The Beginning and End of All Things: Stories of Man

by Tessa Barron (Editor)

15th Annual National Indie Excellence Award finalist. Eleven surprising sci fi short stories flavored like the lovechild of Ted Chiang and Robert Heinlein. A science fiction anthology that attempts to answer the great questions of What are we? What do we want? How will it all come crashing down around us? A naked man-droid that asks too many questions... An alien theme park unfortunately filled with humans... A wheelchair-ridden Viking ripped of his hopes for an afterlife... A city of people competing for points in a holographic paradise ... A space pirate who concedes his will to the Devil himself ... A CEO who would destroy herself to keep her position on the moon... An old man must escape robot zombies and his own guilt... Historic dictators trapped in a future game show A team sent to rescue nuns discover ice has a voice on Enceladus.... A confined man, back from the dead , transitions into something no cell can contain... These stories will both shock and entertain you while forcing you to examine the harsh truths of the human endeavor.

292 pages, Hardcover

First published November 17, 2020

Reviews

[sandra stiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book via Booksirens in exchange for an honest review.
The best collection of short stories I've come across! Each one a perfect length, completing the tale without it being rushed. Artificial intelligence taking over (I hope not realised in my lifetime!); physical enhancement (this I could deal with 😉) and space monsters - who could ask for a better mix?
A great compilation, I highly recommend!

[Hristiyan Spasov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories inside this book kept me on my toes when reading them, they were really absorbing and well written! I would recommend them to my friends.

[Jay Batson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy collections like this. It's a great way to hear voices that are new to you, and see which authors you resonate with, and who you want to read more of. This one is organized a super-fun way, with 4 parts: What Are You, What Do You Want, What Have You Done, and When Will It End. Super-clever. And a super-good job selecting stories that fit that organization.

As with all collections, one likes some stories better than others; and that was the case for me. But none were bad; just some more appealing to me than others.

My review rating system doesn't give 5-stars lightly, and I don't give it here - but that shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. My system is this:
- Five stars is when you read a book to the end, put it down, take a deep breath, pick it up and start reading it all over again - or you would if you weren't so anxious to read the next book in a multi-book series. Or, it's one of the best books you've ever read, and the bar should be very, very, very high.
- Four stars is when you tell yourself : ”This is good, this is well-written, this is full of interesting ideas/characters/plot points” .. and you move on once done.<
- Three stars is when you read it to the end, put it down and proceed to forget all about it in the next instant.
- Two stars when it's so bad that it makes you laugh, or sigh, and want to write a review saying how bad it is, but you can't remember the name of the book or dislike it so much that you don't.
- One star when you can't read past chapter 3, even as penance for your sins.

Via this system, this book I'd give this 4.5 stars, because there are SOME authors that I don't want to move-on from. I'll go find books they've written (if any) and buy them. So, this merits just slightly more than 4-stars (since I'm not immediately "moving on").

Good job authors, and editor.

Note: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ishmeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good short stories, but I wasn’t really invested - RTC

[Adam E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short science fiction stories by eleven writers. The stories take the reader to the future and alternate universes.  The first story involves a military commander who is part human and part machine.  He is in dire need of medical attention after his ship is shot down and crashes on a mysterious planet.  There is social commentary about humans and the never ending wars that they create.
     There are some stories involving aliens from other planets and how humans interact with them, which makes one wonder if aliens and humans can live on the same planet peacefully.
     I especially enjoyed The Legend of Bucaris which involves a character named Jass who is a bodyguard for an Emperor on a trip to a holographic city that is also a gaming world where the players gain points for good deeds.
     There is space exploration and exploitation in Devil On Your Shoulder when Space Pirates who illegally plunder raw materials from planets are driven to violence due to that famous deadly sin called greed.
     In Repudium, it is the 23rd Century and living organisms can be teleported to distant locations at near light speed, but is it safe? How does it affect the human body, brain and soul?  The CEO of the company that created the teleportation machines, puts her life on the line to personally test the machine to reassure investors of its safety.
     There is a nice selection of stories here for fans of the sci-fi genre which will help readers escape reality for a bit and make you think about the future and the possibilites.
    

[Grogan Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologies are not always my favorite books. Usually there are anywhere from a couple to several stories that are pretty good, the rest...not so much. Anymore, if I choose an anthology, it's usually one I already know something about. I either am familiar with an author or two or it's an anthology of a series I have read or collected. Even with those parameters I am sometimes disappointed in some of the stories. That being said, neither of those parameters were true about this anthology. The name though...that grabbed me, The Beginning and End Of All Things: Stories Of Man. After I read the excellent forward by the editor, Tessa Barron, I felt there was perhaps even more here than a few pretty good Sci-Fi stories, and I love Sci-Fi. Maybe there were some stories here that were at the top of the genre, that would make me think, that I could learn from. Wow! was I right. Not just a few stories, but every story pulled me in and kept my attention. The whole book takes you on a wild and captivating ride through our universe and into outer space. Each story is well-written, exciting, and interesting Sci-Fi and worth reading for that alone, and each author has something to say, and they say it well. Each story grabbed one of my heart strings and played it. Every story made me look at myself and my fellow man. I'm not going to tell you what each story said to me or how it made me feel. You must read this very interesting anthology for yourself.

