dreamerfreak's review against another edition
3.0
The Segment by Genevieve Valentine ~ 4 stars
After the Cure by Carrie Ryan ~ 5 stars
Valedictorian by N.K. Jemisin ~ 4 stars
Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish ~ 4 stars
All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller ~ 3 stars
The Other Elder by Beth Revis ~ 4 stars
The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel ~ 3 stars
Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer ~ 2 stars
Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford ~ 1 star
Reality Girl by Richard Bowes ~ 3 stars
How th'Irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv by Gregory Maguire ~ 3 stars
Rust with Wings by Steven Gould ~ 4 stars
Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan ~ 5 stars
The Easthound by Nalo Hopkins ~ 3 stars
Gray by Jane Yolen ~ 1 star
Before by Carolyn Dunn ~ 3 stars
Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan ~ 4 stars
You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix ~ 4 stars
The Marker by Cecil Castellucci ~ 4 stars
After the Cure by Carrie Ryan ~ 5 stars
Valedictorian by N.K. Jemisin ~ 4 stars
Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish ~ 4 stars
All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller ~ 3 stars
The Other Elder by Beth Revis ~ 4 stars
The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel ~ 3 stars
Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer ~ 2 stars
Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford ~ 1 star
Reality Girl by Richard Bowes ~ 3 stars
How th'Irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv by Gregory Maguire ~ 3 stars
Rust with Wings by Steven Gould ~ 4 stars
Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan ~ 5 stars
The Easthound by Nalo Hopkins ~ 3 stars
Gray by Jane Yolen ~ 1 star
Before by Carolyn Dunn ~ 3 stars
Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan ~ 4 stars
You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix ~ 4 stars
The Marker by Cecil Castellucci ~ 4 stars
howattp's review
4.0
Overall, this was a good collection of short stories. As to be expected, there are some which are much better than others, though this is a good intro to the dystopic and post-apocalyptic genres, particularly taking into account the editors' forward and afterward.
nebulots's review against another edition
4.0
I don't normally read anthologies for a few different reasons. It's always such an eclectic mix of good, bad, meh and confusion. I always end up skipping parts. I never know how to rate and review these things properly. But this is a DYSTOPIAN(!!) anthology and it came highly recommended to me from a friend who lent it to me (thanks, Liz). So I read it. And I enjoyed it. Mostly.
My favorite stories in this book were The Segment by Genevieve Valentine (corporate created news media), Rust With Wings (metal eating bugs) by Steven Gould and Faint Heart (warrior Queen Roz) by Sarah Rees Brennan. These three stories made me wish they were full books and not just short stories, especially Faint Heart. I feel like Faint Heart ended, while giving closure to the short story, is just getting started in Faint Heart: THE BOOK.
There were three stories that I skipped entirely because they didn't interest me or I didn't like how they were written. I won't call out which stories I didn't like but if you feel the same way about them that I did, you will skip them, too.
Lastly I would like to mention the single poem, Gray by Jane Yolen, that was included in this anthology. I don't like poems but more than that, it certainly didn't feel like it belonged in this book. I read it, thought I missed something so I read it again. I didn't miss anything, it was just sort of pointless in comparison to the rest of the book. It should have been included in a book of poetry instead.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in dyslit, but don't expect to like everything this book has to offer.
My favorite stories in this book were The Segment by Genevieve Valentine (corporate created news media), Rust With Wings (metal eating bugs) by Steven Gould and Faint Heart (warrior Queen Roz) by Sarah Rees Brennan. These three stories made me wish they were full books and not just short stories, especially Faint Heart. I feel like Faint Heart ended, while giving closure to the short story, is just getting started in Faint Heart: THE BOOK.
There were three stories that I skipped entirely because they didn't interest me or I didn't like how they were written. I won't call out which stories I didn't like but if you feel the same way about them that I did, you will skip them, too.
Lastly I would like to mention the single poem, Gray by Jane Yolen, that was included in this anthology. I don't like poems but more than that, it certainly didn't feel like it belonged in this book. I read it, thought I missed something so I read it again. I didn't miss anything, it was just sort of pointless in comparison to the rest of the book. It should have been included in a book of poetry instead.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in dyslit, but don't expect to like everything this book has to offer.
beneatthetrees's review
5.0
I give this book a 10/10, all of the stories went together nicely while being intelligent and able to hold their heads up high saying "We all make sense and make you want to read more! But that sucks to be you because there might not be more!"
Segment by Genevieve Valentine
This story was very interesting, it really made me think of the significance of actors in the present time, the characters were interesting and although one girl was very irritating her annoying-ness wasn't without reason. Great story.
After the Cure by Carrie Ryan
This story was so incredible, with zombies/vampires (an interesting mix in and of itself)that are being cured and left to fit into a society with a hatred towards them. The story was intense and managed to resolve itself within it's designated twenty pages. Another great story
Valedictorian by N.K. Jemisms
With cyborg/alien/droids taking away from humans (who are degenerating into a nasty race of the desperate and dumb) this short tale makes you question what exactly is humanity? Who has the real understanding of how to be great? With such deep questions it's amazing this manages to answer them withing it's boundaries without getting lengthy and boring.
Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish
Drugs are bad for you kids, you could turn into a nasty, vile, hairy beast! At least, in this story you can. With a boy and his older mentally disabled brother escaping a drug dealer to find their own "god"-like figure together the story powers through without losing any interest value and makes you wonder 'well, what are they? Little Sasquatches??' It's new and a bit... alarming. But it's crazy interesting, I loved it.
All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller
This is another great story, an ex-slave girl escapes and joins an almost Amish-like post apocalyptic religious group that are preparing for the coming of "something" to take them away to the promised land. This one was a little too weird for me and I did have questions afterward. But it was still quite good to read.
The Other Elder by Beth Revis
I'll be honest here, this story kind of annoyed me. I've read the first two Across the Universe books in the series, but I was curious to see new stories and new settings. I didn't want a shameless plug of her story, it felt unnecessary and it made me lose interest as soon as I realized it was something I'd already read for the most part.
The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel
This story was weird. I didn't like it, I mean there were ghosts, robot-things, and aliens with millions of eyes on their bodies or several heads? I don't know it felt thrown together and not very well though out, I was confused and it didn't hold my interest very well.
Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer
I liked this story, it felt vaguely World War Two, with terror reigning and that same dark Nazi feeling to it. It was interesting but not great, it wasn't very memorable.
Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford
This wasn't a very memorable story to me as it felt more like an excuse to blast apart everyone and it all happened so quickly that I didn't know what to think. Not my favorite one.
Reality Girl by Richard Bowes
This story felt like "There's too much going on here. You need to simplify." This is just a short story but it felt too swollen for so short of a story. It wasn't my favorite.
How Th'irth Wint Rong By Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.Guv by Gregory Maguire
Honestly. I'm just going to not talk about this one. I hate when words are misspelled in stories to add "character" yeah we get that he's not too bright but how exactly has the intelligence level fallen so far within such a short time period, surely if the woman who is adding her two cents in can spell so well and speak so well, she can home school this poor unintelligent boy?
Rust with Wings by Steven Gould
I really liked this story, the new species of bugs that thrived on eating metal was very interesting, I loved it. Especially after hearing of the new threat of metal teeth or the pacemaker within the boy's father's chest. It was action packed and very very cool. I'd definitely wish this one was made into an actual book one day.
Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan
UGH ThIS STORY. I nearly cried at the end when I realized it wasn't going to be an actual novel. This was brilliant, well-written and incredibly interesting, it was like the Hunger Games meets The Selection. I loved it, it was my absolute favorite and I truly hope this becomes an actual story soon.
The Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson
I enjoyed this story greatly, it's like werewolves mixed with Huckleberry Finn almost, it's a group of kids who are terrified of being taken by the curse and fear eating each other but it manages to tie together the children and make an unforgettable story that tugs on your compassion and respect
Gray by Jane Yolen
I'm sorry, I'm not a huge fan of poetry when I'm looking forward to short stories...
The Marker by Cecil Castellucci
I loved how interesting I found this. It was reminiscent of Birthmarked, which I LOVED, but managed to be it's own story about how what's commonly believed is not always right and shouldn't just be taken at face-value. I loved this story it was very interesting and immersing.
Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan
This story reminded me of Carrie Ryan's book the Forest of Hands and Teeth, it had the same emotion behind it and was very incredible to read. I found it haunting and intriguing. This story was a great read and my second-favorite only to Faint of Heart.
You Won't Feel A Thing by Garth Nix
Another plug from an author of an already created story, I haven't read the novel but this prologue didn't capture my attention because it already existed somewhere, I just wanted to read stories made up completely separate from other writings as an example of their creativity and writing prowess. Although the story was good it had a bit of a sexual undertone that I wasn't particularly fond of, seeing as how the lead character's main power is to seduce people. I wasn't very fond of it but the writing was still amazing and captures attention very well.
Before by Carolyn Dunn
This made me very sad, I hated how they treated this little girl for her blood but as sad as the story was it was well written up until the end, I don't know how I could've missed something since there were so few pages, but it felt like I did at the end when everything stops but it isn't fully explained how or why it was.
Segment by Genevieve Valentine
This story was very interesting, it really made me think of the significance of actors in the present time, the characters were interesting and although one girl was very irritating her annoying-ness wasn't without reason. Great story.
After the Cure by Carrie Ryan
This story was so incredible, with zombies/vampires (an interesting mix in and of itself)that are being cured and left to fit into a society with a hatred towards them. The story was intense and managed to resolve itself within it's designated twenty pages. Another great story
Valedictorian by N.K. Jemisms
With cyborg/alien/droids taking away from humans (who are degenerating into a nasty race of the desperate and dumb) this short tale makes you question what exactly is humanity? Who has the real understanding of how to be great? With such deep questions it's amazing this manages to answer them withing it's boundaries without getting lengthy and boring.
Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish
Drugs are bad for you kids, you could turn into a nasty, vile, hairy beast! At least, in this story you can. With a boy and his older mentally disabled brother escaping a drug dealer to find their own "god"-like figure together the story powers through without losing any interest value and makes you wonder 'well, what are they? Little Sasquatches??' It's new and a bit... alarming. But it's crazy interesting, I loved it.
All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller
This is another great story, an ex-slave girl escapes and joins an almost Amish-like post apocalyptic religious group that are preparing for the coming of "something" to take them away to the promised land. This one was a little too weird for me and I did have questions afterward. But it was still quite good to read.
The Other Elder by Beth Revis
I'll be honest here, this story kind of annoyed me. I've read the first two Across the Universe books in the series, but I was curious to see new stories and new settings. I didn't want a shameless plug of her story, it felt unnecessary and it made me lose interest as soon as I realized it was something I'd already read for the most part.
The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel
This story was weird. I didn't like it, I mean there were ghosts, robot-things, and aliens with millions of eyes on their bodies or several heads? I don't know it felt thrown together and not very well though out, I was confused and it didn't hold my interest very well.
Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer
I liked this story, it felt vaguely World War Two, with terror reigning and that same dark Nazi feeling to it. It was interesting but not great, it wasn't very memorable.
Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford
This wasn't a very memorable story to me as it felt more like an excuse to blast apart everyone and it all happened so quickly that I didn't know what to think. Not my favorite one.
Reality Girl by Richard Bowes
This story felt like "There's too much going on here. You need to simplify." This is just a short story but it felt too swollen for so short of a story. It wasn't my favorite.
How Th'irth Wint Rong By Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.Guv by Gregory Maguire
Honestly. I'm just going to not talk about this one. I hate when words are misspelled in stories to add "character" yeah we get that he's not too bright but how exactly has the intelligence level fallen so far within such a short time period, surely if the woman who is adding her two cents in can spell so well and speak so well, she can home school this poor unintelligent boy?
Rust with Wings by Steven Gould
I really liked this story, the new species of bugs that thrived on eating metal was very interesting, I loved it. Especially after hearing of the new threat of metal teeth or the pacemaker within the boy's father's chest. It was action packed and very very cool. I'd definitely wish this one was made into an actual book one day.
Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan
UGH ThIS STORY. I nearly cried at the end when I realized it wasn't going to be an actual novel. This was brilliant, well-written and incredibly interesting, it was like the Hunger Games meets The Selection. I loved it, it was my absolute favorite and I truly hope this becomes an actual story soon.
The Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson
I enjoyed this story greatly, it's like werewolves mixed with Huckleberry Finn almost, it's a group of kids who are terrified of being taken by the curse and fear eating each other but it manages to tie together the children and make an unforgettable story that tugs on your compassion and respect
Gray by Jane Yolen
I'm sorry, I'm not a huge fan of poetry when I'm looking forward to short stories...
The Marker by Cecil Castellucci
I loved how interesting I found this. It was reminiscent of Birthmarked, which I LOVED, but managed to be it's own story about how what's commonly believed is not always right and shouldn't just be taken at face-value. I loved this story it was very interesting and immersing.
Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan
This story reminded me of Carrie Ryan's book the Forest of Hands and Teeth, it had the same emotion behind it and was very incredible to read. I found it haunting and intriguing. This story was a great read and my second-favorite only to Faint of Heart.
You Won't Feel A Thing by Garth Nix
Another plug from an author of an already created story, I haven't read the novel but this prologue didn't capture my attention because it already existed somewhere, I just wanted to read stories made up completely separate from other writings as an example of their creativity and writing prowess. Although the story was good it had a bit of a sexual undertone that I wasn't particularly fond of, seeing as how the lead character's main power is to seduce people. I wasn't very fond of it but the writing was still amazing and captures attention very well.
Before by Carolyn Dunn
This made me very sad, I hated how they treated this little girl for her blood but as sad as the story was it was well written up until the end, I don't know how I could've missed something since there were so few pages, but it felt like I did at the end when everything stops but it isn't fully explained how or why it was.
l1brarygirl's review
5.0
WARNING: May contain spoilers!!
Segment by [a:Genevieve Valentine|3400079|Genevieve Valentine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360060998p2/3400079.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
---16 year old girl (don't know if we ever find out her name) works in what is like an ad agency, except they use teenagers to film fake newscasts. One of the successful actresses i guess you could call her, Bree, seems to hate this girl and doesn't want her to get the part of playing a solider. These "stories" or "Newscasts" are made up but the people they use really do die. This part was one in which this girl would get shot, but Bree had came along and told her to run for it and the real truth about these newscasts. A little different and the problem with short stories is we don't get a lot of background info.
After the Cure by [a:Carrie Ryan|1443712|Carrie Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1432248916p2/1443712.jpg] - ★★★★★
----I love Carrie Ryan and this short story was great! Apparently a cure has been created to administer to monsters (zombies, vampires, cannibals....they are like zombies that eat people but they can only come out at night like vampires) to make the human again. They go to a Sanitation Center to be processed after being shot with a dart containing the cure and afterwards they go to Reintroduction Classes to try and help them adjust to human life again. This story revolves around Vail, a recently cured monster that is trying to adjust to this new world. These cured humans though are shunned and Vail doesn't see the point, she still feels the hunger and she feels her old pack running through the woods at night. She meets James (for a second time, they had a class together back "before") and they form a friendship. One day, he comes to her house as there was an explosion that blew up the Sanitation Center. It is approaching night and the monsters can feel him. Vail brings him in and they lock themselves in the basement, though she knows it's all a matter of time before they break though. She has to make a choice, to let them take James (which he seems to want) or to kill or dart them. Powerful story and I loved it!
Valedictorian by [a:N.K. Jemisin|2917917|N.K. Jemisin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438215930p2/2917917.jpg] - ★★★★☆
---I'd be interested to read more about this world. It is very strange and compelling. "Aliens" or something foreign invades humans and thus the definiton of a human is changed. Those that refused were sent to live behind a firewall, where once teenagers graduate from high school, 10% of the lowest are sent as payment but the Valedictorian is also sent as well. I won't go into much more detail as you need to read the story. Very interesting and I give it
Visiting Nelson by [a:Katherine Langrish|58011|Katherine Langrish|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1302019591p2/58011.jpg] - ★☆☆☆☆
---Weird story. I could not get into it. Weird drug on the streets that turns people into zombie apes?? I didn't like.
All I know of Freedom by [a:Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
---Another weird story of a girl that is sold into slavery. She makes plans to runaway and look for a school. The school she finds is a campground for a super religious cult that says the end of the world is coming and they have built a spaceship to take young girls to another planet to repopulate with the 4 "Chosen" young men. I liked the ending to this and think she made the right decision.
The Other Elder by [a:Beth Revis|4018722|Beth Revis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1284958744p2/4018722.jpg] - ★★★☆☆
---If you have read Revis' [b:Across the Universe|8235178|Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)|Beth Revis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1401852218s/8235178.jpg|13082532] and the other sequels, you will recognize this story. All I wonder is which Elder this story is talking about ?! Is it the one before the Elder in the series we read? Or one further back? Does give a little more insight into how the Eldest system came to be and that there was at least one other Elder that didn't agree that was "quietly disposed of."
The Great Game at the End of the World by [a:Matthew Kressel|4127611|Matthew Kressel|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440950015p2/4127611.jpg] - ★☆☆☆☆
---Sorry but yet another weird end of the world story. The world explodes because He (god?!) didn't like it and now these two siblings seem to be the only humans left and they play a game of baseball with alien-like creatures (supposedly from other worlds He didn't like & destroyed) while the rest of the people become see-through & follow their commands? Weird.
Reunion by [a:Susan Beth Pfeffer|1318|Susan Beth Pfeffer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1228492581p2/1318.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
---Eh, this story wasn't the best but it sure was shocking and horrifying. Reminding me a bit of the Holocaust and then also strikes me as hypocritical that once they take down The Leader, they set up a government like his and kill random little girls that may or may not have been her sister.
Blood Drive by [a:Jeffrey Ford|19305|Jeffrey Ford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1271689548p2/19305.jpg] - ★★★☆☆
---This story is meant to show a world where instead of the liberals taking over, it seems the conservatives have - making sunday church mandatory and letting juniors in high school have guns and making sure teachers have school-issued firearms. But wanting to put child labor laws back into place just seems dumb and not plausible. I also like how we see our first lesbian relationship in this book!
Reality Girl by [a:Richard Bowes|107744|Richard Bowes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1371918485p2/107744.jpg] - ★★★☆☆
---As a short story, I think this sucks. As a book, this idea would be really interesting to read about. We have another lesbian relationship, Dare and Real, who take care of a team of gay divers. They dive into the yucky water for gold tossed in by rich tourists. This takes place in New York City, which has fallen into despair. Weird thing is, Real, can go into people's heads and show them things, see things through their eyes, and also make them do things against their will. That is what I wish to expand upon and get more knowledge out of a full novel.
How Th'irth Wint Rong By Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.Guv by [a:Gregory Maguire|7025|Gregory Maguire|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1319068553p2/7025.jpg] - ☆☆☆☆☆
---didn't even bother with this one
Rust With Wings by [a:Steven Gould|26906|Steven Gould|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215891180p2/26906.jpg] - ★★★★★
---I loved this one! These beetle-like bugs come out of nowhere and eat anything made out of metal and especially love things that have elector-transmitters. Jeremy devises a way to save his dad, who not only has a pacemaker but also fillings that the bugs love. They end up being saved, with these metal-eating bugs contained to the states of New Mexico & Arizona (i believe) and they become known as the Southwest Emergency Zone. I loved the final line
Faint Heart by [a:Sarah Rees Brennan|836009|Sarah Rees Brennan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1254149255p2/836009.jpg] - ★★★★★
---Ooooh, it's like a hunger games :) All young men that haven't been married yet have to compete in the Trials where only one will live and win the Queen. I loved Roz and I wonder if this short story continues in a novel because the end left me wanting more!
The Easthound by [a:Nalo Hopkinson|27528|Nalo Hopkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361387199p2/27528.jpg] - ★☆☆☆☆
---weird.
Gray>Gray by [a:Jane Yolen|5989|Jane Yolen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413465729p2/5989.jpg] - ☆☆☆☆☆
---Didn't read (i don't like poetry)
Before by [a:Carolyn Dunn|325368|Carolyn Dunn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] - ★★★☆☆
---Very cool story about a Native American or Hawaiian that is captured because her blood isn't tainted by disease.
