The End of the World: Stories of the Apocalypse

A very cool anthology that both hews to and plays with the loose prompt of apocalypse. The sheer variety of ways that the world might end offers a kind of postmodern delight as much as a gnawing discomfort. I was surprised with the level of language - there's so much great writing in here. Don't just read the stories by the famous standouts - the lesser known writers in this anthology are so great and refreshing and exciting. I especially loved Lucius Shepard and Nancy Kress and Robert Silverberg.A great book to read in small chunks. I also liked the chapter groupings - it was nice to have the option of which variety of apocalypse story I wanted to try with each sitting.

This compilation is an excellent gathering of apocalyptic stories, well worth the time. There are several takes on the future here, and I am drawn to the more positive outcomes. Enjoy this, and hope for happier days ahead!

Published in 2010, The End of the World is an anthology volume of science fiction short stories, all of which present variations on the subject of the apocalypse, armageddon, the extinction of humanity, or the ultimate destruction of the Earth. The oldest of these stories is from 1944, the newest from 2007, but most were originally published from the ‘50s to the ‘70s. All of the selections were previously published in magazines or earlier anthologies. The book was edited by Martin H. Greenberg, a professional anthologist, and Grand Master of Science Fiction Robert Silverberg provides a brief introduction to the volume.The nineteen stories in the book are divided into thematic sections, such as Bang or Whimper (the actual event of destruction), The Last Man (lone survivors), Life After the End (postapocalyptic societies), Dark, Distant Futures (dystopian horrors), and Witnesses to the End of the World (time travel to the apocalypse). A few of these stories make you wonder what they’re doing in an apocalyptic volume, like Lucius Shepard’s “Salvador,” which is just a war story with some sci-fi touches in which the world does not end. A lot of the authors here, particularly the more recent writers, aim for originality and cleverness or take a comical approach to the subject. What’s missing from most of this collection is some of that earnest horror and dread that earlier sci-fi writers instilled into their apocalyptic visions. The end of the world should be epic, but too often the selections here concentrate on small, quirky stories amid the general devastation. Silverberg discusses the history of apocalyptic fiction in his introduction, referencing such works as Camille Flammarion’s Omega, Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine, Jules Verne’s The Eternal Adam, M. P. Shiel’s The Purple Cloud, and Garrett P. Serviss’s The Second Deluge. Reading some of the less impressive stories in this volume makes one long for those grandiose catastrophic speculations from a bygone era.That’s not to say there isn’t some good or even great fiction in this volume. Every anthology is a grab bag with its own bad apples and gems. Among the latter category are Rick Hautala’s “The Hum,” which is quite chilling, though the ending ventures a little too far into fantasy. Norman Spinrad’s “The Big Flash” is a gripping tale of a heavy metal band leading mankind in mass hysteria towards armageddon. Lester del Rey’s “Kindness” is a poignant glimpse into man’s evolutionary future. George R. R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame delivers a very suspenseful and crafty tale, “Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels,” told from the point of view of a postapocalyptic mutant. Arthur C. Clarke’s “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth . . .,” a story of a boy living in a domed-in colony on an uninhabitable world, deals one of the book’s better surprise endings.Editor Greenberg saves the two best stories for last. Silverberg’s selection, “When We Went to See the End of the World” is a wryly humorous tale of several shallow couples at a party bragging about their time-travel vacations to witness the end of life on Earth. Poul Anderson, another reliable veteran, contributes a good ol’ sci-fi adventure yarn about two scientists lost in time, complete with a space opera and a corny romance, but nonetheless containing some serious and thoughtful ideas on mankind’s dismal future.I’ve mostly concentrated on the positives here. The good entries are worth a read, but there’s plenty of mediocre fare here as well. I bought a copy from a Kindle Daily Deal, so I felt like I got my money’s worth, but a few of the stories really didn’t feel like they were worth my time.

This book is a series of stories by many well known author's. Each ending of time as we know it is different. All readers of science fiction will enjoy reading each tale. I really enjoyed this book.

Some stories really didn't click, but others were true gems that really make this book worth reading.A lot of them are about the end - of humanity/the world/the universe. But the ultimate lesson they teach the reader is that nothing really does end. Patterns and cycles repeat themelves, and we keep making the same mistakes over and over again. It's the same old story.We would be wise to take the lesson to heart and refrain from engaging in petty disputes like our ancestors dud before us, and probably like our descendants will after we crumble to dust.Our time is short, but the story of the universe will keep writing itself for eternity - let's enjoy the excerpt we're offered while we can.

I have always been interested in apocalypse stories and it was a no brainer to read this ‘end of the world’ compilation. There are several short stories in this collection that I really enjoyed, with interesting and original ideas and compelling characters. There were also several I found a little hard to get into. That kind of comes with the territory considering a lot of these are in the scifi genre. All in all, I’m glad I read it!

There may be something a little numbing about experiencing the end of the world so many times in a row but if you are going to do it you might as well do it with this group as your guide. I’ve always loved short stories and this collection does not disappoint.

NOTE to KINDLE READERS. There have been comments that the stories were dated. The hardcover edition was originally published in 2010. It's the Kindle version that just showed up. The original publication date is plainly stated on the Amazon website, so it's worth it to check the date before buying. I run into this occasionally when I have read a given book five years ago, order the Kindle edition and then discover I've already read it, But gee, it's Gaiman and Martin et all, for a buck 99, so what's to complain about?

Divertido, entretenido, buen libro. Compilación de varias historias clasificadas por tipo de historia: apocalipsis tecnológico, ecológico, nuclear, etc.

good

Loved all of the short stories. Interesting and a little mind expanding into many views!

This is the first time I've read an anthology and I can't say this was a great reading experince. Maybe an anthology isn't really my thing, but in this case the anthology also wasn't strong enough. It contained plenty of stories but it took me to the last one, "Flight to Forever" by Poul Anderson, to find a story I really liked (and even then I saw the ending coming by far).Another one I liked pretty well was the first one: "The Hum" by Rick Hautala. There were some other nice stories, the best ones being the following: "To the Storming Gulf", "We can get them for you wholesale", "Dark, dark were the tunnels" and "The wheel". The remaining stories were ok at best and always contained something that bothered me, most often the ending. The fact that I don't even remember what most stories are about says enough.This is not something I'd recommend to others...Rating: 4/10

As collection of stories go, this was a mixed bunch. Some were brilliant, others mediocre. Overall a fair read. The last story, though overly long was a nice twist.