A Silent Dystopia: Edited By D.T. Griffith
Reviewed By Yvonne Miller
A Silent Dystopia is a horror anthology with stories featuring the MNG-U, a deadly virus that is sweeping the globe, any that survive are robbed of their hearing, and the stories contained feature heavily on that aspect of the pandemic. An anthology full of stories to make you think of the past, missed opportunities, lost loves, and a world where everything seems black and uninhabitable. Often, we feel that the lucky ones are those that have passed away, they are immortalised in the vision that they once were, and they don’t have to struggle to survive each day, fighting for morsels of food, and avoiding those that will do them harm.
Like I said previously, there isn’t a bad story in this anthology but there are a few that stood out.
Wolf Pit by J.A. Sullivan is the perfect story of love and survival with the brutality of how a pandemic can take those we love. A hospice nurse falls deeply and loses the love of her life whilst caring for her patient. The pandemic hits and she loses her second love. She now lives off the land and becomes as self-sufficient as possible. It’s the kind of short story that leaves you feeling on edge and questioning just how you would react in similar situations. I loved every word.
The Courier by Kev Harrison This story was another of Harrison’s that was tinged with a reality that I could find myself seeing through an eyeglass. His depictions of the plight of the deaf was the best in the anthology and I got a real feel of how they were persecuted. The scene’s regarding Samira’s “justice” made me uncomfortable but it was everything it needed to be. Harrison knows how to get your heart rate pumping without your bum leaving the seat.
The Invisible Girl by Raven Dane I might just be a super geek, but this story instantly reminded me of the Fallout game franchise. A character trying to navigate a desolate landscape, one rampaged by a virus whilst having a trusty German shepherd by her side. A horror story needs good characters, realistic ones, and Dane nailed it.
In the Midst of Monsters by Morgan K. Tanner This was by far my favourite story in the anthology. I have come across Tanner’s work before and knew I was in for a dark and depraved time, and he didn’t disappoint. The protagonist, Jack witnesses rebel group leader, Boleskine committing acts of barbarity that seem to be seeped in ritualistic beliefs. Jack is expected to join them. He will hunt for them in return for a roof and food. This isn’t a story for the faint of heart, it’s raw, gory, and will rip out your throat at a minute’s notice.
Do You Remember by Steve Stred wow wow wow. The prose, the characterisation, and the feeling of humanity being completely depleted. Dennis is reminiscing about the past. His first kiss, his fight, his first kill. He’s been through a lot, his mother and father dying, but there’s light, he builds a cabin in the woods. He’s done everything himself. Whatever he couldn’t do he learned the skill to enable him to. An unfortunate accident meant he had to go to town to acquire antibiotics and his whole world comes crashing down…
A Silent Dystopia is an anthology that can only be described as intense, raw, and emotionally evocative.
A Silent Dystopia
HEaR TODaY … The disease known as MNG-U has staked its claim on humanity and broken the world forever. Most of those who survive have been robbed of their hearing, deafened in this quiet apocalypse.
Around the globe, people do what they can to exist in the terrifying silence. Whether in isolation or in new communities, they must persevere amidst a changed and brutal landscape that is now barely recognisable as a world they once knew.
Normality has new boundaries; the rules rewritten in the name of survival.
You can buy A Silent Dystopia from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Yvonne Miller
Well, what can I say about myself? I’m a 33-year-old married woman and mum to 3 crazy boys, aged 13,6 and 4. My eldest has a genetic condition that causes a visual impairment so as you can imagine life can be very chaotic and provides many challenges along the way but I would 100% never change any of them. They fulfil my life beyond measure.
I adore books – I adore shouting about books! I’m a reviewer of mainly horror and dark fantasy. Whether that’s featuring werewolves, evil creatures or the depravity of humanity, I will read them all.
You can follow Yvonne on Twitter: @coycaterpillar
Please visit Yvonne’s Official Website: www.thecoycaterpillarreads.blog
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