Fake Plastic Trees by [a:CaitlÍn R. Kiernan|4798562|Caitlín R. Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1491390729p2/4798562.jpg] - ★★★★★
--Loved this story!! World has been taken over by this goo that turns everything to plastic. The main character ventures out of some type of facility that has learned to self-sustain itself and finds something horrifying and shocking. Would like a bigger novel about this world!
You Won't Feel a Thing by [a:Garth Nix|8347|Garth Nix|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207583754p2/8347.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
--Another weird story. Humans that are mixed with animal blood to make these half creatures and they are the used by "someone," aliens maybe? I don't know, the story wasn't clear.
The Marker by [a:Cecil Castellucci|146783|Cecil Castellucci|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227992857p2/146783.jpg] - ★★★★★
--Enjoyed this one. Reminded me of [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234] a little bit. Hard to explain, but there is a society and there are men that go around to the different villages that are a part of this society and check the new babies code sequences (some kind of genetics thing) and if they fail the test, they are put down.
Cool collection of stories ! Recommend for ANYONE that loves dystopian stories!
This book is featured on my Top 20 list for 2013 on my blog.
Segment by [a:Genevieve Valentine|3400079|Genevieve Valentine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360060998p2/3400079.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
---16 year old girl (don't know if we ever find out her name) works in what is like an ad agency, except they use teenagers to film fake newscasts. One of the successful actresses i guess you could call her, Bree, seems to hate this girl and doesn't want her to get the part of playing a solider. These "stories" or "Newscasts" are made up but the people they use really do die. This part was one in which this girl would get shot, but Bree had came along and told her to run for it and the real truth about these newscasts. A little different and the problem with short stories is we don't get a lot of background info.
After the Cure by [a:Carrie Ryan|1443712|Carrie Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1432248916p2/1443712.jpg] - ★★★★★
----I love Carrie Ryan and this short story was great! Apparently a cure has been created to administer to monsters (zombies, vampires, cannibals....they are like zombies that eat people but they can only come out at night like vampires) to make the human again. They go to a Sanitation Center to be processed after being shot with a dart containing the cure and afterwards they go to Reintroduction Classes to try and help them adjust to human life again. This story revolves around Vail, a recently cured monster that is trying to adjust to this new world. These cured humans though are shunned and Vail doesn't see the point, she still feels the hunger and she feels her old pack running through the woods at night. She meets James (for a second time, they had a class together back "before") and they form a friendship. One day, he comes to her house as there was an explosion that blew up the Sanitation Center. It is approaching night and the monsters can feel him. Vail brings him in and they lock themselves in the basement, though she knows it's all a matter of time before they break though. She has to make a choice, to let them take James (which he seems to want) or to kill or dart them. Powerful story and I loved it!
Valedictorian by [a:N.K. Jemisin|2917917|N.K. Jemisin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438215930p2/2917917.jpg] - ★★★★☆
---I'd be interested to read more about this world. It is very strange and compelling. "Aliens" or something foreign invades humans and thus the definiton of a human is changed. Those that refused were sent to live behind a firewall, where once teenagers graduate from high school, 10% of the lowest are sent as payment but the Valedictorian is also sent as well. I won't go into much more detail as you need to read the story. Very interesting and I give it
Visiting Nelson by [a:Katherine Langrish|58011|Katherine Langrish|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1302019591p2/58011.jpg] - ★☆☆☆☆
---Weird story. I could not get into it. Weird drug on the streets that turns people into zombie apes?? I didn't like.
All I know of Freedom by [a:Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
---Another weird story of a girl that is sold into slavery. She makes plans to runaway and look for a school. The school she finds is a campground for a super religious cult that says the end of the world is coming and they have built a spaceship to take young girls to another planet to repopulate with the 4 "Chosen" young men. I liked the ending to this and think she made the right decision.
The Other Elder by [a:Beth Revis|4018722|Beth Revis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1284958744p2/4018722.jpg] - ★★★☆☆
---If you have read Revis' [b:Across the Universe|8235178|Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)|Beth Revis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1401852218s/8235178.jpg|13082532] and the other sequels, you will recognize this story. All I wonder is which Elder this story is talking about ?! Is it the one before the Elder in the series we read? Or one further back? Does give a little more insight into how the Eldest system came to be and that there was at least one other Elder that didn't agree that was "quietly disposed of."
The Great Game at the End of the World by [a:Matthew Kressel|4127611|Matthew Kressel|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440950015p2/4127611.jpg] - ★☆☆☆☆
---Sorry but yet another weird end of the world story. The world explodes because He (god?!) didn't like it and now these two siblings seem to be the only humans left and they play a game of baseball with alien-like creatures (supposedly from other worlds He didn't like & destroyed) while the rest of the people become see-through & follow their commands? Weird.
Reunion by [a:Susan Beth Pfeffer|1318|Susan Beth Pfeffer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1228492581p2/1318.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
---Eh, this story wasn't the best but it sure was shocking and horrifying. Reminding me a bit of the Holocaust and then also strikes me as hypocritical that once they take down The Leader, they set up a government like his and kill random little girls that may or may not have been her sister.
Blood Drive by [a:Jeffrey Ford|19305|Jeffrey Ford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1271689548p2/19305.jpg] - ★★★☆☆
---This story is meant to show a world where instead of the liberals taking over, it seems the conservatives have - making sunday church mandatory and letting juniors in high school have guns and making sure teachers have school-issued firearms. But wanting to put child labor laws back into place just seems dumb and not plausible. I also like how we see our first lesbian relationship in this book!
Reality Girl by [a:Richard Bowes|107744|Richard Bowes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1371918485p2/107744.jpg] - ★★★☆☆
---As a short story, I think this sucks. As a book, this idea would be really interesting to read about. We have another lesbian relationship, Dare and Real, who take care of a team of gay divers. They dive into the yucky water for gold tossed in by rich tourists. This takes place in New York City, which has fallen into despair. Weird thing is, Real, can go into people's heads and show them things, see things through their eyes, and also make them do things against their will. That is what I wish to expand upon and get more knowledge out of a full novel.
How Th'irth Wint Rong By Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.Guv by [a:Gregory Maguire|7025|Gregory Maguire|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1319068553p2/7025.jpg] - ☆☆☆☆☆
---didn't even bother with this one
Rust With Wings by [a:Steven Gould|26906|Steven Gould|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215891180p2/26906.jpg] - ★★★★★
---I loved this one! These beetle-like bugs come out of nowhere and eat anything made out of metal and especially love things that have elector-transmitters. Jeremy devises a way to save his dad, who not only has a pacemaker but also fillings that the bugs love. They end up being saved, with these metal-eating bugs contained to the states of New Mexico & Arizona (i believe) and they become known as the Southwest Emergency Zone. I loved the final line
"It was going to be hard enough on them later, when he went back."
Faint Heart by [a:Sarah Rees Brennan|836009|Sarah Rees Brennan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1254149255p2/836009.jpg] - ★★★★★
---Ooooh, it's like a hunger games :) All young men that haven't been married yet have to compete in the Trials where only one will live and win the Queen. I loved Roz and I wonder if this short story continues in a novel because the end left me wanting more!
Spoiler
"'I am going to fight,' said Queen Rosamond, who knew as no man did waht she was fighting for. 'I am going to win myself.'"Amen sister!!!
The Easthound by [a:Nalo Hopkinson|27528|Nalo Hopkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361387199p2/27528.jpg] - ★☆☆☆☆
---weird.
Gray>Gray by [a:Jane Yolen|5989|Jane Yolen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413465729p2/5989.jpg] - ☆☆☆☆☆
---Didn't read (i don't like poetry)
Before by [a:Carolyn Dunn|325368|Carolyn Dunn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] - ★★★☆☆
---Very cool story about a Native American or Hawaiian that is captured because her blood isn't tainted by disease.
Fake Plastic Trees by [a:CaitlÍn R. Kiernan|4798562|Caitlín R. Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1491390729p2/4798562.jpg] - ★★★★★
--Loved this story!! World has been taken over by this goo that turns everything to plastic. The main character ventures out of some type of facility that has learned to self-sustain itself and finds something horrifying and shocking. Would like a bigger novel about this world!
You Won't Feel a Thing by [a:Garth Nix|8347|Garth Nix|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207583754p2/8347.jpg] - ★★☆☆☆
--Another weird story. Humans that are mixed with animal blood to make these half creatures and they are the used by "someone," aliens maybe? I don't know, the story wasn't clear.
The Marker by [a:Cecil Castellucci|146783|Cecil Castellucci|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227992857p2/146783.jpg] - ★★★★★
--Enjoyed this one. Reminded me of [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234] a little bit. Hard to explain, but there is a society and there are men that go around to the different villages that are a part of this society and check the new babies code sequences (some kind of genetics thing) and if they fail the test, they are put down.
Cool collection of stories ! Recommend for ANYONE that loves dystopian stories!
This book is featured on my Top 20 list for 2013 on my blog.
ejpass's review
5.0
4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: anthologies, dystopia, apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, survival stories, end of the world
The Segment
5/5 stars
It’s been a while since I’ve read this entire anthology through, normally I just pick out the stories I like and read those, so I’d forgotten this story was in the book and I’d actually given up on ever finding where I’d read it. I love this one. It gives a nice twist to what media might look like in the future, and though it was written in 2012, it certainly gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘fake news.’ The story has a post-apocalyptic dusty vibe to it, where it’s rough and tumble, but no one is exactly miserable, and the characters definitely have the ‘fend for yourself’ that’s typical for the genre. Something I think is unique is that society hasn’t collapsed and it’s not pretending to be a dystopic utopia, it’s just society and this is merely how it’s turned out. It’s definitely one of my favorites in the anthology and the twist(s) at the end are fantastic and hard to see coming.
After the Cure
5/5 stars
This is another one of my favorites and is actually the story that I usually skip to first. I thought for years that this was a zombie story, but this reread I noticed that the protagonist suggests they’re vampires…but they still seem to be zombies, so we’re going with zombies. I don’t like zombies. Ever. I avoid all books, movies, and TV shows about them, but this short story is so bloody fantastic (and the zombie part actually minor enough) that it’s one that I reread about once a year. The story follows a cured zombie-vampire-whatever and the weird sociolegal space she finds herself in after being rehabilitated. Thought short the story explores who the monsters really are as well as whether being cured is always something to be desired. The former is something that you see a lot, but I don’t see a ton of the latter and I enjoy how Ryan looks at the sense of community that comes with being a zombie-vampire-whatever and how that community (as well as the hunger) lingers and is something the cured still feel and desire.
Valedictorian
4/5 stars
I always find this story a bit confusing, though I think I’ve read it enough now that it makes some sense. It’s set about a century after humanity’s war with androids and now the bottom 10% of high schoolers and the top 1% are taken outside of the Firewall (which isn’t explained, but I’m assuming it’s a virtual, code-based electric fence). I’m not sure how I feel about the story itself, but I do like the main character, Zinhle, who strives for excellence even knowing the consequences and allows herself to be angry. The story is a bit of a ‘tired of smalltown’ story, but sci-fi and more like a slice-of-life than Chris Pine’s version of Captain Kirk, who proceeds to go on and have adventures. Zinhle feels more real.
Visiting Nelson
3/5 stars
This one’s set in a post-apocalyptic London after flooding has turned it into a wasteland. It’s written dialectally, which is interesting and adds a nice element to the story, but even though I felt connected to the world, I wasn’t drawn to the characters or even the plot, really. I liked the idea of the characters going to see this person/thing they called Nelson (who is Nelson from “Kiss me Hardy!” and the Battle of Trafalgar, not Nelson Mandela). The bits where Charlie, the narrator, talks about the floods and the way London has changed are also interesting, but the main part, about Morris and nirv and the Hairies were not all that interesting to me, though Langrish did a decent job worldbuilding.
All I know of Freedom
4/5 stars
TW sexual assault
This story starts one way and then does a switchback and begins going another way. In the beginning, it seems like the story will be about a future where society’s regressed and gone back to the whole ‘rich kidnap/buy foreign kids for labor’ sort of thing, but then it ends up being a cult story. The slave part of the story is brief and reminds me a bit of The Little Princess, but the interesting bits come later on, when it turns into a cult story. The narrator is about 12- or 13-years old and stumbles across the cult on accident, though she quickly becomes an insider. I liked seeing the different perspective a kid has of a cult than what an adult would have and the manner in which the narrator makes her decision about going to Proxima Centauri with the cult or staying on earth.
The Other Elder
4/5 stars
I will say, I really really liked Revis’ Across the Universe series when I first read it, but I tried rereading it again recently and just found the whole thing too creepy for my liking. This short story is a prequel to those, and like most prequels, you needn’t’ve read the originals to understand this one. Weirdly enough, I actually find this story less creepy than the original trilogy, even though it deals more with the nitty gritty of mind control and the ‘need’ to have everyone conform. I think my favorite part of this short is how well Revis shows that the things we adamantly believe in as a kid don’t hold true as an adult, and how sometimes our adult selves would disappoint and anger our younger selves. I will say though, I would’ve liked a scene in the middle where it becomes clear why Elder changed his mind—I mean, I can guess and I’m sure there’s a decent chance I’m right, but sometimes I like direct answers.
The Great Game at the End of the World
3/5 stars
This is another confusing one. I think something similar to the rapture occurred, though it also involved the semi-destruction of the world into a bunch of fragmented floating pieces. I liked the Before/Now switching of the scenes, which served to help explain some of the other creatures/characters in the story, but also to give background on the narrator and his sister as well as the world before. I can’t really pinpoint why I’m not a fan of this one, because the setting and other creatures/characters are interesting and pretty unique, but I just don’t vibe with this story.
Reunion
5/5 stars
I like this one, though I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is I like so much about it. It seems to take place almost immediately after the overthrow of a dictator, with an older sister and a mother looking for their missing little sister/daughter. The story is largely told through dialogue, with Mama or Isabella explaining to the young ‘Maria’ what the truth of her family is, how she got taken, how they tried to find her, and so on. While it’s clearly a form of telling exposition rather than showing it, the dialogue is full of enough imagery that I have no trouble picturing what’s occurring and it doesn’t feel like I’m being ‘told’ anything. Isabella in particular intrigues me. She’s rather rough and tumble, having worked with/for the partisans to overthrow the government and I wish there was a longer story exploring Isabella and her life, either before or after the government overthrow.
Blood Drive
5/5 stars
TW shootings
This story is a sort of ‘what if safety laws were repealed in the US’ sort of thing, where labor laws stopped being a thing, church is mandatory (and I’m guessing Christian), and everyone carries a gun. I’ll be frank, after the Parkland shooting when people were talking about having teachers carry, this was the story I thought of. This story is in part about the guns, but it’s also about living normal life under extremism. The way the story is written, you’re following a normal citizen who goes to high school and has a girlfriend and tries to figure out what she’s going to do after high school. I think I like the story so much because it’s somewhat of an unusual storyline—most stories that take place in extremist countries have the protagonist as a rebel—and it has a soft ending.
Reality Girl
4/5 stars
TW f-slur
This is another story that has to do with media, but with a lesser focus on it than the first story had. In this one, something’s happened in the US that’s triggered its collapse and left the streets and waterways unsafe and UN Peacekeepers maintaining ‘temporary’ patrols and charity tents in the country. I like the concept of a truly destroyed US that wasn’t destroyed by infighting or even by war. Pure water is precious and the price for making the money to have access to it is exposing yourself to radiation and biohazards, meaning the risks of life after the end are never far away. I love the dystopian/apocalyptic genre and there are a lot of good writers in it that make the worlds real, but it’s hard to make the threats and consequences in them seem real sometimes, but I feel Bowes does a good job of that in this. There is a weird moment at the end, though, that definitely feels like a ‘and everyone clapped’ moment, which I wasn’t fond of.
How Th’irth Wint Rong By Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv
3/5 stars
Yeah…not a fan of this one. It’s written like it was written by someone who is largely illiterate, which is fine. It adds some authenticity to the piece and it actually isn’t hard to understand what’s being said. On the surface at least. I just don’t understand what the story is about. Or why. This kid is writing an essay about how the world ended for some contest and the contest is a scam, but there’s zero reason for me to care about this kid or this world and it’s really just something to read to get to the next story.
Rust with Wings
4/5 stars
I remember this story fairly well, though I think this is the first time I’ve reread it in several years and I’ll admit that it ends differently than I remembered it. In this one, some bugs have taken over Arizona and New Mexico and these bugs eat metal and are attracted to things that send out electromagnetic waves. I believe this is a prequel to another series by the author, but don’t quote me on that. I really enjoyed this one and the ingenuity the characters showed getting away from the bugs.
Faint Heart
3.5/5 stars
This one felt more like a novella than a short story, with a decent amount of background for each character and multiple POVs. It feels a bit more like a fantasy novella than a post-apocalyptic/dystopian one, but it’s still well-written and the world is vibrant. As lovely as the background and world-building is, the characters fall somewhat flat, I find. I don’t care at all about Tor, so I mostly tried to just speed through his POV. Yvain was interesting, but I would’ve liked it better if there’d been more of him back when Persie was alive, as his later self is just kind of a dick. Roz was actually interesting and I liked her character, she’s a bit of a trope, but at least she had vibrancy and personality to her where the others didn’t. If it had just been her, and the story continued through the trials, I’d’ve been more interested, I think. Also, a story about Miri and Dareus would be interesting, they were also deserving of more page time.
The Easthound
4.5/5 stars
Like most of these, I like the concept of this one. It’s a twist on the ‘lycanthropy virus’ where the virus sets in when people hit puberty, but not before (and if you’re already an adult then you get infected). I even like the characters in this one, each of them seemed to be pretty well fleshed out and even if they act silly in the beginning it doesn’t feel out of place. I love the twist at the end too and the fact there’s so many hints before that, but you still don’t see it coming until you’re there. My only real complaint is that I wish the story was longer.
Gray
2/5 stars
This one was a poem. Which is fine, I like poetry, but it isn’t even a very good poem and it certainly doesn’t fit with the rest of the theme of the anthology.
Before
5/5 stars
This is another one that takes the past and twists it a little to make it the future. In this one, a little Indigenous girl has been stolen from her parents by invaders who experiment on her in an attempt to find the cure for a manufactured disease. I really liked the focus on naming and storytelling in this one. The storytelling not only tells us something about the narrator, but it also serves to show aspects of the narrator’s culture, and the naming aspect has a poignancy to it that I rather enjoy.
Fake Plastic Trees
3/5 stars
I don’t dislike this one, but I also don’t like it either. It’s set after a breach at an MIT lab lets loose nanobots that turn about 70% of the world to PVC. For some reason, it took the arm/National Guard seven years to find any other survivors. When you have places like Montreal and San Francisco surviving, the fact that the surviving portion of Jacksonville doesn’t know about the rest of the world and its new technology feels somewhat like a plot hole. Also, I wasn’t a fan of the narrator. But the narration style is interesting, it goes right along with that ‘purposefully narrating’ and unreliable narrator stuff I like so much in other stories.
You Won’t Feel a Thing
4/5 stars
This is a prequel (companion prequel?) to Nix’s series Shade’s Children. I think the concept is interesting, with people 15+ disappearing one day and some alien/monster things coming and mutating kids. It even has the pocket of resistance/survivors thing I like in other survival stories. There was plenty background information so nothing about the world was confusing, but I’m still left feeling like the story was about that damn toothache more than anything else and what I want to feel is the opposite, so I knocked a star off.
The Marker
4/5 stars
This is another pretty good one that I’ll come back and reread on its own sometimes. I like the dystopic!Roman feel of the story, with the people who ensure the health and continued growth of the population known as Paters. I also found the color and DNA system interesting as well, and while the DNA is explained, the color never is. The characters don’t interest me too much, but I like the mood and tone of it.
