The Apocalypse-A-Day Desk Calendar

Name: The Apocalypse-A-Day Desk Calendar
Brand: Cemetery Dance Publications
Price: 30.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781587678738

✍️ Norman Prentiss

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$30.00

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A yearly calendar of apocalyptic flash fiction by Norman Prentiss.

Prentiss organizes this massive volume as a daily desk calendar, offering 365 distinct entries that range from humorous to unsettling. The text includes serialized stories like The Child Who Ended the World and explores topics such as the first computer virus. Each entry commemorates specific observances or historical moments with a twist of doom. The format invites readers to consume these bleak vignettes in small portions or all at once for immediate pleasure.

Key Themes

apocalyptic scenarios historical events sardonic advice column

Literary Context

Published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2023, this work sits within the tradition of horror and gothic fiction. It draws on American cultural touchstones like National Pig Day and famous literary figures such as Charles Dickens to frame its unique take on global destruction.

Difficulty

● Easy

Recommended For Fans Of

Shirley Jackson · Ray Bradbury · Stephen King

☣️

Apocalyptic

🏛 Cemetery Dance Publications 📅 2023 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781587678738

📝 Description: The Apocalypse-A-Day Desk Calendar

Norman Prentiss, a Bram Stoker Award winner, presents a unique collection of flash fiction in The Apocalypse-A-Day Desk Calendar. Each day of the year features a distinct scenario for the end of the world. The entries draw from holidays like Valentine’s Day and National Pig Day, as well as famous birthdays such as those of Robert Frost and Charles Dickens. Historical events including the sinking of the Titanic and the Great Chicago Fire also inspire these vignettes. The book contains over 170,000 words of stories, poems, and oddities. Readers will find serialized tales like The Hell of Food That Looks Like Other Food and The Exterminator’s Visit alongside shorter pieces. One entry reimagines the first golf game on the moon, while another adds apocalyptic results to the Milking of Elm Farm Ollie stunt. Occasional letters from a sardonic Dear Apocalypse advice column add variety to the format. This collection suits readers who enjoy dark humor and bizarre supernatural fiction. It may not appeal to those seeking traditional long-form narratives or straightforward horror without irony. The structure allows for sampling small doses of bleak content or binge-reading the entire year at once.

💎 Our verdict on The Apocalypse-A-Day Desk Calendar

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🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Norman Prentiss delivers a highly original collection that utilizes the desk calendar format to maximize impact. The book excels in its variety, offering serialized tales alongside standalone poems and oddities that range from humorous to deeply unsettling. It effectively recontextualizes familiar observances and historical moments through a lens of impending doom. This approach suits readers who enjoy dark humor and do not require straightforward horror without irony. While it may disappoint those seeking traditional narrative arcs, its compact structure provides immediate gratification. The inclusion of sardonic advice columns adds necessary tonal variety, preventing the bleakness from becoming monotonous.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who appreciate dark humor and bizarre supernatural fiction will find immense satisfaction in this volume. It offers a unique structural experience, allowing for the consumption of bleak vignettes in small doses or as a complete yearly binge. The text is ideal for those seeking irony over traditional long-form narratives, providing immediate pleasure through its diverse range of apocalyptic scenarios. By reimagining holidays and historical events with a twist of doom, it engages readers who enjoy finding the absurd in the catastrophic. It serves as a perfect gift for fans of compressed storytelling who want to explore the end of the world without committing to a dense novel.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Norman Prentiss delivers a highly original collection that utilizes the desk calendar format to maximize impact. The book excels in its variety, offering serialized tales alongside standalone poems and oddities that range from humorous to deeply unsettling. It effectively recontextualizes familiar observances and historical moments through a lens of impending doom. This approach suits readers who enjoy dark humor and do not require straightforward horror without irony. While it may disappoint those seeking traditional narrative arcs, its compact structure provides immediate gratification. The inclusion of sardonic advice columns adds necessary tonal variety, preventing the bleakness from becoming monotonous.