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The Fall: Tales From the Apocalypse
An anthology of short stories, The Fall explores different visions of the apocalypse. Ancient prophecies, technological Armageddon, failures of government, a distracted deity, and yes, zombies all have their moments in this collection, but so do love, yearning, hope, and humor. In the end, the apocalypse offers a path to new beginnings, even if it requires a trek through death, despair, and destruction to find them. The latest anthology from Elephant’s Bookshelf Press, LLC, tackles an array of challenges presented by thirteen authors (it just worked out that way, I swear.) Authors include P.S. Carrillo, Judy Croome, Ryan Graudin, R.C. Lewis, J. Lea Lopez, Mindy McGinnis, R.S. Mellette, Alexandra Tys O’Connor, Jean Oram, Matt Sinclair, A.M. Supinger, Amy Trueblood, and Cat Woods. The Fall was edited by Mindy McGinnis, Matt Sinclair, and Cat Woods and copy-edited by Jean Oram, with cover design by Calista Taylor, and book design by R.C. Lewis. For permission to reprint a story, please send a request to permissions@elephantsbookshelfpress.com.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2012
27 people are currently reading
913 people want to read
About the author
Matt Sinclair
8 books21 followersMatt Sinclair is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. He works as a journalist in New York City covering philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in the United States and with increasing focus on international philanthropy. In 2012, he established Elephant's Bookshelf Press, LLC, a traditional publisher of fiction and (eventually) nonfiction. Since its inception, EBP has published eleven books, including six anthologies, as of 2016. Its first publication of 2017 will be Lost Wings, the debut of Don M. Vail, whose urban fantasy novel takes place in San Francisco and the many levels of hell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 3, 2013
Review of The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse
Edited by Matt Sinclair
5 stars
I was relieved while reading this to be reminded that “Apocalypse” as a term, is not inclusive only of Zombiefication, plague, and mutant virus. No, indeed: there are other means of reaching The End of The World, or alternatively The End of Civilization As We Know It. Plenty of those possibilities are delectably presented here. I myself am quite fond of the first story, “Trust,” whose complete irony simply turns me inside out, and has cemented its niche in my “reader’s mind.” Every reader will find something to apocalpytically dwell on in this anthology.
Edited by Matt Sinclair
5 stars
I was relieved while reading this to be reminded that “Apocalypse” as a term, is not inclusive only of Zombiefication, plague, and mutant virus. No, indeed: there are other means of reaching The End of The World, or alternatively The End of Civilization As We Know It. Plenty of those possibilities are delectably presented here. I myself am quite fond of the first story, “Trust,” whose complete irony simply turns me inside out, and has cemented its niche in my “reader’s mind.” Every reader will find something to apocalpytically dwell on in this anthology.
February 8, 2013
As author of "Solar Flare", I thought I'd share what inspired my short story in The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse.
Technology rules our world. Except for a few pockets of isolated humans, we rely on it for everything. When the challenge was presented to create a post-apocalyptic world, I knew I had to wipe out technology. To me, this act would cull the unprepared--the weak. It would shatter our comfort levels and bring us to the very basis of our human nature.
Survival.
I asked my teens how many of their friends knew how to start a fire from scratch. I wanted to know how many would eat snow and die of hypothermia rather than melt it first because they didn't know any better. How many kids in today's technological era could build a shelter and grow their own food?
Without Google? Not many.
This left me with a huge task--wiping out the world's supply of technology.
National Geographic provided the answer to that, and "Solar Flare" was born.
Yet, my story is only one among the many ways our world, our civilization as we know it, crumbles. I am well-pleased to have my work among such debut novelists as Ryan Graudin, RC Lewis and Mindy McGinnis.
I hope you will find their stories entertaining, terrifying or just plain fun. If you do, please let us know with a review of your own.
Technology rules our world. Except for a few pockets of isolated humans, we rely on it for everything. When the challenge was presented to create a post-apocalyptic world, I knew I had to wipe out technology. To me, this act would cull the unprepared--the weak. It would shatter our comfort levels and bring us to the very basis of our human nature.
Survival.
I asked my teens how many of their friends knew how to start a fire from scratch. I wanted to know how many would eat snow and die of hypothermia rather than melt it first because they didn't know any better. How many kids in today's technological era could build a shelter and grow their own food?
Without Google? Not many.
This left me with a huge task--wiping out the world's supply of technology.
National Geographic provided the answer to that, and "Solar Flare" was born.
Yet, my story is only one among the many ways our world, our civilization as we know it, crumbles. I am well-pleased to have my work among such debut novelists as Ryan Graudin, RC Lewis and Mindy McGinnis.
I hope you will find their stories entertaining, terrifying or just plain fun. If you do, please let us know with a review of your own.
