McSweeney's has been science-fiction-friendly since the beginning, and the "2040 A.D." subtitle to this edition shows they are at it again.The plan here was to assign a number of writers from around the world the task of setting a story in that year, and each writer was assigned a specific climate event that is expected to happen if humans don't act to stop it before that time. [Recent studies suggest that 2040 is a "point of no return" for the climate we've grown used to as a species.] The prod...

A powerful collection even if some of the stories are only so-so on an individual level. Still, the success or failure of any given story doesn't matter so much when the purpose is quite powerful in general: these are stories, written by some great writers in collaboration with climate scientists, painting various pictures of the world in just twenty years. It is horrifying to believe that they are all plausible, if variably so. The best ones were Rachel Heng's "The Rememberers" (a mother/daught...

A dope concept that was pretty well executed. As another reviewer noted, I too wish they elaborated more on the actual environmental science. And I didn't care too much for a few stories; The Night Drinker was way too grotesque for my tastes, and New Jesus failed to adequately contrast the Valley Dwellers with the Mountain Dwellers' level of privilege. But the rest fully captured my attention and got me feelin' some type of way. I was afraid that the Fiction aspect would discredit the Climate as...

Disappointing collection of unengaging stories.What was the point of the child in the final story being trans? Referring to that individual as "they" I found intensely annoying

A collection of short stories about what the world will be like in the year 2040. That’s only 20 years from now, folks! This is a must-read if only to stimulate the reader into action now, because the end of the world as we know it is coming to an end, and it ain’t gonna be pretty! I liked all the stories, but the Night Drinker by one of my favorite authors, Luis Alberto Urrea, is one of the stand outs. Cults, too much water, not enough water, vanishing species, climate migration and refugees; i...

I loved that the authors collaborated with scientists to write the stories that are set 20 years from now. Some of the stories gave me nightmares, which at least means that they were effective, right? I wanted more environmental details but overall the collection did help me envision what it's going to be like in 2040.

I love the concept of this collection (and the beautiful naked hardcover with gold foiling, not to mention the full-colour illustrations that head each story). Each author was assigned a climate event from the 2018 UN climate report (coral reef die-offs, flooding/sea level rise, fires, refugee surges, etc.) and they collaborated with the Natural Resources Defense Council to bring in that extra element of reality. The stories span the globe with a great list of diverse authors, which gave the col...

This was one of the best McSweeney's to be published in some time. All of the stories are set in 2040, and examine ecological collapse around the world, although in the best of them, that is just the backdrop for tales that explore the human condition.My favourite story is Claire G. Coleman's story about undercover eco-activist work involving the coral reefs in Australia. I also really enjoyed the stories by Rachel Heng, Tommy Orange, Elif Shafak, Kanishk Tharoor, Asja Bakić, and Birna Anna Björ...

I don’t even like short stories and I loved this! So many great writers. So many clever apocalypses.

Considering saving this one to give to my son in 2040

3.5 stars.I do love a themed McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. I will say, though: reading this one, which is all about the year 2040, which scientists have identified as a sort of "point of no return" regarding climate change, during this current moment, in which a pandemic is sweeping the world, was a little difficult, what with the overwhelming sense of foreboding and despair. But! There were some winners here, and I especially rejoiced to see the inclusion of a gender non-conforming character w...

This book made me so anxious I got nauseous. Thoroughly important, thoroughly terrifying.

All of the stories were extremely well-written, even if not all were to my taste. Stand-outs: The Remembers by Rachel Heng, Drones Above the Coral Sand by Claire G. Coleman, and 1740 by Asja Bakic.

Honestly, nowhere near as preachy as I was expecting. Instead of a collection of wild and angry rants disguised as writing, this is an interesting collaboration between scientists and authors, creating a series of stories that accurately explore climate change in a strangely poignant way. I went in expecting to be smacked in the face with blunt criticism and outright judgement but was pleasantly surprised. The effects of climate change are at the heart of each story, yet it’s not always explicit...

In theory I should have loved this edition as I am rather environmentally minded but, ironically, the context of a destroyed future acts as a weight on each story rather than add to it. Each story seems to paint the same future (floods, lack of birds, etc.) and there didn't seem to be a lot of science behind any of these. Having said that, I did find one story truly excellent and that was "Ghost Town" by Kanishk Tharoor. It was touching and heartwarming. So, not my favorite edition but, as alway...

The heart is in the right place and this collection of short stories about global warming set in 2040 is certainly relevant, but unfortunately the quality of the writing is uneven. My favorite was ‘The Night Drinker’ by Luis Alberto Urrea, with runners up ‘He Are the People’ by Elif Shafak and ‘Save Yourself’ by Abbey Mei Otis. As for the other seven stories from writers around the world, it was unfortunately slim pickings.

This book is hard to read, especially when stuck at home during an actual plague. I started this awhile ago and although the opening story was great, I didn't think the first half was very strong. Some stories were too graphic or depressing for me to stomach. I set it down for awhile, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the back half of the collection was so much better. I loved every story, even when faced with unlikable protagonists. I liked that not every story was about the crushing te...