---
product_id: 121722546
title: "Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse"
price: "€ 39.64"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.gr/products/121722546-wastelands-stories-of-the-apocalypse
store_origin: GR
region: Greece
---

# Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse

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## Description

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 Revelations to The Road Warrior; from A Canticle for Leibowitz to The Road, storytellers have long imagined the end of the world, weaving tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity. Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic 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.

Review: A fine collection of Apocalypse stories by great authors - With anthologies, I normally list the Table Of Contents, however because it can be viewed by rolling your mouse over the second available image below the book picture, I won't list it. There are 22 stories in this collection, by such authors as Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, Nancy Kress, and many more. Each story begins with a short paragraph of notes and achievements by each author. Religion, Armageddon, virus, plague, bombs, accidents, incidents, pollutants, natural disaster, and more, are all waiting to destroy the earth as we know it. Rising like the phoenix comes the new earth, explored in these tales of apocalypse. Barren landscapes, alternate ways of life, deserts, oceans, mangled cities, ragged suburbs: all are settings typical of destruction. Some of the stories in this collection are "realtime", meaning the apocalypse as it happens, such as The End Of The Whole Mess by Stephen King, When Sysadmins Ruled The Earth by Cory Doctorow, and The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey. Most, however, are post-apocalyptic, documenting humanity's struggle in the aftermath of destruction. My favorites are The People Of Sand And Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi, a tale of futuristic inhabitation, human regeneration, and the finding of a real flesh-and-blood dog wandering the sere landscape. Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels by George R.R. Martin is a tale of two separate surviving factions, one Lunar faction and another faction deep beneath the earth. The question is, who are the real people of the long lost earth civilization? Waiting For The Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell is a short but impacting tale of desperation to leave behind the scavenged farmlands. The Last Of The O-Forms by James Van Pelt highlights the journeys of Dr. Trevin's Traveling Zoological Extravaganza. This is a fun tale of a traveling freak show, with the question of who and what are the real freaks. Artie's Angels by Catherine Wells is the tale of teenagers growing up in a Kansas Habitat shelter, hoping for a better life in an off-world colony. Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus by Neal Barrett Jr. is another fun story of a traveling entertainment van offering $ex, Tacos, and Dangerous Drugs. The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey offers a real time look at the confusion and loneliness of a single survivor. There are some great stories and some mediocre stories, but there are no bad stories in this collection. A special, not to be missed feature is the For Further Reading guide at the end of the book. John Joseph Adams has created a list of books whose tales are based on the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic civilizations. Many of these I've read, but to my delight there are many I haven't. It's like having your own personalized reference of future reading material. I'm a fan of apocalypse novels and a fan of short story anthologies, so Wastelands was a double treat for me. If you're into End-Of-Times or an aficionado of anthologies (or both), I highly recommend you pick up this book. Enjoy!
Review: Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse - I think the easiest way to review "Wastelands" is to go through its stories one by one. "The End of the Whole Mess" by Steven King is an oldy but a goody. Like "Frankenstein" it is covering the dangers of human hubris. "Salvage" by Orson Scott Card is neither here nor there. Perhaps it would have touched me more if I was a Mormon. "The People of the Sand and Slag" by Paolo Bacigalupi is a gem of this collection. This story cuts like a razor blade, exposing the pulsing nerve of being human. If you decide on not reading the whole book, please do yourself a favor and go to Bacigalupi website where you can read this short story for free. "Bread and Bombs" by M. Rickert is heavy on politics. In addition, I am still not sure what happened at the end. "How We Got In Town and Out Again" by Jonathan Lethem is absolutely nothing special, even in its dealings with virtual reality. "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" by George R. R. Martin reminds me about SF stories I read in my younger years. It feels simplistic and dated. "Waiting for the Zephyr" by Tobias S. Buckell is an interesting take on the end of the fossil fuels. "Never Despair" by Jack McDevitt was so uninteresting I had to go and look up what the story was about. "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" by Cory Doctorow is clever and chilling in its description of the world that is falling apart. "The Last of the O-Forms" by James Van Pelt shows a scary and original Apocalypse. "Still Life with Apocalypse" by Richard Kadrey is not a bad read, though it is less of a story and more of a glimpse. "Artie's Angels" by Catherine Wells is a rather annoying re-working of Arthurian Legend. "Judgment Passed" by Jerry Oltion a clever take on Rapture and those it left behind. "Mute" by Gene Wolfe is confusing. If anyone ever figures out what happens in the story and why does it belong in this collection, please let me know. "Inertia" by Nancy Kress puts an idea on its head and makes an illness a salvation rather then the ending. "And the Deep Blue Sea" by Elizabeth Bear is exciting and gets a special mention for its gallery of man-made catastrophes. "Speech Sounds" by Octavia E. Butler is yet another showcase of what exactly makes us human. "Killers" by Carol Emshwiller is sad and slightly disturbing. It deals with the nastier side of human nature. "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus" by Neal Barrett, Jr. has everything and a kitchen sink. For example, it has sex trade, sentient animals, androids, virtual reality, and actuaries turned to piracy. "The End of the World as We Know It" by Dale Bailey is a meta on the apocalyptic tales out there. "A Song Before Sunset" by David Grigg is a meditation of values and culture. "Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack In the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers" by John Langan is a rather surreal adventure tale. I am not sure that it belongs in the collection, because it is less of an exploration of the end of the world and more of an action movie. Also, some people found it stylistically rather irritating, but it did not bother me. In short, I enjoyed "Wastelands", but less than I thought I would. Take that as you will.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #643,313 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #360 in Science Fiction Anthologies (Books) #533 in Fantasy Anthologies #1,040 in Science Fiction Short Stories |

