Bangs and Whimpers: Stories About the End of the World

These stories of the apocalypse or resulting dystopia that occur from either man-made or naturally occurring phenomena are drawn from across the twentieth century. From Frank L Pollack's 1906 "Finis" (which is considered to be one of the classics of short stories in any genre) to Robert Sheckley's 1998 "Emissary from a Green and Yellow World" we are treated to a plethora of ways to destroy a world. My two favorites just happen to be the first and last tales in the book. Arthur C Clarke's 1951 "The Nine Billion Names of God" is a haunting tale of what happens when technology gets involved with the metaphysics of religion. Isaac Azimov's 1956 "The Last Question" goes to the other side of the coin and asked what happens when technology becomes a religion. In between there are stories about little people visiting from other planets, super-bugs, atomic wars and their aftermaths and other stupidities that man perpetrates on their fellow man. Some are funny and others are silly (when compared to the current technology and situation in the world) but they are all interesting. Zeb Kantrowitz

This book was a magical find, first of all because it is so hard to get your hands on a copy and second because there are so many shorts from the All Time Masters of Sci-Fi. Plus, who doesnt love a good old end of the world story? Great midnight reading!The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke - What if someone really discovered the key to the end of the world and how to unlock it?Killing the Morrow by Robert Reed - bizarre family tale of strangers forced together to nurture delivered embryos in their bathtubs.You Can Get Them Wholesale by Neil Gaimen - be careful what you ask for...Fire Catcher by Richard Kadrey - Whose finger is really on the button?Not with a Bang by Howard Fast - What if you knew for a fact the sun would never rise again?Lost and Found by Connie Willis - bizarre twist on the search for the Holy GrailThe Wind and the Rain by Robert Silverberg - Long after pollution suffocates and kills off earth, people from other planets will take tours of the destruction left behind.The Year of the Jackpot by Robert A Heinlein - Potiphar Breen has been studying the cycles of the earth, not the seasons but more the human lemming cycles as the earth strives to cleanse itself. Can you plot against the end of the world? Will you be able to escape it or hide from it? Expendable by Philip K. Dick - If insects could talk and you could hear them, would you really want to know what their plots were?Finis by Frank L. Pollack - A new sun is born and its warming light reaches the earth. Is it too warm?A Guide to Virtual Death by J.G. Ballard - Futuristic TV GuideEmissary from a Green and Yellow World by Robert Sheckley - If another race from another planet really did want to help us earthlings out, would we believe them?The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark - When the only comfort left is doled out from a battery operated phonograph.Fermi and Frost by Frederik Pohl - As the bombs fall a prestigious doctor is offered a seat on an escape flight, and takes a sick, orphaned young boy with him.Ultimate Construction by C.C. Shackleton - Who will the last man on earth be?The Manhattan Phone Book (Abridged) by John Varley - Were you in New York City when the bombs fell?The Man Who Walked Home by James Tiptree, Jr. - An accident at a Particle Acceleration Facility causes a man to start walking home, but in what dimension does he walk and how long will it really take him?Interview With A Lemming by James Thurber - What would these furry creatures have to say?The Last Question by Isaac Asimov - Can entropy be reversed? Mans best computer evolves as it contemplates this question for over 100 billion years.

At turns funny, sad, triumphant, poignant and everywhere in between, this anthology is probably the best I've ever read. Just great stuff.Highlights are Nine Billion Names of God, Manhattan Phone Book (abridged) and We Can Get Them For You Wholesale.

This is an anthology of some of the best apocalyptic short stories, by the best authors around. If "the end of the world (as we know it)" is your bag, you'll certainly want to read this one.Beginning with Arthur C. Clarke (The Nine Billion Names of God) and ending with Isaac Asimov (The Last question), all the great ones are here--yes, Heinlein, too (The Year of the Jackpot). Even James Thurber (Interview With a Lemming.)Nineteen of the best apolcalyptic short stories ever to appear in print.Of course I recommend it.Joseph Pierre

I was amazed at the quality of writing in this book. Each story was as brilliantly constructed as anything Hemingway, Roth, or Faulkner has done. And, since I review over 200 books a year for various publications, that, I think, says a lot. I especially liked this collection because the theme, shall we say, is timeless, and to see 50 years of perspectives on what our problems are and the potential solutions we have is somwhat sobering though enlightening. A must read for any fiction short story lover.