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44th out of 182 books
—
142 voters
Bible Stories for Adults
Morrow unabashedly delves into matters both sacred and secular in this collection of short stories buoyed by his deliciously irreverent wit. Among the dozen selections is the Nebula Award-winning “Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge.”
Contents:
Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge (1988)
Daughter Earth (1991)
Known but to God and Wilbur Hines (1991)
Bible Stori...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
February 28th 1996
by Mariner Books
(first published 1996)
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Bite-sized nuggets of blasphemy. The ideas were generally more interesting than the execution, as his style tends to be sort of choppy and uninspired. A few of the the stories stand out a little better than the others, such as a re-reading of "A Christmas Carol" condemning noblesse oblige, or one where God un-Babels humanity. Others, like ones about Lot or the Flood are just stupid, and the ideas relatively uninteresting to boot.
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Short fantasy stories, many of them reworkings of biblical or other classical stories, with very lefty atheist politics. Job challenges God to a rematch, a prostitute is accidentally saved from the Flood, Helen of Troy curtails the Trojan War, etc.
Some of the stories are really quite effective, but as a group they begin to take on an unpleasant tone of crowing. (I speak as someone who shares pretty much all of the political stances displayed here.) There's a lack of restraint that makes the rhet...more
Some of the stories are really quite effective, but as a group they begin to take on an unpleasant tone of crowing. (I speak as someone who shares pretty much all of the political stances displayed here.) There's a lack of restraint that makes the rhet...more
Nov 25, 2011
Mike
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
For those who like their fantasy and speculative fiction to come with a bite
Recommended to Mike by:
Howard Miller, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama: a rebel always with a cause
A former psychology professor of mine who has more PhDs than any man I know happens to be my next door neighbor. A voracious reader, particularly when it comes to science fiction and fantasy, "Uncle Howard" has continued to broaden my education with recommendations on a regular basis.
The Professor introduced me to James Morrow, lending me his copy of "The Last Witchfinder," which is shelved and reviewed elsewhere. I recommend it highly. The fact that one of the main characters in TLW is Isaac Ne...more
The Professor introduced me to James Morrow, lending me his copy of "The Last Witchfinder," which is shelved and reviewed elsewhere. I recommend it highly. The fact that one of the main characters in TLW is Isaac Ne...more
This book wasn't as wryly amusing as I had thought it would be, though certianly some of the stories are very clever. There is one that I particularly liked, however. Actually, there are two, I discover as I trawl through to the find one I thought "I liked that!" about.
The Assemblage of Kristin has a punchy beginning and some nice surprises along the way - a very funny take (and I can't say on what (except I can say it's a possibly controversial subject), otherwise I'd spoil it).
Arms and the Wom...more
The Assemblage of Kristin has a punchy beginning and some nice surprises along the way - a very funny take (and I can't say on what (except I can say it's a possibly controversial subject), otherwise I'd spoil it).
Arms and the Wom...more
I would probably give this book two-and-a-half stars, but GoodReads does not offer that option. The reason is that I found the quality of the stories to be variable. A couple of them were very good, but others sort of dragged and did not seem very substantial at all. Out of the bunch, the one about the androids believing in evolution was probably the best one. It looked at a relevant topic, had a nice take on it, and it had a touch of humor. "Daughter Earth" was poignant and moving; I think many...more
two stories stand out: the family that gives birth to a planetary globe that emulates human history (ending with a near-utopian glimpse of the world utterly sold out to environmental protection because of the authors recounting of the episode in his little newsletter...oohhhhhkay), and the Abe Lincoln story, in which Abe tries Burger King and sees an America not forever altered by the Emancipation Proclamation, witnessing the legal homicide of a Massachusetts golfers slave, right on the golf cou...more
Sep 14, 2007
Tracey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those willing to question (and occasionally skewer) commonly-held beliefs
Picked up Bible Stories for Adults at Half-Price Books a few months ago ... I'd read two novels by James Morrow (Towing Jehovah & Blameless in Abbadon) and wanted to see how he did with short stories.
I was not disappointed. Morrow's work certainly isn't to everyone's taste - an interest in satire and a healthy skepticism regarding religion and morality are key, as well as an interest in speculative fiction. There is some dark humour to be found (tho I don't know if I'd say "cheerfully blasp...more
I was not disappointed. Morrow's work certainly isn't to everyone's taste - an interest in satire and a healthy skepticism regarding religion and morality are key, as well as an interest in speculative fiction. There is some dark humour to be found (tho I don't know if I'd say "cheerfully blasp...more
I can't believe no one else named my favorite story - Diary of a Mad Deity! I wouldn't call the stories uneven in quality; they're all just fine, interesting, but not stellar. Until you get to that story, the second to last one. In that one, his style of writing and the ideas flow together perfectly and it all just works. Maybe it's not a Bible Story exactly, but it still worked for the theme of the book.
Dec 13, 2008
Mark
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sf-fantasy,
short-fiction
I read a lot of short fiction and even when it'a writer I really like, it can be hard to maintain a constant high level of quality. This is one the best, most thought provoking collection of stories I have ever read. It should be required reading in all high schools (although it would probably give the censors a brain aneurysm).
Aug 06, 2011
Matthew
added it
Excellent, thought provoking and imaginative. Small bite sized chunks of wit, wisdom and sarcasm. My favorite was the trump Tower as stand in for the Tower of Babel, although the Darwin- worshiping robot culture was a close second.
I have enjoyed several books by James Morrow. However, I don't feel that way about this one. Last night I read two of the stories in this collection (out of sequence, but still), and both included graphic rape scenes. I've decided that this isn't really what I want to be reading right now.
wry re-tellings. cynical but clever
short stories witha sense of humor
Yay Bibical fiction.
Hahahaahahhaaaa!! Not every story is, strictly speaking, connected to the Bible or even Judeo-Christian-Islamic mythology, but some great satire here. Loved the final story where Helen finds out that the Trojan War is being fought over her. (This is toward the end of the war, when she's no longer so young and pixie-ish.) Great fun.
Jun 27, 2007
Shane
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Frederic Brown
Shelves:
readin2007
This was a pretty cool collection. Morrow has some very original/quirky ideas and most of the time he pulls them off. Some of them are on the absurd side and remind me of Frederic Brown. My favorites were -No. 31: The Covenant- and -No. 46: The Soap Opera-.
An amusing short story anthology, largely inspired from a literal reading of the Bible, but also philosophical ironies in general. A quick and entertaining read, but not lacking in erudition and research. Heavily sci fi influenced.
Stories that riff on bible stories? Yes, please. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing. Morrow is a little dark even for me, though.
a collection of short stories. GOOD. very clever. and some good themes. might make you look at your bible a little differently
Excellent collection of short stories, particularly if you have a background in theology and religious studies.
a very entertaining and original mix of religious and psychologically themed short-stories. i hardly put it down.
These should have been in the bible.
Jun 03, 2013
Daniel Aspirot
marked it as to-read
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