- Title:
- Everything Will Be All Right in the End: Apocalypse Songs
- Author:
- Paul Michael Anderson
- Release:
- September 6, 2022
- Format:
- Paperback ARC
I’ll be reviewing this collection in my preferred format. One or two every Saturday/Sunday, until I’ve reviewed the entire collection, after which, I’ll provide my final thoughts.
The One Thing I Wished for You
Pages: 19 – 35
Review Date: August 21, 2022
I’ve always been described as a contrarian. While I dislike most things that are popular, that’s not the case. I don’t prise something if I don’t genuinely like it. And I won’t trash it if I don’t genuinely dislike it. But I get off on tearing apart things people love, and oh boy did the introduction to this collection slobber all over its knob. That asshole part of my brain woke up and went, oh-fuck-yes. This is always a one-of-two scenario thing. Either it’s going to be fucking gold, or I’m going to tear it asunder.
Holy fucking hell. This first story lived up to the hype. Good god, I had to take a moment to cope after reading that. People always praise the intro to the movie Up for being heartwarming or something. This is up but it’s fucking sad. A father agrees to take the pain for his daughter, which is incredibly interesting and thought-provoking on its own.
Then it continues to flash through 20 years of life and it had me hanging onto every word, without even realizing it. I barely even remembered I was reading, I was so invested and engrossed in the story. The ending is what did it though. It left me reeling, dumbfounded, and at a loss for words. This story scratched an itch that I didn’t know I had, and much like the introduction promised, it brought tears to my eyes. Absolutely fucking brilliant. I can not wait to dive into the rest of the stories in this collection.
Guardian
Pages: 36 – 49
Review Date: August 27, 2022
This story reminds me of The Door to December, Fringe, and The Wonderful World of Scary Ass Shit. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what I just read. It features time travel, or as the story calls them “sideways doors”. The nameless (many names) protagonist is running through dimensions? time?, becumming different people for different lengths of time, being chased by some otherworldly creature. Honestly, more than that, I’m not sure.
It leaves me with more questions than answers. It’s exciting, but also extremely confusing, I just prefer straightforward stories and not those that leave you wondering what the fuck just went down. I just feel lost, more than anything.
Every Apocolypse Is Personal
Pages: 50 – 62
Review Date: September 3, 2022
The way this story was worded and jumped around confused me a little at the start. As I read though, I began to be able to make sense of it. Yet another banger from this collection. I’m sad it’s not a longer story, or a collection of stories set in this world, as I’d love to read more about it. It kinda reminds me of the movie “The Mist” in a way. Both before, and after the apocalypse.
The only issue I take with this story is how it jumps around. I don’t think it serves the story much and only causes confusion. Regardless, I enjoyed it very much. It gives you just enough details to keep you on the edge of your seat, without going into too many details and detracting from the horror of the scene.
Note: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a physical review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.