"Last Day on Earth is a direct hit to the solar plexus that manages to be completely entertaining. The characters in this collection are both familiar and surprising, and the grace Puchner lends to their struggles and hopes is profound. That he also writes sentences, paragraphs, pages that are funny, propulsive and true is nearly annoying, but this kind of consummate skill can only result in gleeful admiration. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a collection more. There is not a false note in this book.”

– Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest

“Pushing the bounds of the Richter Scale, the nine stories in Last Day on Earth are going to shake up the story world."

– Adam Johnson, author of Fortune Smiles

“Eric Puchner is an alchemist who captures the joy and danger in everyday life and, with precision, humor, and empathy, turns these moments into gold. These stories allow us to look at our own lives more closely and with more courage and understanding--a poignant and unforgettable collection from a great storyteller.”

– Yiyun Li, author of Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life

"A skewed and fantastic vision of the world."

– Kirkus, STARRED review

"Ray Bradbury meets Tom Perrotta in this new collection which blends science fiction with all-too-real suburban horrors."

– Publishers Weekly

“Puchner deftly captures the nuances of human interactions, and while characters in the nine tales often stumble at the crossroads, there remains the hope that one day they may find the answers they seek.”

– Booklist

"Regardless of how modern our times might be, there's always a generation that's attempting to come of age in suburban America... these stories get right to the heart of what it feels like to be a not-quite adult."

– Newsweek

"Well-crafted... memorable portraits of suburban angst... a unique take on themes of family and belonging."

– Michael Magras, Houston Chronicle

"Puchner shows us the many complicated facets of family and domestic life, of adolescence, parenthood, and coming of age, through a variety of highly compelling lenses."

– Buzzfeed

“Puchner’s affecting collection explores the endings of things — relationships, childhood, the illusion that one is a morally upstanding person — as well as what endures for the sympathetic characters in these nine stories… top-notch realistic fiction, sensitive to the complexities of more or less ordinary lives.”

– Polly Rosenwaike, San Francisco Chronicle