This is a repackage of Countdown and Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box.

I was able to track down an uncorrected proof while I am waiting for my hardcover copy to arrive. There are two stories in here. The first is the novella Countdown that was available only in electronic form. This is from the Newsflesh series and is a prequel to the series but can be read at any point since I read it after reading the first two books.It was a nice background on how the this world came to be. The short story “Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box,” is not set in the Newsflesh universe but it certainly could be and how the story folds out it really is rather creepy. This story was also only available in eformat only. A tasty read about the beginnings of the end of the world. ( )

The larger piece of this volume, Countdown, is basically the origin story for the world of the Newsflesh trilogy. I like the series a lot, and I liked the novella enough to buy it in dead tree format so I'd have it handy. It's a well-constructed story that manages to have some real moments of tension even when you know some of the major beats and the larger outcome already.

The short story included with it is just brilliant. One of my favorite shorts in a while, and definitely pushed this over from "worth having Countdown in hardcover" to "worth owning in general." ( )