I received an advance copy of this book for free and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this collection of short stories, Tessa Barron exposes the reader to nearly a dozen thought-provoking visions of the future. What if that medical droid you carry for emergencies becomes self-aware and judgemental? What if your sure bet strands you on a strange planet? What if the most brutal leaders in history are resurrected to compete against each other on a live-streamed reality show? The answers to these, and other questions, are ably explored in stories that pit humanity not only against the universe, but our own selves.
Reading these adventures, I was vaguely surprised to feel anger, frustration, and even joy, at the oftentimes predictable choices made by the characters. Arranged in four parts titled, "What are you?", "What do you want?", "What have you done?", and "When will it end?", the stories are written in a variety of styles. Here we find space pirates, looting and swigging rum on a faraway planet. Running sports commentary and inane TV blather tell another tale. Military strategy, political intrigue, discovery, betrayal, all can be found within these pages. However, no matter the setting, who is talking, or how the story is told, these are stories of people and, though often predictable, one never knows what we might do next. Thanks #Booksirens for providing a digital copy of this collection.

[Vince Seim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised by the strength of this collection of sci-fi short stories! Each story was quite unique and interesting, all being relatively well composed. With a wide variety of sci-fi topics (space pirates, androids, and quantum entanglement) alongside some fun and humourous thought experiments, many of these have honestly been some of my favourite short stories recently read. Recommend checking them out!

[Clinton Sites · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection that explores both the psychology of humanity and what it could mean to be human in the future.

As humanity is - humanity does, and sometimes pays the ultimate price for it.

Well worth the read!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Casey Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is a real mind opener , it is unique and the theories will have you doing some philosophical thinking. Definitely a book for open minded individuals like myself. I enjoyed this and will hope to read more from this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[EddieReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing sci-fi. Some of the best stories that I have read to date in the genre are in this collection. The following lists the stories in order of my favorite to least favorite. Though, none stood out as bad and I would read them all again.

1. Dictator Dome, a tongue-in-cheek take on historical dictators and the things they have done. I'm really interested in history and the whole story was peppered with little historical quips that I found hilarious.
2. Todd - This story was heart-breaking and I felt like the characters came right off the page. Expertly executed post-apocalyptic survival story. (I'd say zombies but they are not quite that. Robot zombies...awesome!)
3. From Light - Hooked me from the start, created a really cool mystery with a pay off that makes you think about our place in the universe.
4. Devil on Your Shoulder - Just really fun, told in a unique way with a satisfying ending.
5. Just Another Wild Thing/Adam - The first and last story I lumped together because they are obviously related and written by the same author. Cool premise, and I like the parallels to God and the creation story.
6. Valhalla Interrupted - Vikings with a twist. Political commentary on the shallow side of the Social Justice movement...possibly Millennials in general. Either way, it was well-written and almost dreamlike.
7. The Zero - Classic sci-fi horror at it's best.
8. Repudium - Following the CEO of a company that is about to kill everyone on earth multiple times over. I thought maybe the topic had been addressed before in a lot of sci-fi but it was still really entertaining and put a unique twist on it.
9. The Legend of Bucaris - Pretty much the only story in the lot of them that is optimistic about humanity, though on an individual level only. I liked it, but found it went on a little long.
10. The Park - fun but not much else. It is really short, which is good in this case because it is just a quick spoof on Jurassic Park, except the people and dinosaur roles are reversed. It ends before the people get loose and start killing, or at least it's assumed they will.

I can't recommend this anthology enough. It is more character driven than a lot of sci-fi out there which is honestly a relief! I will be looking up each of the authors and buying their other work for sure.

[Sarah Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have real mixed feelings about this book, hence the three stars. There are some four/five star elements and some one/two star elements that make it difficult to come to a clear conclusion about whether I actually enjoyed the read.

This collection of short stories certainly has some very interesting perspectives and there's a real variety. Because of this, I think everyone will likely find a few stories that they love and a few that don't appeal. Not a bad thing and generally expected with a book of this type. There are some great themes and a few of the stories did keep me pondering for a while. The imagination shown is fascinating and I can't quite decide if the inside of the author's head is a place I'd want to visit!

Okay, so there's a good basis here and, even though some of the stories didn't appeal, there's enough to make me satisfied with a purchase if it wasn't for one thing: editing. Many indie authors don't want the expense of an editor but please, please, please don't skip the proof reader. Even if it's just a friend willing to lend a hand, please don't publish until that job is done. There are far too many errors here and it makes reading painful. That's what has really pulled down my rating. For example, in a story featuring Hitler, at least 50% of the mentions refer to Hilter. I actually loved the story itself and found myself very frustrated by this basic error to the extent that I couldn't just enjoy the read.

