| Title | : | The Way the World Ends (Warmer, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 42 |
| Publication | : | First published October 30, 2018 |
Sleet in Mississippi? In March? A crazy ice storm lays waste to the South in a #1 New York Times bestselling author’s invigorating, touching story of one slippery night, an open bar, and total abandon.
For three strangers whose paths will cross, the storm hasn’t even reached its peak. Two of them are the kind of climate scientists no one ever listens to in disaster movies. The third, against even icier opposition, has just moved to the Magnolia State to come out. Soon they’ll all be pushed closer to the edge, where the bracing winds of cataclysmic change can be so wildly liberating.
Jess Walter’s The Way the World Ends is part of Warmer, a collection of seven visions of a conceivable tomorrow by today’s most thought-provoking authors. Alarming, inventive, intimate, and frightening, each story can be read, or listened to, in a single breathtaking sitting.
The Way the World Ends (Warmer, #1) Reviews
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2.5 Stars: “The Way the World Ends” by Jesse Walter is part of the Warmer Collection of noted author’s ideas of a conceivable tomorrow.
Jess Walter diverges from other author’s ideas which heavily involve climate change. This short story is more about society. In fact, this is tagged under “Anthologies & Short Stories”.
There is a nod to climate change in that the story takes place in Mississippi during a once in a generation sleet storm. The three main characters are at a bar at the beginning of the story. Two of the characters are interviewing for a position at Magnolia State. The third is a young gay black man who is going to college to be liberated (ie come out). Basically the story is about the human condition.
Dan John Miller narrates and does a fine job. This was an OK listen. The previous ones I listened to were more fascinating to me. -
I received this short story as one of Audible's new free Audible Originals, something they offer as a "free purchase" each month for subscribers in a weird attempt to make people feel better about the $15/month fee they charge. (I'd rather have Audible Channels back, but no one's asking me.) So far I've taken at least one of my two freebies every month, but none of them have held much interest and they're just stagnating in my library. This one seemed vaguely relevant to my tastes, so I thought "what the heck?" and hit play on my phone.
It was just okay. Just.
It was very climate-change preachy, which I figure will be super alienating to any deniers still holding on out there. (FWIW, I can remember when there were still plenty of people disputing the science behind cigarettes causing lung cancer, so I get what's going on here too. Companies lose money, livelihoods are risked, the reality of bad news sucks.) But if we're trying to change anyone's minds about the science of it all, going in with mild ridicule of people who don't yet understand or accept is NOT the way to go, and this short definitely hits all the triggers in a mocking way.
In addition to the preachiness -- which I'm not entirely sure is a word, but I'm going with it -- there were a lot of characters thrown together in a rather outlandish set of events. I did have one laugh out loud moment when the two job candidates were caught getting high, doing shots and dancing naked in a hotel room. If only for that hilarious slo-mo scene of utter humiliation, I think I'd say "Sure, give
The Way the World Ends a try." -
‘Forward’ was the last Amazon collection I read. Despite some big guns in the line-up, the end results varied greatly in quality. Still, these collections are a great idea, especially in that they introduce authors to a potential new audience, while regular readers get appetisers from some of their fave writers. So kudos to Amazon for taking the initiative, and here’s hoping to many more.
‘Warmer’ is an earlier collection than ‘Forward’, which I stumbled across accidentally while looking for the latter. It consists of seven short stories, written by Jess Walter, Lauren Groff, Jesse Kellerman, Edan Lepucki, Skip Horack, Sonya Larson, and Jane Smiley. Again, some big guns in the line-up; let’s hope they all deliver.
The Way the World Ends by Jess Walter was an unexpected delight (and introduced me to one writer I have not read before. Based on the strength of this short story, I will definitely look out for his other books.)
With the broader theme of climate change (whereas ‘Forward’ looked at the impact of technological advancement), once would expect this collection to be a tad heavy-handed and gloomy. Well, despite its title, The Way the World Ends is a comedic gem, and a near-as-damn-perfect example of the power of short fiction.
The characters are sketched with economy and grace, while the juxtaposition of gay and environmental issues makes for a poignant payoff. Plus, any story that features Johnny Cash and his music has to be good, period.
