Books Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - A fine collection of Apocalypse stories by great authors
With anthologies, I normally list the Table Of Contents, however because it can be viewed by rolling your mouse over the second available image below the book picture, I won't list it. There are 22 stories in this collection, by such authors as Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, Nancy Kress, and many more. Each story begins with a short paragraph of notes and achievements by each author.

Religion, Armageddon, virus, plague, bombs, accidents, incidents, pollutants, natural disaster, and more, are all waiting to destroy the earth as we know it. Rising like the phoenix comes the new earth, explored in these tales of apocalypse. Barren landscapes, alternate ways of life, deserts, oceans, mangled cities, ragged suburbs: all are settings typical of destruction. Some of the stories in this collection are "realtime", meaning the apocalypse as it happens, such as The End Of The Whole Mess by Stephen King, When Sysadmins Ruled The Earth by Cory Doctorow, and The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey. Most, however, are post-apocalyptic, documenting humanity's struggle in the aftermath of destruction.

My favorites are The People Of Sand And Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi, a tale of futuristic inhabitation, human regeneration, and the finding of a real flesh-and-blood dog wandering the sere landscape. Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels by George R.R. Martin is a tale of two separate surviving factions, one Lunar faction and another faction deep beneath the earth. The question is, who are the real people of the long lost earth civilization? Waiting For The Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell is a short but impacting tale of desperation to leave behind the scavenged farmlands. The Last Of The O-Forms by James Van Pelt highlights the journeys of Dr. Trevin's Traveling Zoological Extravaganza. This is a fun tale of a traveling freak show, with the question of who and what are the real freaks. Artie's Angels by Catherine Wells is the tale of teenagers growing up in a Kansas Habitat shelter, hoping for a better life in an off-world colony. Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus by Neal Barrett Jr. is another fun story of a traveling entertainment van offering $ex, Tacos, and Dangerous Drugs. The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey offers a real time look at the confusion and loneliness of a single survivor.

There are some great stories and some mediocre stories, but there are no bad stories in this collection. A special, not to be missed feature is the For Further Reading guide at the end of the book. John Joseph Adams has created a list of books whose tales are based on the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic civilizations. Many of these I've read, but to my delight there are many I haven't. It's like having your own personalized reference of future reading material.

I'm a fan of apocalypse novels and a fan of short story anthologies, so Wastelands was a double treat for me. If you're into End-Of-Times or an aficionado of anthologies (or both), I highly recommend you pick up this book. Enjoy!

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Rating: - A great collection
You already know how these stories go, there's been enough "what happens after?" stories and movies. In fact, you've probably read some of these already.

Still, it's a great collection. There's got to be a few stories here you haven't read yet, and after you're done with those, you can go back to the others and see how they compare.

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Rating: - Great anthology!
Normally when I read an anthology, there are a few good stories, and quite a few bad ones. Wastelands is a true gem, with practically every story a winner! The authors are all top notch award winning authors, and these stories all have an interesting take on the apocalypse. Just about every story seems to be about 15-20 pages, and all of them will be page turners for you. As I read these tales, the themes reminded me of all the wonderful Twilight Zones episodes dealing with the apocalypse.

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Rating: - Not really apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic
I was disappointed in this book as I was hoping for some pure "end of the world" fun. However, better than half of these stories are not set during an apocalypse or after an apocalypse; they're merely set in some distant dystopian future. Sorry, but dystopian does not equal apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic. Claiming that the stories contained in this volume are of these genres would be like saying that "1984" is post-apocalyptic. There's a few gems in here, whether they're about armageddon or not, but mostly the stories in here are of average quality. A few of them are just bad.

It's not a bad buy, but quite a disappointment for me due to the misrepresentation of content.