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Broken Worlds: Dystopian Stories
The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places...
In a future of bleakness and roboticism, a totalitarian government enforces upon the people a lifestyle that lulls them into a state of obedience. Your career and social status are predestined and you cannot alter it - this is a reality that walks a fine line between evoking sensations of fear and inducing a sense of futility.
A dystopian reality can sometimes turn out to be as powerful and strong as it can be fragile, collapsing in on itself from one second to the next. As a race, we are fascinated with what comes next, what's over the hill and, inevitably, what happens if we're left all alone. How can things go on? What lessons can we learn?
Broken Worlds takes a peep into an all too possible future. Narration and style change from story to story, but the core of this volume is human emotion. Coloured by their cultures and backgrounds, the storytellers featured in this volume take the idea of a society at extremes and weave a variety of outcomes.
We invite you to read and hope you enjoy this collection.
The Sad Man by Thomas Brown (competition winner)
From the fifth-floor window of his inner-city flat, a man keeps watch for his friend, the Sad Man.
Pioneer by Joe Saxon
Lidia lives in the waterworks, always hungry, until she receives a message from the supervisors of the upper floors.
The Insects by Gavin Bryce
Thia is a city with millions of electronic eyes. On his retirement day, Roman Huxley has planned a special retirement present for the entire megacity.
Screens by Alix Owen
A story inspired by the advent of Google Glass; when one young man contracts a biomechanical disease, he is forced to see what the world has become while everybody else was social networking.
Machinations by Shira Hereld
A marriage is slowly falling apart as both partners become more and more reliant on mechanical Andros for everything from housework to intimacy.
The Architect by Gavin Haran
A local obituarist tracks the sinister transformation of his town through the introduction of mysterious architectural constructions with unexpected consequences
The Deepening Well by Sam Hurcom
Can a state of mind be considered dystopian - how would the end of history affect the last survivng individual?
3AM Job by Mark Schultz
On a future Earth, where absolute free market capitalism controls the globe, a freelance butcher accepts an early morning job which turns out to be far more profitable than it seems at first glance.
The Farm by George Vernon
A farmer and his family are threatened by their rebellious herd.
Also in the collection...
Vision of Paradise by Clare Banks
The Last CanvaS by Paul Dawson
The Leadership Gene by Francis Beckett
Watch by Miles Gatrell
Water Rats by Terry Holland
The Rebel's Daughter by Virgina Ballesty
Meat is Murder by David Turnbull
Equity Lamp by Adam "Bucho" Rodenburger
Dreg Town by Steph Minns
It was the Best of Times by Konstantine Paradias
Carved in Ice by Doxa J. Zannou
Silva's Plague by Ian Green
Urbanova by Christian Cook
Cover art, Broken Worlds by Daniel Tyka
In a future of bleakness and roboticism, a totalitarian government enforces upon the people a lifestyle that lulls them into a state of obedience. Your career and social status are predestined and you cannot alter it - this is a reality that walks a fine line between evoking sensations of fear and inducing a sense of futility.
A dystopian reality can sometimes turn out to be as powerful and strong as it can be fragile, collapsing in on itself from one second to the next. As a race, we are fascinated with what comes next, what's over the hill and, inevitably, what happens if we're left all alone. How can things go on? What lessons can we learn?
Broken Worlds takes a peep into an all too possible future. Narration and style change from story to story, but the core of this volume is human emotion. Coloured by their cultures and backgrounds, the storytellers featured in this volume take the idea of a society at extremes and weave a variety of outcomes.
We invite you to read and hope you enjoy this collection.
The Sad Man by Thomas Brown (competition winner)
From the fifth-floor window of his inner-city flat, a man keeps watch for his friend, the Sad Man.
Pioneer by Joe Saxon
Lidia lives in the waterworks, always hungry, until she receives a message from the supervisors of the upper floors.
The Insects by Gavin Bryce
Thia is a city with millions of electronic eyes. On his retirement day, Roman Huxley has planned a special retirement present for the entire megacity.
Screens by Alix Owen
A story inspired by the advent of Google Glass; when one young man contracts a biomechanical disease, he is forced to see what the world has become while everybody else was social networking.
Machinations by Shira Hereld
A marriage is slowly falling apart as both partners become more and more reliant on mechanical Andros for everything from housework to intimacy.
