Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep

26 short stories from the new wave of Swedish speculative fiction writers.

Forget about cheap furniture, meatballs and crime fiction. Sweden has so much more to offer. Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep contains twenty-six stories from the new generation of Swedish writers of science fiction and the fantastic. Stories ranging from space horror and post-apocalyptic nightmares to tender dramas. Stories with steampunk horses, android uprisings and cheeky goblins. Stories that are action-packed, wise, silly, beautiful, surreal and horrifying.

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What people are saying about the book

”Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep is – without any kind of doubt – one of the best and most impressive speculative fiction anthologies of the year.”
Risingshadow.net

”This is a wonderful glimpse into work by authors that aren’t easily accessible in the US, and is well worth the read.”
Portland Book Review

”While the dystopian future is a common theme with a few of the stories, there are many others on diverse and unusual subjects, some short, some long, providing a great smorgasbord (sorry, I had to) of stories for interested readers.”
Manhattan Book Review

”The breadth of this anthology is impressive”
Analog

”… a strong collection of stories.”
Tangent

”’Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep’ is a fine and varied selection of speculative fiction from Sweden. … Western readers will find much here that is familiar, but also enough to give a glimpse of a different cultural perspective, one that is much more female-friendly than the Anglo norm.”
Sci-fi Romance Quarterly

”This book is so much more than just an anthology. It was an experience. So many different stories, so many unique concepts and such amazing writing styles.”
The Reading Bud

”If you want to see a slightly dark look at some real talent out of Sweden, pick up a copy. The stories have been perfectly translated. You may even find the a Sci-Fi version of Stieg Larsson in the mix.”
NewMyths.com

”… worth while reading, well written and entertaining”
The Future Fire

”… a good collection of stories covering quite a wide range of subjects, with Swedish authors being the thread that binds them together. Whatever your taste there will be something to grab your interest in here.”
SFcrowsnest

”This is the best anthology I have read in a long while.”
SFReader.com

”There are some gems hidden amongst the chaff for sure, but I can’t help but feel that, overall, Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep was a wasted opportunity to show what could have been a uniquely Swedish take on its chosen tropes.”
Strange Horizons

”This anthology is jam packed with 26 stories, so there’s likely to be something for everyone among them.”
Mad Scientist Journal

”Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep isn’t a light-hearted read, for the most part. But take it to the beach, and while you’re chased by the evil cloud creature, getting your brain drained by androids, look up from the pages at the squealing children and sunshine and smile.”
Bewildering Stories

”Totally unfamiliar with the authors, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but thought the adventure would be fun. It was. By the time I was half-way through the second story, The Rats, I was hooked. If they could keep the momentum up, it would be a 5 Star book. They could, and they did. And I was already telling friends to buy the book.”
Rainy Days Read

”You’ll get a good dose of speculative fiction in this book. You’ll find some new authors to follow. That’s the best thing an anthology can do.”
Joe Crowe, RevolutionSF/Goodreads

”Wow. Just wow. One of the best short story collections I’ve ever read!”
Tikvan, Goodreads

”Brilliantly written with interesting characters, plots, and sub plots, I recommend this anthology to any science fiction or fantasy lover.”
bridgeovertroubledH2O, Amazon.com

”This is a darned fine collection of thought provoking short stories”
J. Tant, Amazon.com

”All in all a highly recommended book if you’re not afraid of dark, slightly twisted and unexpected stories.”
HoneyBadger, Amazon.com

”It’s a compelling set of stories and anyone looking for a collection of SF should take a look.”
The E, Goodreads

Links to reviews

Interviews: Dark Matter Zine | New Books in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Stories

”Melody of the Yellow Bard” – Hans Olsson
”The Rats” – Boel Bermann
”Getting to the End” – Erik Odeldahl
”Vegatropolis – City of the Beautiful” – Ingrid Remvall
”Jump to the Left, Jump to the Right” – Love Kölle
”The Order of Things” – Lupina Ojala
”To Preserve Humankind” – Christina Nordlander
”The Thirteenth Tower” – Pia Lindestrand
”Punch Card Horses” – Jonas Larsson
”The Philosopher’s Stone” – Tora Greve
”A Sense of Foul Play” – Andrew Coulthard
”Waste of Time” – Alexandra Nero
”The Damien Factor” – Johannes Pinter
”Wishmaster” – Andrea Grave-Müller
”Quadrillennium” – AR Yngve
”Mission Accomplished” – My Bergström
”The Road” – Anders Blixt
”Lost and Found” – Maria Haskins
”The Publisher’s Reader” – Patrik Centerwall
”Stories from the Box” – Björn Engström
”The Membranes in the Centering Horn” – KG Johansson
”One Last Kiss Goodbye” – Oskar Källner
”The Mirror Talks” – Sara Kopljar
”Keep Fighting Until the Machines Fall Asleep” – Eva Holmquist
”Outpost Eleven” – Markus Sköld
”Messiah” – Anna Jakobsson Lund

Free e-book sampler

Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep [Free sampler]

The free e-book features two stories from the book, as well as one bonus story exclusive to the sampler.

”Punch Card Horses” – Jonas Larsson
”Vegatropolis – City of the Beautiful” – Ingrid Remvall
Bonus story: ”The White Ones” – Boel Bermann

Get it: epub direct download | pdf direct download | Goodreads | Google Play Books

Product details

Title: Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep
Edited by: Peter Öberg
Cover illustration: Andreas Raninger
Publisher: Affront Publishing
Genre: Science fiction, speculative fiction, anthology, short stories
Language: English
Paperback: 324 pages, 5.25″ x 8″
Publishing date: May 6, 2015
Suggested retail price: 14.90 USD (e-book 3.90 USD)
ISBN: 978-91-87585-31-9
ISBN (e-book): 978-91-87585-34-0
ISBN (print edition, Sweden): 978-91-87585-30-2
ISBN (e-book, Sweden): 978-91-87585-32-6
© The authors
Proofreading and additional copy editing: Karlie DeMarse, Katarina Öberg, Andrew Coulthard, Jeannie Matthews, Emily Moser and Melissa Manes