A review by leasttorque
After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia by Ellen Datlow, Terri Windling

1.0

I somehow missed that these were YA dystopian stories when I checked it out. So, not my thing. But I read it through to look for hidden gems. Sadly, I only kind of liked a few, and a couple were sweet if otherwise regrettable. There was a sameness to most of them, with poor writing and nonsensical world-building, and annoyingly illiterate voices explaining everything. I feel like channeling Ripley: “Did IQs just drop sharply ‘after’?”. Though one story had an illiterate voice yet was well written and immersive. So I guess it’s more my old age, scientific bent, and need for good writing that will steer me clear of further dabbles with this genre.