The Architect by Gavin Haran
A local obituarist tracks the sinister transformation of his town through the introduction of mysterious architectural constructions with unexpected consequences
The Deepening Well by Sam Hurcom
Can a state of mind be considered dystopian - how would the end of history affect the last survivng individual?
3AM Job by Mark Schultz
On a future Earth, where absolute free market capitalism controls the globe, a freelance butcher accepts an early morning job which turns out to be far more profitable than it seems at first glance.
The Farm by George Vernon
A farmer and his family are threatened by their rebellious herd.
Also in the collection...
Vision of Paradise by Clare Banks
The Last CanvaS by Paul Dawson
The Leadership Gene by Francis Beckett
Watch by Miles Gatrell
Water Rats by Terry Holland
The Rebel's Daughter by Virgina Ballesty
Meat is Murder by David Turnbull
Equity Lamp by Adam "Bucho" Rodenburger
Dreg Town by Steph Minns
It was the Best of Times by Konstantine Paradias
Carved in Ice by Doxa J. Zannou
Silva's Plague by Ian Green
Urbanova by Christian Cook
Cover art, Broken Worlds by Daniel Tyka
310 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2014
13 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 8, 2016
It took me a while to finish this collection but not for lack of interest. on the contrary, I was sooo into the first few stories, I was afraid I'd be so disappointed if I finished them all too soon.
The stories are inventive, delving into different sides of a sickness that is already spreading through out world, offering cautionary tales of what could become of us if we're not careful, but also giving us a glimmer of hope for the human race and humanity.
Work and other books took me away from Broken Worlds for a while, but I caught myself going back to this book in my mind over and over again. The pause might have built it up in my head a bit more than it should have because the last stories didn't have as great an impact as the first several ones, but most of them were great; some were absolutely amazing!
The stories are inventive, delving into different sides of a sickness that is already spreading through out world, offering cautionary tales of what could become of us if we're not careful, but also giving us a glimmer of hope for the human race and humanity.
Work and other books took me away from Broken Worlds for a while, but I caught myself going back to this book in my mind over and over again. The pause might have built it up in my head a bit more than it should have because the last stories didn't have as great an impact as the first several ones, but most of them were great; some were absolutely amazing!
September 24, 2025
Wow, this is one DARK collection of dystopian fiction. Normally in a collection like this, there are some dark stories and some hopeful stories…..yeah, not in this one. And in the climate today….this is a hard anthology to read. It is a powerful collection of short stories and they were all interesting & definitely thought-provoking but if you are looking for hope or happiness-you won’t find it in this book. So I recommend it and I don’t!
From the book blurb: “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places...
In a future of bleakness and roboticism, a totalitarian government enforces upon the people a lifestyle that lulls them into a state of obedience. Your career and social status are predestined and you cannot alter it - this is a reality that walks a fine line between evoking sensations of fear and inducing a sense of futility.
A dystopian reality can sometimes turn out to be as powerful and strong as it can be fragile, collapsing in on itself from one second to the next. As a race, we are fascinated with what comes next, what's over the hill and, inevitably, what happens if we're left all alone. How can things go on? What lessons can we learn?
Broken Worlds takes a peep into an all too possible future. Narration and style change from story to story, but the core of this volume is human emotion. Coloured by their cultures and backgrounds, the storytellers featured in this volume take the idea of a society at extremes and weave a variety of outcomes.”
From the book blurb: “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places...
In a future of bleakness and roboticism, a totalitarian government enforces upon the people a lifestyle that lulls them into a state of obedience. Your career and social status are predestined and you cannot alter it - this is a reality that walks a fine line between evoking sensations of fear and inducing a sense of futility.
A dystopian reality can sometimes turn out to be as powerful and strong as it can be fragile, collapsing in on itself from one second to the next. As a race, we are fascinated with what comes next, what's over the hill and, inevitably, what happens if we're left all alone. How can things go on? What lessons can we learn?
Broken Worlds takes a peep into an all too possible future. Narration and style change from story to story, but the core of this volume is human emotion. Coloured by their cultures and backgrounds, the storytellers featured in this volume take the idea of a society at extremes and weave a variety of outcomes.”
February 2, 2016
Intense and captivating collection of stories. Some very good, others just too gruesome and much more graphic than the usual sci-fi dystopias. Definitely not for the squeamish.
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July 20, 2017Intense and captivating collection of stories very interesant
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews