Contributors: Stephen King, Octavia E. Butler, George R. R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, Jonathan Lethem, Elizabeth Bear, Neal Barrett, Jr., James Van Pelt, Cory Doctorow, John Langan, Paolo Bacigalupi, Carol Emshwiller, Dale Bailey, Richard Kadrey, M. Rickert, Catherine Wells, Jack McDevitt, Gene Wolfe, Nancy Kress, David Grigg, Tobias S. Buckell, and Jerry Oltion.
Sounds Like
Publishers Weekly, the publishing industry's top trade journal and review magazine, gave my anthology, Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, a starred review. PW's starred reviews are used to single out books of exceptional merit; the stars are doled out sparingly, so to receive a starred review is quite an honor.
Here's what they had to say about the book:
This harrowing reprint anthology of 22 apocalyptic tales reflects the stresses of contemporary international politics, with more than half published since 2000. All depict unsettling societal, physical and psychological adaptations their authors postulate as necessary for survival after the end of the world. Keynoted by Stephen King's "The End of the Whole Mess," the volume's common denominator is hubris: that tragic human proclivity for placing oneself at the center of the universe, and each story uniquely traces the results. Some highlight human hope, even optimism, like Orson Scott Card's "Salvage" and Tobias Buckell's "Waiting for the Zephyr." Others, like James Van Pelt's "The Last of the O-Forms" and Nancy Kress's "Inertia," treat identity by exploring mutation. Several, like Elizabeth Bear's "And the Deep Blue Sea" and Jack McDevitt's "Never Despair," gauge the height of human striving, while others, like George R.R. Martin's "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels," Carol Emshwiller's "Killers" and M. Rickert's "Bread and Bombs," plumb the depths of human prejudice, jealousy and fear. Beware of Paolo Bacigalupi's far-future "The People of Sand and Slag," though; that one will break your heart.
Famine, Death, War, and Pestilence: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbingers of Armageddon — these are our guides through the Wastelands…
From the Book of Revelation to The Road Warrior; from A Canticle for Leibowitz to The Road, storytellers have long imagined the end of the world, weaving eschatological tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity. In doing so, these visionary authors have addressed one of the most challenging and enduring themes of imaginative fiction: the nature of life in the aftermath of total societal collapse.
Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic literature of the last two decades from many of today’s most renowned authors of speculative fiction — including George R.R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Carol Emshwiller, Jonathan Lethem, Octavia E. Butler, and Stephen King — Wastelands explores the scientific, psychological, and philosophical questions of what it means to remain human in the wake of Armageddon. Whether the end of the world comes through nuclear war, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm, these are tales of survivors, in some cases struggling to rebuild the society that was, in others, merely surviving, scrounging for food in depopulated ruins and defending themselves against monsters, mutants, and marauders.
Complete with introductions and an indispensable appendix of recommendations for further reading, Wastelands delves into this bleak landscape, uncovering the raw human emotion and heart-pounding thrills at the genre’s core.
John Joseph Adams is the assistant editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and a freelance writer. His website is www.johnjosephadams.com.
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Hiya - I would personally like to invite you to visit www. novel-storm. com - we went live last week after a long wait. We really need people to register which is free and takes seconds. I would love to read any comments you have which you can leave in the forum. The forum directs you to where new material is posted also.
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Boom!
I just finished an Author-2-Author interview with New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan. To read the article visit my website, www.Alleywolf.com, and click on her book cover in the "Author-2-Author" section.
I've also decided on the cover art for issue #1 of my Owen Ruger Micro-adventure series... and I just finished the rough draft, the short novel should be published in a few weeks! Chris
Christine Feehan~ Writing is such a personal experience, and yet when we share our thoughts and stories we can touch so many. Christine has no doubt touched many hearts and prompted countless imaginations with her writing.
Over the years Christine has written over 30 novels including four series. Her novel 'Dark Prince' earned her 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature in 1999. She's been published by Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and is currently writing for Berkley/Jove. She has also earned 7 more PEARL awards and made the bestseller lists with New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Bookscan, B. Dalton, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Waldenbooks, ingrams, Borders, Rhapsody Book Club, Sirenbooks, and Walmart's book list.
I'm already enjoying it! I got Pat Frank's "Alas, Babylon" and James Van Pelt's "Summer of the Apocalypse". Will check out... A Canticle for Leibowitz and Earth Abides after I'm finished with these! Thank You.
Happy New Year!! My copy of Wastelands arrived today (along with 2 other Apocalyptic books I've been wanting to read). As soon as my coffee is finsihed brewing, I'm heading to my cumfy chair and plan to be there all day with my book! It's gonna be a GREAT day!