February 4, 2013
The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse is an enjoyable collection of speculative short stories featuring a fine variety of different apocalyptic scenarios. Zombies, plague, solar flares, collapse, alien invasions, even an ancient apocalypse from the perspective of a long dead medicine man. While each of these stories share an apocalyptic element, they are otherwise quite unique in terms of structure, style and setting. Reading The Fall was an interesting experience. By viewing the apocalypse from so many different perspectives one sees that the apocalyptic story is indeed as old as death itself. These are tales about death but also offer a glimmer of hope for a potential rebirth. A few of these apocalyptic short stories are worthy of special mention. These include Hairline Cracks, WWBBCDITZA and The Last Sacrifice. Ryan Graudin’s Hairline Cracks gives us an entirely new angle on the zombie phenomenon, suggesting that a connection remains between the souls of the living and their reanimated corpses. WWBBCDITZA (which stands for What Would A Big Black Cat Do In The Zombie Apocalypse) is a clever story, written by A.M. Supinger, that speculates on the role of a warrior cat amongst the walking dead. Judy Croome’s The Last Sacrifice leaves us wondering just how many times people have been at the edge of the fall of their civilization and wondered what might come after? Ranging from sorrowful to light-hearted, The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse is a very thoughtful and entertaining collection of stories that will appeal to quite a wide audience.
March 11, 2014
I think these stories were all good on their own, but I went into the anthology thinking it would be post apocalyptic stories. A lot of these fit in with the title "The Fall" but I don't think a lot of them fit into the genre.
Favorites:
Hairline Cracks: Typical zombie fare but what was most interesting was how the transformation was dealt with in the out of body experience.
Last Day of Fall: Was not expecting that reveal at the end at all. Loved the survival descriptions.
The Last Sacrifice: Disturbing, but interesting. Definitely a different take and nice to see a different culture.
Most of the stories I didn't like because I was expecting something else. Still, I rated it 3 stars because there were some stories that really stood out, and I'm bias because I'm reading it for a post apocalyptic book group :)
Favorites:
Hairline Cracks: Typical zombie fare but what was most interesting was how the transformation was dealt with in the out of body experience.
Last Day of Fall: Was not expecting that reveal at the end at all. Loved the survival descriptions.
The Last Sacrifice: Disturbing, but interesting. Definitely a different take and nice to see a different culture.
Most of the stories I didn't like because I was expecting something else. Still, I rated it 3 stars because there were some stories that really stood out, and I'm bias because I'm reading it for a post apocalyptic book group :)
July 16, 2014
A really enjoyable read for a cold winter's night. Overall the book was a good entertaining read although, as is usual for an anthology, I enjoyed some stories more than others. Flight Plans left me feeling hopeful, while The Last Sacrifice was intense and poignant, the hero Rax was at first horrible but by the end I felt very sorry for him - he is a tragic hero who commits horrible deeds, which were disturbing to read about, but made you think about what acts having a zealous, blind faith leads one to do - as I read this in July 2014 the violent acts of faith in the Middle East are in the news (Israeli and Palestinian children being tortured and murdered).So The Last Sacrifice is thought provoking (how far does one go in the name of faith?)and well written. Trust was also a good read, with an excellent twist in the end. Every reader will have their own favourite story.
January 18, 2014
This review also appears on my blog www.silashruparell.com
My one liner: An easy, if sometimes disturbing, often hilarious read
“May you live in interesting times” is a well-known Chinese curse.
Well, the apocalypse stories take that to the logical extreme, as there would be very little that would be uninteresting about a post-apocalyptic world. This is a lovely little collection of (very) short stories that take human beings out of their comfort zone into situations which they cannot have experienced before.
Some explore human existence in the context of a broken society. In
“Trust”, R.C. Lewis explores the instinct for survival that leads to herd behaviour, which can have disastrous (yet morally justified consequences).
On the other hand, “The Last Day of Fall” by Matt Sinclair is a mini Lord of the Flies. A community that initially comes together in the face of apocalyptic disaster. But there are some rotten apples in the basket…
Then hilariously, a short play / TB script “Disconnect” by Mindy McGinnis,which joins God and the staff in heaven two seconds post-apocalypse. God has inadvertently triggered Judgment Day by setting up his iPhone calendar wrongly. With queues of millions forming at the gates of heaven, God gives up, flops on the couch and starts playing with his old Gameboy, leaving his son, and a host of well-known angels to sort out the mess.
And the memorable grand finale by Judy Croome, “The Last Sacrifice”. Apocalypse in an ancient era. A (Mayan??) king and demi-god performs increasingly desperate sacrifices to appease the gods.
But to no avail.
The Slideshow Review for this book is here.
There is no Wikipedia link for this book. The Google Books link is here.
The image above is licensed by shakespearesmonkey under a Creative Commons License. The image below is licensed by Lea LSF under a Commons LicenseCreative .)
My one liner: An easy, if sometimes disturbing, often hilarious read
“May you live in interesting times” is a well-known Chinese curse.
