"This is a book of stories intended to describe that hand of mortal destruction in 16 utterly different, yet all apocalyptically stunning ways!" - Harlan Ellison, from the Introduction.
These compelling visions of post-apocalyptic societies and dystopian worlds include short stories by some of the most acclaimed authors of our time. Among the noteworthy contributors and their works are Stephen King's "The End of the Whole Mess," "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury, and Arthur C. Clarke's "No Morning After."
The first-ever apocalyptic fantasy about global warming, "The End of the World," appears here, in translation from Eugene Mouton's 1872 French-language original. "The Pretence," by Ramsey Campbell, questions the nature and structure of everyday life in the aftermath of a doomsday prediction. In addition, thought-provoking stories by Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Greg Bear, Erica L. Satifka, and others offer an end-of-the-world extravaganza for fans of science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
"These doomsday tales are highly original, thought provoking, and reality questioning. Recommended as a collection for fans of intriguing and eccentric sci-fi!" - Read Well
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[Of all the questions that interest humankind, none is more worthy of research than that of the destiny of the planet we inhabit. (The End of the World by Eugene Mouton)]***
(Dover Publications, 21 September 2016, ebook, review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)
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Stories included:
- The End of the World by Eugene Mouton
- The Comet by W.E.B Du Bois
- The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury
- No Morning After by Arthur C. Clarke
- Upon the Dull Earth by Philip K. Dick
- 2 B R 0 2 B by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
- I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
- The Ones Who Wal Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Engineer and the Executioner by Brian M Stableford
- The End of the Whole Mess by Stephen King
- Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R Lansdale
- Judgement Engine by Greg Bear
- Automatic by Erica L. Satifka
- The Black Mould by Mark Samuels
- The Prentice by Ramsey Campbell
- Inventory by Carmen Maria Machado
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I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. There's something I really enjoy about reading about the imagined mess our world could be in the future.
So of course, this anthology sounded like a treat.
Except it really wasn't.
There are some great stories here. The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison and my personal favourite that I've read about fifty times, The End of The Whole Mess by Stephen King.
However, just about every story in this anthology is a re-print, many written decades ago. The End of The World by Eugene Mouton is actually an essay which I don't think should have been in a fictional anthology. The Comet by W.E.B. Du Bois is a good story but is a public domain piece freely available online. I don't think this should have been in the anthology.
Some of the stories in Grave Predictions are good but many are regurgitated from similar anthologies and collection. Unfortunately, the book has nothing new to offer.