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Read the End First
READ THE END FIRST
The Ultimate Spoiler Alert!
24 hours...24 timezones...24 unique ways the world will end.
How will you prepare? What will you do? Can you survive?
Perhaps this book holds the key...but where to start? The time for beginnings is over.
The End is here. Read that first...
The Ultimate Spoiler Alert!
24 hours...24 timezones...24 unique ways the world will end.
How will you prepare? What will you do? Can you survive?
Perhaps this book holds the key...but where to start? The time for beginnings is over.
The End is here. Read that first...
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
278 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2012
1 person is currently reading
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 18, 2013
The concept behind the cleverly-titled “Read the End First” is equally clever; 24 authors are given a different time zone and asked to come up with a scenario for the end of the world as we know it. In some of those stories we see the complete destruction of the planet, in others all human life is wiped out, leaving Earth still turning. With several high-powered endorsements, and introductions from horror masters Graham Masterton and Joe McKinney, expectations for readers are high.
My personal tastes run more to character-driven stories than plot-driven stories, especially with a concept like this in which all the plots are essentially the same (Something Really Bad happens. Everyone dies. The end.) but there’s a balanced mix of both types of stories, catering to the full spectrum of horror fans. That theme might look restrictive on the surface, but I was impressed with the depth and breadth of imagination shown in exploring it. It’s a testament to the authors’ and editors’ talents that, aside from that basic plot, no two stories are alike.
Of course, they had me at the first story, “The Barrier Between Here and There” by Suzanne Robb, which was set in one of the first places in the world to see the sun every day, my country of birth, New Zealand. Being a Kiwi of Maori descent, I had a quiet chuckle at the Kaimanawa Wall and the Kiore people.
The award for Personal Favourite story in the collection was hotly contested, but in the end went out to “Not With a Bang” by Brooke and Scott Fabian. Not so much horror as heartbreakingly beautiful speculative fiction, this story made me cry, and I’m told by one of the editors that I’m not the only reader to say that.
A very close second place goes to “That Guy Who Writes Zombie Novels” by Patrick Shand. This story completely won me over despite my initial prejudices. OK, so we have zombies. Yawn. And we have a protagonist who is a horror writer – one of my biggest pet peeves. But wait – there is something different about these zombies, something integral to the theme, and the protagonist’s profession is equally essential to make the story work. And work it does, managing to be funny, meaningful and genuinely frightening all at once.
Also genuinely frightening were David Dunwoody’s “The Hour”, “The Earth Died Screaming” by William Todd Rose and “Hammered and Nail” by Emma Ennis. And that is high praise indeed, given that I read a LOT of horror fiction and could be accused of being somewhat jaded in the literary scares department.
In terms of the use of imagery and/or the quality of the prose, I’d single out “Red” by Craig Saunders, “The Midnight Moon” by Gregory L. Norris and “Ice Rage” by Dave Jeffery for honourable mentions. All three stories make good use of the physical or cultural setting of their assigned time zone. “Ice Rage” in particular is distinctive in particular for its scenes of death and destruction that are at once stomach-churning in their brutality and striking in their beauty; they read like they’ve been written with one eye on the screen adaptation. I also liked this story because the “monsters” are depicted with a degree of empathy. No cardboard cut-out villains here, these creatures have a social structure and a purpose, and human-like emotions that make you think for a second that perhaps they’re the rightful heirs to the planet after all.
Were there any clunkers in the collection? I counted only three, which I won’t single out, and which is a pretty good strike rate, considering a) I’m jaded, remember? and b) it’s all subjective anyway (although I could make some objective suggestions as to how those stories could have been slightly improved). If we’re going for a mathematical analysis, that three “don’t bother” stories, twelve adequate ones, and nine “you’re missing out on something if you don’t read this” ones – which I made excellent odds that you’ll get your money’s worth from this anthology.
My personal tastes run more to character-driven stories than plot-driven stories, especially with a concept like this in which all the plots are essentially the same (Something Really Bad happens. Everyone dies. The end.) but there’s a balanced mix of both types of stories, catering to the full spectrum of horror fans. That theme might look restrictive on the surface, but I was impressed with the depth and breadth of imagination shown in exploring it. It’s a testament to the authors’ and editors’ talents that, aside from that basic plot, no two stories are alike.
Of course, they had me at the first story, “The Barrier Between Here and There” by Suzanne Robb, which was set in one of the first places in the world to see the sun every day, my country of birth, New Zealand. Being a Kiwi of Maori descent, I had a quiet chuckle at the Kaimanawa Wall and the Kiore people.
The award for Personal Favourite story in the collection was hotly contested, but in the end went out to “Not With a Bang” by Brooke and Scott Fabian. Not so much horror as heartbreakingly beautiful speculative fiction, this story made me cry, and I’m told by one of the editors that I’m not the only reader to say that.
A very close second place goes to “That Guy Who Writes Zombie Novels” by Patrick Shand. This story completely won me over despite my initial prejudices. OK, so we have zombies. Yawn. And we have a protagonist who is a horror writer – one of my biggest pet peeves. But wait – there is something different about these zombies, something integral to the theme, and the protagonist’s profession is equally essential to make the story work. And work it does, managing to be funny, meaningful and genuinely frightening all at once.