## Images

![Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71lHZzBrFbL.jpg)

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A fine collection of Apocalypse stories by great authors
*by S***Y on September 24, 2008*

With anthologies, I normally list the Table Of Contents, however because it can be viewed by rolling your mouse over the second available image below the book picture, I won't list it. There are 22 stories in this collection, by such authors as Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, Nancy Kress, and many more. Each story begins with a short paragraph of notes and achievements by each author. Religion, Armageddon, virus, plague, bombs, accidents, incidents, pollutants, natural disaster, and more, are all waiting to destroy the earth as we know it. Rising like the phoenix comes the new earth, explored in these tales of apocalypse. Barren landscapes, alternate ways of life, deserts, oceans, mangled cities, ragged suburbs: all are settings typical of destruction. Some of the stories in this collection are "realtime", meaning the apocalypse as it happens, such as The End Of The Whole Mess by Stephen King, When Sysadmins Ruled The Earth by Cory Doctorow, and The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey. Most, however, are post-apocalyptic, documenting humanity's struggle in the aftermath of destruction. My favorites are The People Of Sand And Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi, a tale of futuristic inhabitation, human regeneration, and the finding of a real flesh-and-blood dog wandering the sere landscape. Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels by George R.R. Martin is a tale of two separate surviving factions, one Lunar faction and another faction deep beneath the earth. The question is, who are the real people of the long lost earth civilization? Waiting For The Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell is a short but impacting tale of desperation to leave behind the scavenged farmlands. The Last Of The O-Forms by James Van Pelt highlights the journeys of Dr. Trevin's Traveling Zoological Extravaganza. This is a fun tale of a traveling freak show, with the question of who and what are the real freaks. Artie's Angels by Catherine Wells is the tale of teenagers growing up in a Kansas Habitat shelter, hoping for a better life in an off-world colony. Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus by Neal Barrett Jr. is another fun story of a traveling entertainment van offering $ex, Tacos, and Dangerous Drugs. The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey offers a real time look at the confusion and loneliness of a single survivor. There are some great stories and some mediocre stories, but there are no bad stories in this collection. A special, not to be missed feature is the For Further Reading guide at the end of the book. John Joseph Adams has created a list of books whose tales are based on the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic civilizations. Many of these I've read, but to my delight there are many I haven't. It's like having your own personalized reference of future reading material. I'm a fan of apocalypse novels and a fan of short story anthologies, so Wastelands was a double treat for me. If you're into End-Of-Times or an aficionado of anthologies (or both), I highly recommend you pick up this book. Enjoy!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse
*by T***N on February 12, 2011*

