From Jules Verne to Ursula K. Le Guin, the curation of this collection was excellent and representative of each major literary era since the early 1900s. What better way to track modern western society's opinion of itself and its greatest fears than to read the classic apocalypse stories? I was impressed by the breadth of the collection, even as several authors (three, I believe?) each had two stories included--by breadth I mean in terms of style, method of destruction, and conclusions about humanity. I also appreciated the editorial introduction to each story, which detailed both the author's contribution to the Scientific Fiction genre, his or her career, and the background of the particular story. Too many collections I read have zero introductions, and the curational decisions are as important to me as the stories themselves. Also, women authors are well-represented, and there are some fantastic feminist critiques and human sagas in addition to the stories that hue more closely to the classic Sci-Fi apocalypse story.I've tried to keep out spoilers, but when I can't avoid them, I mark them in warning.The Eternal Adam by Jules Verne 3.5 stars -One of Verne's last works, believed to be written in 1904. Verne scholars argue whether it was actually written entirely by Verne or in part by his son Michel, who completed/published several of Verne's other unfinished works. A doctor 20,000 years in the future has to come to terms with a new archeological discovery that proves that humanity has completely started from scratch at least twice, reached the height of technological advancement, and then been utterly destroyed by a natural cataclysmic event. Though perhaps a bit dry for modern readers, the philosophy underlying the piece is what's fascinating. Verne wants us to consider the fact that we could have already achieved the same level of technology we have today, and due to a shifting of the continents and the ocean floor, all evidence of this "Atlantis" like civilization has disappeared.The Last Generation by James Elroy Flecker - 4 stars - 1908 - "I saw rims and sparks of spectral fire floating through the pane. Then I heard someone say, 'I am the wind.'" One man is granted by a capricious wind the ability to travel to the future, where he sees what happens when humans decide to sterilize themselves and end the species. The most interesting part of this story is the predictions about how we'd all act if there were plenty of food and resources for us to live without working, but knowing that once we died, that's it for humanity. The writing is poetic and transporting.Finis by Frank Lillie Pollock 3 stars- 1906- The story has remained in print for more than a hundred years, a Sci Fi classic. A distant sun comes into our orbit and burns us up. Not very likely, but interesting to read. The story covers the last 24 hours of life on earth, in the scenario that we discover very late in the game, and are quickly burnt up. Written engagingly, but didn't do a lot for me personally.The Coming of the Ice by G. Peyton Wertenbaker 3 stars -1926 - One man gains immortality in the early 1900s, and lives to the end of humanity which comes during an ice age. To gain immortality through a medical procedure, he had to give up emotional and personal attachment. Interesting, but after reading the other fantastic stories in the collection, this one didn't leave a huge impression on me.N Day by Philip Latham 5 stars - Latham was a pen name for R.S. Richardson, who was an astronomer at several observatories throughout his career. The science is therefore convincing and fascinating -- one shut-in astronomer discovers that the sun is giving all the telltale signs of a supernova. Once he's sure of what he's seeing, the world really only has about 72 hours left. Of course, no one believes him, and he therefore experiences a sense of freedom and fuck-it that he's never had in his entire life. Loved the writing, the premise, and the protagonist.Guyal of Sfere by Jack Vance - 5 stars - 1950 - This reads like a cross between Tolkien and Murakami. One man in the future embarks on a journey to the Museum of Man to satisfy his curiosity about the meaning of life. It's more of a prismatic fantasy journey than a science fiction story, and I LOVED it. Probably because I love Tolkien and Murakami and fantasy.A Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber - 3.5 stars - 1951 - A lone family surviving in an ice age thinks they may have discovered someone else alive, but they're not sure who or what it is. Very atmospheric and well-written, the story's pace lagged a bit for me but was definitely one of the more memorable universes in this collection.Who Can Replace a Man? by Brian Aldiss - 5 stars - 1958 - From the point of view of several machines after all men die. A blast to read, both tragic and comic. One of the joists of the comedy is the fact that each different machine has a different class brain, from 1-5, meaning that after men die the machines start to set up their own rogue bands based on their brain classes. The dialogue between the