When Will You Rise: Stories to End the World

This limited-edition hardcover collects two haunting stories of corrupted science, both previously only available as e-books. Grant (aka urban fantasy author Seanan McGuire) opened her bestselling Newsflesh Trilogy (Feed, Deadline, Blackout) with the zombie apocalypse in full swing. Here the wonderful novella “Countdown” rewinds to the origin of the plague and details the collision of the nascent cure for the common cold with a prototype cancer remedy, creating the perfect biological stew that birthed the walking dead. Also included is the unrelated short story “Apocalypse Scenario No. 683: The Box,” the tale of how an innocent game played by old friends turns serious when medical research is turned against humankind. In both stories, Grant excels in humanizing her characters and surrounding them with believable science and circumstances. The surefooted storytelling is mesmerizing as all-too-plausible dilemmas snowball into desperation and catastrophe. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Nov.)