End of the world tale
343282
A woman takes refuge in an earthquake shelter. But when her food and water starts to run out, she knows she will have to venture back out despite what dangers await. With her dog, she sets out into what is left of the world.

This is just a short story. It was originally part of a multi-author collection.  I like that the main character isn't prepared for the end of the world or some mega warrior ready to take on all threats. She is a normal person thrown into a very unnatural  situation and doing the best that she can. It is also nice that the world isn't suddenly overrun by zombies or mutants or aliens. But there are threats and challenges to overcome.

The only problem with this story is that it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. What happened to cause the end of the world? What is going on with the mysterious collectors? Why do they only come out at night? And several other questions are left up in the air. Now, if this was the introduction of a new series, I would figure these would be answered later, but I see no indication that the author plans to write more with these characters or this world. The story is complete though. It just left me wanting more.
195283
New take on end of the world events. Or the beginning???  Story dragged for awhile but at the end the story panned out. Hope there is a sequel
1694326
Super funny/silly/sarcastic story of the possible end of the world. Loved the constant humor throughout, but the story was also complex and a bit of a mystery. The few philosophical asides thrown in and the descriptions of the mind-numbing layers of bureaucratic heavenly procedures also show that the author made a lot of effort on the story and had fun doing it. Smart and entertaining!
1575738
I love all those exciting "end of the world" movies, and this book reminded me of that.  A comet is on a deadly path to Earth, so the select few in the Inner Circle make plans on how to save the world.  Usually I don't like when a story just stops instead of ending at the end of a book, but this one I didn't mind so much, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
921698
Intrigue, betrayal, and struggles to survive in a world full of human and almost-human monsters combines with the possibilities of a new society to make this series a must read for those who love the end-of-the-world stories.
681091
Wise has presents a unique manner to deliver an apocalyptic tale. The reader should never become settled into the normal expectations of this terrifying tale. One never knows who will fall victim next. Excellent tale presented in a very unique way. This reader just down loaded books 3,4,and 5.
594432
A few years ago, I read one of the most extraordinary science fiction novels I've ever picked up - This Is The Way The World Ends, by James Morrow. It was an end of the world tale in which the surviving humans of a nuclear holocaust are put on trial by the spirits of those who never had a chance to live because of the armageddon. It was a rich, vibrant tale, whose execution didn't always live up to the marvellous ideas within.
I'm reminded of the work as I read Watership because again, here is a book that is filled with smashing ideas.
The Watership of the title is a colony ship, bursting free from the world it was hidden under, while its insect-like inhabitants cultivated the DNA of the humans in the surrounding area to suit their needs when it came time to harvest them and carry them to the new world that would be the sanctuary for both races.
Things unwind, however, first when the leadership of the Crawler, Desu, is challenged by a captive human, Iyarid, after he discovers she has smuggled a non-approved child onto the ship in addition to those chosen for removal. He lashes out recklessly in his decisions, endangering his own people as much as anything else, but worse is to come as the living ship comes under the control of the powerful Charn, an aeromancer, and things take a bloody and sinister turn.
Along the way, we take in other scenes of humans becoming voluntary slaves to the entertainment system that is supposed to fill only their leisure time, and encounter the living beings created within the ship but who may have to be sacrificed to achieve its ultimate goal.
This whirlpool of ideas certainly sucks you in, though at times the background is a little too hazy. As the ship blasted off from the planet, I had lots of questions remaining about the world and the society it roared away from - was this our world, what level of technology did this society have? The ship itself felt like it lacked definition - I wanted more detail so I could see it more clearly in my mind, a solid ground from which the ideas could soar.
In the end, I find it hard to rate the book exactly. The hazy details leave the book a little shy of a four-star rating, but the ideas are stronger than a three-star one. In the end, I'm going to favour the ideas.
3999208
Nice alternative to the usual End Of The World As We Know It (EOWAWKI) stories.  Well written, I enjoyed it.  Will definitely get the next in the series.
4485415
This is a tale set in the future.  It has a good apocalyptic background.  It also has SyFy embedded in the story.  Overall I really enjoyed the story.  Of course both genres are my favorites.
2548136
This book has great detail and puts in perspective what end of the world would be like. Awesome attention to detail and definitely a hard book to put down!
2588461
The story over all was good as it had many twists that was a reader you will not see coming. Just a few spelling or word problems. This book lacks the crazy sexual stuff and graphic violence that is put into many end of world stories. So it is also good for younger readers. The ending is real different than many others of this type. I will not spoil it. I wanted it to end differently and would have rated it higher if it did.
974631
End of the world stories are my favorite and I simply don't know why that is. The author has quite an imagination.
2774725
It's an interesting take on the apocalyptic novel. How do people act when they know the end is inevitable?
4090883
I was a little disappointed at first that this was not a zombie book as I have become hooked on them.  It is an end of the world type of story focusing on Trent & Emily.  They are two of the few people left alive after a virus goes global due to a long incubation period which allows people time to travel all over the world before succombing to the disease.  Trent & Emily think that they are immune to the disease and after they meet they start up the business of survival in this new world.  One day they are awakened by a lot of noise and the smell of smoke.  It is soldiers in hazmat suits going door to door burning bodies & gathering food & supplies.  They manage to escape & get to the farm of a man Emily's dad used to get eggs from.  The guy is kind of a nutjob.  He is also concerned about his diabetic son running out of insulin.  The rest of the story you will have to read for yourself as I have already given too much away as it is.  I would recommend that you read the book, I enjoyed it even though it was not my favorite zombie style book.
2617727
.it is not just an end of the world story but a beginning of a new world.  Thank you for creating such lasting characters.
2149443
Great story,great characters. I think this would appeal to anyone who enjoys the end of the world stories that seem so prevalent. Ordinary people with a dose of military and new high tech armament,put a twist on the survivor scenario. Ready to move on to book 3 right now.
2138536
Quite a unique story.  Not usually something I would read but it kept drawing me in deeper.  Now I must wait for the continuation of the story.  Excellent plotting, fully developed characters. Any fan of end of the world fantasy novels should enjoy this new take on the genre.  Enjoy.