The End of the World As We Know It

DNF

I've been waiting for over a year for this anthology edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene and I had somewhat high expectations for it. Advance reviews were good and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it.

Stephen King left an immense sandbox for these authors to play in and the cast of contributors was stellar. Alas, most of the stories were uninspired tales that failed to impress. I persevered for about 500 pages, but I had to quit when it became obvious that there would be no saving grace for this collection. Which is a shame given the quality of the authors assembled to participate.

The worse aspect of It's the End of the World As We Know It is that it's a veritable slog from the get-go. Weighing in at more than 700 pages, it's much longer than it needed to be. Especially since virtually all the stories follow the same template and explore the same themes. It's all too repetitive, with very few tales that stand out.

We were promised stories set outside the USA to experience how society unraveled across the world. Sadly, all we ended up with are two tales set in Puerto Rico (not exactly international in style and tone), a totally forgettable one set in London, England, as well as an intriguing one set in Pakistan.

A scant few stories are original, chief among them Tim Lebbon's "Grace," which takes place aboard the space shuttle Discovery. But for the most part, the anthology features a bunch of lackluster tales that did little to keep me interested.

As a matter of course, your mileage may vary.

Here's the blurb:

An original short story anthology based on master storyteller Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestselling classic The Stand!

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered Stephen King’s seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel—generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today’s greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand—brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Featuring an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Christopher Golden, and an afterword by Brian Keene. Contributors include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S. A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers.

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.