I am looking forward to reading the other Warmer stories! -
The Way the World Ends is a short story/novella included in the Warmer Collection from Amazon/Audible. This is the second Amazon Originals Collection I have come across. The first -- The Dark Corners Collection -- included 7 horror tales with a lot of commentary on the modern world swirled into the mix. The Warmer Collection is along the same lines with climate change (cli-fi) being the basic theme. I'm always up for creative storytelling....so jumped on this second collection.
I have to say I expected something completely different from this piece. But I really shouldn't have. What starts out as a tale of people enduring a snow storm in March in Mississippi quickly becomes musings on the changing concerns facing gays coming out, and how to navigate in a world that is partially warming towards acceptance while still holding on to some bitterly cold winds, or forming new obstacles for those seeking to just openly be themselves. When is it ok to jump in to a pride event? Is there such a thing as being too "new'' at being gay? As the weird weather rages outside and forces the characters to deal with it, there are musings about inner changes. Interesting and creative. But.....a bit all over the place. I think with this story that works though. The mix of humor (the bits about middle aged people having sex made me chuckle) and serious, along with the characters' confusion about navigating a changing world and information on environmental climate change required that confusion.
All in all, an enjoyable story. I wonder if any of the stories in this collection will actually be about climate change for the planet? lol Hopefully one will be more disaster oriented and less pure introspective. Sometimes I just want a good action-filled story.....not another reflection on current issues. I've been current issued to death lately.....I wanted some good, old-fashioned disaster action. But.....despite my slight disappointment....I enjoyed this story for what it offered. Everyone faces confusion in learning what the world is about, and their place in it. Careers change. People change. Momentous moments in life occur. Choices have to be made. Those really are climate change moments on a more personal level.
The sun'll come out tomorrow....bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun...
Yeah....when I get introspective, I pop out the show tunes. :)
On to the next story in this collection! There are 7. Very curious about the rest.....climate change....or Climate Change? Can't wait to find out! -
I enjoyed this- both the message and the humor. The audio was a little bland but I won’t complain about free audiobooks.
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Mildly amusing with some annoying political opinions
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I absolutely LOVED everything about this...novella? short story?! At any rate, it was just positively brilliant. From the cast of professor-types that both fed into and defied stereotypes (the sulking English professor; the overly perky meteorology instructor; two zealous geology professionals interviewing for a teaching opportunity that seemed to be beneath them both) to the incorporation of timely political commentary (our orange leader; old, white conservative men; etc.), this clever societal condemnation delivers what we all so desperately need—hope. That promise of possible salvation is provided by Jeremiah, the rainbow-engine that kept this train moving. Though this character is infused with the innocence of a child seeking self-knowledge and desperately turning to the adults for answers, he is also the catalyst for the final illumination. The reader is led to the revelation that whilst the future may be dark, we most certainly have not yet exhausted possible solutions.
Full of cleverly written humor, snarky phrases and word choices that may even make the reader snort, this piece is one that has sent me immediately to the author’s page in search of more of his work. Seriously folks—one of my all time favorite reads. -
Much Better Than The Title Would Suggest
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook edition (October 2018)
I really enjoyed this comic novella in which a disparate group of climate change related job candidates and interviewers "party like it's 1999" while causing aggravation to a dorm-room desk clerk (who is in the midst of his own coming-out issues) during a freak snow storm in Starkville, Mississippi. Yes, that is the same place as the location of the
Starkville City Jail in the notorious 1965 song that Johnny Cash wrote about when he was arrested for "picking flowers" at 2:00 a.m. That latter piece of trivia is also noted in the story. So well done Jess Walter. I'm also looking forward to Walter's
The Cold Millions: A Novel (2020), coming soon via my Parnassus Books First Editions subscription (Thanks again Liisa, Martin & family!)
The Way the World Ends is one of the 7 short stories included in the
Warmer Collection, a series of climate-related fiction released October 30, 2018 from Amazon Original Stories. Fear and hope collide in this collection of possible tomorrows. What happens when boiling heat stokes family resentments; when a girl’s personal crisis trumps global catastrophe; or when two climate scientists decide to party like it’s the end of the world? Like the best sci-fi, these cli-fi stories offer up answers that are darkly funny, liberating, and all too conceivable. -
When I can't sleep at night I listen to short stories. This was a short novella about three people whose paths cross at Mississippi State U. during a freak snow storm. I am partial to the writing of Jess Walters. Once again he was able to pull me in quickly and while I did not find a lot of substance here I did listen all the way to the end. It is a little about climate change but more about how as humans we deal with bigger problems and the need for an escape even if it is temporary. I know what will stick with me the most is when one of the characters, a climate scientist, makes the remark, "people confuse weather with climate". Even half asleep I could see the truth in this, how often I had heard deniers state that cool temperature or heavy snow fall indicate that climate change is not really happening.
I liked the story but in the end wondered if I was really too sleepy to get the point. -
My KU trial is coming to an end and I’ve barely sampled this Amazon shorts collection. Warmer is all about climate change. A very popular subject these days, despite the seemingly utter futility of it all. And so while this story won’t change or save the world (what story does, really, and those who f*ck over the world don’t seem like readers anyway)), what it can do is make a reader seem less alone in difficult times. Or maybe just entertain. This story kind of does both. First experience with the author and a most auspicious introduction at that, this is a tale of three strangers, snowed in unseasonably in March in Mississippi. Two of them are climate scientists vying for the same teaching position, the other one is a kid, attending the university, whose main goal is to properly come out and attend a gay pride parade. Anyway, the scientists get snowed in, liquored up and unleash their worst case scenarios of global warming and such upon each other. The kid (meant to stand in for the readers here) overhears and gets understandably terrified. For someone just beginning to live their life, such bleak prognostications of the future are devastating. The following morning, in the aftermath of the party debauchery, the kid confronts the scientists…cue in a moral and a poignant ending. Sorry, I’m being cynical and this isn’t even really an all the way cynical story. It’s merely realistic in a way no one wants to hear about. But it’s also very well written, the character development is terrific, especially for a short story, and the storytelling itself has a very naturalistic aspect. The audio narration was done well too, with distinct voices for different characters and an overall dynamic delivery. I enjoyed listening to this story very much. Recommended.
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Amusing, all too real short story about climate change and hope, really enjoyed this one and am off to look at what else this author has done.
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Not interesting to me.
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3.5 rounded up
The ending surprised me -
A promising start to the series on climate change. 1/7
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Second short story for me in the Warmer collection. Not my fav but with all of these being short stories, it's not difficult to finish.
This collection is free with a prime membership on Amazon. -
I grew up in Mississippi. This entire story felt like an insult. It started off acting like "No, an ice storm could NEVER happen in Mississippi!". I guess, the author and the audience/readers forgot all about Ice Storm '94 happening - or, maybe, they weren't there to experience it firsthand like us Mississippians were.
Also, the story throws constant insults upon not only MS, but also all other "red" states in the South and all the people that vote Republican. Several times it says things that imply that Mississippians - and our present government - must be idiots that are completely stupid for not supporting the stupid Democrat agenda that this story is peddling. No, siree, we can vote however we please and don't need help from y'all, thank you.
I thought books were supposed to be enjoyable. This one was not enjoyable in any way. I would not recommend it to anyone. I'm just glad that it was free. -
I intended to try out this author's work by reading a couple of these short "collection" books and think that takes care of it for me. I liked the dog book (Parable) more than this one. Not sure of the intended audience, but I would have to guess a few generations younger than my status.
Kindle Unlimited -
This was...underwhelming OK. For a short book it really went off tangent for a great majority of it.
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I am very interested in climate science, but IMHO, the author tried way too hard to make this cute.
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A LOT is going on in this story; I would need to listen to it again to formulate a proper review - but it certainly captures one's attention!
Twenty-four hours later (give or take)… I hit rewind (figuratively) and typed my thoughts as the story played.
- I am amused to have listened to this on Earth Day 2022!
- This is an enjoyable listen/read. The narrator does a good job.
- Each person highlighted in the tale deals with a personal crisis while weathering a freak (but it’s not even winter anymore) ice storm in Mississippi.
