The End of the Word as We Know It: A Surreal, Comic Explanation for Today's World

Michael Sandels's unique, experimental short story collection, The End of the Word as We Know It, tells a story in a peculiar way. In essence, it begins with eight seemingly unrelated short stories, and then the last two stories combine them all, creating an existential novella of sorts. The End of the Word tells the story of humanity's journey from 1960 through 2020, and how we arrived at where we are now. In a work that took decades to write, Sandels inventively asks who or what is responsible for Earth's problems. Then this surreal comedy attempts to provide an allegorical answer. It is 1960. And as the human race struggles blindly onward, the discovery of a dark, new presence transforms the world and threatens all human life. Because all is not right on Earth. The planet has become mankind's worst nightmare. And in its long history, it had never before faced such a horrific threat. What needs to be done next is revealed in this surprising, twisting story collection, presented in such a truly unorthodox fashion, it's a little unlike any book you've read Experimental in nature, Sandels' book tests the boundaries of reality, and the written word. And as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance...who can save us from ourselves? Experience The End of the Word as We Know It You'll never quite look at things the same way again A uniquely engrossing read