Out of the Ruins
The apocalyptic anthology
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3.8 • 8 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
18 short stories take us to the end of the world in this anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction featuring bestselling authors like Emily St. John Mandel, China Miéville, Samuel R. Delaney, Clive Barker, and more!
In the moments when it all comes crashing down, what will we value the most, and how will we save it? Featuring new and exclusive post-apocalyptic short stories, as well as classics of the genre, editor Preston Grassmann takes us through the fall and beyond—to the things that are created after. This anthology includes stories by:
• China Miéville
• Emily St. John Mandel
• Clive Barker
• Carmen Maria Machado
• Charlie Jane Anders
• Samuel R. Delaney
• Ramsey Campbell,
• Lavie Tidhar
• Kaaron Warrern
• Anna Tambour
• Nina Allan
• Jeffrey Thomas
• Paul Di Filippo
• Ron Drummond
• Nikhil Singh
• John Skipp
• Autumn Christian
• Chris Kelso
• Rumi Kaneko
• Nick Mamatas
• D.R.G. Sugawara
Calling on the finest traditions of post-apocalyptic fiction, this anthology asks us what makes us human, and who we will be when we emerge out of the ruins?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Grassman's hopeful postapocalyptic anthology showcases 21 stories in a panoply of styles, but does not always unify them. Atmosphere suffuses the standout pieces: wrecked ships and a lost Zora Neale Hurston novel collide in a remote seaside town in China Miéville's tender yet ominous "Watching God." A sideways poetry drives Nina Allan's overwhelmingly kindhearted "A Storm in Kingstown," in which a woman searches for a missing nun in her plague-struck Yorkshire estuary city. The grief of Alzheimer's laces Ramsey Campbell's "Reminded" as an app-reliant elderly couple scrapes together missing memories ahead of a dystopian driver's exam. And Emily St. John Mandel's gentle "Mr. Thursday" reconsiders time travel in glowing prose. Weaker entries privilege style over substance: Nick Mamatas's snarling, overclever "The Man You Flee at Parties" significantly underloads its payoff, while Grassman's stiff, formulaic collaboration with Chris Kelso, "Like the Petals of Broken Flowers," fails to convince. Though uneven, there's enough here to make this sampler of salvaged futures worthwhile.
Customer Reviews
Sometimes interesting, but uneven
That is all.
Out of the Ruins
Enjoyed the anthology very much because the nature of the entire collection proves that reading can be fun and entertaining, and there is no one description that covers it. It has something for everyone!