Well, the apocalypse stories take that to the logical extreme, as there would be very little that would be uninteresting about a post-apocalyptic world. This is a lovely little collection of (very) short stories that take human beings out of their comfort zone into situations which they cannot have experienced before.
Some explore human existence in the context of a broken society. In
“Trust”, R.C. Lewis explores the instinct for survival that leads to herd behaviour, which can have disastrous (yet morally justified consequences).
On the other hand, “The Last Day of Fall” by Matt Sinclair is a mini Lord of the Flies. A community that initially comes together in the face of apocalyptic disaster. But there are some rotten apples in the basket…
Then hilariously, a short play / TB script “Disconnect” by Mindy McGinnis,which joins God and the staff in heaven two seconds post-apocalypse. God has inadvertently triggered Judgment Day by setting up his iPhone calendar wrongly. With queues of millions forming at the gates of heaven, God gives up, flops on the couch and starts playing with his old Gameboy, leaving his son, and a host of well-known angels to sort out the mess.
And the memorable grand finale by Judy Croome, “The Last Sacrifice”. Apocalypse in an ancient era. A (Mayan??) king and demi-god performs increasingly desperate sacrifices to appease the gods.
But to no avail.
The Slideshow Review for this book is here.
There is no Wikipedia link for this book. The Google Books link is here.
The image above is licensed by shakespearesmonkey under a Creative Commons License. The image below is licensed by Lea LSF under a Commons LicenseCreative .)
March 4, 2014
The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse left me with a resounding sense of worry that editing is a dying craft. The choices the anthologists made were perhaps colored somewhat by self promotion and social circle. Most of the stories left me feeling ambivalent, except for the ones that left me feeling like I had finally crossed the border into grumpy old manhood. (In my day, people were told to write what they know. Fleegle dee flu.)
Then came Bone Dust, by P.S. Carrillo, and my grumpy old man heart melted like I'd just been jumped in by the Apple Dumpling Gang. A steam-punk look at post apocalypse, this story melded two genres near and dear to my heart. It introduced me to well thought out characters, at least one of whom could go on to participate in a larger story. It touched upon 19th century mysticism in a "what if all that charlatanism had been real?" sort of way. And it had a dirigible! I will be looking for more P.S. Carrillo in my future.
And therein lies the successfully met prime objective of multi author anthologies. Each author introduced to me by The Fall, I hadn't met before. And now I walk away with a list of authors I want to read more of. I took a star off because it was such a short list.
Then came Bone Dust, by P.S. Carrillo, and my grumpy old man heart melted like I'd just been jumped in by the Apple Dumpling Gang. A steam-punk look at post apocalypse, this story melded two genres near and dear to my heart. It introduced me to well thought out characters, at least one of whom could go on to participate in a larger story. It touched upon 19th century mysticism in a "what if all that charlatanism had been real?" sort of way. And it had a dirigible! I will be looking for more P.S. Carrillo in my future.
And therein lies the successfully met prime objective of multi author anthologies. Each author introduced to me by The Fall, I hadn't met before. And now I walk away with a list of authors I want to read more of. I took a star off because it was such a short list.
July 22, 2014
I have always liked end of the world/apocalypse stories. First, Thanks to Goodreads giveaways as I won this book and would probably never have found this wonderful (don't know that is the best adjective for apocalypse stories) collection of stories. Hats off to Matt Sinclair and his publishing team and of course all the writers. It was a great range of stories. Strongly recommend to fans of apocalypse stories.
September 12, 2013
Tales about the end of civilization as we know it have captivated audiences for generations. It is no wonder that The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse would be just as intriguing. This group of stories all tied to the common theme of man's destruction gives the reader much to think about. Below are the tales and a brief summary of plot.
Read the rest of this review at Underground Book Reviews (dot) com.
Read the rest of this review at Underground Book Reviews (dot) com.
November 26, 2014
I do not normally read fiction works, but my wife JUDY CROOME has a short story in this book. A happy wife is a happy life, so I read this book and found it entertaining and interesting. Some stories had a good twist, while others had unusual premises. "Disconnect" (Mandy McGinnes), "The Last Performance of the Neighborhood Summer Theatre Festival" (R.S. Mellette) "Bone Dust" (Patricia Carrillo) and "The Last Sacrifice" (my wife Judy Croome) were excellent.
January 30, 2013
The Fall was a pretty good book. It started off strong with some in-depth stories and some that were humorous. It did get slow in some parts, but with so many different authors and stories to choose from, the pace picked up again within pages. This book has a collection of the different types of "end-of-the-world" scenarios that would meet most people's expectations.
June 30, 2013
I received this book for free in Goodreads first Reads. I found the stories in this book very interesting and diverse. They weren't all "zombie" stories. Some of the stories were humorous and some very realistic.
