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252nd out of 309 books
—
89 voters
Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box
by
Mira Grant
A new short story from Mira Grant, the author of Feed. Every week five friends get together to play a game-- a game they call the Apocalypse Game. It's a fun time with chips and beer and plotting the end of the world. Except this time, one of them is missing and the stakes are higher than ever before.
Word count: ~3,900
Word count: ~3,900
ebook, Short story, 21 pages
Published
April 18th 2011
by Orbit
(first published March 31st 2011)
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this is the best review i have ever written!! i am entering it into a book-reviewing contest. in which i will also eat pie!!
hahahah awesome! if every book i read this year is as short as this one, i am well on my way to victory!!!
but i am not trying to cheat - i really did want to read this, and since i borrowed this blessed nook, i was able to read all sorts of interstitial and prequel type books and stories.
and this one.
which is kind of neither, but is a fantastic story by an author who has...more
hahahah awesome! if every book i read this year is as short as this one, i am well on my way to victory!!!
but i am not trying to cheat - i really did want to read this, and since i borrowed this blessed nook, i was able to read all sorts of interstitial and prequel type books and stories.
and this one.
which is kind of neither, but is a fantastic story by an author who has...more
This must be the shortest short story ever written. But who cares!? It was perfect.
2 likes · like · see review
If the name Mira Grant sounds familiar, then you've probably read her Newsflesh series and you know she's an awesome writer, as I am now convinced she is.
I admit, although I have Feed(Newsflesh#1) on my TBR list, I haven't gotten around to reading it, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this short story.
By the end, that comes way too soon, all my doubts aside,The Boxis great!
Andy, Mike, Sandi, Elsa, Ryan and Cole have been friends since highschool, when they first invented, accident
...more
It seems that most other reviewers rate this book with few stars because they paid more than $.99 for it. Personally, I feel like I got my $2.00 worth; this short story was fantastic. Granted, it is a SHORT story. Approximately 21 pages long, according to Goodreads.
Like Mira Grant's other books, this short is set in the Newsflesh universe and and revolves around virology. This short story is chilling and haunting; I felt that this was something that could actually happen. It's not unheard of tha...more
Like Mira Grant's other books, this short is set in the Newsflesh universe and and revolves around virology. This short story is chilling and haunting; I felt that this was something that could actually happen. It's not unheard of tha...more
Why I Read It: I love the Newsflesh series and don’t want to miss any stories. Plus, it introduces us to the origins of the viruses responsible for the zombie epidemic and the government’s response.
This is told from several different POV’s but is easy to follow. We meet the creators of the viruses and see how they were well intentioned. In this case, it seems that the road to Hell really was paved with good intentions. We also meet the Masons in this story and see how normal they were when all t...more
This is told from several different POV’s but is easy to follow. We meet the creators of the viruses and see how they were well intentioned. In this case, it seems that the road to Hell really was paved with good intentions. We also meet the Masons in this story and see how normal they were when all t...more
2.5 stars
I was so surprised how short this story was. I thought it would consist at least a two or few more chapters but whoa. It was too short than what I expected. No chapters. Just a very short story. I admit at first I was kind of feeling lost tuning on the characters' entire 'game' but later on, thankfully, I caught up. I thought it would somehow connect to the Newsflesh series yet the 'diseases'(<--it's literally not a codename) mentioned differed to that of the series. I would've enjoy...more
I was so surprised how short this story was. I thought it would consist at least a two or few more chapters but whoa. It was too short than what I expected. No chapters. Just a very short story. I admit at first I was kind of feeling lost tuning on the characters' entire 'game' but later on, thankfully, I caught up. I thought it would somehow connect to the Newsflesh series yet the 'diseases'(<--it's literally not a codename) mentioned differed to that of the series. I would've enjoy...more
I don't know why everybody is harping on about it being so short - it's a short story. What were you expecting? War and Peace?
I, however, am going to harp on the fact that this was a very predictable story. If I can tell you the ending of a story by the third page, I don't like the story, simple as. I wish I had been wrong; if this was meant to be a twist ending, that failed. That's about as much of a twist now as "I am your father" - that horse is not pining, it's passed on. That horse is no mo...more
I, however, am going to harp on the fact that this was a very predictable story. If I can tell you the ending of a story by the third page, I don't like the story, simple as. I wish I had been wrong; if this was meant to be a twist ending, that failed. That's about as much of a twist now as "I am your father" - that horse is not pining, it's passed on. That horse is no mo...more
My Rating: Good Read
I bought this last year when I visited Amazon.com to download Countdown: A Novella (review LJ || WP), and happened to notice this short story lurking around too. My brain said, "Hell, yeah!" and downloaded it immediately, and then I promptly forgot about both. Bad me.
Especially since this short story is so short. I could've read it in less than ten minutes if I'd just sat down and read "Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box" when I'd downloaded it. It's barely 4000 words, and Gr...more
I bought this last year when I visited Amazon.com to download Countdown: A Novella (review LJ || WP), and happened to notice this short story lurking around too. My brain said, "Hell, yeah!" and downloaded it immediately, and then I promptly forgot about both. Bad me.
Especially since this short story is so short. I could've read it in less than ten minutes if I'd just sat down and read "Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box" when I'd downloaded it. It's barely 4000 words, and Gr...more
A short story set in the world of Newsflesh by Mira Grant.
A group of friends gather on a Friday night as they have every Friday for the past 15yrs to discuss a situation where the world ends and how they would deal with it. This time, the friend who started it and whose turn it is has left a taped message with her scenario as she is missing for the third week in a row. Only her scenario may not be fictional after all...
Wasn't my favorite of her work. Not bad but predictable except this person wa...more
A group of friends gather on a Friday night as they have every Friday for the past 15yrs to discuss a situation where the world ends and how they would deal with it. This time, the friend who started it and whose turn it is has left a taped message with her scenario as she is missing for the third week in a row. Only her scenario may not be fictional after all...
Wasn't my favorite of her work. Not bad but predictable except this person wa...more
Ok so when they said short story, they literally meant teeny, tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it story. This is so ridiculously short I don't see why Mira Grant bothered to release this for SALE (as in you have to pay for it). This is what irritates me about kindle books, you can't see what you're paying for. If I had known that this book was literally ten pages long there isn't a hope in hell I would have paid for it. Yes it was only about two euro but still. It should have been free.
The actual st...more
The actual st...more
Hard to separate my feelings on the actual story from my feelings on the fact that I paid $3 for something that was barely a few pages long. Apocalypse doesn't have much to offer, really. It's a short little piece of fiction that's dark, as one would expect from the author of the Newsflesh trilogy, but the emphasis here is really on short. Nothing wrong with that when it's part of a compilation or something, but I felt a bit ripped off when I realized I'd paid to download it by itself on my Kind...more
Well, now I'm entirely creeped the hell out, which was undoubtedly the aim of our lovely author.
The premise is simple, the word count very small, but the effect is a little bit shocking. By the time you get to the end of the scenario, if you're anything like me, you'll be profoundly uncomfortable.
The reason I am giving a rating of only 3 stars is because it's a little too short. There was a lot of promise to plot thread, but not much was done with it. Granted doing too much more would ruin the e...more
The premise is simple, the word count very small, but the effect is a little bit shocking. By the time you get to the end of the scenario, if you're anything like me, you'll be profoundly uncomfortable.
The reason I am giving a rating of only 3 stars is because it's a little too short. There was a lot of promise to plot thread, but not much was done with it. Granted doing too much more would ruin the e...more
This was an interesting little story - very little actually as only half the small file is the story and the rest is a teaser for Feed.
I'm feeling fairly dumb (but then I have had a headache all day and I'm coming down with the flu), but I couldn't completely work out exactly how the scenario was supposed to work. I get the first bit, but not the second and the choice the characters have to make.
If someone out there did get it, could you let me know in the comments? I assume spoiler tags can be...more
I'm feeling fairly dumb (but then I have had a headache all day and I'm coming down with the flu), but I couldn't completely work out exactly how the scenario was supposed to work. I get the first bit, but not the second and the choice the characters have to make.
If someone out there did get it, could you let me know in the comments? I assume spoiler tags can be...more
Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box is a short story by Mira Grant, possibly more well known for her fantastic zombie Newsflesh trilogy. When a group of friends meet with some beers around a table to play a game they have been playing weekly for fifteen years they have no idea that today the familiar and safe routine will be broken.
While this is not a zombie story, a few of the main themes of her other work show clearly here, as does her clever way of taking a story and giving it a twist that make...more
While this is not a zombie story, a few of the main themes of her other work show clearly here, as does her clever way of taking a story and giving it a twist that make...more
After the success of Feed, fans will be experiencing the impatient excruciating wait leading up to the release of the sequel, Deadline (due out May 31), with little to do but twiddle their page-turning fingers. Thankfully, Mira Grant and Orbit with the Orbit Short Fiction series have presented us fans with a brief respite; a kernel of entertainment in the form of a short story, “Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box,” from the author as we count down the days to the final Deadline.
Friends are good;...more
Friends are good;...more
While I really like everything else by Mira Grant that I've read, this one didn't quite do it for me. One major problem I had with it: if the pathogens have already been released and people were already symptomatic, inoculating people with a vaccine wouldn't actually do anything. Once you've had a pathogen introduced to your immune system, introducing MORE of the pathogen (which is what a vaccine does) would do very little to protect you.
I'm sad that this shortshort story wasn't better. Still wo...more
I'm sad that this shortshort story wasn't better. Still wo...more
I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to the genius that is Mira Grant. Her first novel in the Newsflesh Series: Feed - where we follow three budding reporters in the blogging world as they search for the truth behind the infection that wiped out half the population by turning them into the living dead - was one of my favourite reads of last year!
It's no surprise then that Mira comes out with this little gem, and I do mean little. At just 3,900 words it's possibly the most involved and exci...more
It's no surprise then that Mira comes out with this little gem, and I do mean little. At just 3,900 words it's possibly the most involved and exci...more
The problem with any good short story? I always want more. This is such a tease!
It was obvious from the start where this was heading, which leaves me with a feeling of uncertainty. (view spoiler) This uncertainty isn’t a bad thing, either, given that the overall story feels like an episode of The Twi...more
It was obvious from the start where this was heading, which leaves me with a feeling of uncertainty. (view spoiler) This uncertainty isn’t a bad thing, either, given that the overall story feels like an episode of The Twi...more
I downloaded this from Audible and...it's pretty good. I really can't go more than 3 stars on it as it's plain where the story is going from the first line and there's little or no surprise or innovation. There is however a nice "pall" of terror and realization among the characters. You have a bit of the "Lady and the Tiger feel also as the story leaves you wondering what each character will do and what will be the outcome.
It's okay and for the low price I paid I can't complain at all. If you're...more
It's okay and for the low price I paid I can't complain at all. If you're...more
I loved this short story. I use to take good short stories for granted, but I started reading a collection of Urban Fantasy shorts this past week and realized that there is a true art to making a great one that sucks you in yet is still...well short. And that's exactly what this does. Its a very simple premise that is written and executed beautifully. It leaves you wanting more, and also thinking about the plot and the what if's in the story. I hope she keeps up writing wonderful short stories l...more
I can sum up this short story in one word. Lame. After reading the Newsflesh Trilogy, I had a really high opinion of Grant. Her writing has always been excellent, and her characters draw you in and make you want to 'rise up'. I'm not sure what to make of this 'short fiction' direction she is taking. The story opens with a group of long-time friends who meet up weekly to play a game where they discuss and debate how the world will one day end. Only this time, one of their group members is missing...more
That was a disappointment.
