Adams, John Joseph: Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (2008)
Edited by: John Joseph Adams
Genre: Short Stories/Science Fiction
Pages: 331 (Trade Paperback)
Why I Read It: I wanted to read this anthology ever since it was announced, because come on: how can you resist a whole anthology of post-apocalyptic (no, not dystopic) fiction? At the time, the subgenre wasn't as saturated as it is today, and I was totally stoked to pick it up. Of course, it sat on my self for years, unread, until all of you book clubbers rescued it from the dreaded stacks! It wasn't picked as a book club challenge, so I felt now was a good time to read it.
The premise: ganked from BN.com: 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.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. There's no point in spoiling short stories. Indeed, it's quite evil. Instead, you'll get a blow-by-blow on each story, but NO SPOILERS. If you're not interested in such, just skip to "My Rating," but everyone else, onward!
If you want my overall comments to the anthology, you can find that in "My Rating." Here, I'll break down each story with a 5 star rating with a brief explanation as to why I rated it the way I did.
Stephen King, "The End of the Whole Mess" (4 stars: a good, solid story about two brothers: one the Messiah of a new age, the other who's not, and what happens when one brings the world into an apocalypse. Only real complaints here was King dating himself, both literally--using actual dates, which was futuristic then but not so much now--and figuratively, startling me with the focus of Waco, Texas. The story was written before the whole Koresh scandal, but it pulled me out of the story for many reasons, especially given how Waco plays into the story at large. I also had some questions about what's happening with nature and weather problems, and I felt there would be more to worry about than simply rain, given volcanic eruption described here).
Orson Scott Card, "Salvage" (4.5 stars: I was worried about this story at first, because so far, I'm a miss on Card's fiction, but also because Adams pointed out in his intro this was one of the first pieces where Card started exploring his religion. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this tale of a boy looking for treasure in a city that's tied deeply to its roots. When the Mormons wanted that trumpet to blow, it had just stayed silent and their faith got drowned (page 33). Maybe OSC's fiction is a little more up to my speed?)
Paolo Bacigalupi, "The People of Sand and Slag" (5 stars: I didn't care for this story the first time I read it in Bacigalupi's Pump Six and Other Stories, but now that I've had the chance to read it a second time, it's something I really admire: how far Bacigalupi is willing to push what it means to be human, let alone what it means for humanity to be caretakers of the Earth and its creatures. The future he presents is harrowing because humanity has so utterly failed and yet managed to survive on a planet they've destroyed. That, and the dog. These characters are like children when it comes to that poor creature, and it's a chilling story).
M. Rickert, "Bread and Bombs" (4 stars: Rickert gives us quite the haunting story here, though because she chose to skim over the detail of the tragedy, I'm forced to rely on the narrator's conflicting recollections of the event, and I'm not sure just what happened to the girls of the story. Still, it's one worth re-reading, and it's wonderfully haunting).
Jonathan Lethem, "How We Got in Town and Out Again" (3 stars: this story slipped from my mind as soon as I finished it; however, it's an interesting take on the apocalypse in terms of what will constitute the entertainment of the future, as well as how important virtual reality will become when life in the real world becomes too much to bear).
George R.R. Martin, "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" (3 stars: I didn't care much for this tale. Not only did I feel this story was part of a larger world that Martin had already written in--in other words, I felt left out--but you can tell this is one of his earlier works. The prose is clunkier than it is in his Song of Ice and Fire series, but it's fun to see some of the hallmarks that I associate with that series: alternating POV's, which weren't really necessary in this story but I suppose provided another layer in terms of the action, as well as Martin's lack of mercy when it comes to his characters. I did, however, like seeing what I think was a nod to Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress on page 93).
Tobias S. Buckell, "Waiting for the Zephyr" (2 stars: this story felt like a skeleton of something bigger, and I don't mean bigger in that it should've been longer, but in that everything's generic. Heroine wants to leave small town to find something bigger and better, family doesn't want her to go because blood runs deeper than water, and the resolution comes far too easily. There's nothing really special about this story, which is why it feels more like a generic outline than an actual story, which is disappointing, as I've read better from the author).