Ultimately, this is a good beginning. With a bit of editing it could be much better. It currently has a 'rushed' feel that is a bit disappointing but perhaps updates will be made to the Kindle download to improve this in the future. It would certainly be welcomed.

I did receive a free ARC of this book and I chose to write a review to give others an idea of what to expect and help people make a choice as to whether to purchase.

[Bronte Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

I'm not really a lover of sci-fi but enjoy certain writers so thought I'd try this anthology. TheI received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

I'm not really a lover of sci-fi but enjoy certain writers so thought I'd try this anthology. The stories are divided into four sections which I didn't feel was necessary but didn't effect the stories in any way. Most of the writing is of a decent standard but for me the last two stories, "The Zero" and "Adam" were disappointing. Just before these was "From light" which is an interesting idea but could have been edited a bit to make it a tighter read. "Dictator Dome" is clever and mildly amusing but as a fierce hater of politics I can't really say I enjoyed it.

Two stories stood out for me...the short but clever and amusing "The Park" by Edmond B Belisle and "Todd" by Turi T Armstrong. "Todd" is set in a very broken future where humans are barely surviving and every day is filled with terror and the constant threat of a horrible death. There is both great sadness and great hope expressed in writing which is gritty, strong, beautiful and gentle by turns without ever being jagged or clunky. Todd shows in a wholly understated way that hope is always possible. That everyone has the ability to do the "right thing." Never self conscious or maudlin, this story is an absolute gem which I'd give 5 stars were it a stand alone.

The rest were much of a muchness. Decent writing, good ideas and easy to read. Probably for those more into sci-fi than myself. For me, cutting the weaker stories might have earned it another star, but fans of the genre might enjoy them all so perhaps my 3 stars shouldn't put you off trying this.

[Cindee Ketches · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you very much to Book Sirens for the ARC.
This is a collection of science fiction short stories of varying length. Although the writing is generally good; the stories vary in quality. A couple read like bad, original Star Trek episodes; but some really shine. I used to be more into science fiction; perhaps I have read too many in the past because some of these ideas didn’t seem at all new. My picks for best inclusions:
“Todd” is a story about a future where machines have been made to run on organic waste; but have learned that humans (and other animals) are great sources of energy and are systematically being hunted and used as such. Todd is a messiah-like person who shows others that hope is always possible. This story is well written and intriguing both in the details included and the issues left to the reader’s imagination.
“The Park” is short and amusing. It’s an alien version of Jurassic Park where humans are created from blood in insects caught in amber found on a newish moon of the alien planet.
“Repudium” is about the new invention of human transporters, the issue of cloning, and how one CEO hasn’t been made aware of everything her company is actually doing.
“Dictator Dome” is done tongue-in-cheek. Old dictators are brought to life to compete in a reality, spectator game. The whole story is expressed through the dialogue of commentators of the games.
Overall, the compilation is a good read. I don’t give stars very easily, so a solid 3.5 from me is good. SciFi fans should be suitably entertained.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories had some hits and some misses. Overall, I liked most of the stories and only skipped two that I found myself unable to get into. Several of the stories had interesting concepts that reflected our world, society, or technology in original ways. "Just Another Wild Thing", "Repudium", and "Valhalla Interrupted" were favorites from the list that had that cynical feel to them that I appreciate in some scifi. The stories come from different authors so the voice, tone, and "flavor" of the stories has a lot of nice variety and prevents the boredom that can sometimes set in reading a longer collection of shorts from the same author. This one is worth the read of you're a fan of scifi or futuristic fiction.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Brenda Roath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeper than expected

When I picked up this book by recommendation of a friend, i had expected something very different that what I got. These stories are much more thought out and meaningful than most sci fi I have read. I enjoyed how the last story was a continuation of the first, almost like the journey from discovering your parents are not perfect to having children of your own, but seen from a pessimistic perspective. Another notable story was Valhalla Interrupted that pretty blatantly criticizes our modern idea of heroism. My other favorites were Repudium and Todd, but all were great reads. There was only one that didn't strike a chord with me.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free from booksirens.com, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Like all collections of short stories some of these felt to me like they worked better than others. Over all it was interesting to explore the idea of what will happen next with humanity. What might the future hold and how will we be forced to adapt to that new future. Some of these authors were optimistic and some very pessimistic.

[Millennial Book Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This collection of short stories was a compelling read. Each author has their own thoughts about where humanity might go next. The attitude of each author obviously varied, but it was quite interesting to see the different perspectives. As with any story collection, there were some stories I loved and others I didn't enjoy. Still, a very good collection overall.

[Lori Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received as a review copy, this is an honest review. While this collection of stories from various authors weaved their fluid writing with stories that should have been entertained with the strong themes... I struggled to feel connected to the well designed characters. The situations the authors' put them in needed more development to feel realistic; the conclusions fell flat.

[Fant Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable anthology of short stories. I didn't love every single one, but that never happens with collections for me. This one definitely had more likes than most, and they all fit well with the theme the editor laid out at the beginning. Would highly recommend for people who like to think about what they're reading.

[Amity Eagleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Sarah Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just OK. Nothing special though.