Ryan’s Reviews > LAST MAN ON EARTH > Status Update

The premise is right up my alley - I searched for it in Seattle's used shops for years and finally had to order it from Powell's. Though I really enjoyed 3 stories, overall it wasn't worth the anticipation that I afforded it.

Tales of the Last Man on Earth! Curated by Asimov! What could go wrong? Well... I found 3 of the stories really remarkable - Anderson, Simak, & Harness. But it was wildly uneven with some bad and even terrible stuff. Collection is 40 years old, but the newest story is 50 years old and the oldest now nearly 100. Most from the 40s & 50s, most also from writers who would not leave a huge mark on the sf canon.

Sadly I left Anathem at work last night, so I mostly watched reality tv reruns. Hey, it's a pandemic, don't judge! But I fit in a short story, Knock by Frederic Brown, which was a nice palate cleanser after that last one, (shiver). Everyone is dead, but it's still fun and funny and a little bit light-hearted. Pla-net of death indeed!

Eddie for Short by Wallace West: nope.

The Most Sentimental Man by Evelyn E. Smith... My industry is deemed essential, so I'm not getting the full quarantine experience, but at least I can pay my bills. I was asked recently how long I could go, absent the requirement, and I guessed 40 years. So last man on earth stories resonate with me. Especially of this type - by overt choice. This reminded me of Remnant Population in that way, though wasn't that good.

The Coming of the Ice by G. Peyton Wertenbaker was pretty cool. An editor of Fortune and writer of the Southwest. Some fun thoughts thrown in with some 1926 science. "The disadvantages of being immortal."