Jack McDevitt: "Never Despair" (2 stars: I'm not big on stories that take place in an author's existing world, especially when I haven't read any other works in said world. It's almost like the author has a free pass to not immerse the reader in the story unless they've been immersed previously, you know? At any rate, I didn't care for this piece, especially McDevitt's use of omniscient POV interludes that describes what's happening in the building the characters are sleeping in, but the characters aren't witness to it happening).
Cory Doctorow, "When Sysadmins Ruled the Eath" (3 stars: I'll give Doctorow credit for a unique take on the post-apocalypse. Characters who are the heroes here are often reduced to side-kicks in other post-apocalyptic stories, and I liked seeing what becomes of the internet when the world ends. However, the writing style wasn't my cup of tea, so I didn't engage as fully as I could've. It's more an optimistic story though, so I'll give Doctorow credit there).
James Van Pelt, "The Last of the O-Forms" (3 stars: there are some neat, creepy things to this story, and how I wished the tale had been told from Caprice's POV, as she was by far the more interesting character. It's cool to see how some might make a living in a post-apocalyptic world, and this is another tale that shows that no matter what's happened, people still need to some form of entertainment. That's not the whole POINT of the story, mind you, but it's just an angle to view it from).
Richard Kadrey, "Still Life with Apocalypse" (1 star: I'm sorry, but I nearly spewed my Coke after learning this story had been expanded from its original carnation to what it is now, which is a grand total of three pages. I've read and really enjoyed Kadrey's recent novels, but this isn't a story, it's a vignette, and barely that. I've read better from this author).
Catherine Wells, "Artie's Angels" (4 stars: a solid, enjoyable tale and I enjoyed its overt references to King Arthur. The world felt real and lived in, as did the characters).
Jerry Oltion, "Judgment Passed" (3.5 stars: I didn't care for the prose--there's nothing wrong with it, mind you, it's perfectly serviceable, but it doesn't stand out and runs the risk of sounding a wee bit generic. That said, the premise is stellar, and it was fun to read this story of astronauts returning to Earth only to realize Christ's Second Coming has already happened and Earth is completely empty. I enjoyed the mystery to it--was the Second Coming a hoax and something ELSE came and took humanity, or was it really Jesus? Fascinating story in that regard).
Gene Wolfe, "Mute" (2.5 stars: I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this. Sure, Neil Gaiman says that Gene Wolfe is best read twice, so I should re-read the story if I want answers, but of the admittedly little I've read of Wolfe's work, I like this the least. I like the creepy horror bit regarding the father, but I got confused when the brother and sister went house-hunting, because it read as if the house they were exploring was their own, that or Wolfe forgot to transition properly, and I have a tough time believing the latter. Still, by time I got to the creepy ending, I was just shaking my head, forgetting this story was written by a master of the genre, and wondering what the hell the point of it was).
Nancy Kress, "Inertia" (4 stars: this was a solidly good tale. I liked the mystery behind the various characters and who was diseased, who wasn't and why. I liked learning the psychological implications of the lives being led and what it could mean for the future. It's a dark tale, but a good one, with characters that are frighteningly a little too human).
Elizabeth Bear, "And the Deep Blue Sea" (2.5 stars: Elizabeth Bear is always hit or miss with me, and this was a miss. I liked the whole biker heroine thing, but I found myself on that fine line between surrealism and reality and I never knew what to take for cold, hard fact and where to go from there. This is another story that would probably benefit from a re-read, but while the writing itself is mostly solid (sometimes I was suspicious of certain transitions), I'm not invested enough to give it another go).
Octavia E. Butler, "Speech Sounds" (5 stars: I was immediately drawn to this story, but I am biased, and I love pretty much everything of Butler's that I've read. But I liked seeing her post-apocalyptic setting and what the apocalypse had done to humanity's ability to read, speak, and/or write. Like most of her work, it's stark and startling, and I enjoyed it thoroughly).
