his work.
And perhaps this is the first time I truly thought that he had made something that explained his reputation.
There’s teeth to this story. It’s bleak, black, horrific, grotesque. It’s meant to showcase the depths of hate and human despair. And it does it masterfully. It’s a solid concept incapsulated into a gripping, utterly malignant story. Torturous and beautiful in its simplicity. Worthy of all the hype, and yet not enough.
”Countdown” - Kate Wilheim - 3/5
Well-written, but predictable. The whole story hinges on the main character working for the US Defense Department who are launching a nuclear satellite into space. It’s supposed to be this big reveal, but it’s telegraphed obviously. Though perhaps it’s because it’s in an anthology about nukes that ruins the “reveal”.
Regardless it doesn’t have much going for it.
”The Big Flash” - Norman Spinrad - 4/5
The government funds a rick band to subtly market the launch of a nuclear missile. While I love how Spinrad wrote the story—he writes multiple perspectives all in the first person to give a clear flow of thought—the idea itself is rather wacky. The characters are basically hypnotized into launching the rocket. This story could’ve focused on making the subliminal marketing more realistic and less cartoon hypnotism. Regardless, I like the idea more than the sim of its parts.
”Everything But Love” - Mikhail Yemstev and Eremei Parnov - 1/5 [Did Not Finish]
This was the longest story of the collection by far at about 60 pages. It’s also a Soviet science fiction novella, which is neat.
What isn’t neat is the story itself. While the ideas are definitely unique and cool, they don’t mesh well. The authors were Soviet scientists, so it might be that my little brain didn’t understand it or the translation was poorly done. The tenses kept changing. It would jump from third person to first person back to third person. Add that the whole story is novella length at 60 pages, and it became a bit too convoluted and frustrating for me to parse.
I think the general idea is that the main character became irradiated and it was eating away at his soul. All the while, he laments at being involved with its creation.
Just not for me.
”To Howard Hughes: A Modest Proposal” - Joe Haldeman - 4/5
I liked the style of this story more than the actual story. The plot feels very Ocean’s 11 or something like that. . . A billionaire uses his money to blackmail all the nuclear nations of the world to force them into arsenal disarmament. It feels very cheesy, but it’s written well and moves at a fast clip.
Stylistically, it cuts sharply between different news clippings, a script, and even a Encyclopedia Britannica entry. It also jumps along the timeline a little, which keeps the story fresh.
As my first Joe Haldeman story ever, I liked it.
Full of unique visions of a fear-laden nuclear future, this anthology boats a unique diverse collection of short stories from all over the globe. However, it lacks the punch I was hoping for in this collection.
Besides a few outliers, the stories were middling. Frequently I found myself wondering: “Are these truly the best nuclear-inspired short stories?” Some—such as Harlan Ellison’s legendary “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”—feel like they’re only included because they’re post-apocalyptic—not nuclear. Other stories only have nuclear themes hidden deep in the background. You can only blink and you’ll miss it.
It’s an odd choice, and I wish the editor had been better at his choices. I think his decisions created a lukewarm thematic anthology that begs for something of more substance.
”To Still the Drums” - Chandler Davis - 3/5
More political thriller than science fiction, “To Still the Drums” is a simple premise: a man becomes a whistleblower to stop a nuclear war from being precipitated by a hawkish faction within the US.
Written in 1946, just a little bit after the first atomic bombs were dropped, Davis creates the existential jump after the nuclear Pandora’s Box was opened—how long before these ultimate weapons are used to destroy?
Decent but nothing special.
”Thunder and Roses” - Theodore Sturgeon - 3.5/5
Hatred. Anger. Revenge. When the United States is destroyed by multiple nuclear blasts, the remaining survivors begin to slowly die from the radioactive fallout. Yet should they retaliate with missiles of their own?
An emotional tale of a surviving soldier in a bunker on the last legs of death. Perhaps most poignant is the singer idol who rallies the disheartened troops and preaches a message of non-retaliation.
It’s a pretty good story, but it was lacking the oomph that I was hoping for.
”That Only A Mother” - Judith Merril - 5/5
A woman has a baby in the nuclear age.
I won’t spoil this one, but wow. This was incredible and smacks you in the face. No wonder Judith Merril had such a huge reputation in SF!
”Lot” - Ward Moore - 3/5
Following the internal monologue of a doomsday preparer is dark, gritty, and frustrating. It’s well written, but that doesn’t mean I thought it was necessarily a good story.
