This was depressing and I wasn’t able to bring myself to make it all the way through, so it’s a DNF for me. Maybe I missed something great in the end but I didn’t feel like it was worth it to read on.

Loved it! Heavy content so it took a while to get through which knocked it down to a 4 for me personally. A lot of thought provoking content. Potentially not for those with existential anxiety,

really enjoyed this one and cant wait to read more by this author! im such a fan of short stories and i think these ones offered a lot of interesting ideas and themes.

I usually love short story collections, but this one was confusing and downright depressing. Most of the stories connect to the other stories, which I don't really enjoy. I like when the stories are separate from each other. I don't like when characters overlap into other stories. Just wasn't my cup of tea, even though I love this genre.

A speculative fiction collection that looks for hope in our current climate crisis, The Last Catastrophe is easily devoured but should be savored as along as possible.

The standout for me and the story I continue to think about is Afterglow. I thought it was such a beautiful allegory for how we try and consume and keep nature for ourselves instead of just enjoying and caring for it.

Zoo Suicides and Colonel Merryweather's Intergalatic Finishing School for Ladies of Grace & Good Nature are also in my top five.

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

SUCH a fun addition to the genre of cli-fi. A great story of found family, finding hope in impossible situations, and resiliency. I love the way that Allegra Hyde described the "global weirding." A very whacky, enjoyable ride about a tough topic. Highly recommend.

These are stories about navigating family, friendship, and community in a world reshaped by the impact of climate change and technology.  Some of the stories are set in the near future; others seem set further out in time -- although one of the effective tools of this collection is that it is never quite clear just where in time the story is occuring.  And the stories explore how individuals have adapted to a reshaped world, and the ways their behaviors and actions are fundamentally different from what one may expect in the current world and the ways they are familiar.

Several of the stories explore the intersection between technology and wealth, including one about a new technology that allows wealthy people to borrow the outward appearances of younger people on "consignment" to maintain their youth and another about a shopping algorithm becoming increasingly assertive.  Others pose interesting ideas such as the concept of "foster husbands" and the unusual potential futures of zoos.

This story collection is engaging and always thought-provoking.  A common theme throughout many of the stories is how individuals respond to disruptions and displacement -- and the principles that individuals turn to when they seek to rebuild communities in the aftermath.  One particularly powerful story is about a young woman resisting an arranged marriage aboard a spaceship seeking out a new habitat by bonding with the ship's AI, and what she learns about how the world the ship's leaders seek to build relates to the world they and she left behind.  Another powerful story is the final one in the book, which describes a planned community of individuals seeking refuge from a world reshaped by efforts to address food shortages.  I really enjoyed the author's novel Eleutheria, and this was a terrific follow-up that explored many of the same themes in new and creative ways.

Strongly recommended!

A stunning collection of short stories proposing alternate futures for our world and the effects of climate change. Sensitive and poignant, these are well worth the read.

In a world reshaped by the impacts of climate change, this story collection examines how individuals and communities respond to these changes. From people building a community of RVs as they travel across a changed country, to those seeking to save disappearing animals, to even the world of ghosts encountering disruptions, these stories pose thoughtful questions about how societies may respond and reshape to a rapidly changing world and what that will mean for the day-to-day lives of individuals.

Highly recommended!

The Last Catastrophe was a book that innervated me with interest based off its premise. A book that tackles our future. Using a collection of short stories as a vehicle for exploring the weird, wacky, and wild possibilities that could await us. Certain parts left me bereft of speech. Others made me furrow my brows in understanding. Some even left me in bunches laughing from the sheer insanity of it.
When I finished this book however, I was once again left bereft of speech. All I could do was stare at it. It’s a book that require a bit of digestion, you could say. It’s ending, and truly all of the stories ending, are hard to move on from. And that is what I love about this book. Some of these stories are ridiculous. A lot of them are actually. Yet it is rooted in something terribly real.
A technology detox center is something that will probably become more prominent in the future, one would imagine. So we have this realistic root and then the story shoots off in absolutely insane ways, and all you can do is be gripped by it.
The uniqueness of the prose from story to story also keeps you gripped to it. Each story felt distinct in their own way. I’ve read short story books written by the same author that sort of become redundant by the end, as the prose doesn’t shift for each story, for each character. This book suffers not from that. Some changes are more subtle than others, but it fits the respective story very well.
I’ll keep this review short and light on spoilers and leave it at this. This book, however weird, wild, wacky it may be, gives a realistic and haunting view on society. And all I could do is sit by and watch, watching all of this unfold. Happy to give this book 4.5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this short story collection. I appreciate the climate fiction, but also some humor in the stories. They were well-written and kept me engaged.

I have been eager to read more speculative novels and stories and this short story collection offers the of them. Committing to an entire novel that may include world building can be very daunting, but dipping your toe in the waters in short stories is such a great introduction. Excellent

This is a charming collection about hope in the face of catastrophe. Many of the stories were funny and strange in a spine-tingling way. I'm happy to see that climate fiction is becoming more prevalent with mainstream publishers.

This book isn’t for me. It read as pretentious and I am not a fan of anthologies. The premise of the book is compelling but the execution did not hook me in.

This collection of short stories is bold and brave and not afraid to throw everything at you.
You will scratch your head a few times, but not enough to deter you from finishing it.
Quite interesting takes on humanity and the effects of climate control.
I had fun with this one.

I really, really enjoyed this short story collection. I don't tend to go for speculative or climate fiction as a natural impulse, but these stories really blew me away and made me want to read way more stuff like it. The author has a strong voice and great narrative control, so each piece really felt like an immersive and unique experience; it was refreshing not to feel like I was experiencing different characters all through the same "writer voice" as sometimes happens in (even great) collections. This writer is clearly talented and each page was a delight. I especially enjoyed LeAnn's story (with the digital addiction facility) but all are fantastic.