These are the ways the world ends. Thirty-four new and selected Doomsday scenarios: an enthralling collection of work by canonical literary figures...
read full description
reviews
Apr 11, 2009
David
rated it: 
A month or so ago Cari and I went to see local Author Jemiah Jefferson read from her new Cyberpunk web novel First world. She did an excellent reading, from talking to Jemiah at events around town I was already sold on the project but her reading was quite good. You can read the novel for free online, and vote on the direction of the remaining chapters.
There was another author reading that night who has a book out with the same publisher. Brian Evenson, who I had not heard and now I More...
There was another author reading that night who has a book out with the same publisher. Brian Evenson, who I had not heard and now I More...
Apr 23, 2010
Brian
rated it: 
The same idea that prompted me to pick up Andre Norton's Darkness and Dawn lead me to read this book, too. As an anthology, I was thinking that it'd be a great place to find new writers, new ideas, new stories, established greats (Poe! Gaimen! Le Guin! Hawthorne!) and so much more. It didn't exactly live up to this potential. Sure, there were authors I'd never heard of published next to classic authors and a whole book full of apocalyptic tales of all varieties, but it landed off-mark for me. Th
More...
Nov 17, 2009
Craven
rated it: 
The most important thing that those attracted to the title should know is that this book is about the literal Greek meaning of the word apocalypse, which is "a revelation" or "an unveiling," the author also says that it can be "cataclysmic changes of any sort," for instance "the micro-Apocalypses that mark moments in our lives: childhood's end, a relationship's sudden explosion, Death." So instead of this being a book about the Apocalypse that we all know,
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 04, 2007
Tom
rated it:
Disappointing. I really wanted end of the world stories, of which there were several. However the editor chose to define apocalypese as any revolutionary change. Fair enough, and certainly led to including some very interesting stories. But it's just not what I signed on for.
Aug 20, 2010
Made
rated it:
I am sadly disappointed by this collection of work. I was (mistakenly) expecting science fiction, which this book is NOT. It's more literary reading, something I do not enjoy. This is my own fault perhaps as I believe now that misunderstood the title.
That however is not the extent of my disappointment with the book. While it did have a couple of excellent stories (perhaps 5% of those included), some work was far to esoteric for my enjoyment. Still others, I didn't understand at all. More...
That however is not the extent of my disappointment with the book. While it did have a couple of excellent stories (perhaps 5% of those included), some work was far to esoteric for my enjoyment. Still others, I didn't understand at all. More...
Aug 08, 2011
Discovered this at the library - how could I NOT take a book like this home?? Interesting mix of writers from H.P. Lovecraft to Neil Gaiman.
Have not gotten very far but ran across this in the first story I read: "Once we looked at the pavement and found the blocks loose and displaced by grass, with scarce a line of rusted metal to shew where the tramways had run. And again we saw a tram-car, lone, windowless, dilapidated and almost on its side. When we gazed around the hori More...
Have not gotten very far but ran across this in the first story I read: "Once we looked at the pavement and found the blocks loose and displaced by grass, with scarce a line of rusted metal to shew where the tramways had run. And again we saw a tram-car, lone, windowless, dilapidated and almost on its side. When we gazed around the hori More...
May 31, 2011
Linda
rated it: 
If T.S Eliot read 'The Apocalypse Reader' he would have said:
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a YAWN.
This book was one of the most boring collection of short stories I have ever read. The stores full of heavy handed symbolism and "experimental" writing reminded me of Freshman Creative Writing Class. And the sad thing is that I feel like I am insulting Freshm More...
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a YAWN.
This book was one of the most boring collection of short stories I have ever read. The stores full of heavy handed symbolism and "experimental" writing reminded me of Freshman Creative Writing Class. And the sad thing is that I feel like I am insulting Freshm More...
Oct 22, 2008
Mark
rated it:
This is a scary book. It touches those feelings many of us had when we saw that second plane scream into the side of that building on 9/11. People jumping hand-in-hand to their deaths. A feeling like "Is this the beginning of the End?" At the end of one story in this book, two characters have run from their shelter and stand on the beach while the bombs blast overhead.
The Michael Moorcock story "Crossing Into Cambodia" is one of the best short stories I've ever r More...
The Michael Moorcock story "Crossing Into Cambodia" is one of the best short stories I've ever r More...
Apr 06, 2008
John
rated it:
Taylor has assembled a strong collection of stories by writers from various "genres" and various time periods, all dealing in some way with apocalypse. Apocalypse generally is taken to mean the end of the world, but the word originates from Greek roots meaning uncovering, or revelation. In line with the origins, not all of the stories are doom and gloom, and several are quite funny and intelligent.
Voice matters in this collection, starting with the classic "Nyarlatho More...
Voice matters in this collection, starting with the classic "Nyarlatho More...
Nov 23, 2007
Chelsea
rated it:
I started reading this after listening to Kai Ryssdal introduce a miniseries about the American consumer, and finished reading it in some turbulence landing in Austin and both times it made these situations seem foreboding in a way that made me feel so so gullible!
I'm not a big fan of ghost stories, scary stories, gory stories in general, but this book is a good mixture of versions of the apocalypse from the mundane, cerebral and personal, to the regular old retribution, starvation, More...
I'm not a big fan of ghost stories, scary stories, gory stories in general, but this book is a good mixture of versions of the apocalypse from the mundane, cerebral and personal, to the regular old retribution, starvation, More...
Sep 28, 2007
GUD
rated it: 
"THESE ARE THE WAYS THE WORLD ENDS—THIRTY-FOUR NEW AND SELECTED DOOMSDAY SCENARIOS"
This is a gorgeous book, from presentation to content. The selections are humorous, serious, simple, complex, and much more—thirty-four stories, some short, some long, make for a wide spectrum of apocalypses. Taylor, in the foreword, expounds on his conception of an apocalypse:
"It's worth pointing out that the word Apocalypse comes from the Greek, and literally means " More...
This is a gorgeous book, from presentation to content. The selections are humorous, serious, simple, complex, and much more—thirty-four stories, some short, some long, make for a wide spectrum of apocalypses. Taylor, in the foreword, expounds on his conception of an apocalypse:
"It's worth pointing out that the word Apocalypse comes from the Greek, and literally means " More...
Mar 29, 2011
Danger
rated it:
There are some real winners in here. The Ash Grey Proclamation will shock even the unshockable. H.G. Wells writes like butter being spread across bread. And I read the Tao Lin story in the book at least a dozen times. In fact, I think I'm going to read it again right now. Excuse me...
Apr 02, 2010
Meg
rated it:
While editor Justin Taylor provides a variety of stories about a variety of apocalyptic scenarios, this collection feels uneven and suffers from a lack of focus and from a large variance in the quality of its content, though there are a few stories worth seeking out.
Dec 04, 2008
Thomas
rated it:
A hit and miss collection that got old pretty quick--in the end there are only so many stories about eating "the last can of beans on earth" a reader can take. The story "These Zombies Are Not A Metaphor" is worth a read in the stacks the next time you come across this book in a store or library.
Apr 17, 2010
Artnoose
rated it:
This is a selection of several short stories about the end of the world, in various ways. Some of them I enjoyed very much, like Hawthorne's tale of the people of the world throwing the tools of civilization into the fire.
In general though, I feel like it was really hit-or-miss. Some of the stories I found nearly intolerable. I guess the good thing about a collection of short stories is that if you don't like a particular selection, you can just skip to the next one.
In general though, I feel like it was really hit-or-miss. Some of the stories I found nearly intolerable. I guess the good thing about a collection of short stories is that if you don't like a particular selection, you can just skip to the next one.
Jul 15, 2009
Kate
rated it:
fittingly, mildewing somewhere in the far reaches of the fridgeporch. multnomah library has now ruined my credit. stephenson and lutz pieces particularly memorable, evenson's not bad.
Mar 07, 2009
Jason Napoli
rated it:
Excellent anthology for many reasons...especially for the inclusion of the story by Jared Hohl.
Apr 18, 2008
Schnaucl
rated it:
I think you either share his taste in stories or you don't, and I don't. Most of the stories were very abstract and I'd say only a quarter dealt with the apocalypse in a traditional sense, the rest seemed to deal more with cataclysmic change in an individual's life. Only a few were character based and two of those were very similar stories about some one either comparing his life to or pretending to be the next Jesus. Both stories were fine but I think they were too similar to include in the
More...
May 16, 2008
Joya
rated it:
Disappointing. I found the content and quality of the chosen stories very inconsistent and, as other reviews have stated, many are only connected to the 'apocalypse' in the vaguest sense of the word. The most enjoyable selection for me was 'These Zombies Are Not a Metaphor,' which was unfortunately only two pages long. Of the rest, 'The Hook' stands out as an excellent read. Otherwise, most of the rest were disappointing in the extreme.
Apr 28, 2011
sisterimapoet
rated it:
A mixed bag as I'd expect from this kind of collection. I thought I would enjoy the modern stuff more, but some of it actually irritated me the most. Unlike some critics I liked the fact that 'apocalypse' was interpreted in many different ways, personal as well as public. Highlights for me were the Moody, Hohl, Corin, Link and Goss. It's given me a few new authors I'd like to check out.
Feb 02, 2012
Megan
rated it:
A little toooo esoteric. "An apocalypse of POETRY!" while whimsical, does not a readable story make. However, the short story "Miss Kansas on Judgement Day" is one of the great apocalyptic love stories of all time and for that I give it 3 stars.
Dec 17, 2009
Kelly
rated it:
Some stories are way better than others. . . I like These Zombies Are Not a Metaphor by Jeff Goldberg and The Apocalypse Commentary of Bob Paisner by Rick Moody.
May 25, 2008
rebecca
rated it:
i haven't started reading this yet but the introduction gets five stars. i want to boost its ratings.
May 09, 2010
Angela
rated it:
A great idea for an anthology, and a few of these short stories are really good. But most aren't.
Aug 01, 2011
Pippypippy
rated it:
Not nearly as cool as it could have been.
Or maybe I missed something.
Or maybe I missed something.