I would have much preferred a sharper approach with less internal monologue and more emphasis on the action. Cut about 5 pages and this would’ve been better off, I think.
That said, the editor mentions a sequel story which sounds like it would fulfill more of the complete picture that Ward was going for.
”I Kill Myself” - Julian Kawalec - 3/5
I had never heard of this author, but that’s because he’s from Poland! Pretty cool to see an international crowd in this collection.
This story explores the corruptive power that comes with nuclear weapons. The main character slowly becomes more unhinged as he goes from wanting to destroy this ultimate weapon, to wanting to use it to become god. It happens so quickly that it makes the character seem less like a sane person who’s become corrupted by the lure of power, and more like an insane person who’s become more insane after possessing power.
Regardless, it’s ok. Not really unique, but fine.
”The Neutrino Bomb” - Ralph S. Cooper - 1/5
At barely a page long, this satirical piece makes fun of the arms race. It’s written almost like a bulletin rather than a story, per se. Why it was included here feels like they needed something else—something short—to make the “12 hours of the countdown clock”.
”Akua Nuten (The South Wind)” - Yves Thériault - 4/5
Nuclear annihilation from the perspective of an indigenous Native Canadian, written by an indigenous Native Canadian. Full of flavor and fresh perspective, this simple story takes the science fiction trope of a nuclear attack and turns it on its head.
It’s not just the “civilized” people who get affected by the effects of nuclear devastation. And this native author hits the mark well. The only disappointment is that the ending was comparatively weak. It left me hoping for something more to really put the nail on the head.
”I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” - Harlan Ellison - 5/5
Of all the stories in this collection, there’s one legendary story that rises above them all. More than that, it’s likely one of the most popular science fiction short stories of all time.
And it’s an Ellison story.
Full disclosure here, usually I find Ellison middling. He’s either ok or really bad. I don’t think I have ever found a story that left me loving his work.
And perhaps this is the first time I truly thought that he had made something that explained his reputation.
There’s teeth to this story. It’s bleak, black, horrific, grotesque. It’s meant to showcase the depths of hate and human despair. And it does it masterfully. It’s a solid concept incapsulated into a gripping, utterly malignant story. Torturous and beautiful in its simplicity. Worthy of all the hype, and yet not enough.
”Countdown” - Kate Wilheim - 3/5
Well-written, but predictable. The whole story hinges on the main character working for the US Defense Department who are launching a nuclear satellite into space. It’s supposed to be this big reveal, but it’s telegraphed obviously. Though perhaps it’s because it’s in an anthology about nukes that ruins the “reveal”.
Regardless it doesn’t have much going for it.
”The Big Flash” - Norman Spinrad - 4/5
The government funds a rick band to subtly market the launch of a nuclear missile. While I love how Spinrad wrote the story—he writes multiple perspectives all in the first person to give a clear flow of thought—the idea itself is rather wacky. The characters are basically hypnotized into launching the rocket. This story could’ve focused on making the subliminal marketing more realistic and less cartoon hypnotism. Regardless, I like the idea more than the sim of its parts.
”Everything But Love” - Mikhail Yemstev and Eremei Parnov - 1/5 [Did Not Finish]
This was the longest story of the collection by far at about 60 pages. It’s also a Soviet science fiction novella, which is neat.
What isn’t neat is the story itself. While the ideas are definitely unique and cool, they don’t mesh well. The authors were Soviet scientists, so it might be that my little brain didn’t understand it or the translation was poorly done. The tenses kept changing. It would jump from third person to first person back to third person. Add that the whole story is novella length at 60 pages, and it became a bit too convoluted and frustrating for me to parse.
I think the general idea is that the main character became irradiated and it was eating away at his soul. All the while, he laments at being involved with its creation.
Just not for me.
”To Howard Hughes: A Modest Proposal” - Joe Haldeman - 4/5
I liked the style of this story more than the actual story. The plot feels very Ocean’s 11 or something like that. . . A billionaire uses his money to blackmail all the nuclear nations of the world to force them into arsenal disarmament. It feels very cheesy, but it’s written well and moves at a fast clip.
Stylistically, it cuts sharply between different news clippings, a script, and even a Encyclopedia Britannica entry. It also jumps along the timeline a little, which keeps the story fresh.
As my first Joe Haldeman story ever, I liked it.
July 17, 2019
4 minus to 3 1/2 stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews