Let me say right now that this was without doubt the best book I’ve read in the last twelve months. Possibly in years. It was like Steven Amsterdam predicted McCarthy’s “The Road” and then took it to a new level, producing short stories around the practicalities of building a new society after a climate-change induced collapse, and dealing with illness and despair.
It’s been a long time since I could say that I would stop after reading a story on the tram and not begin a new one unless I could finish it in one sitting. I found myself in a rare please-don’t-end state approaching the finish. It’s not for everyone, but the compromised characters and visions of a desperate foodless world are wonderfully realised, and make for a great (if short) collection. And he’s Australian – amazing! 5 stars.