Megan Arkenberg. Like All Beautiful Places. (The End Has Come, 2015)
Arkenberg concludes her trio of stories with another look at the impact of an acid raid apocalypse – both on the city of San Francisco, and someone recently moved there.
Nancy Kress. Blessings. (The End Has Come, 2015)
Kress brings her trio of stories, and this trilogy/triptych to a satisfactory conclusion.
Hugh Howey. In the Woods. (The End Has Come, 2015)
Sometimes I read a story and all the way through I feel I’ve missed something important, or need to be reading it from a slightly different perspective
Christien Gholson. Angel Fire. (Interzone #258)
As with many stories of this ilk, it’s fine enough, but I’d rather this story was the first third of a story, setting up two final thirds that really kick some ass.
Sam J. Miller. When Your Child Strays from God. (Clarkesworld Magazine #106, July 2015)
An unlikeable protagonist goes on a journey to seek her son who has strayed – and a story that goes onto the Best SF Short Story Award 2015 shortlist.
Jake Kerr. The Gray Sunrise. (The End Had Come, 2015)
Kerr’s approach to the ‘Apocalypse Triptych’ has been to write three stories linked by an asteroid impact, but each featuring different characters in different situations, and this story, a good one like the previous two, features a close analysis of the reaction of his characters to events.
Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam. Doors. (Interzone #258 May-Jun 2015)
Another good story from Stufflebeam providing a heart-warming tale of humanity, that doesn’t get anywhere near schmalzy or saccharine as it could.
Charlie Jane Anders. The Last Movie Ever Made. (The End Has Come, 2015)
Anders’ trio of stories have stood out from the others, with her tale of a near-future apocalypse as seen through some gonzo film makers not easily confused with the other stories in the volumes!
Asimovs April/May 2015
There’s a lot in this double issue, although the more substantial stories don’t quite do it for me.
Jonathan Maberry. Jingo and the Hammerman. (The End Has Come, 2015)
A slightly different tone to the horrors of the rest of the volume (mind you, there is horror in the story, but more comic book).
Elizabeth Bear. Margin of Survival. (The End Has Come, 2015)
Bear had a singleton story in the second of this three volume trilogy, and has another in this volume, which also features a determined, resourceful lead character.
Allen M. Steele. The Children of Gal. (Asimovs, April/May 2015)
Another (concluding?) installment in Steele’s ‘Arkwright’ series, which, like his ‘Coyote’ series, has left me unmoved.
Frank Smith. The Sentry. (Asimovs April/May 2015)
Just a little too short to get engaged with the characters.
Fran Wilde. How to Walk Through Historic Graveyards in the Post-Digital Age. (Asimovs April/May 2015)
A clever use of tech by Wilde to look at the difficulties being faced by an journalist returning from being embedded on the frontline, with ghosts very much in the machine.
Jay O’Connell. Willing Flesh. (Asimovs April/May 2015)
Another short, neat peek into the near-future urban life, technology and what it does to us from O’Connell.
Julie C. Day. The Re’em Song. (Interzone #258, May-June 2015)
The turning points of the story are fairly low key, mirroring the journey and emotional state of the protagonist.
Jamie Ford. The Uncertainty Machine. (The End Has Come, 2015)
Ford’s stories in the first two volumes were quirky steampunky stories, here, to slightly less effect, he focuses this story on the aftermath of Halley’s Comet in a basement, with an inventor trapped in the dark.
Alice Sola Kim. A Residence for Friendless Ladies. (Fantasy and Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2015)
A disturbing story of a young woman, thwarted in her desires to be a man, who is admitted to the titular establishment.
Jenn Reese. How to Masquerade as a Human Before the Invasion. (Fantasy and Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2015)
A two-pages on, erm, how to masquerade as a human before the invasion.
Anna Tambour. The Gun Between the Veryush and the Cloud Mothers. (Asimovs April/May 2015)
Somewhat opaque and in need of the application of some literary Cif.
Jonathan L. Howard. A Small Diversion on the Road to Hell. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, March/April 2015)
A strong narrative voice from the protagonist, in a story set in a bar against a backdrop of 20th century European history(ies).
Robin Wasserman. In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land. (The End Has Come, 2015)
Wasserman concludes one of the stronger stories in Adams’ ‘Apocalypse Triptych’.
A Shout is a Prayer for the Waiting Centuries. (Interzone #258, May/June 2015)
Another good story from Napper in Interzone.
Robert Reed. What I Intend. (Asimovs April/May 2015)
An answer to a Big Question is sought, but the answer isn’t what was hoped for.
Liz Williams. The Marriage of the Sea. (Asimovs April/May 2015)
Looks at the fanaticism necessary to carry out an act beyond the ken of most people – although we don’t really need to use fantasy to explore that issue these days!