Overall, this was an okay read, but nothing really stood out for me. If you enjoy dystopian stories with recurring themes around food scarcity and survival, give it a try. For me, it was hit or miss—some stories caught my interest, but most fell flat or felt like “telling” rather than “showing.”

 

Energy: Bleak. Acerbic. Lamenting. 

🐺 Growls Some of the stories felt underdeveloped or overly focused on commentary - the focus is post-apocalyptic “worst-case” scenarios, but the constant emphasis on what’s “lost” felt repetitive, and it made the overall collection feel like it was hitting me over the head with the theme instead of just letting the plots unfold and speak for themselves. 

🐕 Howls The majority either were too simplistic or too complex to fit in such a short length. Each story has different societal rules, technologies, and settings, but they’re often introduced with minimal explanation, making them confusing and difficult to follow. Some of these worlds felt so big that they needed more room to breathe—perhaps better suited to novellas or longer stories?

 

🐩 Tail Wags: Some stories were thought-provoking. 

 

Restaurant reviews. Protein synthesizer. Centrifuge. Smart glasses. Gum. Memories. Death. Hunger. 

 

Content Heads-Up: War (nuclear, mass death). Food insecurity. Financial insecurity. Natural disasters. Pregnancy. Dog abandonment. Death. Loss of loved ones. Climate/environmental collapse. Gun violence. 

 

Rep: Canadian. 

 

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Dundurn Press | Rare Machines and NetGalley