Also genuinely frightening were David Dunwoody’s “The Hour”, “The Earth Died Screaming” by William Todd Rose and “Hammered and Nail” by Emma Ennis. And that is high praise indeed, given that I read a LOT of horror fiction and could be accused of being somewhat jaded in the literary scares department.
In terms of the use of imagery and/or the quality of the prose, I’d single out “Red” by Craig Saunders, “The Midnight Moon” by Gregory L. Norris and “Ice Rage” by Dave Jeffery for honourable mentions. All three stories make good use of the physical or cultural setting of their assigned time zone. “Ice Rage” in particular is distinctive in particular for its scenes of death and destruction that are at once stomach-churning in their brutality and striking in their beauty; they read like they’ve been written with one eye on the screen adaptation. I also liked this story because the “monsters” are depicted with a degree of empathy. No cardboard cut-out villains here, these creatures have a social structure and a purpose, and human-like emotions that make you think for a second that perhaps they’re the rightful heirs to the planet after all.
Were there any clunkers in the collection? I counted only three, which I won’t single out, and which is a pretty good strike rate, considering a) I’m jaded, remember? and b) it’s all subjective anyway (although I could make some objective suggestions as to how those stories could have been slightly improved). If we’re going for a mathematical analysis, that three “don’t bother” stories, twelve adequate ones, and nine “you’re missing out on something if you don’t read this” ones – which I made excellent odds that you’ll get your money’s worth from this anthology.
February 5, 2013
There are some anthologies that one can read cover to cover in one sitting and there are some that need to be taken in a single story at a time. For this reader, Read the End First fits into the latter category. That is not to say that the stories found between the pages of this book are not worthy of a reading marathon. The majority were very well written, intriguing and downright terrifying at some points; however with 24 stories each written in a different time zone and all regarding some way that the world will end, let's just say I prefer to limit my daily dose of depression. There are no happily ever afters, so the mood must be there to take on a full dose of...the end.
That being said, I did enjoy the concept of each story being set in a different time zone, thus each presenting a very different location in which to begin their apocalypse. Without going into detail on each story, suffice it to say that we find 'the end' comes in a variety of ways from the total annihilation of all humanity to the utter destruction of Earth. There are plot driven tales, as well as those that are more character driven, so the majority of reader preferences will be covered. Another wonderful aspect to the anthology is the wide range of emotion that each tale takes you through. Yes, it is well known that each story will end with some form of apocalypse and the end of everything, but the path and that each author takes to get to 'the end' is quite an adventure. Terror, sadness, disbelief, I could even go as far as to add relief to the list of emotions that the authors of Read the End First have aided in evoking.
As with all anthologies, there are some works that were enjoyed more than others, but overall Read the End First is a nice compilation of how the world ends.
That being said, I did enjoy the concept of each story being set in a different time zone, thus each presenting a very different location in which to begin their apocalypse. Without going into detail on each story, suffice it to say that we find 'the end' comes in a variety of ways from the total annihilation of all humanity to the utter destruction of Earth. There are plot driven tales, as well as those that are more character driven, so the majority of reader preferences will be covered. Another wonderful aspect to the anthology is the wide range of emotion that each tale takes you through. Yes, it is well known that each story will end with some form of apocalypse and the end of everything, but the path and that each author takes to get to 'the end' is quite an adventure. Terror, sadness, disbelief, I could even go as far as to add relief to the list of emotions that the authors of Read the End First have aided in evoking.
As with all anthologies, there are some works that were enjoyed more than others, but overall Read the End First is a nice compilation of how the world ends.
December 7, 2013
Suzanne Robb and Adrian Chamberlin know how to put together a stellar anthology! This anthology centers around 24 different timezones, 24 different global locations, and 24 different ways our world will end. All brought together by 24 different authors, that Suzanne painstakingly coordinated to make sure that the anthology was varied and spectacular.
The end result is a gut-wrenching read filled with aliens, natural disasters, human-made disasters, religious disasters, disease, and so many other horrible incidents. There are even some monsters that are seldom found in contemporary horror, but are no less terrifying! I'm not going to spoil some of the best stories in the book, but I will say that every story is completely different than any other in the book.
If you're looking for a riveting read this New Year's, I would highly recommend cozying up to this book. It's become one of my favorite anthologies of all time.
The end result is a gut-wrenching read filled with aliens, natural disasters, human-made disasters, religious disasters, disease, and so many other horrible incidents. There are even some monsters that are seldom found in contemporary horror, but are no less terrifying! I'm not going to spoil some of the best stories in the book, but I will say that every story is completely different than any other in the book.
If you're looking for a riveting read this New Year's, I would highly recommend cozying up to this book. It's become one of my favorite anthologies of all time.
September 29, 2012
Overall, this isn’t a bad collection of grim fiction. Like I say, some of the stories included were better than others but there were none that were truly awful, just some that were a little under par. Reading chapter after chapter of yet more ways for the world to die inevitably begins to take its toll after a while – which is why I would probably recommend reading this in smaller chunks rather than in one big session! Be warned ~ there are no happy endings here and, after a while, the whole thing can get a little bit depressing ~ but if you like end-of-the-world scenarios and are looking for something a bit different, then you check this out!
Just remember to stock up on canned goods and drinking water before picking this up. Just in case because you never know....
FULL REVIEW - http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2...
Just remember to stock up on canned goods and drinking water before picking this up. Just in case because you never know....
FULL REVIEW - http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews