THE END OF YOUR WORLD? These twelve tales from critically-acclaimed author Michael Warren Lucas remind us that doom is always personal. Genes gone wild, or not wild enough. Cosmic heroes demanding you show them to a bank robbery, or else. Learning after a lifetime that your love is named chocolate, and chasing it no matter the cost. Discovering that your cozy desk job might get you killed, that one of your coworkers is a murderer, or the Faerie Queen wants your pelt. Apocalypse is loathed liberation, shredded innocence, or blowing up your own life to clasp a gaunt hope of love. A dozen different dooms await you. Some of them are delicious. (Includes Drums with Delusions of Godhood, Waking Up Yesterday, Forced to Talk, Like, With Your Mouth, Moonlight’s Apples, Easing Final Fears, Wifi and Romex, Shoot Through the Heart, Calling Control, Easy, Step-by-Step Preparation, Yesterday’s Girl, and Forbidden Taste.)

"Virginie Despentes's Apocalypse Baby kept me up several nights in a row—in part because it's a terrific page-turner, and in part because I was anxious to see how Despentes would sustain her narrative ride. Apocalypse Baby is more than a compelling punk, queerish spin on the noir genre. It is a choral performance that tumbles its readers into the heart of violent spectacle, with all its attendant grief, unease, and unclarity."—Maggie Nelson, author of The Argonauts Apocalypse Baby is a smart, fast-paced mystery about a missing adolescent girl traveling through Paris and Barcelona. She is tailed by two mismatched private investigators: the Hyena, part ruthless interrogator, part oversexed rock star, and Lucie, her plain and passive—almost to the point of invisible—sidekick. As their desperate search unfolds, they interrogate a suspicious cast of characters, and the dark heart of contemporary youth culture is exposed.

DAWN OF THE APOCALYPSE gathers the pinnacle of speculative fiction to explore end times across diverse landscapes, from the desolate to the dystopian. It stitches a rich tapestry of literary approaches, ranging from the classic gothic horror of Edgar Allan Poe to the socio-political dystopias envisioned by Ayn Rand and H.G. Wells, and the unique utopian perspective of Edward Bellamy. The anthology thrives on its variety, not just in the cataclysmic events it portrays but also in the myriad ways these events are perceived and interpreted by its characters. Key pieces within this collection stand as milestones in the science fiction genre, framing apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives as lenses through which we critique and comprehend contemporary societal fears. The authors, both pioneers, and craftsmen of their time, come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, each contributing to the anthology's overarching theme with their unique flavor of apocalypse. These writers are not just storytellers but visionaries who collectively paint a multifaceted picture of humanity at the brink. They belonged to and were influenced by a range of historical, cultural, and literary movements, from the romanticism and transcendentalism of the 19th century to the early 20th century's modernism and the budding science fiction genre. Their combined works offer a historical capsule of societal anxieties and hopes, reflecting on themes of human resilience, the abuse of technology, and the moral dilemmas of progress. DAWN OF THE APOCALYPSE is an essential collection for readers eager to dive into the depths of human imagination faced with its own end. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to traverse the vast landscapes of apocalyptic fiction through the eyes of some of the most influential authors in literary history. This anthology not only serves as an academic goldmine for those studying the evolution of speculative fiction and its impact on society but also provides a timeless reflection on humanity's perennial concerns with its own survival and legacy. Readers are invited to witness the end of worlds not just as an exercise in literary exploration but as a mirror to our collective psyche across generations.

Dans sa deuxieme epitre aux Corinthiens, l'apotre Paul mentionne qu'autrefois il a ete ravi aux cieux, sans donner de details. Cette breve allusion a une ascension celeste a suscite la curiosite de generations de lecteurs, et quelques-uns d'entre eux, voulant combler les lacunes du texte paulien, ont invente leurs propres recits de ce qui s'est passe pendant ce voyage celeste. Un de ces recits, la Visio sancti Pauli, a connu une grande fortune dans l'antiquite tardive et au Moyen-age, et a exerce une influence considerable sur la creation de la Divine comedie de Dante. Il existe d'autres recits analogues, parmi lesquels se trouve l'Apocalypse de Paul conservee dans une version copte, et d'origine gnostique, recit beaucoup plus obscur que la Visio, mais tout aussi fascinant. Son auteur utilise de facon pleinement consciente, la tradition judeo-chretienne des apocalypses d'ascension, une tradition constituee de textes qui racontent l'ascension aux cieux d'un visionnaire. L'Apocalypse de Paul se sert des motifs de cette tradition pour construire son propre recit. La seule copie de cette Apocalypse de Paul qui nous soit parvenue se trouve dans le cinquieme codex de la bibliotheque de Nag Hammadi. D'une importance considerable pour quiconque s'interesse aux ecrits pauliniens ou apocalyptiques, ce texte possede en lui-meme un charme certain. Le present volume contient une nouvelle edition du texte copte, accompagnee d'une traduction francaise, d'une ample introduction, d'un commentaire exhaustif, redige en anglais, et d'index copte et greco-copte; il offre l'analyse la plus complete a ce jour de cet ecrit. L'auteur de commentaire propose de voir dans l'Apocalypse de Paul un ouvrage de propagande valentinien, redige pour convaincre ses lecteurs de la domination du dieu createur, alors que l'auteur de l'introduction adopte un point de vue different.

"This book investigates the various ways that ancient Greek and Roman authors envisioned the end of the world and the role they gave to global catastrophes, both past and future, in shaping human history"--