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Obsolescence: A Dark Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Anthology by Alan Lastufka, Kristina Horner
kurezan's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As its subtitle suggests, this short story anthology blends genres, but is primarily in the realms of Science-Fiction/Horror. Almost all its stories had to do with technology in some way or another, whether it be magical looms, enchanting industrial equipment, holographic family members, AI personalities, or the creeping horror of what one might be willing to sell of themselves for the sake of convenience. Comparisons to Dark Mirror seem apt. I detected the possible influence of many other media within the collection, too, including sci-fi staples like The Matrix, The Terminator, 12 Monkeys, and horror classics like Nightmare on Elm Street, Videodrome, The Ring, They Live and newer influences like Upgrade and Titane. Though the DNA of these other works seemed evident to me in these other stories, the authors of the collection took the concepts in different, interesting directions, and I found myself unable to stop reading, excited to devour the next story in the collection in hopes of finding another gem.
The fun thing about short story anthologies is that if a writing style or concept does not jive with you, you can look forward to reading another that might. My rating for this collection is reflective of my varying levels of enjoyment of the stories within the work. There were some which I really did not enjoy, others which I thought were ill-fitting for the collection, and some I was ambivalent about. That being said, the majority of the collection’s stories I thought were either A) Interesting sci-fi stories or B) Sufficiently scary horror stories with a sci-fi twist. The interesting and enjoyable from this collection far outweighed the negative for me and I think that this would be the case for most prospective readers as well. Some stories that I did not like as much I saw other reviewers list as their favorites. Some of the ones that were my favorites did not make the top list of others. I think there is something for everyone here. As a result of the positives far outweighing the negatives, I would recommend this collection to anyone interested in sci-fi/horror. It introduced me to a lot of promising authors that I will definitely be reading more of.
Sidenote: Isn't that cover super eye-catching? As soon as I saw it, I thought, wow, I've gotta see what this is about.
Sidenote: Isn't that cover super eye-catching? As soon as I saw it, I thought, wow, I've gotta see what this is about.
Below I have singled out five of my favorite stories of the bunch. (Some spoilers below):
PREMIUM PLATINUM PLAN by Ai Jiang. One of the heavy hitters of the collection. Horror was oddly gripping and the subject matter was disturbing. Capitalism and convenience pushing us to literally remove parts of ourselves. Our lives and futures being given away for momentary pleasures. Great horror. As someone who lives in a place with poor shipping times, the temptation of this concept is an interesting thought experiment.
Sleep Study by Tanya Pell. A nice horror involving several subjects I find interesting. Sleep, dreams, supernatural beings, scientific analysis of supernatural things. Reminded me of Nightmare on Elm Street sometimes, with a unique take. What if your sleep paralysis demons were real?
DISC ROT by Adam Cesare. An interesting, oddly nostalgic story about a guy who picks up some flea market DVDs covered in mysterious not-dust. Nice body horror descriptions. Was fun to read the main characters descent. I enjoyed his quirkiness quite a bit.
THE HARBINGER by Katie Young. A neat found-footage type horror presented through transcripts and emails of a supernatural television show. Enjoyable horror, I just wish it went a bit further. Because of my own found footage biases, it had the potential to have been my favorite of the collection. Reminded me of movies Ghost Watch and Ringu/The Ring.
555 Raleigh Avenue by Nick Kolakowski. A sci-fi/horror story involving the messiness of time travel and a doomed future. Reminded me of Terminator/12 Monkeys/Dark. I liked the mood and writing in this one quite a bit. Nailed the tone and did some cool things with its concept of internet rumors, creepypasta, time travel, and the horror of everything involved.
