stanwj's review
3.0
A second volume in a themed horror collection might seem like a good candidate for more experimental work that may not be entirely successful and such is the case with Wastelands 2, although I enjoyed the majority of the stories.
Post-apocalypse tales are one of the enduring favorites in horror fiction. Some of the classic boogeymen like nuclear war have faded as threats to all humanity while others like global warming have risen--Wastelands 2 delivers on both of these, along with biological terrors, Lovecraftian beasts from the sea, really mean flowers and, of course, Kevin Costner. Sort of.
While the stories are bound by the theme of apocalypse, style and tone is all over the place. There is little in the way of humor (as one might expect), though Keffy R. M. Kehrli's "Advertising at the End of the World" with its androids-as-literal-walking-advertisements still searching for buyers after a super-virus decimates humanity, is quietly absurd. Most are dark or darker and the majority betray little hope regarding humankind's ability to come back from the brink of extinction. You'll also put down the book thinking most people are jerks.
This is not exactly feel-good material is what I'm saying.
A few standouts for me include Jack McDevitt's "Ellie," which presents a nice twist on a story about caretakers keeping things running at a massive particle collider in the hope of staving off further disaster. The aforementioned "Advertising at the End of the World" is a relatively original take on post-apocalypse, with the sensible protagonist Marie trying to deal with an army of annoying androids as humanely as possible. George R. R. Martin's hippie-fest "...For a Single Yesterday" reminded me a bit of the novel Station Eleven, with entertainers providing a focal point in surviving communities, with a bit of time-travelly drugs tossed in.
"Monstro" is a deliciously weird story about a virus inducing strange and dangerous groupthink among the infected quarantined in Haiti. Author Junot Díaz steeps the story in local culture while slowly unwinding an ever-widening apocalypse that may or may not be contained on the island state.
Jake Kerr's "Biological Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince" is an epistemological accounting of how an author survives, writes about and in a way is consumed by a meteor impact that devastates North America in the first half of the 21st century. I feel this format--excerpts from Wikipedia, interviews, news reports and so on--is trickier to pull off than it looks but Kerr handles it expertly, lending an authentic feel to these glimpses of Prince's life and the apocalyptic event that sits at its core.
On the negative side, I found David Brin's "The Postman" (a novella version of the novel) was fine but oddly undercuts the whole enterprise on the very last page with the protagonist turning weirdly flippant and derisive. I have no idea if the book (or the Costner movie) are the same, but I found it jarring.
But while "The Postman" was still a pleasant enough read overall, I only managed a few pages of Maria Dahvana Headley's "The Traditional." The story features an unlikable and uninteresting protagonist and is written in the second person: "You’ve always been the kind of liar who leans back and lets boys fall into you while you see if you can make them fall all the way out the other side. You want them to feel like they’ve hit Narnia. You traffic in interdimensional fucking, during which they transcend space and time, and you go nowhere." I've always been the kind of person who finds the second person point of view a very tough sell. I was not sold. I didn't even rent.
There are more than enough stories in Wastelands 2, however, to recommend it to anyone looking for some post-apocalyptic fun.
Post-apocalypse tales are one of the enduring favorites in horror fiction. Some of the classic boogeymen like nuclear war have faded as threats to all humanity while others like global warming have risen--Wastelands 2 delivers on both of these, along with biological terrors, Lovecraftian beasts from the sea, really mean flowers and, of course, Kevin Costner. Sort of.
While the stories are bound by the theme of apocalypse, style and tone is all over the place. There is little in the way of humor (as one might expect), though Keffy R. M. Kehrli's "Advertising at the End of the World" with its androids-as-literal-walking-advertisements still searching for buyers after a super-virus decimates humanity, is quietly absurd. Most are dark or darker and the majority betray little hope regarding humankind's ability to come back from the brink of extinction. You'll also put down the book thinking most people are jerks.
This is not exactly feel-good material is what I'm saying.