- While the story is primarily about climate change and its effects, the science is presented during conversations beyond just facts and figures. Although, those are included as well (Chapter 5).
- Of course, if we’re speaking science, politics finds its way in as well. As this story was written during the Trump years *shudder* the author and characters make their thoughts and feelings well-known ~
- The story touches on LGBT rights and race relations, as well. There is also a single statement about gun reform thrown in.
- The best aspects are the people. I like how the story ebbs and flows between the protagonists. The way it shows how their actions lead to and away from each other. A short story with an epilogue (that happens before the tale ends) is pretty cool. .
- My thoughts on the people:
Did I mention that “Johnny Cash inexplicably appears in an otherwise dystopian climate change story”? -
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2. For most of this short story, The Way The World Ends by Jess Walter, for me it was a solid three stars, but as it came nearer the end, it became closer to four. Is the likelihood of the planet surviving the climate crisis more or less likely than a winter blizzard in Mississippi? Is it more or less likely that hope will win over despair? This gets explored in this short story (48 pages), part of the Warmer Collection of the Amazon Original Stories.
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Wonderful short story that shows the very human side of climate change. Two out-of-work scientists meet at a university where both are applying for a teaching position, when an out-of-season storm leaves them stuck at the school's guest house. While there, a student still processing his very recent coming out experience sees and overhears their concerns about the future. All of them must find a new understanding of hope, in the midst of disasters both small and awkward, and large-scale and terrifying. Well-written and enjoyable, with an important message that doesn't get lost amidst some odd interactions and a dry sense of humor.
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Jess Walter is one of my favorite authors and he hasn't published anything substantial for the last 5 or 6 years, so even this little story is cause for me to celebrate (as was his other fairly recent short piece,
Don't Eat Cat). A climate catastrophe campus comedy? Yes, please. It's not anywhere near as strong as his novels, but it is charming, and I forgive the global warming info dump somewhere in the middle. -
Depressing and hilarious short story about the state of the world, politically and environmentally, and the impending doom, with much willing suspension of disbelief.
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It's like he ticked off every box in his writing assignment.
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Not what I expected for an ending. Surprised me.
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Adını belə qoyub tamam başqa tərəfə çəkilən bir hekayə oldu. Qlobal istiləşmənin azca ucundan-qulağından danışıb kimliyini qəbul etməyə səslədi.
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Well, that was disappointing.
The climate orgy had no sex.
The titular end of the world did not occur.
And the cherry on top?
The MC went back to the boyfriend who cheated on her because he was depressed over climate change. -
It wasn’t perfect. (Critiques above, praises below)
The first chapter ruined the anticipation for the story by providing a weak omniscient foreshadowing summary of the story (literally using the word “premonition”). “By the end of the day, they will be pushed to the edge, made to face oblivion together in the same refuge” (I’m not spoiling anything. This was the third paragraph.)
This was followed by succinct paragraph summaries of the three main character’s backstories, which I found unnecessary since the next few chapters fully delve into their stories and personalities. Wish the author (I actually blame the editor...) more skillfully incorporated the admittedly fun tidbits from the paragraph summaries of the first chapter into the rest of the novella.
I also was not a fan of the last few pages, summarizing the characters’ futures that the author could’ve just let the readers imagine for themselves. Because most of the events in the novella occurred within a day, the pacing felt off with the multiyear lifestories at the end.
Okay. Critiques over. The rest of the story I ABSOLUTELY loved. There were a few moments that made me spit out water (literally). A few short insights and phrases that perfectly describe the characters. A great dialogue and short-story-styled laying out of the many environmental and social issues we currently face.
The author skillfully captures the climate anxiety and hopelessness and doom-and-gloom humor of environmental disasters, while inserting a young person’s perspective of hope to give us readers a little more hope and fight.
The characters all had other personal issues they were dealing with that leaked into the events of the day. The author showed how a person can care about multiple issues - “environmental” and “non-environmental” as we limitedly categorize - illustrating how environmentalism is truly intersectional.
This novella could have easily received 5 stars from me if the beginning and ending were just a little smoother. However, for a novella/short story, a genre I don’t usually appreciate, I was amazed by how much I loved the story.
FINAL RATING: 4.5/5 stars.
