by Ray Nayler
First published 2023
The protagonist works as a resilience worker in a world that never stops collapsing. Each day brings new crises, new emergencies, new reasons to believe that this time might be the final breakdown. The worker has learned hard lessons about survival and adaptation, but knowledge offers no protection when catastrophe strikes without warning. Every person remains vulnerable, no matter their experience or expertise. The job demands constant vigilance in a reality where safety is always temporary and disaster is always imminent. The worker must navigate this endless cycle of near-apocalypse while confronting a fundamental truth: even those trained to help others survive cannot guarantee their own protection. The story explores what it means to keep working when the world refuses to stop ending.
Genres: dystopia, contemporary, 21st-century, apocalyptic
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, gritty
21 pages · Kindle Edition · Tor Books
Content warnings: anxiety, depression