A few standouts for me include Jack McDevitt's "Ellie," which presents a nice twist on a story about caretakers keeping things running at a massive particle collider in the hope of staving off further disaster. The aforementioned "Advertising at the End of the World" is a relatively original take on post-apocalypse, with the sensible protagonist Marie trying to deal with an army of annoying androids as humanely as possible. George R. R. Martin's hippie-fest "...For a Single Yesterday" reminded me a bit of the novel Station Eleven, with entertainers providing a focal point in surviving communities, with a bit of time-travelly drugs tossed in.
"Monstro" is a deliciously weird story about a virus inducing strange and dangerous groupthink among the infected quarantined in Haiti. Author Junot Díaz steeps the story in local culture while slowly unwinding an ever-widening apocalypse that may or may not be contained on the island state.
Jake Kerr's "Biological Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince" is an epistemological accounting of how an author survives, writes about and in a way is consumed by a meteor impact that devastates North America in the first half of the 21st century. I feel this format--excerpts from Wikipedia, interviews, news reports and so on--is trickier to pull off than it looks but Kerr handles it expertly, lending an authentic feel to these glimpses of Prince's life and the apocalyptic event that sits at its core.
On the negative side, I found David Brin's "The Postman" (a novella version of the novel) was fine but oddly undercuts the whole enterprise on the very last page with the protagonist turning weirdly flippant and derisive. I have no idea if the book (or the Costner movie) are the same, but I found it jarring.
But while "The Postman" was still a pleasant enough read overall, I only managed a few pages of Maria Dahvana Headley's "The Traditional." The story features an unlikable and uninteresting protagonist and is written in the second person: "You’ve always been the kind of liar who leans back and lets boys fall into you while you see if you can make them fall all the way out the other side. You want them to feel like they’ve hit Narnia. You traffic in interdimensional fucking, during which they transcend space and time, and you go nowhere." I've always been the kind of person who finds the second person point of view a very tough sell. I was not sold. I didn't even rent.
There are more than enough stories in Wastelands 2, however, to recommend it to anyone looking for some post-apocalyptic fun.
haramis's review
4.0
Like any anthology, there are high and low points, and as usual for a JJA anthology, a big high point is Seanan McGuire. "Animal Husbandry" is brilliantly creepy, and I really wanted to share the story with my friend, so she could also be awed/horrified. I also enjoyed George R.R. Martin's “... for a single yesterday,” Rachel Swirsky's "How the World Became Quiet," Paolo Bacigalupi's "The Tamarisk Hunter," Cory Doctorow's "Beat Me Daddy," Nancy Kress's "By Fools Like Me," and Ramsey Shehadeh's "Jimmy’s Roadside Cafe,"
Jake Kerr's "Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince" actually shares an apocalypse with his The Apocalypse Triptych stories, so that was fun. James Van Pelt's "A Flock of Birds" was a bit of an odd bird in its approach to the end of the world, but I liked it very much. Toiya Kristen Finley's "Outer Rims" was one of those that was tough to read as a parent, but I thought it was a great story.
While I didn't love every story in this collection, I think that John Joseph Adams did a spectacular job bringing this anthology together. I recommend it, and I will continue to pick up his anthologies in the future.
_____________________
Whoa, what is this? Yesterday I reviewed a couple of story anthologies that I'd recently completed. I directly referenced this book, so today I came to look at my review of it, and realized that I never even added it. Take that GR Book Challenge, I'm one up! It's weird that I didn't remember to add it, because I liked it enough to want to add a paper copy to my physical book collection. Though again, this is why I'm trying to be more careful about reviewing books as soon as I finish them instead of letting unwritten reviews pile up.
Jake Kerr's "Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince" actually shares an apocalypse with his The Apocalypse Triptych stories, so that was fun. James Van Pelt's "A Flock of Birds" was a bit of an odd bird in its approach to the end of the world, but I liked it very much. Toiya Kristen Finley's "Outer Rims" was one of those that was tough to read as a parent, but I thought it was a great story.
While I didn't love every story in this collection, I think that John Joseph Adams did a spectacular job bringing this anthology together. I recommend it, and I will continue to pick up his anthologies in the future.
