When Will You Rise: Stories to End the World by Mira Grant

When I last experienced the Newsflesh zombie wasteland created by Mira Grant, I lamented the fact that she had published another short story set in the same universe by couldn’t access it because I don’t do eBooks. Well imagine my joy when the other day I found this “exclusive eBook” resting on the shelves at my local library in bound hardback form. Of course I snatched that baby up while making several patrons give me dirty looks as I squealed in delight. 

When Will You Rise is a collection of two short stories or novellas, depending on how you want to define them. The first story, ‘Countdown’ is the prequel to the Newsflesh trilogy. It shows how the two viruses that will become the Kellis-Amberlee zombie virus were created. The tale also provides a glimpse at what the Masons life was like before they became blogging sensations as well a glimpse into the quandary the CDC and other government agencies found themselves in as reports of the dead coming to life were coming true.

The only thing that this story was missing I thought was the missed opportunity to discover who the real parents of Shaun and George were and what they were like. We get to see what they’re future adoptive parents were like before the Rising but I think it would’ve been interesting to see if what their real folks were like. I think it could’ve been an interesting experiment in nature vs. nurture seeing how George and Shaun’s parents went about their lives. Did Shaun real father have a reckless swagger? Was George’s mother intuitive and a little punk like her? Were any of their parents from West Virginia? These are some interesting questions Grant could’ve explored while painting a picture of how the world fell into zombie chaos. 

The second story; 'Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box,' isn’t set in the Newsflesh universe. In that tale, a group of friends learn that they may have unwittingly become both the destroyers and saviors of the human race. It’s an eerie tale left slightly open at the end. I think it ended way to short as I wanted to know more about what happens next. Maybe Grant will return to this scenario sometime in the near future.

This couple of tales were awesome. Grants has a clear writing style that is easy to follow. She makes her characters real and easy to know, if not understand, very quickly. That’s why I was left yelling “NOOOOOOO!” when The Box ended much too soon. I had grown to care about those 6 friends in just 30 short pages and I wanted to know more about their lives and how they were going to survive the apocalypse they accidently created. 

I am also hoping that more Newsflesh tales will be in the works. There is plenty of material that’s been left untouched that Grant could explore for her readers. She’s got a new trilogy that’s in the works and I look forward to reading those books when they become available but I hope she’s a little like Stephen King or Dean Koontz, who like to write several projects at a time. That way a new book set in this zombie apocalypse can come out sooner than later. 

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.