April 26, 2013
I received a free copy of The Fall: Tales of the Apocalypse in exchange for a fair review.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this book. It came at the right time. I was sick, bored out of my mind from being in bed, so what better time to delve into to the concept of mortality via the various tales devoted to the destruction of civilization. I'm a sucker for scary stories, and a few were downright terrifying. Some were funny. My favorite story was one which had a twist at the end. I admit to not seeing it coming, so that was a lot of fun. I didn't care for a few of the stories, but they were all well written. And I enjoyed more than I didn't care for. Tastes are so subjective, so variety is nice.
On the whole, I think this was a fun read.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this book. It came at the right time. I was sick, bored out of my mind from being in bed, so what better time to delve into to the concept of mortality via the various tales devoted to the destruction of civilization. I'm a sucker for scary stories, and a few were downright terrifying. Some were funny. My favorite story was one which had a twist at the end. I admit to not seeing it coming, so that was a lot of fun. I didn't care for a few of the stories, but they were all well written. And I enjoyed more than I didn't care for. Tastes are so subjective, so variety is nice.
On the whole, I think this was a fun read.
February 8, 2013
The number of stories provides a little something for everyone. So many takes on how the world might or might not end, that the subject didn't get tedious. I particularly enjoyed the more humorous looks at the end of the world (never expected to find a baseball story). Yet there are also darker looks and zombies (you can't have an anthology without zombies) for those who want their toes curled.
There is also a range of writing ability, from expert story weaver to nearly there. A fun read.
There is also a range of writing ability, from expert story weaver to nearly there. A fun read.
Read
January 25, 2013LOVED this! I know a lot of the authors from over at Agent Query Connect and I'm not surprised by the high quality of the stories. The stories are so varied in tone, voice and characters. Can't wait for the next anthology!
February 18, 2013
My first goodreads win....I haven't read short stories in a while and have to say I might be neglecting some good ones. There were a couple of really good stories that made you think. There were also a couple I didn't much care for. Nice quick read.
October 26, 2014
Really good book. The varied authors sure do keep you interested in the overall story line, there was 1 or 2 that were a bit odd even to me, but overall I really liked it. If you have read other books by a collection of authors than you will like this one as well.
November 20, 2012
I'm biased, but I love this collection.
Want to read
January 1, 2013Won as part of the Goodreads first reads program. Can't wait to read it!
March 4, 2014
3.5 stars
January 17, 2015
This was a mixed bag for me. There were a few stories that I enjoyed, and a few I was so bored by I almost skipped through. What's good about them is that they are short (some just one page!).
February 17, 2023
Second book in the seasonal anthology series is focusing on various the end of the world scenarios through 13 short stories. I loved the stories in this collection (with only three being just OK), there's apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic realities portrayed. Few of the stories approached the "end of the world" theme from the angle of only the main character, meaning the world ended just for them. I liked the fact that the editor chose so different stories otherwise the collection could have been repetitive, since the theme is still one. Many stories are humorous and play with the possibility of "what if". Yet there's serious darkness in some of them. In all of them, if we were to split hairs, since you know, we're talking about the destruction of everything as we know it.
"Trust" by R. C. Lewis
"Hairline Cracks" by Ryan Graudin
"The Last Day of Fall" by Matt Sinclair
"Disconnect" by Mindy McGinnis
"What Would Big Black Cat Do In The Zombie Apocalypse" by A. M. Supinger
"Solar Flare" by Alexandra Tys O'Connor
"Emanate" by Amy Trueblood
"Little League" by Cat Woods
"Rebirth" by A. M. Supinger
"Crumbs" by Jean Oram
"The Last Performance" by R. S. Mellette
"Bone Dust" by P. S. Carrillo
"Flight Plans" by J. Lea Lopez
"The Last Sacrifice" by Judy Croome
To sum it up you'll get: traitorous government, zombie afterthoughts, surviving in the world left behind and the harsh reality of it, story in the form of a play about what would happen in heaven if the apocalypse were to happen, what would cats do with zombies, what could happen when insanity takes over, alien type of takeover, competitive sports, changing your form, love in the end times, theatre rescue, capturing the souls of the dead, resignation, destruction of an ancient civilization.
If you like (post) apocalyptic stories, then I'd recommend reading this collection. There are some gems in here!
"Trust" by R. C. Lewis
"Hairline Cracks" by Ryan Graudin
"The Last Day of Fall" by Matt Sinclair
"Disconnect" by Mindy McGinnis
"What Would Big Black Cat Do In The Zombie Apocalypse" by A. M. Supinger
"Solar Flare" by Alexandra Tys O'Connor
"Emanate" by Amy Trueblood
"Little League" by Cat Woods
"Rebirth" by A. M. Supinger
"Crumbs" by Jean Oram
"The Last Performance" by R. S. Mellette
"Bone Dust" by P. S. Carrillo
"Flight Plans" by J. Lea Lopez
"The Last Sacrifice" by Judy Croome
To sum it up you'll get: traitorous government, zombie afterthoughts, surviving in the world left behind and the harsh reality of it, story in the form of a play about what would happen in heaven if the apocalypse were to happen, what would cats do with zombies, what could happen when insanity takes over, alien type of takeover, competitive sports, changing your form, love in the end times, theatre rescue, capturing the souls of the dead, resignation, destruction of an ancient civilization.