_____________________
Whoa, what is this? Yesterday I reviewed a couple of story anthologies that I'd recently completed. I directly referenced this book, so today I came to look at my review of it, and realized that I never even added it. Take that GR Book Challenge, I'm one up! It's weird that I didn't remember to add it, because I liked it enough to want to add a paper copy to my physical book collection. Though again, this is why I'm trying to be more careful about reviewing books as soon as I finish them instead of letting unwritten reviews pile up.
tyrean's review
4.0
Some stories I loved, some I just enjoyed, and some I endured. I know I'll return and reread sections of this anthology for the "good" ones that I liked.
buildhergender's review
5.0
Wastelands 2: More stories of the Apocalypse
Edited by John Joseph Adams
I sincerely enjoyed the first collection of apocalypse stories that John put together so I was real eager to read this volume. I have to say it did not disappoint. Like most anthologies there were a few duds, at least they were duds to me, I am sure other people would consider some of my favorites as duds. John's style of editing anthologies is short foreword and a small bit of author info at the end. No stories from the authors of where they were when they thought of this book or a long history of the apocalypse fiction.
The Tamarack Hunter by Paolo Bacigalupi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Bacigalupi)
I don't know what it is about this writer. I love his stories, but always find them a bit off. Maybe because he always writes from a side of a minority and I'm just not reading from that perspective. This story is about a farmer trying to make it in North California. Water is available, but lawsuits have made it illegal for him to use the water in the rivers as it is saved for south California. The Tamarack is a plant that he hunts for a bounty as it is a leach to the rivers. His reward for the plants he kills is an allocation of water. A bit scary as we are starting to see water shortages like this in North America already and I can see lawsuits and laws happening where a situation will result in that people can not use the water that is flowing right by them.
Deep Blood Kettle by Hugh Howey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Howey) This story is a call out to both how Governments react to a emergency and how American Rednecks do. Aliens have sent an asteroid onto a collision course with Earth. They will stop the asteroid and make it a valuable orbital space station if Earth will give up half of its land. The governments are, of course, spending all of their time arguing over whether to give in and if so whose land gets lost. The family of rednecks in this story are convinced nothing will affect them because they got their guns.
Animal Husbandry by Seanan McGuire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanan_McGuire)
I didn't realize this was Mira Grant's real name. I love the Deadline series she writes under the pen name Mira Grant. This story is about a veterinarian who is trying to make it to a safe place with all the animals she can save. Despite as put together as she comes across you realize at the end of the story that the apocalypse has broken her in ways you couldn't imagine.
...for a single yesterday by George R. R. Martin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._R._Martin)
If you do not know who George R. R. Martin is, then you have been living in a cave. This story is about a group of survivors after an apocalypse. One of them has found a way to visit the past.
Chislehurst Messiah by Lauren Beukes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Beukes) It's the millennials vs the baby boomers. Neither side comes off looking good in this story.
Colliding Branes by Rudy Rucker & Bruce Sterling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Rucker) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Sterling) One of the stories I did not really care for. The ending is a bit cosmic and just sort of out there. The laws of science are breaking down and a couple who met on the internet are hoping to find a safe haven that they also found on the internet.
Ellie by Jack McDevitt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_McDevitt) I have read this one before as well. If the apocalypse ever does happen what will happen to all the products of science that we rely on civilization to keep in check. When there is no one to watch the nuclear power plants, when vats of chemicals are left unattended, when a small black hole is being held in check by a atom collider?
Foundation by Ann Aguirre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Aguirre) This story has gay kids coming to age in an underground bunker where their families have taken them to keep them safe from a plague. Unfortunately, someone brought the plague along.
Beat Me Daddy (Eight to the Bar) by Cory Doctorow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Doctorow)
I've read this one before, and it was part of a short story collection Cory has done. I like his writing and this story was enjoyable. The weird title refers to a band that plays but has to stop every eight bars because of the sounds of automated bombers flying over them every eight bars.
A Beginner's Guide to Survival Before, During and After the Apocalypse by Christopher Barzak (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Barzak) Written sort of in a second person tone, the story is of you, the survivor, and how even when you survive and have safety, are you really the lucky one?
Wondrous Days by Genevieve Valentine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Valentine) I got a bit lost in this story, but I still like how it ended and enjoyed it. The narrator, however, may not have enjoyed as much.
Dreams in the Dust by D. Thomas Minton (https://dthomasminton.com/) Another story about the world after water starts to run out. This one is more hopeful than the Tamarack Hunter. I think of the two I like this one better because of the hopeful tone.
By Fools Like Me by Nancy Kress (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Kress) Book Burning, nooooooooo. This one is sad because I can easily see people without science going down this road. Heck we have science today and we still have people who do not believe in it. After the apocalypse books are forbidden as they are part of the wastefulness that caused “god” to punish the Earth.
Jimmy's Roadside Cafe by Ramsey Shehadeh (http://doodleplex.com/glassmaze/) Hi, I'm Jimmy. I am not sure if Jimmy is simple or if he is just really messed up from what he has survived. A bit sad.
The Elephants of Poznan by Orson Scott Card (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Scott_Card) Fuck this guy...(He hates gay people) The story while nice has been ruined for me now that I see who wrote it.
The Postman by David Brin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brin) Yes, this is the story that “The Postman” movie starring Kevin Costner was based on. Do not hold it against it. This is a great story and if you like it, know that he wrote two more stories based on this and eventually combined them all into a novel.
When We Went To See the End of the World by Robert Silverberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Silverberg)
I have read this one before and posted about it, it was in Nebula Award Stories 8
A couple hears tales of their friends who all have gone on time travel trips to go see the end of the world many years in the future. An issue arises when each couple describes a different type of world ending event. The last life form dying in a barren world. An asteroid collision with the planet. The sun's heat death. All the futures are far away. Seemingly unnoticed in the background of the story the world in which they currently live in is being torn apart by wars, diseases and natural disasters.
The Revelation of Morgan Stern by Christie Yant (http://inkhaven.net/) A weird one that I can't say I cared for. Out there and a bit confusing for me.
Final Exam by Megan Arkenberg (https://www.meganarkenberg.com/) Written as a final exam with answers at the end. There is a story between all the questions and answers but I feel it was weak and quite possibly why it was written this way.
A Flock of Birds by James Van Pelt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Van_Pelt) Ornithology and the end of the world. Just because the world ends for humans it doesn't mean it's the end of the world for everyone.
Patient Zero by Tananarive Due (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tananarive_Due)
The story is about a young boy who is called the patient zero for a plague that has pretty much killed off everyone. He is in isolation as it has been found out he is contagious, but also the only one who has survived the disease so far.
Soulless in His Sight by Milo James Fowler (http://www.milojamesfowler.com/) The narrator in this book is simple and it reads in some ways like Catcher in the Rye. The young man is considered by his father to be soulless and in order to help him his father has taken to killing survivors and searching for a soul to give his son.
Outer Rims by Toiya Kristen Finley (https://www.toiyakfinley.com/) I wonder how much of this book was influenced by Katrina. Very dark and sad.
Advertising at the End of the World by Keffy R. M. Kehrli (http://www.keffy.com/)
In this story there are robots that can appear as human and who walk door to door to sell things to people. This means that the last few people on earth are in for a lot of advertising.
How the World Became Quiet: A Post-Human Creation Myth by Rachel Swirsky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Swirsky) It reminded me of Sherri Tepper's book “The Family Tree” but much darker and cynical. Even with help humanity is going to do it's best to destroy the world.
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R. Lansdale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_R._Lansdale) I've read this one. A man spent his whole life working on nuclear weapons and now has to live in a world that his work has caused. Featuring the plants from The Last of Us
After the Apocalypse by Maureen F. McHugh (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_F._McHugh)
I really want to be hard on the protagonist in this story for the decision she makes at the end. But I am here, safe, well fed and do not have to worry about tomorrow. Maybe, I don't like her because I don't want to know what I would decide in the same situation.
The Traditional by Maria Dahvana Headley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Dahvana_Headley) The third of the duds in this book Very far out there with worms and people developing magic. Bones used as weapons and hair decoration...still a happy ending.
Monstro by Junot Diaz (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junot_D%C3%ADaz) I read someone ease's review of this story and they said that they liked it but felt like it was just the introduction for a novel. I agree. However, I must say I like the language and the perspective of it.
Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince by Jake Kerr (http://jakekerr.com/)
Non relevant note, the background of his About Me page is a GIF of puppies sleeping.
The story is in the form of a Wikipedia article about an writer who survived the destruction of North America. Interesting, but the stories described in the article sound more interesting than the one we are reading.
Edited by John Joseph Adams
I sincerely enjoyed the first collection of apocalypse stories that John put together so I was real eager to read this volume. I have to say it did not disappoint. Like most anthologies there were a few duds, at least they were duds to me, I am sure other people would consider some of my favorites as duds. John's style of editing anthologies is short foreword and a small bit of author info at the end. No stories from the authors of where they were when they thought of this book or a long history of the apocalypse fiction.
The Tamarack Hunter by Paolo Bacigalupi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Bacigalupi)
I don't know what it is about this writer. I love his stories, but always find them a bit off. Maybe because he always writes from a side of a minority and I'm just not reading from that perspective. This story is about a farmer trying to make it in North California. Water is available, but lawsuits have made it illegal for him to use the water in the rivers as it is saved for south California. The Tamarack is a plant that he hunts for a bounty as it is a leach to the rivers. His reward for the plants he kills is an allocation of water. A bit scary as we are starting to see water shortages like this in North America already and I can see lawsuits and laws happening where a situation will result in that people can not use the water that is flowing right by them.
Deep Blood Kettle by Hugh Howey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Howey) This story is a call out to both how Governments react to a emergency and how American Rednecks do. Aliens have sent an asteroid onto a collision course with Earth. They will stop the asteroid and make it a valuable orbital space station if Earth will give up half of its land. The governments are, of course, spending all of their time arguing over whether to give in and if so whose land gets lost. The family of rednecks in this story are convinced nothing will affect them because they got their guns.
Animal Husbandry by Seanan McGuire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanan_McGuire)
I didn't realize this was Mira Grant's real name. I love the Deadline series she writes under the pen name Mira Grant. This story is about a veterinarian who is trying to make it to a safe place with all the animals she can save. Despite as put together as she comes across you realize at the end of the story that the apocalypse has broken her in ways you couldn't imagine.
...for a single yesterday by George R. R. Martin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._R._Martin)
If you do not know who George R. R. Martin is, then you have been living in a cave. This story is about a group of survivors after an apocalypse. One of them has found a way to visit the past.
Chislehurst Messiah by Lauren Beukes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Beukes) It's the millennials vs the baby boomers. Neither side comes off looking good in this story.
Colliding Branes by Rudy Rucker & Bruce Sterling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Rucker) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Sterling) One of the stories I did not really care for. The ending is a bit cosmic and just sort of out there. The laws of science are breaking down and a couple who met on the internet are hoping to find a safe haven that they also found on the internet.
Ellie by Jack McDevitt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_McDevitt) I have read this one before as well. If the apocalypse ever does happen what will happen to all the products of science that we rely on civilization to keep in check. When there is no one to watch the nuclear power plants, when vats of chemicals are left unattended, when a small black hole is being held in check by a atom collider?
Foundation by Ann Aguirre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Aguirre) This story has gay kids coming to age in an underground bunker where their families have taken them to keep them safe from a plague. Unfortunately, someone brought the plague along.
Beat Me Daddy (Eight to the Bar) by Cory Doctorow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Doctorow)
I've read this one before, and it was part of a short story collection Cory has done. I like his writing and this story was enjoyable. The weird title refers to a band that plays but has to stop every eight bars because of the sounds of automated bombers flying over them every eight bars.
A Beginner's Guide to Survival Before, During and After the Apocalypse by Christopher Barzak (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Barzak) Written sort of in a second person tone, the story is of you, the survivor, and how even when you survive and have safety, are you really the lucky one?
Wondrous Days by Genevieve Valentine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Valentine) I got a bit lost in this story, but I still like how it ended and enjoyed it. The narrator, however, may not have enjoyed as much.
Dreams in the Dust by D. Thomas Minton (https://dthomasminton.com/) Another story about the world after water starts to run out. This one is more hopeful than the Tamarack Hunter. I think of the two I like this one better because of the hopeful tone.
