AustLit

'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. This is not a happy place. As we steer the ship back to Earth’s orbit, you would be forgiven for thinking the planet was abandoned. Those plumes of smoke and the dark nights aren’t promising. But if you look a little closer you’ll see there are survivors... probably more than you’d expect.'

(Editorial, introduction)

'Attention all passengers - this is your Captain speaking!

'If you have been watching the news, you will know that the people of Earth are currently suffering through a pandemic known as “COVID-19.” For those of you who are not students of history, various worlds have experienced similar pandemics in the past such as the “Clone-Killing Nanovirus,’’ the “Great Plague of Middle Earth,” the “Shame” of Betelgeuse 5, and, of course, the always insidious “Cooties.”

'We here at Andromeda Spaceways take the health and wellbeing of our passengers very seriously and will be following the strict guidelines developed in the wake of the aforementioned pandemics in order to keep everyone safe throughout their journey.'

Source: Editorial (p.1).

Special issue of Andromeda Spaceways Magazine containing eleven apocalyptic stories by Sean Williams, released during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author describes the collection as the result of a request by editor Amy Gordon for 'a story or two that might gel with the times' (p.3).