Wastelands, John Joseph Adams
Wastelands, John Joseph Adams
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

Synopsis

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 postapocalyptic 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.Wastelands delves into this bleak landscape, uncovering the raw human emotion and heart-pounding thrills at the genre's core.

About John Joseph Adams

John Joseph Adams is the bestselling editor of many anthologies, including Wastelands, The Living Dead, and The Way of the Wizard. A six-time Hugo finalist and five-time World Fantasy Award nominee, he is also the editor and publisher of the magazines Lightspeed and Nightmare as well as the cohost of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast.

About Stephen King

Stephen King is the author of more than thirty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King.

About Jonathan Lethem

Jonathan Lethem is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including The Fortress of Solitude and the National Book Critics Circle Award winner Motherless Brooklyn. Lethem’s stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and the New York Times, among others. He lives in New York City.

About George R. R. Martin

George R. R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally ever since. He spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer-producer, working on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid ’90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he’s allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Parris, a big white dog called Mischa, and two cats named Augustus and Caligula, who think they run the place.

About Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card, a New York Times bestselling author, has won several Hugo and Nebula awards for his works of speculative fiction.

About Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe (1931–2019) was a winner of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, as well as two Nebula Awards, three World Fantasy Awards, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Prix Apollo. In 2007, he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. In 2013, he received the SFWA Grand Master Award. 

About Octavia E. Butler

Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, one of very few African American women in the field. She won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards and in 1995 was the first science fiction writer ever to receive the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant.

About Paolo Bacigalupi

Paolo Bacigalupi is the author of the highly acclaimed The Drowned Cities and the New York Times bestseller Ship Breaker, which was also a Michael L. Printz Award winner and a National Book Award finalist. He is also the author of The Windup Girl and Pump Six and Other Stories and is a winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, Compton Crook, John W. Campbell Memorial, and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial awards. He lives in western Colorado with his wife and son.

About M. Rickert

M. Rickert has published the short story collections Map of Dreams, Holiday, and You Have Never Been Here. Her stories have been collected in numerous anthologies including American Fantastic Tales, The Big Book of Ghost Stories, Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror, and Shadows and Tall Trees 7. She is the winner of the Crawford Award, World Fantasy Award, and Shirley Jackson Award. Her first novel, The Memory Garden, won the Locus award.

About Tobias S. Buckell

Tobias Buckell is the New York Times bestselling author of The Tangled Lands, Crystal Rain, and Halo: The Cole Protocol. His other novels and more than fifty short stories have been translated into seventeen languages. Bucknell has been nominated for the Hugo, the Nebula, the Prometheus, and the Campbell Award for Best New Author. He lives with his family in Ohio.

About Jack McDevitt

Jack McDevitt is an American science fiction author who won the 2006 Nebula Award for his novel Seeker. He has served as an officer in the US Navy, taught English and literature, and worked for the United States Customs Service. He lives with his wife, Maureen, in Georgia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rob on March 10, 2017

A tightly themed, well executed collection: Wastelands captures our apocalypse fears and fantasies equally well and sometimes even simultaneously. Adams wisely chooses Stephen King's "The End of the Whole Mess" as an opener and moves into all manner of exciting territory from there. Wastelands is the......more

Goodreads review by Anissa on March 16, 2021

I've had this on my shelf for years and finally pulled it from my bookshelf to read. There were 22 stories and as with all anthologies, some resonate more than others. 3.5 stars overall. Thoughts on my favourites: The End of The Whole Mess by Stephen King- A very sad story in which a brother rela......more

Goodreads review by Gertie on August 16, 2015

This sounded like a great idea. I read a lot of post-apocalyptic (and dystopian) books. I mean, a LOT, probably 90% of what I read. After this book, for the first time in years, I need a break. I've needed breaks from zombie books, but when I, need a PA break, something's clearly gone wrong. It's not......more

Goodreads review by Jim on August 07, 2018

I didn't have great hopes for this since I've read a lot of post apocalyptic stories & books over the years. There's rarely anything new, the same old tropes. Kadrey even explains most of them in his offering as he paints a truly poignant picture that puts them all to shame. Most of the stories here......more


Quotes

“This harrowing reprint anthology of twenty-two apocalyptic tales reflects the stresses of contemporary international politics, with more than half published since 2000. All depict unsettling societal, physical, and psychological adaptations their authors postulate as necessary for survival after the end of the world. Keynoted by Stephen King’s “The End of the Whole Mess,” the volume’s common denominator is hubris: that tragic human proclivity for placing oneself at the center of the universe, and each story uniquely traces the results.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The end of the world never sounded so engaging and interesting as it does in this audio production. With an all-star cast of narrators, it provides hours of listening for those looking to settle in to a story of the apocalypse. With some two dozen tales, this anthology proves an entertaining, if dark, listen. The works range from tragic to silly, but each provides a rich and vibrant vision of life after the world ends. Though the production has many narrators, Stefan Rudnicki delivers the largest share of the stories, and his deep and gravelly voice proves perfect for an imaginative look at the future.” AudioFile

“The twenty-two stories in this end-of-days anthology run the gamut from nuclear devastation to environmental debacle to the Second Coming…This title belongs in most sf or short fiction collections.” Library Journal

“A well-chosen selection of well-crafted stories, offering something to please nearly every postapocalyptic palate.” Booklist

“I can’t help but give this collection the highest recommendation. I think this will be a cornerstone for most readers’ shelves.” SFFWorld.com