Themed anthologies can be either great, or not so great. If the theme is one you’re familiar with and a big fan of, chances are you’re probably going to enjoy it. Of course, this depends on the standard of stories within, but you know what I mean.
So heading into this anthology, based on Bo Chappell’s novel, Year 47 – which I am yet to read – I was a little unsure of what to expect. I’d heard great things about this one and its source material, but would I dig it? I knew that post-apocalyptic was kind of the vibe here, but that was about all.
Well put it this way, the first thing I did after finishing this was buy Year 47.
These 9 stories offer a bleak insight into the world that, apparently, is the setting for the novel. The notes at the beginning inform you that you don’t have to have read the novel to enjoy this. And I’d agree. Yeah there were things that I’m sure I would have ‘got’ more, and some explanations wouldn’t have been required with prior knowledge, but generally I got the sense of the barren wasteland the world has become.
Add to that the frightening monsters that have spawned from beneath the earth, and I was certainly onboard for these tales of apocalyptic horror.
These beasts plagued and still plague havoc on humanity and have devoured many a poor human since the apocalypse came along and messed everything up. The stories follow various survivors as the try to live in this inhospitable world. I could almost smell the death.
Each story acts as kind of a scene or excerpt from a much larger narrative; and that’s not a complaint. Each writer seems to have been brilliantly influenced by the novel, as all the stories feel ‘right’ and none seem out of place. This could well have been a collection from one author, and not an anthology from others.
This has certainly whetted my appetite for diving head first into Year 47, I’ve got the feeling I’m not going to be disappointed.
Categories: book review
MORGAN K TANNER, Writer of Horror 
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