Mammoth Books Presents Fermi And Frost

Astronomer Harry Malibert is at an airport when nuclear war breaks out. Having been recognised by a fan, he is offered a seat on a plane to Iceland. Though most of Reykjavík has been destroyed by a thermonuclear weapon, the rest of the Iceland has been left untouched. Malibert and the remaining survivors must take advantage of Iceland's geology in preparing for the nuclear winter ahead of them, all the while calculating their chances of survival and contemplating the Fermi paradox: given the size and age of the universe, there ought to be many extraterrestrial civilisations, yet none has so far been found. Will Malibert and his group survive, and will they or their successors live to see proof of extraterrestrial civilisation?

This story is not part of the Revelation Space series. It was developed from notes for an unwritten novel and maybe one day that novel will be completed, for we need to know the fate of the Earth. This story presents one of the more unusual apocalyptic ideas.

In a time beyond the apocalypse, when the remnants of society are trying to restore life to the way it once was, three young circus children go exploring in the town where the circus is camped. As they wander the empty streets they stumble upon a building they will never forget, in which floor after floor is crammed with an abundance of books. This library is heaven for these child survivors of the apocalypse, but they may not be the only ones who feel this way.

Reminiscent of both "Damnation Alley" by Roger Zelazny and "The Postman" by David Brin, "And the Deep Blue Sea" offers almost three stories for the price of one.

Indebted to Gaia Vince's New Scientist article 'Surviving in a Warmer World', Paul di Filippo's story depicts the life of Aurbindo Bandjalang in the climate change-ravaged planet of the Anthropocene Age. A member of the Reboot Civilisation, 'AB' is part of a new configuration of humanity, nine billion people crowded together in densely populated, high-rise areas on the quarter of the Earth's present-day land mass that remains above water. Di Filippo imagines a world in which the Earth's resources are pushed to their very limits and the human race, while dependent on the all-powerful Sun for its survival, is also subject to its devastating effect on Earth's climate.

A parody of the end-of-the-world theme in which time travel allows Nick, Jane and their friends to witness the final apocalypse. As a group of friends gather for Mike and Ruby's party, each couple boasts about their recent trip to the end of the world: a new holiday service available from travel agents at tremendous expense. But as the time-tourists compare their experiences, they soon realise they have not all witnessed the same end of the world.

The last sixty years have been full of stories of one or other possible Armageddon, whether by nuclear war, plague, cosmic catastrophe or, more recently, global warming, terrorism, genetic engineering, AIDS and other pandemics. These stories, both pre- and post-apocalyptic, describe the fall of civilization, the destruction of the entire Earth, or the end of the Universe itself. Many of the stories reflect on humankind's infinite capacity for self-destruction, but the stories are by no means all downbeat or depressing - one key theme explores what the aftermath of a cataclysm might be and how humans strive to survive.

A comprehensive bibliography of books and short fiction published in the English language.