Carol Emshwiller, "Killers" (2 stars: I didn't like this story the first time I read it, and on second read, almost five years later, I still don't like it. What's sad is once I started reading and recognized it, I was like, "Oh, I remember rather hating this one…" and sadly, my note to myself when I finished was "still hate this story." I think hate's too strong a word, but I hate how it minimizes our narrator into a woman obsessed with a man. Sure, it's commentary on how women are just fine on their own until men come along, but the story leaves me cold, and I don't care for it).
Neal Barrett, Jr., "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus" (1 star: I almost stopped reading this story after the intro. Not only was I praying the last name of "Sweethips" was an actual stage name Ginny gave herself--I'll assume it was, but it's never clarified in the text--but the final line of Adams' intro, which does echo a line in the story, really does nothing to encourage the heterosexual female reader to keep going. It's so hard for me to take this story seriously, and the contraption used to get the men off is only mildly interesting. Ginny is a cocky, spunky heroine who apparently has more morals than her line of work would indicate, but the whole story turned me off).
Dale Bailey, "The End of the World as We Know It" (5 stars: this is a great story. The writing voice pulled me in immediately, and I loved seeing this post-apocalypse through Wyndham's eyes. His is an interesting perspective, especially considering this story doesn't take the usual route of following certain post-apocalyptic tropes. My only quibble was the random interjections of a first person narrator: never knew who said narrator was or why said narrator kept interrupting. Still, a great story).
David Grigg, "A Song Before Sunset" (2 stars: as a former music major, you'd think I'd appreciate this story, but frankly, I had problems with the logic flow of this story, such as how Vandals would know what certain things were if they were born after the apocalypse. I also questioned Parnell's decision at the very end of the story, which struck me as reckless and stupid. I'd understand it if circumstances had been just a wee bit different and hopeless, but as it stood, nope. Also, too preachy for my taste).
John Langan, "Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack in the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers" (5 stars: okay, yes, the title is absolutely ridiculous. And let's get another thing out of the way, this is an artsy piece in terms of style. Long sentences (but there's more than one, don't worry) punctuated in bold parts of a sentence that tells a larger story of a very pregnant girl and her best friend on the run from a crazy mutated pack of dogs. It's a great story, well written with its own rhythm that sweeps you away if you let it. I liked how, if you read the bolded statements by themselves, they kind of tell their own story, summarizing the whole thing in a haiku-ish sort of way. I loved the comic book shout-outs and suspect the author and I (or more particularly, the author and my husband) would have grand discussions. My only quibble is the flashbacks that are disguised as dreams, but I'll roll with it because the story IS so very engaging.)
My Rating: It's a Gamble: This is a hard book to rate, because I'm not rating a unified story, but how 22 different stories all work together in a collection. When I first started reading the anthology, I was really into it, despite some stories not being to my taste; however, as I read on, I got more impatient, more bored, and more picky with each piece. In truth, I think this anthology might've been better served by cutting 5 or 6 stories, because after reading 22 post-apocalyptic stories in a row, I found the theme falling flat. One fix, though, since this isn't 5-6 stories shorter, is to space out your reading, making sure you're reading unrelated books/stories between every two or three from this anthology. That might make the anthology feel fresher, but regardless, there are some stories I would've been happy to see cut. Adams' debut effort as an anthologist (this was his first anthology, right?) is overall a solid one, though if you average all my star ratings, the book ends up with 3.22 stars on a 5 star scale. There are some obvious typos that I wish had been caught, but on the plus side, "For Further Reading" in the back is a great resource for readers wanting to explore more of the post-apocalyptic genre (though I disagree with the inclusion of The Handmaid's Tale, which I feel is more dystopia than post-apocalyptic). I'm glad I read it though, and won't be adverse to trying out Adams' anthologies in the future, particularly his dystopia-focused Brave New Worlds.
Cover Commentary: It's a really nice cover. I've always loved the coloring as well as the font choice and placement.
Next up: Enclave by Ann Aguirre