The Snake by John Godey
Thanks to toxic masculinity a black mamba gets loose in Central Park. Cue panic. An idiot sexist animal neglecting snake expert is on the job in this 1978 thriller. This has extremely dated attitudes to race and sex and women and violence. The attitude and actions of the 'hero' suck. This was fundamentally ineffective and is full of truly appalling people who act maliciously.
What are peg-bottom chino pants? 1978 New York is grubby and gritty. The primary source of risk comes from people. Inbetween biting people, the snake naps beatifically in sunbeams. This is grim emotive material that is preternaturally terrible. A religious cult are without mercy in this ill-conceived, inept, dismal failure. This is not dark fun or superbly unnerving. People lack strategic behaviour. However the twist ending is good. 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
Best Lines:
“Irrecoverable instant.”
“No attack function.”
“Locomote.”
“Don't just stand there when he hits you. Hit him back.”
“Justifiably indignant citizens.”
“Kicky.”
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Wastelands The New Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams, part 1
This is the 3rd 'Wastelands' novel.
Bullet Point
The Rapture happened and the survivor(s) are in an unsustainable position in this medicore tale.
The Red Thread
This leaves you confused as to what it is about.
Expedition 83
In this tale of a post nuclear war society, life is a joyless void. A woman is dying of a relentlessly unpleasant disease. Another woman has bottomless sorrow at this deeply unjust fate. A quest leads to a pivot point and an escape from the diseased meance.
Best Line:
“The underground cities down there had gone silent ten years ago.”
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final
I skipped ahead to read this tale by Seanan McGuire. This is an excellent tale of airborn rabies. This is full of overbeating nastiness and it is deeply enjoyable.
Best Lines:
“Graveyards were a thing of the past,”
“We could take the house.”
The Plague
I skipped back for this. In the contentious post apoc, a man is blithely oblivious to sense. This short story is at the least, implausible, and has daft moments but it is okay.
Best Line:
“My wishes as delusion.”
The Last To Matter
Civilization is crumbling to dust. There is no mournful despair as the horrible cynical dregs of humanity die off. This was okay.
Best Lines:
“Never understand what he had done to deserve such a rejection.”
“Enforced farewell.”
“The distant outposts had fallen silent.”
“One near the center went insane and started chewing his way out.”