First published 2021
This collection gathers voices from across speculative fiction to examine a single question: when civilization collapses, what deserves rescue? The contributors include China Mieville, Emily St John Mandel, Charlie Jane Anders, and Ramsey Campbell, each offering their vision of humanity's final choices. These stories unfold in worlds where the familiar structures have crumbled, forcing characters to decide what fragments of culture, knowledge, or connection merit preservation. Some protagonists clutch books as buildings burn around them. Others abandon treasured possessions to carry forward something less tangible but more vital. The anthology moves between different catastrophes and different responses, but returns repeatedly to the moment of selection. Each writer approaches the central premise from their own angle, creating a chorus of perspectives on loss, priority, and hope. The collection asks readers to consider their own answer: faced with ultimate destruction, what would you choose to save?
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, speculative-fiction, apocalyptic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: choice, found-family
307 pages · Paperback · Titan Books