rackncheese's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of really fun tech-based horror stories by authors I already loved as well as some new ones I'm excited to read more from. Notanle favorite stories were:
The Harbinger by Katie Young - because I'm trash for mixed media and found footage horror
Planned Obsolescence by Nicole Dieker - because Linguistics is my hyperfixation and we love a good fourth-wall-break
Secretshit.txt by David Niall Wilson - because it reminds me of an adult version of the kind of scary stories I was obsessed with as a kid
The Harbinger by Katie Young - because I'm trash for mixed media and found footage horror
Planned Obsolescence by Nicole Dieker - because Linguistics is my hyperfixation and we love a good fourth-wall-break
Secretshit.txt by David Niall Wilson - because it reminds me of an adult version of the kind of scary stories I was obsessed with as a kid
schuman3d's review
5.0
I love a good anthology, and this was that and then some. Black mirror vibes, which is right up my alley. All-around excellent storytelling here. It also introduced me to some authors I have not read yet, and I will be reading more from them in the future.
cmasterson's review
5.0
I received a paperback copy as a contributor gift from the Kickstarter.
I was rejected from this anthology (my story is actually on Shortwave's website.) When you read the things you weren't accepted to, there is often an unconscious tendency to go, "Well, THIS story wasn't that great, so I SHOULD have been in there" before swallowing it down and accepting reality. I never go into one of these expecting to do that, but it happens.
With all this in mind, there is absolutely no story that I felt was lackluster in any way. Alan and Kristina curated such an amazing anthology with the best voices in horror. Each and every one of these stories was effective, powerful, and terrifying in their own right. I am truly honored to have backed such a momentous project, and even more happy to have delved into the dark recesses of the minds that conjured its makeup.
I continue to be in awe of all that you do, and all that you both have accomplished, Alan and Kristina. Bra-fucking-vo.
I was rejected from this anthology (my story is actually on Shortwave's website.) When you read the things you weren't accepted to, there is often an unconscious tendency to go, "Well, THIS story wasn't that great, so I SHOULD have been in there" before swallowing it down and accepting reality. I never go into one of these expecting to do that, but it happens.
With all this in mind, there is absolutely no story that I felt was lackluster in any way. Alan and Kristina curated such an amazing anthology with the best voices in horror. Each and every one of these stories was effective, powerful, and terrifying in their own right. I am truly honored to have backed such a momentous project, and even more happy to have delved into the dark recesses of the minds that conjured its makeup.
I continue to be in awe of all that you do, and all that you both have accomplished, Alan and Kristina. Bra-fucking-vo.
bernt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
An anthology with variety, if this is your first time looking at horror from a technological aspect, there will be something to enjoy and hopefully branch off from. However, if you're a little obsessed with horror/sci-fi like myself and many others, you'll be able to see the conflicts and resolutions coming from a mile away, with the tropes having been done better in other written stories and/or media. Would definitely recommend to anyone dipping their toes into the genre, for enthusiasts I would look elsewhere. My favorites of the collection would be Mother Of Machines by Emma E. Murray and The Song Of Stridulation by Sarah Tantlinger.
go2hellstephanie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Pleased to have been a Kickstarter supporter for this collection!
A good selection of tech-related short stories. I expected more horror than sci-fi, but I'm still happy! There were quite a few that made me think about all the possibilities with technology, and I appreciated none of them was just a broad "technology bad lol".
My favorites were: "The Invisible Cure" by Gemma Church, "Hush, Little Sister" by Lyndsey Croal, and "Partingwords.exe" by Caitlin Marceau. Other really good ones: "The Harbringer" by Katie Young, "The App" by Kealan Patrick Burke, and "All Our Fertile Bones" by Teagan Olivia Sturmer.
A good selection of tech-related short stories. I expected more horror than sci-fi, but I'm still happy! There were quite a few that made me think about all the possibilities with technology, and I appreciated none of them was just a broad "technology bad lol".
My favorites were: "The Invisible Cure" by Gemma Church, "Hush, Little Sister" by Lyndsey Croal, and "Partingwords.exe" by Caitlin Marceau. Other really good ones: "The Harbringer" by Katie Young, "The App" by Kealan Patrick Burke, and "All Our Fertile Bones" by Teagan Olivia Sturmer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child death
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