Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse

This is a good collection of sci-fi short stories, loosely based on an apocalyptic theme. For dedicated sci-fi readers, it won't seem nearly as dark as the publisher describes because apocalyptic themes have been a constant in sci-fi fiction since the beginning. Plus some of the stories merely depict a radically different future, but not necessarily one that is a disaster for human kind.Short stories are my favourite way to consume sci-fi. It allows the authors to fully explore their creativity without investing in complex story development, and allows the reader to sample a wide variety of styles and creative thought. Short stories are how sci-fi developed as a genre and it is good to be able to continue enjoying it in that manner.Having said that, there are some definite misses in this collection. But they are all short so if you don't like one story the next will be along soon.

Being a voracious reader I have a special fondness for short stories. Usually such a collection can be hit or miss with such a variety of writers, even with sharing a common theme. Too often there is either not enough content to fill a volume or an editor that has a different viewpoint of what should go into a collection. John Joseph Adams seems to have mastered all the pitfalls without being full of himself and it shows. The introduction before each story is perfect; succinct notes about the author and what the story is about, and where they might have been hoping to get to; the bibliography is a nice touch for those who want to explore more.As to the content of this volume. These are all apocalyptic stories with more of a focus on the aftermath both long and short, instead of the typical breakdown of society as is so often the case. Starting the book with Stephen King's, "The End of the Whole Mess" sets a perfect pace for the rest of the book and is a story I have loved for years being a 'Constant Reader' from way back. Every story is short enough to read in a single lunch break which is a huge plus for me. Bite sized little chunks let me pace myself without being bogged down in a 150+ page novella masquerading as a short story. 15-25 pages seems to be about the norm with a small group of quick 4-8 page stories. With 22 stories I expected the quality would be hit or miss and there was only 1 story I didn't care for, that being "Mute", by Gene Wolfe, even that I did not actively dislike. Quite often I found myself having to stop and reflect on something that really touched me before I could keep going. In spite of the darker subject matter there was a great deal of hope contained in here. Speaks volumes of the indomitable human spirit, even if the term human is a slippery one. There were also many thought provoking subjects that I did not expect. Speech Sounds is one of these that explores communication when language disappears. A frequently recurring theme is the things we value that we leave behind, and the things that have no survival value but have a spiritual value. All in all the collection is tight and well thought out to create a flowing symmetry that never rushes or makes light of serious things. A must own for fans of both short stories and post apocalypse books.

As with any anthology there are bound to be a couple of tales that do not resonate. However, the 22 provided here are mostly strong given the assemblage of writing talent. They explore every manner of potential apocalypse the world could face and the human response. It is the latter which makes the storytelling engrossing. The good tales have us asking how we would perform in such circumstance. Hope and a challenged nobility are major themes as people attempt to hold onto their humanity either in desperation or as a goal. The stories were written as early as 1973 when mutually assured destruction hung over our heads. More recent ones explore terror and terrorism that now threatens us in fresh ways.Dale Bailey's "The End Of The World As We Know It" seeks out our fascination with doomsday plagues. "And The Deep Blue Sea" by Elizabeth Bear reminded my of Roger Zelazny's "Damnation Alley". Stephen King’s quiet story, “The End of the Whole Mess”, is told through a quickly-written memoir of a last survivor. Jonathan Lethem explores bread and circuses in “How We Got In Town and Out Again”. It involves a virtual reality contest that provides people a diversion from the scarcity of food. James Van Pelt sets up a unique setting in “The Last of the O-Forms”. In this future, the a plague has made genetic mutations the order of the day, in animals and humans. The range of premise and quality of writing make this worth the read.

Got this recommended via Amazon and took a chance because of some of the top names in the front.I'm not usually a fan of collections of short stories but I love post apocalyptic fiction and this has a huge collection of that.The stories that are good are really good but you need to sift through a lot of chaf to get to the good ones.Having said that, I may still purchase the second volume because the good stories really were good

Fantastic post-apocalyptic short stories - I really enjoyed this compilation. It's a great mix of different genres in post-apocalyptic fiction, with many creative viewpoints - it's immersing, and a pleasure to read. Sure, some stories are better than others, but this is a given in any short-story collection. Look no further for post-apocalyptic short stories - highly recommended (most certainly better than the second volume!).

Not as good as I had hoped for. There are a few stories in it that are good. Stephen King's, I already have. Reading too much apocalypse can be depressing.

I'm not sure exactly how to review this item, as I'm still a little bit lost between my expectations and what this book actually could offer me.The selected stories are brilliant, and the quality of the writers displayed here is just amazing. Still I found quite hard to keep some interest on this book, when the stories are definitively to short to have some pleasure while reading them. There's always the feeling of something missing, that shouldn't come with such amazing writing quality.In the end, this books stands between a good book, with brilliant stories, and something where we could never get truly satisfied as we should.It's a pity that such an amazing idea got lost in such short stories.

Although the subject can be a bit gloomy there are a range of really good stories in this anthology.