If you like (post) apocalyptic stories, then I'd recommend reading this collection. There are some gems in here!
April 13, 2022
Although I love the editor Matt Sinclair, and I adore apocalyptic anthologies, this book was a bit of a mixed bag. There were a few select great ones, a few that were "okay", and then one or two where I wondered what the point was of what I just read. While the stories you might file under each category may differ by the preferences of the reader, I think it would be a rare exception if you found a person who was in love with absolutely every story in this book. The quality of the stories is very hit-or-miss.
My three favorite stories were "WWBBCDITZA", "Rebirth", and "Bone Dust". Bone dust is a fantastically written steampunk jaunt, WWBBCDITZA is a charming dark story from a cat's perspective of the zombie apocalypse, and Rebirth is a heavily atmospheric Celtic/Norse-influenced look at personal transformation (though I failed to see what the story had to do with an apocalyptic event, it was a remarkably well-written short dark fantasy). Trust was also a fairly decent read with a surprise ending. Crumbs was a wicked little fast read.
Stories that were particularly not favorites of mine due to either poor writing or being so much of an interpretive metaphor that it sailed past metaphor straight into overdone. These were: Hairline Cracks, The Last Day of Fall (both of which were very generic), Emanate (one of the weakest links in the book), The Last Performance, and The Last Sacrifice which just fell a bit flat.
And the rest of the stories were fairly okay, being quick and easy reads and with a unique world inside.
So, like most anthologies, you're going to get a few stories you love, a few you don't like much at all, and in-between a bunch of mediocre outings in the genre.
My three favorite stories were "WWBBCDITZA", "Rebirth", and "Bone Dust". Bone dust is a fantastically written steampunk jaunt, WWBBCDITZA is a charming dark story from a cat's perspective of the zombie apocalypse, and Rebirth is a heavily atmospheric Celtic/Norse-influenced look at personal transformation (though I failed to see what the story had to do with an apocalyptic event, it was a remarkably well-written short dark fantasy). Trust was also a fairly decent read with a surprise ending. Crumbs was a wicked little fast read.
Stories that were particularly not favorites of mine due to either poor writing or being so much of an interpretive metaphor that it sailed past metaphor straight into overdone. These were: Hairline Cracks, The Last Day of Fall (both of which were very generic), Emanate (one of the weakest links in the book), The Last Performance, and The Last Sacrifice which just fell a bit flat.
And the rest of the stories were fairly okay, being quick and easy reads and with a unique world inside.
So, like most anthologies, you're going to get a few stories you love, a few you don't like much at all, and in-between a bunch of mediocre outings in the genre.
July 7, 2017
Some of the stories were interesting, I wished there was more to read of them; but many were not apocalyptic at all.
September 29, 2020
Quick little anthology, no really bad stories but nothing amazing either. WWBBCDITZA was my favorite story; I wish it had been a little longer.
January 31, 2024
some of the short stories in here kinda bangers, others not so much, the book came out in 2012 and the contents within really show it in a way that felt super like forced, like it was trying to be with the times when it came out and in doing so makes itself weird having read it in 2023 / 2024
February 23, 2014
Believe it or not, I think this is the first time I’ve read an anthology, unless you count high school and college textbooks.
First thing I have to say- Unless someone is dishonorably discharged, it is former Marine, not ex-Marine. I cringe every time I read that or hear someone say it because I know how my husband would react. I understand if someone doesn’t have a Marine Corps background, they may not know that so please pass the word.
As I suspected, the upside to an anthology is that you get a bunch of different stories in one book and it is kind of neat to be able to finish one complete story in a very short period. If you come across a bad story, you know it will only last a few pages.
The downside of an anthology is that if you find a really good story, it ends too soon and you’re probably going to get some bad ones mixed in there.
So let’s take a look at the stories.
Trust by R.C. Lewis
The end of the world is upon us and the politicians have made bunkers only for themselves.
This story was great and probably my favorite. I’m glad the anthology started with this one; it gave me a positive beginning. The best part is that it has a nice twist at the end.
Hairline Cracks by Ryan Graudin
A zombie story. This one was a pretty good story; I would give it 4 stars on its own. It did have some interesting quotes:
On other days it does work? I had a little chuckle on this one, but I’m not going to try it anytime soon.
There is another quote I like; it has a nice visual and is rather eloquent in my opinion, but it could be a spoiler so I won’t include it. It is the last paragraph before the section ‘Her.’
Solar Flare by Alexandra Tys O’Connor
A group of young kids are taken hostage by their P.E. coach after an apocalyptic event. This one was okay but did sound similar to Red Dawn.
Emanate by Amy Trueblood
Aliens (I think) feed off the life force of little girls. It was an interesting premise and I enjoyed the story, but again I can’t help but see similarities with other fiction. This one seems to be quite a lot like the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds in addition to another move, which I won’t include because it would be a spoiler.
One of the interesting things about Emanate is the use of Three Blind Mice. I had not remembered the possible historical significance of that and if I had, I might have read this story a little differently, although in retrospect, I’m not so sure it is entirely fitting.
Little League by Cat Woods
This is a baseball game with an interesting ending.
I am not a fan of this story, but I want to explain why. I like the ending, but getting there was a chore. The author lost me pretty quickly. The only reason I pushed through was to get to the apocalypse part of the story. A blow by blow account of a baseball game does not float my boat.
Rebirth by A.M. Supinger
Rebirth is about a seal who wants to become human.
Again, I was not overly impressed and again, this was very similar to another story I read that was based more on a snake, if I remember correctly. One of the details I did like about Rebirth is that it mentions Ondine, or Undine, which is a German story, one that is mentioned in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and captured my daughter’s favor to the point that I purchased her an old copy of a hardback. So the originality is lacking.
The Last Performance by R.S. Mellette
Live performances are pretty much a thing of the past but Henry finds one and attends a personal performance.
It was cute.
Bone Dust by P.S. Carillo
In an old west type of apocalyptic setting, a scientist has made a huge discovery, only to be interrupted by a weirdo religious cult.
This story was okay. It gets points for creep factor, weirdo religious factor and a twisted ending.
The Last Sacrifice by Judy Croome
Sort of an Aztec human sacrifice type story. Unfortunately, it begins:
Death stalks I, Rax-ul-can…
That is one of my biggest pet peeves, the improper use of me and I. Others do it, but when the beginning of the very first sentence includes that mistake, it is definitely a negative for me because I am already annoyed.
Other than that, the story was okay and I liked the ending.
The following are stories by which I was simply not impressed:
The Last Day of Fall by Matt Sinclair
Disconnect by Mindy McGinnis
WWBBCDITZA by A.M. Supinger
Crumbs by Jean Oram
Flight Plans by J. Lea Lopez
Will I read anthologies in the future? Probably. Are they among my favorites? Not really.
First thing I have to say- Unless someone is dishonorably discharged, it is former Marine, not ex-Marine. I cringe every time I read that or hear someone say it because I know how my husband would react. I understand if someone doesn’t have a Marine Corps background, they may not know that so please pass the word.
As I suspected, the upside to an anthology is that you get a bunch of different stories in one book and it is kind of neat to be able to finish one complete story in a very short period. If you come across a bad story, you know it will only last a few pages.
The downside of an anthology is that if you find a really good story, it ends too soon and you’re probably going to get some bad ones mixed in there.
So let’s take a look at the stories.
Trust by R.C. Lewis
The end of the world is upon us and the politicians have made bunkers only for themselves.
This story was great and probably my favorite. I’m glad the anthology started with this one; it gave me a positive beginning. The best part is that it has a nice twist at the end.
Hairline Cracks by Ryan Graudin
A zombie story. This one was a pretty good story; I would give it 4 stars on its own. It did have some interesting quotes:
Only this time a day on the couch ingesting pouches of Kool-Aid and reruns of The Simpsons won’t make me feel better.
On other days it does work? I had a little chuckle on this one, but I’m not going to try it anytime soon.
There is another quote I like; it has a nice visual and is rather eloquent in my opinion, but it could be a spoiler so I won’t include it. It is the last paragraph before the section ‘Her.’
Solar Flare by Alexandra Tys O’Connor
A group of young kids are taken hostage by their P.E. coach after an apocalyptic event. This one was okay but did sound similar to Red Dawn.
Emanate by Amy Trueblood
Aliens (I think) feed off the life force of little girls. It was an interesting premise and I enjoyed the story, but again I can’t help but see similarities with other fiction. This one seems to be quite a lot like the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds in addition to another move, which I won’t include because it would be a spoiler.
One of the interesting things about Emanate is the use of Three Blind Mice. I had not remembered the possible historical significance of that and if I had, I might have read this story a little differently, although in retrospect, I’m not so sure it is entirely fitting.
Little League by Cat Woods
This is a baseball game with an interesting ending.
I am not a fan of this story, but I want to explain why. I like the ending, but getting there was a chore. The author lost me pretty quickly. The only reason I pushed through was to get to the apocalypse part of the story. A blow by blow account of a baseball game does not float my boat.
Rebirth by A.M. Supinger
Rebirth is about a seal who wants to become human.
Again, I was not overly impressed and again, this was very similar to another story I read that was based more on a snake, if I remember correctly. One of the details I did like about Rebirth is that it mentions Ondine, or Undine, which is a German story, one that is mentioned in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and captured my daughter’s favor to the point that I purchased her an old copy of a hardback. So the originality is lacking.
The Last Performance by R.S. Mellette
Live performances are pretty much a thing of the past but Henry finds one and attends a personal performance.
It was cute.
Bone Dust by P.S. Carillo
In an old west type of apocalyptic setting, a scientist has made a huge discovery, only to be interrupted by a weirdo religious cult.
This story was okay. It gets points for creep factor, weirdo religious factor and a twisted ending.
The Last Sacrifice by Judy Croome
Sort of an Aztec human sacrifice type story. Unfortunately, it begins:
Death stalks I, Rax-ul-can…
That is one of my biggest pet peeves, the improper use of me and I. Others do it, but when the beginning of the very first sentence includes that mistake, it is definitely a negative for me because I am already annoyed.
Other than that, the story was okay and I liked the ending.
The following are stories by which I was simply not impressed:
The Last Day of Fall by Matt Sinclair
Disconnect by Mindy McGinnis
WWBBCDITZA by A.M. Supinger
Crumbs by Jean Oram
Flight Plans by J. Lea Lopez
Will I read anthologies in the future? Probably. Are they among my favorites? Not really.
Read
November 2, 2012When I first agreed to be copy-editor for this anthology I was a little hesitant. Aren't apocalyptic stories dark and dreary and nightmare inducing?
Well, not these ones!
This collection is a surprising, heart-felt, hopeful, humourous, serious, light, dark, romantic, heartbreaking, ra-rah inducing, bundle of stories about the end of the world. They all have a theme of hope and rebirth which is both uplifting while thought-provoking... and yes, all at the end of the world.
Here's a bit about each of the stories:
Trust, by R.C. Lewis, is a story about war, family, and trust. Do you trust the government to take care of you? Or do you take things into your own hands in order to survive? This story will be sure to leave you with your own questions.
Hairline Cracks, by Ryan Graudin. This is a zombie story with a breaking down relationship at the heart of the story. It's from the viewpoint of a couple who are engaged, and has wonderful, original descriptions through-out.
WWBBCDITZA, by A.M. Supinger. More zombies. However... what do you think about a cat fighting off the dead? What if all the humans were gone? What if kitty found one last survivor? This story will amuse you while warming your heart. Even if you're not a cat person.
Disconnect, by Mindy McGinnis. Wear your Depends for this story. What would happen if God had an iPhone? I won't tell you more because I don't want to ruin it for you. Great humour, double-plays, and puns. And maybe a statement about the world as well.
Crumbs, by Jean Oram. This is my first short story. I thought why not challenge myself doubly and write a chick lit story in an apocalyptic setting? So... can you find love at the end of the world? I think... well, I'm not telling--read the story!
The Last Day of Fall, by Matt Sinclair. What if there were only five people left in your neighbourhood? What if people left and never came back? This is a story about people trying to make the best of it at the end of the world. Surprising insights. Surprising results, and Sinclair's characteristic leave-you-wondering ending.
Little League, by Cat Woods. This is a sweet story about Little League baseball. But it's more than that. What if the two teams were battling it out over who wins the world--the Devil or God. And will it affect the way the spectators behave? Probably not. But you never know.
Rebirth, by A.M. Supinger. What is a selkie? It's a seal who can come up on land and become human. If they do it right. This is a tale of a curious seal and a possible rebirth--one of our main anthology themes.
The Last Performance of the Neighborhood Summer Theatre Festival, by R.S. Mellette. This story hit home for me in some ways as it is a look at society and some what-ifs in regards to our culture, the arts, and trends and decisions we seem to be making as a whole society.
Solar Flare, by Alexandra Tys O’Connor. Ironically, only one of use wrote about an environmental disaster--Hurricane Sandy is responsible for this anthology's release being delayed. This is a sweet coming of age story about a video gamer boy who finds himself at the end of the world as he knows it when a solar flare destroys most of what he considers 'the world.'
Emanate, by Amy Trueblood is another coming of age story for an orphaned boy and girl. When robots take over the land, the kids find themselves on the run... and I can't tell you much more without ruining it except that you'll love the ending.
Bone Dust, by Patricia Carrillo is a story about the plague. What if the plague had ripped through the gold rush? What if it was a steampunk world and two lovers have been recently reunited... only to be ripped apart? Another killer ending in this story!
Flight Plans, by J. Lea Lopez. This is the shortest and most poetic story of the anthology. Another plague, another end. But still there is hope, beauty and rebirth.
The Last Sacrifice, by Judy Croome. This is probably the most interesting story in the anthology because of my curiosity in terms of what everyone's reactions will be. Set in ancient times, and from the point of view of a sacred leader of sorts, it contains sacrifice, belief, disbelief, disillusionment and so much more.
This anthology has something for everyone. I'll be curious to hear what you think.
Well, not these ones!
This collection is a surprising, heart-felt, hopeful, humourous, serious, light, dark, romantic, heartbreaking, ra-rah inducing, bundle of stories about the end of the world. They all have a theme of hope and rebirth which is both uplifting while thought-provoking... and yes, all at the end of the world.
Here's a bit about each of the stories:
Trust, by R.C. Lewis, is a story about war, family, and trust. Do you trust the government to take care of you? Or do you take things into your own hands in order to survive? This story will be sure to leave you with your own questions.
Hairline Cracks, by Ryan Graudin. This is a zombie story with a breaking down relationship at the heart of the story. It's from the viewpoint of a couple who are engaged, and has wonderful, original descriptions through-out.
WWBBCDITZA, by A.M. Supinger. More zombies. However... what do you think about a cat fighting off the dead? What if all the humans were gone? What if kitty found one last survivor? This story will amuse you while warming your heart. Even if you're not a cat person.
Disconnect, by Mindy McGinnis. Wear your Depends for this story. What would happen if God had an iPhone? I won't tell you more because I don't want to ruin it for you. Great humour, double-plays, and puns. And maybe a statement about the world as well.
Crumbs, by Jean Oram. This is my first short story. I thought why not challenge myself doubly and write a chick lit story in an apocalyptic setting? So... can you find love at the end of the world? I think... well, I'm not telling--read the story!
The Last Day of Fall, by Matt Sinclair. What if there were only five people left in your neighbourhood? What if people left and never came back? This is a story about people trying to make the best of it at the end of the world. Surprising insights. Surprising results, and Sinclair's characteristic leave-you-wondering ending.
Little League, by Cat Woods. This is a sweet story about Little League baseball. But it's more than that. What if the two teams were battling it out over who wins the world--the Devil or God. And will it affect the way the spectators behave? Probably not. But you never know.
Rebirth, by A.M. Supinger. What is a selkie? It's a seal who can come up on land and become human. If they do it right. This is a tale of a curious seal and a possible rebirth--one of our main anthology themes.
The Last Performance of the Neighborhood Summer Theatre Festival, by R.S. Mellette. This story hit home for me in some ways as it is a look at society and some what-ifs in regards to our culture, the arts, and trends and decisions we seem to be making as a whole society.
Solar Flare, by Alexandra Tys O’Connor. Ironically, only one of use wrote about an environmental disaster--Hurricane Sandy is responsible for this anthology's release being delayed. This is a sweet coming of age story about a video gamer boy who finds himself at the end of the world as he knows it when a solar flare destroys most of what he considers 'the world.'
Emanate, by Amy Trueblood is another coming of age story for an orphaned boy and girl. When robots take over the land, the kids find themselves on the run... and I can't tell you much more without ruining it except that you'll love the ending.
Bone Dust, by Patricia Carrillo is a story about the plague. What if the plague had ripped through the gold rush? What if it was a steampunk world and two lovers have been recently reunited... only to be ripped apart? Another killer ending in this story!
Flight Plans, by J. Lea Lopez. This is the shortest and most poetic story of the anthology. Another plague, another end. But still there is hope, beauty and rebirth.
The Last Sacrifice, by Judy Croome. This is probably the most interesting story in the anthology because of my curiosity in terms of what everyone's reactions will be. Set in ancient times, and from the point of view of a sacred leader of sorts, it contains sacrifice, belief, disbelief, disillusionment and so much more.
This anthology has something for everyone. I'll be curious to hear what you think.
February 26, 2017
13 short stories about the downfall of civilization and the end of the world as we know it. Each story is unique and tells a different dystopian tale. Some were great, some scary, some horrifying, and others just meh. The collection as a whole was well written and interesting. My personal favorite was Disconnect by Mindy McGinnis--a story that features God as a surly teen with a cellphone and little interest in the world or its people.
January 22, 2016
This is a collection of 14 stories ranging from 4 to 22 pages in length. As with most of these anthologies there are some that I liked and some that I didn't. However, my main reason for giving this book a fairly low score is that quite a few of the stories aren't what I would call apocalyptic fiction. I realise that some people might like the fact that not all the stories are about plagues and zombies or other typical subjects, but some of them aren't really apocalyptic at all (I would say that 7 out of the 14 were what I was expecting and 2 or 3 of the others were a bit different but 'fitted'). Of the 7 that were the sort of thing that I was hoping to find, some of them were a bit tedious and I felt I was just reading them to get to the next story, rather than because I was enjoying them.
The stories are well written and could be of interest if you're looking for a more varied view of apocalyptic fiction, but I simply didn't enjoy it very much as a collection. If you're the sort of person who reads a lot of genres of books then add a star or two to my score.
The stories are well written and could be of interest if you're looking for a more varied view of apocalyptic fiction, but I simply didn't enjoy it very much as a collection. If you're the sort of person who reads a lot of genres of books then add a star or two to my score.
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