Recommended for people who like: anthologies, dystopia, apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, survival stories, end of the world
The Segment
5/5 stars
It’s been a while since I’ve read this entire anthology through, normally I just pick out the stories I like and read those, so I’d forgotten this story was in the book and I’d actually given up on ever finding where I’d read it. I love this one. It gives a nice twist to what media might look like in the future, and though it was written in 2012, it certainly gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘fake news.’ The story has a post-apocalyptic dusty vibe to it, where it’s rough and tumble, but no one is exactly miserable, and the characters definitely have the ‘fend for yourself’ that’s typical for the genre. Something I think is unique is that society hasn’t collapsed and it’s not pretending to be a dystopic utopia, it’s just society and this is merely how it’s turned out. It’s definitely one of my favorites in the anthology and the twist(s) at the end are fantastic and hard to see coming.
After the Cure
5/5 stars
This is another one of my favorites and is actually the story that I usually skip to first. I thought for years that this was a zombie story, but this reread I noticed that the protagonist suggests they’re vampires…but they still seem to be zombies, so we’re going with zombies. I don’t like zombies. Ever. I avoid all books, movies, and TV shows about them, but this short story is so bloody fantastic (and the zombie part actually minor enough) that it’s one that I reread about once a year. The story follows a cured zombie-vampire-whatever and the weird sociolegal space she finds herself in after being rehabilitated. Thought short the story explores who the monsters really are as well as whether being cured is always something to be desired. The former is something that you see a lot, but I don’t see a ton of the latter and I enjoy how Ryan looks at the sense of community that comes with being a zombie-vampire-whatever and how that community (as well as the hunger) lingers and is something the cured still feel and desire.
Valedictorian
4/5 stars
I always find this story a bit confusing, though I think I’ve read it enough now that it makes some sense. It’s set about a century after humanity’s war with androids and now the bottom 10% of high schoolers and the top 1% are taken outside of the Firewall (which isn’t explained, but I’m assuming it’s a virtual, code-based electric fence). I’m not sure how I feel about the story itself, but I do like the main character, Zinhle, who strives for excellence even knowing the consequences and allows herself to be angry. The story is a bit of a ‘tired of smalltown’ story, but sci-fi and more like a slice-of-life than Chris Pine’s version of Captain Kirk, who proceeds to go on and have adventures. Zinhle feels more real.
Visiting Nelson
3/5 stars
This one’s set in a post-apocalyptic London after flooding has turned it into a wasteland. It’s written dialectally, which is interesting and adds a nice element to the story, but even though I felt connected to the world, I wasn’t drawn to the characters or even the plot, really. I liked the idea of the characters going to see this person/thing they called Nelson (who is Nelson from “Kiss me Hardy!” and the Battle of Trafalgar, not Nelson Mandela). The bits where Charlie, the narrator, talks about the floods and the way London has changed are also interesting, but the main part, about Morris and nirv and the Hairies were not all that interesting to me, though Langrish did a decent job worldbuilding.
All I know of Freedom
4/5 stars
TW sexual assault
This story starts one way and then does a switchback and begins going another way. In the beginning, it seems like the story will be about a future where society’s regressed and gone back to the whole ‘rich kidnap/buy foreign kids for labor’ sort of thing, but then it ends up being a cult story. The slave part of the story is brief and reminds me a bit of The Little Princess, but the interesting bits come later on, when it turns into a cult story. The narrator is about 12- or 13-years old and stumbles across the cult on accident, though she quickly becomes an insider. I liked seeing the different perspective a kid has of a cult than what an adult would have and the manner in which the narrator makes her decision about going to Proxima Centauri with the cult or staying on earth.
The Other Elder
4/5 stars
I will say, I really really liked Revis’ Across the Universe series when I first read it, but I tried rereading it again recently and just found the whole thing too creepy for my liking. This short story is a prequel to those, and like most prequels, you needn’t’ve read the originals to understand this one. Weirdly enough, I actually find this story less creepy than the original trilogy, even though it deals more with the nitty gritty of mind control and the ‘need’ to have everyone conform. I think my favorite part of this short is how well Revis shows that the things we adamantly believe in as a kid don’t hold true as an adult, and how sometimes our adult selves would disappoint and anger our younger selves. I will say though, I would’ve liked a scene in the middle where it becomes clear why Elder changed his mind—I mean, I can guess and I’m sure there’s a decent chance I’m right, but sometimes I like direct answers.
The Great Game at the End of the World
3/5 stars
This is another confusing one. I think something similar to the rapture occurred, though it also involved the semi-destruction of the world into a bunch of fragmented floating pieces. I liked the Before/Now switching of the scenes, which served to help explain some of the other creatures/characters in the story, but also to give background on the narrator and his sister as well as the world before. I can’t really pinpoint why I’m not a fan of this one, because the setting and other creatures/characters are interesting and pretty unique, but I just don’t vibe with this story.
Reunion
5/5 stars
I like this one, though I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is I like so much about it. It seems to take place almost immediately after the overthrow of a dictator, with an older sister and a mother looking for their missing little sister/daughter. The story is largely told through dialogue, with Mama or Isabella explaining to the young ‘Maria’ what the truth of her family is, how she got taken, how they tried to find her, and so on. While it’s clearly a form of telling exposition rather than showing it, the dialogue is full of enough imagery that I have no trouble picturing what’s occurring and it doesn’t feel like I’m being ‘told’ anything. Isabella in particular intrigues me. She’s rather rough and tumble, having worked with/for the partisans to overthrow the government and I wish there was a longer story exploring Isabella and her life, either before or after the government overthrow.
Blood Drive
5/5 stars
TW shootings
This story is a sort of ‘what if safety laws were repealed in the US’ sort of thing, where labor laws stopped being a thing, church is mandatory (and I’m guessing Christian), and everyone carries a gun. I’ll be frank, after the Parkland shooting when people were talking about having teachers carry, this was the story I thought of. This story is in part about the guns, but it’s also about living normal life under extremism. The way the story is written, you’re following a normal citizen who goes to high school and has a girlfriend and tries to figure out what she’s going to do after high school. I think I like the story so much because it’s somewhat of an unusual storyline—most stories that take place in extremist countries have the protagonist as a rebel—and it has a soft ending.
Reality Girl
4/5 stars
TW f-slur
This is another story that has to do with media, but with a lesser focus on it than the first story had. In this one, something’s happened in the US that’s triggered its collapse and left the streets and waterways unsafe and UN Peacekeepers maintaining ‘temporary’ patrols and charity tents in the country. I like the concept of a truly destroyed US that wasn’t destroyed by infighting or even by war. Pure water is precious and the price for making the money to have access to it is exposing yourself to radiation and biohazards, meaning the risks of life after the end are never far away. I love the dystopian/apocalyptic genre and there are a lot of good writers in it that make the worlds real, but it’s hard to make the threats and consequences in them seem real sometimes, but I feel Bowes does a good job of that in this. There is a weird moment at the end, though, that definitely feels like a ‘and everyone clapped’ moment, which I wasn’t fond of.
