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The Running of the Bulls

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There's what we know...and what we assume.

At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

32 pages, ebook

First published March 27, 2013

57 people want to read

About the author

Harry Turtledove

569 books1,987 followers
Dr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.

Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.

Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.

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5 stars
5 (10%)
4 stars
11 (22%)
3 stars
26 (52%)
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7 (14%)
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1 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
April 20, 2021
I want a brandy, and then another brandy, and then another brandy after that. Then I want to start drinking.

i don't love hemingway. i don't love harry turtledove. so how do YOU predict i would feel about a story by harry turtledove reimagining The Sun Also Rises, with...a twist?

well, in case you are someone who thinks four stars is a BAD rating, allow me to translate my rating and surprise you with the fact that i really liked it! i read this out of desperation—there was no new free tor shorty posted this week, so i had to go back into the archives to find one i hadn't read, and after searching for aaaages, i reluctantly chose this one. and since we're being honest, i totally chose it for the 'cover.'

which is outstanding, although somewhat misleading.

anyway, i'm certainly glad i reread The Sun Also Rises pretty recently. t-dove's homage hits all of the sparknotes plot points while also doing a slow striptease reveal of his version's MAJOR DIFFERENCES. cringe at all of the proper nouns, but the rest of it is surprisingly fun, with some sadtwinges w/r/t the almost.



read it for yourself here:

https://www.tor.com/2013/03/27/runnin...

come to my blog!!
Profile Image for Derek.
551 reviews100 followers
April 10, 2013
An interesting Hemingway-ish story about an Englishman (who isn't either English or a man), in a Europe that isn't Europe, going with his friends (who aren't, really) to Pamplona (ditto) to see the running of the bulls - which are of course, not bulls.

About the only things in the tale that are what they seem are the trout (I think) and the rat (I'm sure).

Profile Image for Kara Jackson.
431 reviews
April 21, 2021
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Maybe he never has seen bulls before. “He’s not a bad animal—not half bad, in fact,” I say. “He’s nothing special, though. Plenty bigger. Plenty meaner, too. They don’t have to be big to be mean, you know. They’re like people that way. Sometimes a mean one won’t just raise its crest at a train. Sometimes it will charge.”


“But one generation passes away and another generation comes along. This generation sticks its snout against the grindstone of work and never takes it away. That one plays instead. Or it marches off to war. Or it wanders aimlessly. There is one way to shape a lost generation, though not all who wander are lost.”


These are the two passages I liked in this short story that is inspired by “The Sun Also Rises”. I like Hemingway alright but he’s not my go to classic author so I quite surprised that I liked this short story and “The Sun Also Rises.” This short story is pretty easy to get through if you are looking for something short yet interesting to read.
Profile Image for Peter Tillman.
4,105 reviews491 followers
December 9, 2017
Tried this Hemingway pastiche & lost interest. DNF.

The usually-reliable Lois Tilton liked it, http://locusmag.com/2013/03/lois-tilt...

"Readers of these columns may have noticed that just about my highest term of approbation is “interesting”. The reason this is an interesting work is its potential for generating such critical speculation, largely because Hemingway’s book spawned so much critical analysis and different interpretations. But here’s where I have to observe the distinction between review and criticism and leave further lines of approach as an exercise for the reader."

Um. Tastes differ. Cool art, though.
Profile Image for James Aura.
Author 3 books87 followers
June 7, 2018
Turtledove's riff on Hemingway. One of his alternate histories that works. I enjoyed it but
found it had a bit of an unfinished feel.
Profile Image for Margaryta.
Author 6 books50 followers
April 30, 2014
I loved the cage abstractness of this tale. It allows itself to be read without assuming you know everything that's going on, and throwing in just the right number of details, like feathers on the bulls or tails in the people, to spark the reader's attention. Another strength is how developed the characters felt, although some more back story would have been beneficial.

The main point, however, is that the clever ideas which appeared throughout, the abstract thought about the definition of words and thought, were dulled at the end rather than expanding into a full fledged flame. I was left questioning the purpose of the story more than I would've liked, especially considering that I was sucked in and won over by the powerful atmosphere and realistic world building and character development.
Profile Image for M Sabet.
64 reviews7 followers
June 9, 2013
والا چه عرض کنم. من ترتلدوو رو به آلترنیتیو هیستوریاش میشناسم. انتظار بیش از این داشتم ازش. به نظرم داستان زوائد زیاد داشت. شاید بشه گفت نصفش زیادی بود، بدون این که در روند و تأثیرگذاری داستان پیش بره. و خب این طوری آدم میخوره تو ذوقش. وقتی داستان تموم شد، هرچند یه گره از ابتداش رو باز کرد، اما به کلی از اون فضا دور شده بود. گرهی که در بدنه داستان اجرایی نداشت و از اهمیت افتاده بود. خیلی آروم پیش رفت و انرژی چندانی نداشت در کل. در نتیجه من خواننده، با همون بی میلی داستان رو تموم کردم که از میانه ش پیش اومده بودم.
Profile Image for Pat Turner.
90 reviews
May 22, 2013
I never cared much for Hemingway, but this mash-up works surprisingly well. Of course it's alternate history.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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