I’m sad to say 2022 has already brought to me a DNF. What a disappointing one! I love short story collections, and I love post apocalyptic stories, so I thought it would be my gem. After reading 4 stories, I just didn’t care enough to continue. I might try it again in the future though.

Favorites: Mr. Thursday, As Good As New, How the Monsters Found GodEnjoyed: Reminded, The Endless Fall, Inventory, The Green CaravanseraiThe rest varied from alright to forgettable to incoherent

Received as a review copy from NetGalley, this is an honest review. Such a gorgeous collection of stories that leave you seeing not only the possibilities but also the odd beauty of the ruins of a fallen empire or civilization. Out of the ashes something good can emerge. Highly recommended.

Although I am not obsessed with apocalyptic ideas, I find the notion of the end of the world as we know it both fascinating and terrifying. If I had a choice, I would prefer to avoid such events altogether, but I can't help but wonder what would it look like? What would trigger it? Would it wipe us all out, or would there be survivors? And if so, what would their lives look like?In Out of The Ruins, Grassman delivers 20 stories (including 2 poems) that offer a fresh look at post-apocalyptic trop...

"Out of the Ruins is an anthology about life in the ruins following an apoca­lypse (of whatever sort). It features a roughly even mix of original stories and strong reprints. Of the new stories, “Malware Park” by Nikhil Singh, is very impressive, and chal­lengingly constructed – the narrator disjointedly telling of the all-male town of Neurocropolis and his desperate attempts at modifying (up­grading? Just altering?) a doll (perhaps?) called Phaedra or Phoneutria. The rush of narrative is purpos...

The first three made no sense, then others were virtually unreadable, others still had no rhyme or reason, others still I read and grew totally bored.The only one with any redeeming value was the genie story

"Out of the Ruins" is an anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction written by some of the very best authors around. Each story is brilliantly written, with great characters, and plots that instantly grabbed me. Though, with most, I wished for a much larger story (even full-length novels) I can't rate the book down for that because I thoroughly enjoyed them just the way they are, and wanting more is just me being greedy! My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written volun...

Sonne really good stories here but let down by a couple of stinkers. Stories that I just could not finish. It's okay to emerge yourself in language that evokes new modes of speech but the reader still needs to know what you are saying.

I was very excited when I heard last year about the coming of this book. First of all: apocalypse, - yes. Second, China Miéville, for sure. And Emily St. John Mandel - hell yes!The collection of 19 stories and 2 poems, most by authors with whom I was not familiar, was, excellent, amusing, confusing, and impenetrable in spots.Favorites included Ms. Mandel's "Mr. Thursday;" "Inventory" by Carmen Maria Machado; "The Green Caravanserai" by Lavie Tidhar; and "The Rise and Fall of Whistle-Pig City" by...

It's a mix bag of stories, it features some of my favorite authors but I was a bit disappointed.some of them are quite good but they're like the start of a novel and you are left wondering what will be next.Some are so enigmatic that you are left wondering what was the meaning.Some are easily forgotten.One moved me: Ramsey Campbell never disappoints.I also love the one by Lavie Tidhar but I want to know what will happen.Not my cup of tea.Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, a...

I bought this book for the Emily St John Mandel story and she did not disappoint. She had a slight obsession with white collar financial crime, but she can tell a story. With a few other exceptions, I did not enjoy most of the other stories. Some were almost incomprehensible. Reminds my why I mostly hate short stories & sci fi.

A quick read. Have to say most stories didnt grab me. ESM's and Charlie Jane Anders notable for me.

just what you’re looking forGreat variety.There’s hope, realism, sci-do, fantasy, pain…Everything you could hope for.You will enjoy this book a great deal.

20! yes, twenty different short stories m-o-l concerning WHAT HAPPENS after the poo-poo hit the circular rotating device. on a global-scale of apocalypticness. (& well, a couple poems). i enjoyed a few: notably "how the monsters found god" -- & "the green caravanserai" --a few stories in between, but what was "the endless fall" about? couldn't the copies of the original character decide to just get along and work together instead of everyone trying to kill everyone else? what the heck was going

An instantly forgettable collection of mostly well written stories that never caught my attention. There were a handful that I enjoyed but they were the exception.For whatever reason, this never clicked for me.

this was really more of a 3.5— as with any collection of short stories, some were better than others but in this case the message of the collection stayed really strong throughout and was really beautiful: resiliency in the face of apocalypse, regeneration, recovery, the building of new worlds (aka my SHIT when it comes to sf). some standouts: "the endless fall" by jeffrey thomas (trope-y and surreal); inventory" by carmen maria machado (one of my fav short stories of all time, heartachingly bea...

Half-decent collection of stories, but I did feel a little cheated. Mainly because some of the better stories finished abruptly, leaving the reader wondering what happened next, Lavie Tidhar's being a prime example.Plus, one of my favourite authors Clive Barker, contributed only a three-verse poem. (I was particularly miffed about that, considering he headlined the book description.)There is a good mix of Science-Fiction and Science-Fantasy, with plenty of diverse storylines. There is profanity

I’m wondering if my reaction to this was impacted by 2020? Some gems but also a lot of story that didn’t quite click with me Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

I’m not very proficient with short stories. It’s not that I dislike them, just that when they’re good, I typically want them to be longer. Other times, I never quite get my footing, or don’t get emotionally attached, like I’ve just read a news article. This isn’t always the case. NPR Weekend Edition used to have a segment called 3 Minute Fiction that I absolutely loved and wish they’d bring back. And there’s a number of short stories that are tucked in the shelves of favourites in my heart. I’m

I was disappointed. These short stories were well written by some of my favourite SciFi authors. They explored bizarre situations and concepts but I had to push myself to read them. Most of the stories were detached- distant from humanity, disengaged from empathy and sympathy. There were two stories I liked - one about a woman at the end of the world with a genie and three wishes- the other- Mr Thursday Emily St John Mandel