How Th’irth Wint Rong By Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv
3/5 stars
Yeah…not a fan of this one. It’s written like it was written by someone who is largely illiterate, which is fine. It adds some authenticity to the piece and it actually isn’t hard to understand what’s being said. On the surface at least. I just don’t understand what the story is about. Or why. This kid is writing an essay about how the world ended for some contest and the contest is a scam, but there’s zero reason for me to care about this kid or this world and it’s really just something to read to get to the next story.
Rust with Wings
4/5 stars
I remember this story fairly well, though I think this is the first time I’ve reread it in several years and I’ll admit that it ends differently than I remembered it. In this one, some bugs have taken over Arizona and New Mexico and these bugs eat metal and are attracted to things that send out electromagnetic waves. I believe this is a prequel to another series by the author, but don’t quote me on that. I really enjoyed this one and the ingenuity the characters showed getting away from the bugs.
Faint Heart
3.5/5 stars
This one felt more like a novella than a short story, with a decent amount of background for each character and multiple POVs. It feels a bit more like a fantasy novella than a post-apocalyptic/dystopian one, but it’s still well-written and the world is vibrant. As lovely as the background and world-building is, the characters fall somewhat flat, I find. I don’t care at all about Tor, so I mostly tried to just speed through his POV. Yvain was interesting, but I would’ve liked it better if there’d been more of him back when Persie was alive, as his later self is just kind of a dick. Roz was actually interesting and I liked her character, she’s a bit of a trope, but at least she had vibrancy and personality to her where the others didn’t. If it had just been her, and the story continued through the trials, I’d’ve been more interested, I think. Also, a story about Miri and Dareus would be interesting, they were also deserving of more page time.
The Easthound
4.5/5 stars
Like most of these, I like the concept of this one. It’s a twist on the ‘lycanthropy virus’ where the virus sets in when people hit puberty, but not before (and if you’re already an adult then you get infected). I even like the characters in this one, each of them seemed to be pretty well fleshed out and even if they act silly in the beginning it doesn’t feel out of place. I love the twist at the end too and the fact there’s so many hints before that, but you still don’t see it coming until you’re there. My only real complaint is that I wish the story was longer.
Gray
2/5 stars
This one was a poem. Which is fine, I like poetry, but it isn’t even a very good poem and it certainly doesn’t fit with the rest of the theme of the anthology.
Before
5/5 stars
This is another one that takes the past and twists it a little to make it the future. In this one, a little Indigenous girl has been stolen from her parents by invaders who experiment on her in an attempt to find the cure for a manufactured disease. I really liked the focus on naming and storytelling in this one. The storytelling not only tells us something about the narrator, but it also serves to show aspects of the narrator’s culture, and the naming aspect has a poignancy to it that I rather enjoy.
Fake Plastic Trees
3/5 stars
I don’t dislike this one, but I also don’t like it either. It’s set after a breach at an MIT lab lets loose nanobots that turn about 70% of the world to PVC. For some reason, it took the arm/National Guard seven years to find any other survivors. When you have places like Montreal and San Francisco surviving, the fact that the surviving portion of Jacksonville doesn’t know about the rest of the world and its new technology feels somewhat like a plot hole. Also, I wasn’t a fan of the narrator. But the narration style is interesting, it goes right along with that ‘purposefully narrating’ and unreliable narrator stuff I like so much in other stories.
You Won’t Feel a Thing
4/5 stars
This is a prequel (companion prequel?) to Nix’s series Shade’s Children. I think the concept is interesting, with people 15+ disappearing one day and some alien/monster things coming and mutating kids. It even has the pocket of resistance/survivors thing I like in other survival stories. There was plenty background information so nothing about the world was confusing, but I’m still left feeling like the story was about that damn toothache more than anything else and what I want to feel is the opposite, so I knocked a star off.
The Marker
4/5 stars
This is another pretty good one that I’ll come back and reread on its own sometimes. I like the dystopic!Roman feel of the story, with the people who ensure the health and continued growth of the population known as Paters. I also found the color and DNA system interesting as well, and while the DNA is explained, the color never is. The characters don’t interest me too much, but I like the mood and tone of it.
thestarman's review
3.0
3+ stars. A little better than expected. Only 2 stories that were below average or irritating in some way. None were mind-blowing.
extrakrispy's review
4.0
This book has been read and reviewed for Reading Thru the Library.
Yay, our first four star review!
So I started out this review with 5 categories: great, good, meh, bad, awful; the more stories that I finished though, the more I felt that none of them were going to be bad or awful. Even though there are quite a few in my 'meh' category, they weren't really bad. Just kinda boring, or too overwhelmed for a short story. The great ones were really, really awesome, though. Definitely worth a read.
Great:
• Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish
• The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel
• Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford
• Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Rust With Wings by Steven Gould
Good:
• The Segment by Genevieve Valentine
• Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin
• All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller
• Reality Girl by Richard Bowes
• How Th'irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey by Gregory Maguire
• Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan
Meh:
• After the Cure by Carrie Ryan
• The Other Elder by Beth Revis
• Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• The Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson
• Gray by Jane Yolen
• Before by Carolyn Dunn
• You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix
• The Marker by Cecil Castellucci
The afterword has some good info too, if you're looking for dystopian/apocalyptic young adult sci-fi read-alikes.
Yay, our first four star review!
So I started out this review with 5 categories: great, good, meh, bad, awful; the more stories that I finished though, the more I felt that none of them were going to be bad or awful. Even though there are quite a few in my 'meh' category, they weren't really bad. Just kinda boring, or too overwhelmed for a short story. The great ones were really, really awesome, though. Definitely worth a read.
Great:
• Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish
• The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel
• Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford
• Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Rust With Wings by Steven Gould
Good:
• The Segment by Genevieve Valentine
• Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin
• All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller
• Reality Girl by Richard Bowes
• How Th'irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey by Gregory Maguire
• Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan
Meh:
• After the Cure by Carrie Ryan
• The Other Elder by Beth Revis
• Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• The Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson
• Gray by Jane Yolen
• Before by Carolyn Dunn
• You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix
• The Marker by Cecil Castellucci
The afterword has some good info too, if you're looking for dystopian/apocalyptic young adult sci-fi read-alikes.
lunarfire's review
3.0
As with every collection of short stories there were a few hits, a few misses, and one or two home runs in this bind up. I liked most of the stories overall, and except for one or two really dull ones, was pleasantly surprised by the collection as a whole. There was only one story that I desperately wanted more of and that was "After the Cure" by Carrie Ryan. I felt like there was so much more that could have been done and if there had been a whole book, I'd have read it.
Also, if Goodreads would let me, I'd give this 3.5/5 stars.
Also, if Goodreads would let me, I'd give this 3.5/5 stars.