Book 40 of my 2025 Reading Challenge
read from March 17 - April 29
A Dying Planet: Short Stories
My Opinion
2 stars
This series of books from Flame Tree Publishing are the only ones I buy for looks first, content second. I try to choose ones that will interest me but I've also purchased my top contenders so I have to branch out. Stories with the theme of a dying planet felt appropriate for the dumpster fire we're currently living in.
This is a collection of 34 stories, some new (this is their first publication) and some old (the oldest was an ancient Egyptian myth from around 1350 bc). As always, I'll include a little something on each individual story below. Overall, the collection was not my favorite. I rated it 2 stars because the stories weren't all duds but I had to force myself to buckle down and just finish the book.
Another ding on the book: there was a story that continued online but wasn't actually available on their website.
The first few books I read from this series had some stories that continued online (which I don't like as a feature; the stories should stand alone plus if the story is too long to be printed it shouldn't be included in a book of short stories) so then I started checking ahead of time to skip the stories that weren't complete in the book. Then the next few books I read didn't have any stories that weren't self-contained so I thought it was something they tried and didn't continue. So I was tricked. I don't like stories that continue online but it's worse to have it say it continues online and then not be available.
The Destruction of Mankind
This is an ancient Egyptian myth written in hieroglyphics. I don't have anything to say about it because it wasn't really a story.
How to Reclaim Water
It was very ironic to read a story about rationing and reclaiming water while the sounds of a thunderstorm play in my headphones to cancel out noise.
The letters back and forth was a good way to tell the story and keep it moving, and I like that there wasn't a meeting or final ending.
The Hollow Journal
"I want to say that the world ended all at once on a perfect Saturday, but we all knew the end was coming for a long time." Oof, what a line.
This was a lovely story and found pockets of humanity in the little that remained.
Power Grid
I could feel the stifling isolation.
Rainclouds
It's amazing how the shift from assuming they were on Earth to finding out they're not can happen with just a few subtle words. A lot of death for just a few pages but an optimistic ending.
A Quiet, Lonely Planet
That was lovely. I didn't realize how invested I was until I found myself rooting for her to back to her "home" and friends instead of leaving for somewhere new.
The Arrow of Time
That had an emotional arc I wasn't expecting in such a short story. I think about time travel a lot.
Acrylics for a Wasteland
I wanted more of an ending. The character had a lot of emotion and depth that I wasn't expecting from a survival story.
Milking Time
That was a tough (in a good way) read. Very visceral and too close to the edge of believability, especially with the world we currently live in.
The Air Trust
Dangit, I let my guard down and was tricked! The first few books I read from this series had some stories that continued online which I didn't like so then I started checking ahead of time to skip the stories that weren't complete in the book. Then the next few books I read didn't have any stories that weren't self-contained so I thought it was something they tried and didn't continue.
Unfortunately, this story continued online. Worse, it said it continued online and then wasn't actually available on their website.
So I read a "short story" that was 42 pages in the book and wasn't the whole story but now I don't know the end. That's a bummer of my investment.
And now I have to start checking for incomplete stories again.
The Last Day on Earth
Very short. I read with trepidation, afraid there would be a twist like "The Mist" or something, and I'm glad that wasn't the case.
Omega: The Last Days of the World
This was an absolute stinker that may weigh the whole book down. 52 pages long, I gave up and skimmed just to see what the comet would actually do. Too analytical and unemotional to get into.
The House on the Borderland
Too long. I don't think the story fit the theme of the book, it felt like more of a monster/ghost story. I know I was skimming but I didn't see the connection to a dying planet at all.
The Rediscovery of Plants
Bleak yet beautiful.
The Sun Takers
Very creative and surprisingly emotional. I was glad things seemed to level out at the end.
Scream and I'll Come to You
There was a lot packed into this short story and I was fully absorbed.
Mono no aware
My palms were sweaty reading the ending. It was oddly comforting to read a calm, orderly reaction to chaos. I loved the line, "It is in the face of disasters that we show our strength as a people."
The Dream of Debs
It's amazing the story was written in 1909. With a few communication changes I can see the same thing playing out today; people's greed and class warfare hasn't changed.
And Fade Out Again
Typically I would feel more claustrophobic reading a story that takes place underwater but the character's calmness made me comfortable as well. Unexpected ending.
The End of the World
An interlude of mythology before continuing the book.
Free Air
That read like something from a Twilight Zone episode (or maybe the newer reference would be Black Mirror but I haven't seen it). A sense of apprehension throughout the whole thing with an extra twist at the end.
A Line Cutting Canvas
An interesting concept. Even if it's not the assignments they want, I'm glad this society appears to take care of all its members.
What Treasures We Store on Earth
It's sad that the most outlandish part of this story is the great treatment parents get. Sterilization? I hope it doesn't happen but I can see it. Benefits such as housing, food, money, and appreciation for new parents? Unbelievable.
The Final Chapter of Marathon Mandy
Even with the title giving it away I had hoped her ending would be different.
Communal
I felt like this was a long setup for half a page of explanation at the end. The increasing paranoia and isolation felt realistic.
Ambassador to the Meek
It felt short but had a good arc.
The Empire of the Necromancers
It's ambitious to write a sci-fi short story because throwing a reader into a completely unfamiliar setting with unusual names can feel very overwhelming. This story wasn't successful to me because I felt lost the entire time and then it was over.
The Isle of the Torturers
I didn't realize until I finished it that the same author wrote this as the one above but it makes sense because I had the same issues with this one.
Decimate
That had the unsettling feeling I expect from doomsday-type stories. The randomness of the selection would be the hardest part to live with as you wait your turn.
Whose Waters Never Fail
Strangely uplifting. It was nice to see little pockets of humanity and love amid very tough conditions.
Two Worlds
It was fine. These stories are in alphabetical order by author and I may have liked this more at the beginning of the book. I'm bogged down and ready to be done with this book.
A Martian Odyssey
Other than the constant use of 'queer' as a descriptor for strange things, I wouldn't have known this wasn't written by a contemporary author.
The Time Machine
I'd read this story by H.G. Wells before. Long but fine.
Black Isle
I wish I had a better understanding of what happened to the animals.