By Fools Like Me by Nancy Kress (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Kress) Book Burning, nooooooooo. This one is sad because I can easily see people without science going down this road. Heck we have science today and we still have people who do not believe in it. After the apocalypse books are forbidden as they are part of the wastefulness that caused “god” to punish the Earth.
Jimmy's Roadside Cafe by Ramsey Shehadeh (http://doodleplex.com/glassmaze/) Hi, I'm Jimmy. I am not sure if Jimmy is simple or if he is just really messed up from what he has survived. A bit sad.
The Elephants of Poznan by Orson Scott Card (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Scott_Card) Fuck this guy...(He hates gay people) The story while nice has been ruined for me now that I see who wrote it.
The Postman by David Brin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brin) Yes, this is the story that “The Postman” movie starring Kevin Costner was based on. Do not hold it against it. This is a great story and if you like it, know that he wrote two more stories based on this and eventually combined them all into a novel.
When We Went To See the End of the World by Robert Silverberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Silverberg)
I have read this one before and posted about it, it was in Nebula Award Stories 8
A couple hears tales of their friends who all have gone on time travel trips to go see the end of the world many years in the future. An issue arises when each couple describes a different type of world ending event. The last life form dying in a barren world. An asteroid collision with the planet. The sun's heat death. All the futures are far away. Seemingly unnoticed in the background of the story the world in which they currently live in is being torn apart by wars, diseases and natural disasters.
The Revelation of Morgan Stern by Christie Yant (http://inkhaven.net/) A weird one that I can't say I cared for. Out there and a bit confusing for me.
Final Exam by Megan Arkenberg (https://www.meganarkenberg.com/) Written as a final exam with answers at the end. There is a story between all the questions and answers but I feel it was weak and quite possibly why it was written this way.
A Flock of Birds by James Van Pelt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Van_Pelt) Ornithology and the end of the world. Just because the world ends for humans it doesn't mean it's the end of the world for everyone.
Patient Zero by Tananarive Due (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tananarive_Due)
The story is about a young boy who is called the patient zero for a plague that has pretty much killed off everyone. He is in isolation as it has been found out he is contagious, but also the only one who has survived the disease so far.
Soulless in His Sight by Milo James Fowler (http://www.milojamesfowler.com/) The narrator in this book is simple and it reads in some ways like Catcher in the Rye. The young man is considered by his father to be soulless and in order to help him his father has taken to killing survivors and searching for a soul to give his son.
Outer Rims by Toiya Kristen Finley (https://www.toiyakfinley.com/) I wonder how much of this book was influenced by Katrina. Very dark and sad.
Advertising at the End of the World by Keffy R. M. Kehrli (http://www.keffy.com/)
In this story there are robots that can appear as human and who walk door to door to sell things to people. This means that the last few people on earth are in for a lot of advertising.
How the World Became Quiet: A Post-Human Creation Myth by Rachel Swirsky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Swirsky) It reminded me of Sherri Tepper's book “The Family Tree” but much darker and cynical. Even with help humanity is going to do it's best to destroy the world.
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R. Lansdale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_R._Lansdale) I've read this one. A man spent his whole life working on nuclear weapons and now has to live in a world that his work has caused. Featuring the plants from The Last of Us
After the Apocalypse by Maureen F. McHugh (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_F._McHugh)
I really want to be hard on the protagonist in this story for the decision she makes at the end. But I am here, safe, well fed and do not have to worry about tomorrow. Maybe, I don't like her because I don't want to know what I would decide in the same situation.
The Traditional by Maria Dahvana Headley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Dahvana_Headley) The third of the duds in this book Very far out there with worms and people developing magic. Bones used as weapons and hair decoration...still a happy ending.
Monstro by Junot Diaz (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junot_D%C3%ADaz) I read someone ease's review of this story and they said that they liked it but felt like it was just the introduction for a novel. I agree. However, I must say I like the language and the perspective of it.
Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince by Jake Kerr (http://jakekerr.com/)
Non relevant note, the background of his About Me page is a GIF of puppies sleeping.
The story is in the form of a Wikipedia article about an writer who survived the destruction of North America. Interesting, but the stories described in the article sound more interesting than the one we are reading.
More...