For some, it’s the end of the world. For others, it’s just the beginning. With brilliant imagination, today’s most visionary writers point to the future in a collection curated by bestselling author Blake Crouch. These stories range from darkly comic to deeply chilling, but they all look forward. Featuring stories by Andy Weir, Amor Towles, Veronica Roth, N. K. Jemisin, Paul Tremblay, and Blake Crouch; with narration by Evan Rachel Wood, David Harbour, Jason Isaacs, Rosa Salazar, Steven Strait, and Janina Gavankar.

ARK, by Veronica Roth, read by Evan Rachel Wood

On the eve of Earth’s destruction, a young scientist discovers something too precious to lose, in a story of cataclysm and hope by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy.

It’s only two weeks before an asteroid turns home to dust. Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond. Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection.

SUMMER FROST, by Blake Crouch, read by Rosa Salazar

A video game developer becomes obsessed with a willful character in her new project, in a mind-bending exploration of what it means to be human by the New York Times bestselling author of Recursion.

Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision - veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?

EMERGENCY SKIN, by N. K. Jemisin, read by Jason Isaacs

What will become of our self-destructed planet? The answer shatters all expectations in this subversive speculation from the Hugo Award-winning author of the Broken Earth trilogy.

An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet’s finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind - hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out ages ago. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare.

YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION, by Amor Towles, read by David Harbour

Nature or nurture? Neither. Discover a bold new way to raise a child in this unsettling story of the near future by the New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow.

When Sam’s wife first tells him about Vitek, a twenty-first-century fertility lab, he sees it as the natural next step in trying to help their future child get a “leg up” in a competitive world. But the more Sam considers the lives that his child could lead, the more he begins to question the choices he has made in his life.

THE LAST CONVERSATION, by Paul Tremblay, read by Steven Strait

What’s more frightening: Not knowing who you are? Or finding out? A Bram Stoker Award-winning author explores the answer in a chilling story about human consciousness.

Imagine you’ve woken up in an unfamiliar room with no memory of who you are, how you got there, or where you were before. All you have is the disconnected voice of an attentive caretaker. Dr. Kuhn is there to help you - physically, emotionally, and psychologically. She’ll make sure you reclaim your lost identity. Now answer one question: Are you sure you want to?

RANDOMIZE, by Andy Weir, read by Janina Gavankar

In the near future, if Vegas games are ingeniously scam-proof, then the heists have to be too, in this imaginative and whip-smart story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.

An IT whiz at the Babylon Casino is enlisted to upgrade security for the game of keno and its random-number generator. The new quantum computer system is foolproof. But someone on the inside is no fool. For once the odds may not favor the house.

Reader Reviews

Christine

(2/5)

Nov 24, 2024

Standard issue with short story collections, some good some less so.

Naomi Karyamsetty

(4/5)

This is a nice and satisfying collection of SF stories, each of which widely differs in both style and approach; so mayhaps it would be a satisfying read or listen if you’re not that into sci-fi and would like to try.I happened to make notes on each story like an annoying person, so I’m going to write *that* annoying review.“Ark” / Veronica RothHello, old friend admired author. Pleasantly surprised and impressed. (Also now, especially after Don’t Look Up, any planet-extinction-level event is an

Misty

These were all really great stories. My favorite was The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay. I loved the way he peppered in hints and references to other sci fi as clues to how the story was going to end. The story was so unsettling and creepy in the most satisfying way. My least favorite was definitely You Have Arrived At Your Destination by Amor Towles. The main character was so unlikeable (not always a bad thing) and selfish that the plot lost all feeling of meaningful impact. **Spoilers** he...

Amber

Pretty good collection of sci-fi short stories. Definitely worth getting the audiobook--the narration is great.Spoilery Review & Ranking: (view spoiler)[IN MY ORDER OF BEST TO WORST: 1. Ark. My favorite story of the collection. A more deep, philosophical reflection on what it means to leave home. Pretty dark/melancholy (reminiscent of the film Melancholia).2. Emergency Skin. Humorous take on what would happen if all the white people left Earth (spoiler: the Earth would be better off). So, so wel...

Rebecca

(3/5)

Since this is a collection of short stories, I'll make a quick note on each one.Ark by Roth - Probably my favorite of the collection. Enjoyed the story and the characters.Summer Frost by Crouch - I do enjoy explorations of AI becoming sentient. This was an interesting short story focused on that. I feel rather meh about it, though.Emergency Skin by Jemisin - This one might tie for favorite. I particularly enjoyed the narrative style.You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Towles - I did not care...

Rozarka

Veronica Roth: Ark⭐⭐⭐One of those stories you read, think they are nice and soon forget about them.Blake Crouch: Summer Frost⭐⭐⭐⭐I admit I was a bit bored during reading this and quite exasperated with the main character, but the nearer the end the more compelling it became and I was more than satisfied with the ending. One of those pieces that make you think (even though some of those things are about what you didn't like about the characters).N. K. Jemisin: Emergency Skin⭐⭐Capitalism bad, eat

Debbie

"Ark" by Veronica Roth - 3 stars"Summer Frost" by Blake Crouch - 4.5 stars"Emergency Skin" by N.K. Jemisin - 5 stars"You Have Arrived at Your Destination" by Amor Towles - 1.5 stars"The Last Conversation" by Paul Tremblay - 5 stars"Randomize" by Andy Weir - 2 starsA bit of an uneven collection, but the really strong stories more than made up for the weaker ones.

Maitê

I love sci-fi but this collection of short stories is just ok, a few are really bad, mostly from authors who I have never heard of and it made me not want to read any more of them.

Wes Jones

This was a great collection of futuristic short stories. They dealt with vast technological advances and arising scenarios that may come from them. Definitely a fun worthwhile compilation of short stories.

Rose

I really liked "Emergency Skin" by NK Jemisin (the POV was so interesting!), I kind of liked "Summer Frost" and "Ark" (they were both... fine). And then I disliked "You have arrived at your destination" (it was boring!), "The last conversation" (2nd person! 🤮) and "Randomize" (just... Nothing. It was nothing.)

Ralph

4.0 stars - Satisfying collection of speculative fiction stories that mostly hit their mark. Although I enjoyed all of them, "Emergency Skin" was my favorite, reminiscent of a thoughtful Twilight Zone morality tale. "Ark" by Veronica Roth - 3 stars"Summer Frost" by Blake Crouch - 4 stars"Emergency Skin" by N.K. Jemisin - 5 stars"You Have Arrived at Your Destination" by Amor Towles - 2 stars"The Last Conversation" by Paul Tremblay - 2 stars"Randomize" by Andy Weir - 4 stars

Andrea

I really enjoyed these stories. The narration was good too.

Liberté

My average rating for this book is 2.6 stars, so rounding up makes 3. My favorites were the stories by Andy Weir and then Veronica Roth.Ark (Veronica Roth) [3 stars]I did enjoy this story because it balances dystopia - the world ending from a super-asteroid - with hope. The story features orchids! A boat! Hope for humankind! I ended up being rather fond of it in the end. Also, the main character is a woman and she works with plants and has good taste in music. I almost would have liked a longer

Mclear3000

(5/5)

This is one of the best collections of short stories I've read in years. So good, I'm very likely to read them again at some point, which is rare for me.

Cole Schoolland

This is an excellent collection by some of the hottest writers (not to mention read by some top-tier narrators) that really made my brain stretch. *4.0/5* ARK, by Veronica Roth*5.0/5* SUMMER FROST, by Blake Crouch*5.0/5* EMERGENCY SKIN, by N. K. Jemisin*4.5/5* YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION, by Amor Towles*4.5/5* THE LAST CONVERSATION, by Paul Tremblay*3.5/5* RANDOMIZE, by Andy Weir

SpookySoto

Rating: I liked it 😃2021's ATY in 52 books: 33. A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry This is a science fiction collection revolving around the concept of fast evolving technology, Blake Crouch asked the other 5 writers to "be a part of a collection that explores the resounding effects of a pivotal technological moment".It was interesting and entertaining and thought provoking. My favorite story was N.K. Jemisins', my least favorite was Weir's.Ark by Veronica Roth 2.5/5 ⭐️, MejThis wa...

Maine Colonial

I don’t normally read short stories, but I had just read Amor Towles’s The Lincoln Highway and I thought it would be interesting to hear his take on future tech. With an Andy Weir story in there too, I was sold.All the stories but one were solid, I thought. To me, Paul Tremblay’s The Last Conversation embodied what I don’t like about many short stories, which is that they too often are just a spun-out tale with an obvious twist or explanation at the end.The best of the collection is Jemisin’s hi...

Michellejulia

Gonna review all the stories without major spoilers! The general feeling I got when finishing this collection was middle-of-the-road so 3 stars for the general collection it is! “Ark” by Veronica Roth: 3/5 stars.I have nothing to say about this other than it was decent, no strong feelings about it. A lot of the themes and ideas and narratives are similar to that of ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig, if you really liked that one you might like this.“Summer Frost” by Blake Crouch: 3.5/5 stars.Th...

ReadingWryly

I was really looking forward to Veronica Roth, Andy Weir, and Blake Crouch’s stories in this collection. Surprisingly, I was most impressed with the stories written by NK Jemison and Paul Tremblay. NK Jemison’s story far outshined all of the rest though. It was hilarious, and heartwarming, about “aliens” who come back to earth after it was thought to have been destroyed, only to find it is now a Eutopia. The reasons for this are simultaneously shocking and expected. A really great story!

Christopher

"Ark" by Veronica Roth - 3 stars"Summer Frost" by Blake Crouch - 4 stars"Emergency Skin" by N.K. Jemisin - 5 stars"You Have Arrived at Your Destination" by Amor Towles - 1 stars"The Last Conversation" by Paul Tremblay - 3 stars"Randomize" by Andy Weir - 4 starsThe first story was interesting for a bit until you find out that you're not going to see how the story ends. Then it was just OK.The second story was more interesting when it had more questions than answers. then everything was answered a...

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