Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse

With stories from George R.R. Martin (author of Game of Thrones), Gene Wolf, Carol Emshwiller, Stephen King, and more I can't help but give this collection the highest recommendation. I think this will be a cornerstone for most reader's shelves.--SFF World

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.

Author: John Joseph Adams
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Published: 01/01/2008
Pages: 348
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.92lbs
Size: 8.93h x 6.01w x 1.02d
ISBN: 9781597801058


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/26/2007 pg. 32
Library Journal 01/15/2008 pg. 89
Booklist 02/01/2008 pg. 35

About the Author
John Joseph Adams is the bestselling editor of many anthologies, such as Wastelands, The Living Dead (a World Fantasy Award finalist), and many others. Barnes & Noble.com named him "the reigning king of the anthology world," and his books have been named to numerous best of the year lists. John is also the fiction editor of the online science fiction magazine Lightspeed. Prior to taking on that role, he worked for nearly nine years in the editorial department at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. He is currently the co-host of The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast on io9.com, and has published hundreds of interviews and other pieces of non-fiction.