Inside these pages are visions of a deindustrial future. These stories are a different way of understanding our future, devoid of spaceships and interstellar travel and instead focusing on a future defined by natural limits, energy and resource depletion, industrial decline, climate change, and other consequences stemming from the reckless and shortsighted exploitation of our planet. These are imaginings of the ways that humans will adapt, survive, live, die, and thrive within this future. From a civilization 1,500 years from now whose religions stem from the Principia Discordia and a worship of commerce, to agricultural societies dealing with climate change and chaos, to ritualistic death by rising sea and the struggles of a small town doctor, these stories take a hard look at the destructive ways in which we are currently treating our ecosystems, consider the inevitable consequences, and map out the likely futures we are making for ourselves. The results, rooted firm right here on Earth, are fascinating and compelling.

Into the Ruins: Spring 2016

Science Fiction & Fantasy

McGuire, Catherine

whelKs, Tony f.

Caris, Joel

Bishop, G. Kay

Shamburger, J.

Scott, N. N.

Science Fiction

Figuration Press

In the second issue of Into the Ruins, we continue to explore the emerging sub-genre of deindustrial science fiction. John Michael Greer debuts a new column on the sub-genre while five new and compelling stories weave future scenarios devoid of spaceships and interstellar space travel and instead focus on a future defined by natural limits, energy and resource depletion, industrial decline, climate change, and other consequences stemming from the reckless and shortsighted exploitation of our planet—and the ways humans will adapt, survive, live, die, and thrive within such a future. These stories show a wide variety of possible futures for humanity, from a distant civilization that cycles through the same ebb and flow of peace and warfare we find littered throughout human history, to a melancholic meditation on our fast-changing world set in 2020 that feels eerily familiar to today; from a love story set in a less energy-intensive time, to a haunting encampment at the edge of dry and dusty ruins; and on again to an adventurous and amusing attempt to deliver a key new manuscript on the herbal treatment of spinal meningitis to a distant library. These stories inspire a wide range of emotions, from meditative reflection on the predicament of our times to delight at unexpected adventure—all while offering readers fascinating tales utterly different than what science fiction normally provides.

Into the Ruins: Summer 2016

Cummings, Jay

Buentello, Lawrence

Woods, Chloe

Hillyer, Bart

Into the Ruins returns with a new slate of fascinating and compelling stories exploring futures defined by natural limits, energy and resource depletion, industrial decline, climate change, and other consequences stemming from our shortsighted and reckless exploitation of our only world. These are the sort of futures, set right here on earth, that we’re likely to get, as opposed to shiny fantasies set amongst the stars. You’ll find within a fantastic new story from Jason Heppenstall in which a mysterious old man cultivates a garden on the dusty outskirts of a desert town, Catherine McGuire exploring one woman’s fight against cruelty and exploitation, a tale from Matthew Griffiths set in the world of John Michael Greer’s Star’s Reach, a meditative snapshot of our post-oil future from Ian O’Reilly, and a lovely new tale from Rachel White that captures the mythic dimensions of our future. Not to mention, a new “Deindustrial Futures Past” column from John Michael Greer, Justin Patrick Moore's survey of characters from James Howard Kunstler’s World Made By Hand series, and a thought-provoking, rollicking, filled-to-the-brim letters section.

Into the Ruins: Fall 2016

O'Reilly, Ian

Griffiths, Matthew

White, Rachel

Heppenstall, Jason

In this fourth issue of Into the Ruins, we explore futures near and far, all of them unique and dealing in their own ways with the fallout from fossil fuel exploitation and ecological destruction. In these stories, we see everyday people grappling with political chaos, economic contraction, the destruction wrought by rising seas, and the surprising cultural and social constructs found hundreds of years in the future. These stories bring us new visions of the future made far more enjoyable by their absence of the usual science fiction tropes. Instead of interstellar travel, we get an abandoned and dilapidated old church in the woods with a lively history of religion and scandal; communication and friendship between species; the search for a particular treasure in the flooded remains of a great American city; a Cardinal’s fascinating letter about surprise visitors from the sea; and a near future tale of social unrest that plays off the uncertain political mood of the day. Also included is a new column from John Michael Greer, reviews of deindustrial science fiction novels, and another thought-provoking letters section, making this an issue not to be missed.

Into the Ruins: Winter 2017

Walker, Ralph

Labonte, Jeanne

Bertram, Wilson

A naive, young government official arrives in an economically devastated midwest and soon finds himself entangled in a disturbing mystery. An expedition gone terribly wrong leads to the discovery of a hidden clan with surprising social arrangements born of disease, cruelty, experimentation, and physical pleasure. A bus ride across the deindustrialized Canadian countryside spurs a happy connection. Two men form an unlikely friendship as they work their way toward flight. And a village mentor discovers unexpected forms of darkness in her friends and neighbors, leading her to question herself and those around her. In this fifth issue of Into the Ruins, explorations of our deindustrial future take intriguing turns both dark and delightful. These visions—extraordinary at times, rooted in an utterly normal and yet still fascinating world at others—stretch the boundaries of our imagined future. At times mysterious and thrilling, this is a new type of science fiction, offering unknown worlds found right here on earth.

Into the Ruins: Spring 2017

Pangborn, Matthew

Harris, Wylie

Siebert, Dylan

A doctor journeys southwest from New York and finds a small community terrorized by religious fanatics. Two children follow a witch into the woods--and discover the dark secrets of the former nation they call home. A young woman chafes against the future lined out for her by others, then sets out in search of a very different kind of life. A man spends years monitoring a small river until one day a hard choice is forced upon him. And sudden, desperate visitors force the leaders of a small town to weigh a threat at the edge of their borders. In this sixth issue of Into the Ruins, journeys and revelations abound. Ordinary people caught up in the complex web of civilizational collapse must make hard decisions, determine who to trust, and open themselves to life-altering discoveries. They travel the land in hopes of finding new lives and helping those in need--and in the process, unveil the hard and complicated futures coming for us, beset with the consequences of our current society's destruction and excess.

Into the Ruins: Summer 2017

Sevcik, Al

Herbert, Alistair

Spivey, C.

Rippetoe, Rita

Anchorage has transformed itself into the newest boom town in America, growing recklessly fast but hiding dark secrets. Meanwhile, in Antarctica, a dramatically changed climate has revealed the world¿s newest frontier. A man travels through the treacherous swamps of Florida, searching out a place to start a new life, while another man fleeing from past deeds finds a strange welcome in a dusty church. Another traveler meets a sly stranger on the trail and soon finds himself in a battle of wits that could prove the difference between riches and misery.In this seventh issue of Into the Ruins, new worlds emerge from all corners of the globe, revealing the futures awaiting us on the far side of climate change and civilizational decline. These new worlds are neither apocalyptic nor dystopian, but instead a fascinating mix of new and old, well past many of the troubles of our times and struggling with new troubles of their own. These stories offer fascinating and fun futures while recognizing that human folly rings eternal.

Into the Ruins: Fall 2017

Bondoni, Gustavo

Stride, Daniel

Macrae, Damian

A seer tells a mad king his future under the threat of death. Two men isolated on a Northwest island work to re-establish contact with a devastated outside world. A powerful woman struggles with how to respond to the upcoming power shifts in both her society and home. And a man's life is changed after a chance encounter in the forest leads to an intense love affair. These are just a few of the stories found in this eighth issue of Into the Ruins, continuing our exploration of future worlds riven with the consequences of today's actions. These are worlds near and far in the future, uniquely their own, giving glimpses into the sort of realities we actually do face while making clear that the worlds of tomorrow are just as compelling and complicated as the world of today.

Into the Ruins: Winter 2018

Schofield, Holly

Moore, Justin Patrick

Bertelsen, Violet

Hayer, Greta

Cooke, KL

Friends old and new emerge in this issue of Into the Ruins. Alistair Herbert returns with a follow up to his story "The Change Year" from the Winter 2018 issue, diving deeper into a future in which men and women alternate societal control every twenty-five years-and revealing the secret that created the system in the first place. Jeanne Labonte brings us a new tale featuring Bishop Matteo, taking him on an adventure of danger, intrigue, and justice amongst the Kazakhs. Rita Rippetoe, meanwhile, puts us back on the road to Finx, showing us this time how Pedro came to the Sanctuary.New friends step off the pages of this issue, too. A hospital administrator in a hard future learns new ways to practice medicine, but struggles to accept them. A man travels by sea toward Tiger Cave Temple, hoping to recreate a trip he took in his youth and finding the experience very different in a future in which travel is not so quick. Finally, we take a trip to the moon- only to find that our future space adventures are not going well. Whether it's reacquainting yourself with old friends or meeting new ones, these stories aren't to be missed.

Into the Ruins: Spring 2018

England, David

Rollin, Hannes

This new issue of Into the Ruins brings with it surprises, new adventures, and at least one familiar landscape—all brought to us by writers old and new. Alistair Herbert returns one more time to the world of “The Change Year” and “Archive” to bring his triptych of the future to a close. Brian Koukol weaves us a delightful tale of the future in which the old world is brought back to life in a surprising way. Chloe Woods takes us to a light house at the edge of the sea and the dangerous visitors who come knocking, while Kyle E. Miller shows us a locked and frozen land of winter. Finally, in an exciting first for this magazine, John Michael Greer’s stellar deindustrial science fiction story, “Winter’s Tales,” is brought to vivid, visual life in comic form by Marcu Knoesen and Walt Barna. Couple these stories with a tight and compelling letters section and an essay from Hannes Rollin on what the role of religion, superstition, and magic should be in deindustrial science fiction, and you have yourself one of the more fascinating issues of Into the Ruins yet brought to life.

Into the Ruins: Summer 2018

GREER, John Michael

Miller, Kyle E

Knoesen, Marcu

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