There is nothing at all wrong with Mira Grant's short story (I don't even think it could be called a novella) Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box. The problem arises in that the short story just sits there, like a lump, 10 minutes after your started reading it. Staring at you. It's a $3 Kindle purchase, (or $2 I can't remember) and it takes 10 minutes to finish. When you've finished you realize that you're only 50% through the Kindle content (the rest is just the first c...more
There is nothing at all wrong with Mira Grant's short story (I don't even think it could be called a novella) Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box. The problem arises in that the short story just sits there, like a lump, 10 minutes after your started reading it. Staring at you. It's a $3 Kindle purchase, (or $2 I can't remember) and it takes 10 minutes to finish. When you've finished you realize that you're only 50% through the Kindle content (the rest is just the first c...more
Oct 03, 2012
James
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
horror,
short-story,
i-own-a-copy,
ebook,
read-in-2012,
read-in-teenties,
2-stars,
reviewed
If the concept of Kindle locations maps evenly to pages across different books, I make this short story about 11 pages long. At £1.49 that's 13.5 pence per page. Which seems pretty expensive for a book. I probably wouldn't be complaining if the short story wasn't 'only' 50% of the download. Thinking I was approaching the half-way mark I was pretty disappointed to suddenly be presented with a page about Mira Grant, a photograph of her in an odd pose (I didn't read the accompanying text) and then...more
"That was totally wicked!"
So I've been watching The Incredibles (A LOT) on BD lately (I mean you couldn't just tell could you ;-) and I think I figured out the two moments of that movie that completely embody my feelings towards these two short stories. Oh I mean Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box and the short shorty presented in The Living Dead 2. What was the name of that again??
Anyway. For The Box see quote above. For... Hmm must get the name of that story. I shall quote you:
Bob Parr: What...more
So I've been watching The Incredibles (A LOT) on BD lately (I mean you couldn't just tell could you ;-) and I think I figured out the two moments of that movie that completely embody my feelings towards these two short stories. Oh I mean Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box and the short shorty presented in The Living Dead 2. What was the name of that again??
Anyway. For The Box see quote above. For... Hmm must get the name of that story. I shall quote you:
Bob Parr: What...more
Pretty predictable, really. No surprises at all. Then again, maybe it's just because I'm familiar with Grant's work. Someone else said this felt like the cold open of a TV series, and I have to say I agree -- this is the part of the story where everyone knows exactly what's going to happen. I kept waiting for what would be the big reveal, only to find out that what I considered extremely obvious background information was actually the surprise. Uh. Whoops?
I'd price this as .99, I have to say.
I'd price this as .99, I have to say.
Wow! I feel cheated...this was shorter than a short story. However, I can't be mad because it was a GREAT story. I think Grant needs to develop this into a full-blown novel. I love how just a snippet of her work gets me hooked. The teaser chapter she gave at the end of Feed & Deadline got me hook, line, & sinker.
So, the story gets 4 stars but the overall rating is 3 because of the ridiculously short length. $1.99 ought to get me a little more than these few pages.
So, the story gets 4 stars but the overall rating is 3 because of the ridiculously short length. $1.99 ought to get me a little more than these few pages.
Hmmm. Well. Not bad, but this was just way too short to really be effective, I think. The premise is interesting and could have been truly creepy, but due to the length (or lack-there-of), there's just not enough depth or detail or...anything to make much of an impact. I'm actually kind of amazed that this is the finished version; Mira Grant's world-building is usually top-notch. Guess they can't all be winners though!
This is a very short story set in the Newsflesh universe but not really inter-related with any of the other stories (so far). Mira Grant is as ever deft in drawing appealing characters with just a few lines, so even though this story is very brief I had a real sense of place & character. Given how short the story is I really don't want to spoil anything by telling you much about it, other than it is about a group of friends who have met every week for 15 years to play the Apocalyse Game wher...more
This was a bit disappointing. It reads like the cold open of a procedural TV show like Bones or House, and I'm left waiting for a story where something actually HAPPENS. This is all prelude, and while it does have a certain "Monkey's Paw" kind of charm at the end, I did not feel like I got my money's worth ($1.99 on Amazon).
I read this as an ebook. There is, sadly, no print copy available at this time. However, it was $2 well-spent.
If you read and liked Feed and/or Deadline, or you're wondering what all the fuss is about, this is a small, chilling, bite-sized chunk of what you can expect from Mira Grant.
It's going to stay with me.
If you read and liked Feed and/or Deadline, or you're wondering what all the fuss is about, this is a small, chilling, bite-sized chunk of what you can expect from Mira Grant.
It's going to stay with me.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apocalypse Whenever: Apocalypse scenario #683. I'm confused. [spoilers] | 5 | 48 | Mar 16, 2012 02:52am |
Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallen...more
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Jan 05, 2012 08:57am
Jan 05, 2012 08:59am