Scan barcode
eldercrone's review against another edition
4.0
Still a favorite author. Some stories show their age, but most are timeless.
holaspis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Up till now the only things I knew about Ambrose Bierce was:
1) his death;
2) the number of the authors I loved who were influenced by his works.
I've picked this particular collection because of An Inhabitant of Carcosa, the only story I knew I wanted to read, but decided to read the rest as well.
As usual with short story collections, I had mixed reactions. My biggest problem was how many times he drops a promising line only to never follow up on the topic. What happened during this one character's forced years on the sea? We will never know. Was that woman a bigamist? We will never know. What do you mean that other character isn't sure what he saw anymore? That's all up to our imagination.
One reason I definitely recommend trying this collection: it's probably the best way to see in one tome how both modern horror and modern thriller was developing. Pretty much every story has a slightly different structure and storytelling method. Bierce experiments with narration styles, sometimes painting a scene in one way only to explain it as something different than he mad us expect. In that sense it's very interesting, even if the stories themselves aren't the best at times.
My surprising favorites were Moxon's Monster and The Damned Thing.
1) his death;
2) the number of the authors I loved who were influenced by his works.
I've picked this particular collection because of An Inhabitant of Carcosa, the only story I knew I wanted to read, but decided to read the rest as well.
As usual with short story collections, I had mixed reactions. My biggest problem was how many times he drops a promising line only to never follow up on the topic. What happened during this one character's forced years on the sea? We will never know. Was that woman a bigamist? We will never know. What do you mean that other character isn't sure what he saw anymore? That's all up to our imagination.
One reason I definitely recommend trying this collection: it's probably the best way to see in one tome how both modern horror and modern thriller was developing. Pretty much every story has a slightly different structure and storytelling method. Bierce experiments with narration styles, sometimes painting a scene in one way only to explain it as something different than he mad us expect. In that sense it's very interesting, even if the stories themselves aren't the best at times.
My surprising favorites were Moxon's Monster and The Damned Thing.
thewilyfilipino's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
darkskybooks's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.75
salmonite's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
logan4519's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0