Famine, Death, War, and Pestilence: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, theharbingers of Armageddon these are our guides through the Wastelands...From the Book of Revelations to The Road Warrior; from ACanticle for Leibowitz to The Road, storytellers have long imaginedthe end of the world, weaving tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity.Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic literature of the last two decadesfrom 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 exploresthe scientific, psychological, and philosophical questions of what it means toremain human in the wake of Armageddon.
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.25
Trade in Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Me read
Format:Paperback
Like another reviewer has said, I'm not really a short story fan...... usually. I am however, a fan of post apocalyptic/end of the world/last man standing type fiction, so chose this book hoping to find a few good stories to tide me over until I found my next 'currently reading'.
The stories have been well selected and although they all follow a similar subject matter, they're all so different and even the very, very short stories stay with you after you've read them. It was interesting to find a few new takes on the genre and for this reason I'm glad I read 'Wastelands'. These stories have helped me find a few new branches to head along and broaden the subject for me.
This is the perfect book to have by your bedside, for those times when you only want to dip into a book....but be warned, even with the best intentions of "I'll just read one story to wind down before I drift off" can turn into ".....maybe I'll just read one more little story THEN I'll call it a night......or perhaps just a couple more....."
This is a great book for anyone familiar with the genre, but equally if you're new to this type of subject it's a gentle lead in to some of the best SF writers around.
What I really liked was the index at the end which gives further suggested reading lists. All books should come as standard with one of these. I had already found and devoured most of the further reading list given, but there were a couple that have now been added to my 'to be read' list.
Get this book whether you're familiar with the subject and looking for new paths or you're new to the subject and looking to explore it. There's something for everyone here.
The stories have been well selected and although they all follow a similar subject matter, they're all so different and even the very, very short stories stay with you after you've read them. It was interesting to find a few new takes on the genre and for this reason I'm glad I read 'Wastelands'. These stories have helped me find a few new branches to head along and broaden the subject for me.
This is the perfect book to have by your bedside, for those times when you only want to dip into a book....but be warned, even with the best intentions of "I'll just read one story to wind down before I drift off" can turn into ".....maybe I'll just read one more little story THEN I'll call it a night......or perhaps just a couple more....."
This is a great book for anyone familiar with the genre, but equally if you're new to this type of subject it's a gentle lead in to some of the best SF writers around.
What I really liked was the index at the end which gives further suggested reading lists. All books should come as standard with one of these. I had already found and devoured most of the further reading list given, but there were a couple that have now been added to my 'to be read' list.
Get this book whether you're familiar with the subject and looking for new paths or you're new to the subject and looking to explore it. There's something for everyone here.
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By Jan Dierckx
Format:Paperback
Somebody once said that after a disaster there is always at least one survivor to tell the story to others. But what if you are the sole survivor and there is no-one else on Earth to talk to?
Long ago I read a SF-story (or should I say a post-apocalyptic story? Oh well, what's in a name?) about a man who was not only the sole survivor of the human species but of all existing life including vegetation. Because of his injuries he could only crawl. After several months he finally reached the Ocean, crawled into the water and died. His decomposing body would provide the Ocean with atoms and molecules so that in a far future, new life could emerge from it.
Because of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the Cold War, post-apocalyptic literature was popular. But the fall of the Berlin Wall meant also the end of post-apocalyptic literature.
Today there is a revival of this genre. Probably because adventure and the possibility of starting all-over have a kind of charm. Maybe the most notorious example is Cormac McCarthy who received the Pulitzer-Price for his novel 'The Road'.
In this collection, you won't find stories where an invasion by Aliens or an uprising of Zombies are responsible for wastelands all over the globe. The editor of this anthology, John Joseph Adams, says that they could be the subject for another anthology.
The best thing I can do right now is to give you the name of each author and the title of his/her story.
The End of the Whole Mess - Stephen King
Salvage - Orson Scott Card
The People of Sand and Slag - Paolo Bacigalupi
Bread and Bombs - M. Rickert
How We Got In Town and Out Again - Jonathan Lethem
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels - George R.R. Martin
Waiting for the Zephyr - Tobias S. Buckell
Never Despair - Jack McDevitt
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth - Cory Doctorow
The Last of the O-Forms - James Van Pelt
Still Life with Apocalypse - Richard Kadrey
Artie's Angels - Catherine Wells
Judgement Passed - Jerry Oltion
Mute - Gene Wolfe
Inertia - Nancy Kress
And the Deep blue Sea - Elisabeth Bear
Speech Sounds - Octavia E. Butler
Killers - Carol Emshwiller
Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus - Neal Barret, Jr.
The End of the World as we Know It - Dale Bailey
A Song Before Sunset - David Grigg
Long ago I read a SF-story (or should I say a post-apocalyptic story? Oh well, what's in a name?) about a man who was not only the sole survivor of the human species but of all existing life including vegetation. Because of his injuries he could only crawl. After several months he finally reached the Ocean, crawled into the water and died. His decomposing body would provide the Ocean with atoms and molecules so that in a far future, new life could emerge from it.
Because of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the Cold War, post-apocalyptic literature was popular. But the fall of the Berlin Wall meant also the end of post-apocalyptic literature.
Today there is a revival of this genre. Probably because adventure and the possibility of starting all-over have a kind of charm. Maybe the most notorious example is Cormac McCarthy who received the Pulitzer-Price for his novel 'The Road'.
In this collection, you won't find stories where an invasion by Aliens or an uprising of Zombies are responsible for wastelands all over the globe. The editor of this anthology, John Joseph Adams, says that they could be the subject for another anthology.
The best thing I can do right now is to give you the name of each author and the title of his/her story.
The End of the Whole Mess - Stephen King
Salvage - Orson Scott Card
The People of Sand and Slag - Paolo Bacigalupi
Bread and Bombs - M. Rickert
How We Got In Town and Out Again - Jonathan Lethem
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels - George R.R. Martin
Waiting for the Zephyr - Tobias S. Buckell
Never Despair - Jack McDevitt
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth - Cory Doctorow
The Last of the O-Forms - James Van Pelt
Still Life with Apocalypse - Richard Kadrey
Artie's Angels - Catherine Wells
Judgement Passed - Jerry Oltion
Mute - Gene Wolfe
Inertia - Nancy Kress
And the Deep blue Sea - Elisabeth Bear
Speech Sounds - Octavia E. Butler
Killers - Carol Emshwiller
Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus - Neal Barret, Jr.
The End of the World as we Know It - Dale Bailey
A Song Before Sunset - David Grigg
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a collection of 22 short studies (and some recommendations for further reading) that all share the post-apocalyptic genre. There are some great stories in here, but also a few that either don't really belong here or that I personally didn't really enjoy. A lot of the authors will be familiar to fans of apocalyptic fiction as they have often written well known full length stories of a similar nature.
Almost all of these stories are set many years, or even generations, after some sort of disaster. The disasters are quite varied in nature, and not even specified or important in some cases, and the stories are mostly quite imaginitive in terms of the premises on which they are based. However, a lot of them simply weren't that interesting to me or didn't really go anywhere. If you're a fan of the genre then you will probably find something you like here, but I recommend that you try 'Beyond Armageddon' first if you haven't already. It's a similar compilation edited by Walter Miller.
Almost all of these stories are set many years, or even generations, after some sort of disaster. The disasters are quite varied in nature, and not even specified or important in some cases, and the stories are mostly quite imaginitive in terms of the premises on which they are based. However, a lot of them simply weren't that interesting to me or didn't really go anywhere. If you're a fan of the genre then you will probably find something you like here, but I recommend that you try 'Beyond Armageddon' first if you haven't already. It's a similar compilation edited by Walter Miller.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 106 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Misleading title
When this book promises a collection of non-zombie apocalypses, i am not sure how on earth that could go wrong: tales of humanity crumbling in the face of its imminent destruction,... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Alasdair Maloney
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still confused
I'm not sure exactly how to review this item, as I'm still a little bit lost between my expectations and what this book actually could offer me. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Filipe Teixeira
3.0 out of 5 stars
How social creatures deal with the loss of society... and gasoline
A collection of apocalyptic stories this is not, rather it is a collection of post-apocalyptic stories during a time when this is all the rage among readers of fiction, (thank you... Read more
Published 19 months ago by M-I-K-E 2theD
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good source for this form of fiction
I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in the post-apocalyptic genre. Its full of interesting and often very personal ideas of the fears and thrills one can expect of... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Richard W. Logan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good collection, encourages you to read further
This is a fairly eclectic collection of post-apocayptic fiction with lots of different styles.
I purchased it expecting the sort of fiction dealing with the onset or... Read more
I purchased it expecting the sort of fiction dealing with the onset or... Read more
Published 21 months ago by GFA
4.0 out of 5 stars
Changed my way of viewing post-apocalyptic fiction
This collection is a pretty regular one. It has good stories, one or two that are hard to savor and a few precious ones which change your perspectives. Read more
Published 24 months ago by ManInsideTheHelm
1.0 out of 5 stars
Fatally Flawed Collection
I bought this book as, like many other reviewers, I am a big fan of the Post-Apocalyptic genre. Having now read half of this collection I have had enough and am returning it to... Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2010 by O. R. Peake
4.0 out of 5 stars
good stories
yes they are all stories on one subject but i think it is amazing how many different stories can be out there. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2010 by Mrs. K. L. Mckay
4.0 out of 5 stars
great stories - well written and stimulating
This is a great addition to the canon of Apocalyptic Fiction. Loads of stimulating and well written stories, some hopeful, most certainly get you thinking about where we're going... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2010 by chiro
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life would be so much easier in a post-apocalyptic world.
I thought this was an excellent collection of short stories, however there was a few 'duffers' that I thought weren't up to scratch, but I guess thats normal for any short story... Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2010 by G. Currie
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