machines is hilarious.Heresies of the Huge God by Brian Aldiss - 2 stars - 1966 - A big bug lands on earth, squishing much of it, and of course of a new religion crops up to worship it. The story details the history of the religion from the point of view of one of its adherents, and I just felt like I'd read several better "cult" stories.The New Atlantis by Ursula K. Le Guin - 5 stars - 1975 - One of the best writers ever, Le Guin's story is completely absorbing, human, and transcendent. The story takes place in a dystopia created by a huge bureaucratic nanny state. The narrator's husband invents a solar cell that could potentially allow individuals to reclaim their own lives--what I loved were Le Guin's predictions, which so far are unequalled in the collection for their realistic probability, and of course her writing is just, so good. She's one of the few authors who can write a literary fiction/science fiction story that rivals the best stories of both genres.When We Went to See the End of the World by Robert Silverberg - 5 stars - 1972 - Captures 1960s middle class ennui, swinging, excess. At a dinner party, several couples discover that they've all recently gone to see the end of the world via a new time-traveling technology. Each couple's experience is totally different. Meanwhile, the details of their everyday lives in the midst of an imploding society (earthquakes, cholera, mudslides, famine), makes the point that while they're all considering different potential apocalyptic scenarios, the world is already crumbling around them.The Wind and the Rain by Robert Silverberg - 3 stars - 1973 - A cleanup crew is back on earth to undo all the damage that we caused to render it uninhabitable. Luckily, humans have managed to colonize other planets. The protagonist is obsessed with the wonderful irony of his forbearers, the destructive art they made of the world.The Screwfly Solution by James Tiptree Jr (Alice Bradley) - 5 stars - 1977. Perhaps my favorite story in the whole collection. Comes very close to horror--a strange diseases is spreading among men who live at a certain latitude, and its causing them to link the aggressive and mating instincts such that they start killing all the women. Oo, shivers. So good. Alice Bradley, the author, is also an incredibly interesting character in her own right, and I really enjoyed the editorial introduction.After Images by Malcolm Edwards - 4 stars - 1983 - One neighborhood in suburban England is affected by a timespace anomaly that temporarily shelters them from the nuclear blast occurring in London. Excellent writing and memorable story, though shorter than most of the others.Daisy in the Sun by Connie Willis - 5 stars - 1979 - Such a beautifully wrought piece of art that unfolds at the perfect pace, revealing more and more of the mystery surrounding our teen protagonist Daisy--what exactly is happening to her, who the villain is, and how the apocalyptic element coincides with her adolescence. A story for other writers to study.Three Days After by Karen Haber -4 stars - 2014 - Another story that makes you work to figure out what's going on. Short but beautiful, captures the internal chaos of a woman at the end of the world.The Rain at the End of the World by Dale Bailey - 4 stars - 1999 - Death by deluge, the dissolution of a marriage in the midst of a flood that threatens to end the world. I've got to bookmark more of Dale Bailey's novels to read. It's the kind of writing that you can slip into and inhabit so easily. Lovely.The End of the World as We Know It by Dale Bailey - 3 stars - 2004 - The show-off omniscient narrator bugged me in this one, but it was a great exploration of how an average man might act if everyone else on the earth suddenly died and he found himself to be the last person alive, with one exception. The narrator eschews all of the typical scenarios, and the conclusion is insightful.Final Exam by Megan Arkenberg - 5 stars - 2012. Yes, it's written in the style of a multiple-choice exam, and no, it's not annoying at all. It's brilliant. Another story that combines personal conflict with global conflict, those always move me the most. Also, the writing is gorgeous and sharp.Prayers to the Sun by a Dying Person by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro 3 stars-- This is my personal taste showing-- the story is evocative, well-written, and imaginative, but it will probably appeal to really die hard Sci Fi fans more than it did to me. It was a tad too out there for me--in the style of magical realism, the kind in which you're not sure exactly what's going on and it's never revealed, but everything is very deep. The basic premise is that a girl from the future comes back to the past to ask an old woman to help her save the universe.Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon - 5 stars - 1930. I can't describe this story better than the editor can, but it was an excellent choice to close the collection. "A work of great poetic power. And the farther he gets from our own time, the more he astonishes us with his imaginative force."