I think the easiest way to review "Wastelands" is to go through its stories one by one. "The End of the Whole Mess" by Steven King is an oldy but a goody. Like "Frankenstein" it is covering the dangers of human hubris. "Salvage" by Orson Scott Card is neither here nor there. Perhaps it would have touched me more if I was a Mormon. "The People of the Sand and Slag" by Paolo Bacigalupi is a gem of this collection. This story cuts like a razor blade, exposing the pulsing nerve of being human. If you decide on not reading the whole book, please do yourself a favor and go to Bacigalupi website where you can read this short story for free. "Bread and Bombs" by M. Rickert is heavy on politics. In addition, I am still not sure what happened at the end. "How We Got In Town and Out Again" by Jonathan Lethem is absolutely nothing special, even in its dealings with virtual reality. "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" by George R. R. Martin reminds me about SF stories I read in my younger years. It feels simplistic and dated. "Waiting for the Zephyr" by Tobias S. Buckell is an interesting take on the end of the fossil fuels. "Never Despair" by Jack McDevitt was so uninteresting I had to go and look up what the story was about. "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" by Cory Doctorow is clever and chilling in its description of the world that is falling apart. "The Last of the O-Forms" by James Van Pelt shows a scary and original Apocalypse. "Still Life with Apocalypse" by Richard Kadrey is not a bad read, though it is less of a story and more of a glimpse. "Artie's Angels" by Catherine Wells is a rather annoying re-working of Arthurian Legend. "Judgment Passed" by Jerry Oltion a clever take on Rapture and those it left behind. "Mute" by Gene Wolfe is confusing. If anyone ever figures out what happens in the story and why does it belong in this collection, please let me know. "Inertia" by Nancy Kress puts an idea on its head and makes an illness a salvation rather then the ending. "And the Deep Blue Sea" by Elizabeth Bear is exciting and gets a special mention for its gallery of man-made catastrophes. "Speech Sounds" by Octavia E. Butler is yet another showcase of what exactly makes us human. "Killers" by Carol Emshwiller is sad and slightly disturbing. It deals with the nastier side of human nature. "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus" by Neal Barrett, Jr. has everything and a kitchen sink. For example, it has sex trade, sentient animals, androids, virtual reality, and actuaries turned to piracy. "The End of the World as We Know It" by Dale Bailey is a meta on the apocalyptic tales out there. "A Song Before Sunset" by David Grigg is a meditation of values and culture. "Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack In the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers" by John Langan is a rather surreal adventure tale. I am not sure that it belongs in the collection, because it is less of an exploration of the end of the world and more of an action movie. Also, some people found it stylistically rather irritating, but it did not bother me. In short, I enjoyed "Wastelands", but less than I thought I would. Take that as you will.

### ⭐⭐⭐ Too Much Post-Apocalypse
*by Z***A on March 27, 2009*

Every now and then I get the urge to read some good science fiction and after re-reading the irrestible "Earth Abides" by Stewart and "The Road" by MacCarthy I decided I needed some more post-apocalyptic reading so I picked up this book. It started out well -- it's a collection of short stories -- but after a while I started to become all apocalypted-out. Despite the variety of writing here, there was a certain sameness: the earth and the creatures that abide after some terrible event. Eventually I began skipping stories that didn't grab me in the first paragraph. Before each story the editor does a precis of the piece and I began culling the stories based on his remarks. All in all, there's some good writing here and some fascinating tales. But having read the book, none of the stories are particularly memorable. Good effort, but, in my case, not satisfying.

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*Last updated: 2026-11-05*