In 1978, Stephen King released a book that not only still resonates today but has lingered in my memory from the moment I first read it. As a huge fan of the horror genre, there are three novels that I call the Holy Trinity of end-of-the-world horror: King’s THE STAND, Robert McCammon’s SWAN SONG, and Dan Simmons’ CARRION COMFORT. This new collection, THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, serves as a tribute to King’s classic, which is the best of the trio.

This weighty collection, edited by award-winning authors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, features three-dozen short stories from a wide array of some of the finest writers working today. The only disappointment is that Golden and Keene do not contribute stories of their own. However, the foreword by Golden explains how the two bonded over the greatness of THE STAND and were prepared for rejection when they approached King with their idea for this project.

"There is not a single story that does not deliver... [T]here are so many treasures here waiting to be opened that I can only encourage readers to dive headlong into the book."

King not only gave a hearty thumbs-up to Golden and Keene but agreed to write the book’s introduction, where he offers his own insights about his novel and the profound respect he has for all those who contributed to THE END OF THE WORD AS WE KNOW IT. There is not a single story that does not deliver, and it is impossible to cover them all in the space of a book review. So I will give you short synopses of some of my favorites.

“Room 24” by Caroline Kepnes. Abel and Amelie learn a hard lesson about the history of Room 24 in a story that has strong “Twilight Zone” vibes.

“The Tripps” by Wrath James White. White has never pulled punches in his hard-hitting horror novels. This story, set in a predominantly Black neighborhood during the onset of the Captain Trips virus, is full of beautiful, horrific imagery.

“Bright Light City” by Meg Gardiner. The survivors of a plane crash --- a woman and a small girl --- make their way through the abandoned terminal and into a strange city. Terror exists around every corner and in their dreams through visions from both a Dark Man who is in Las Vegas and an elderly Black woman, Mother Abigail, who is somewhere in the Colorado area.

“The Hope Boat” by Gabino Iglesias. Sandra is on a beach in Puerto Rico and is dreaming of an opportunity to escape by boat to whatever may exist beyond the sea. She and a new acquaintance come across a man with the Hope Boat and pray that this might be their answer.

“Grace” by Tim Lebbon. The only tale here set in outer space is quite memorable as the surviving members of a spaceship orbiting the ravaged earth is counting down to the point where they run out of fuel and come crashing into the world from which they are temporarily safe.

“Moving Day” by Richard Chizmar. Fifteen-year-old Tommy has just buried his father in their garden, and his older sister has abandoned him. He must make the tough decision to leave his home and all he knows to venture off into what may exist beyond his little world.

“La Mala Hora” by Alex Segura. The translation for this title is “The Bad Hour,” and it speaks to the horror that the human race is facing from the Captain Trips pandemic. Desi Calderon is trying to figure out how to get out of Miami and to the place that Mother Abigail has shown him in his dreams.

“The African Painted Dog” by Catriona Ward. This highly unique tale is told from the point of view of members of the animal world. A few African painted dogs are left behind by the demise of mankind to fend for themselves in the zoo that they once inhabited before exploring the world beyond.

“Kovach’s Last Case” by Michael Koryta. Kovach worked in homicide for 27 years, but nothing has prepared him for the horror of the post-apocalyptic world in which he now exists. However, there is time to solve one more crime before becoming just another of the few survivors.

“I Love the Dead” by Josh Malerman. This is one of the few humorous tales amidst all the horror and brought a never-ending smile to my face. Named after an Alice Cooper song that refers to The Grateful Dead, this story features a huge Dead fan who makes the physical trek out to Jerry Garcia’s last-known home in San Francisco to see if his hero is still there.

I would love to go on, but there are so many treasures here waiting to be opened that I can only encourage readers to dive headlong into the book. THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT are lyrics from a famous R.E.M. song and is the ideal title for a collection of stories that provides new perspectives on the impact of the world that Stephen King created in THE STAND and allows some of our most talented writers to unleash their full creativity to pay proper and sometimes unexpected homage to it. This is one of the best short story collections you will ever read!