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What Members Thought

Donna
The eight stories in this collection are set in times and places ranging from frontier Nebraska to Imperial Japan; the characters range from teenagers to elderly vampires to former presidents who've been reborn as horses.

They all contain some degree of the fantastic, whether its a touch of magical realism, dystopic science fiction or supernatural horror. I was reminded often of the works of Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson, two of my favorites.

My favorites are "Reeling for the Empire," about yo
...more
Jess
Apr 17, 2013 rated it liked it
Some very fine fiction here, indeed, but I found some weak stories particularly weak. On the whole, though, these short stories made me remember how much I liked Swamplandia!, and I just couldn't bring myself to give this one the same number of stars as the other one. ...more
taeli
Apr 15, 2014 rated it liked it
finished 4/18/14

Ruth
Feb 09, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Five stars for sheer inventiveness, for stylistic diversity, for utterly masterful language. The imagery Russell invokes is unforgettable.
Laine
Feb 23, 2013 rated it really liked it
Yowzas, these are some dark and intriguing stories. I couldn't put it down, but I also wouldn't recommend reading it before bedtime. ...more
Elizabeth
The story about the factory slave/silkworm women alone makes the collection worth reading.
Maggie Downs
Oct 09, 2012 marked it as to-read
Tiffany
Dec 26, 2012 rated it really liked it
Joseph
Jan 09, 2013 marked it as to-read
Caitlin H
Feb 10, 2013 marked it as to-read
Janelle
Feb 15, 2013 marked it as to-read
Bethany
Mar 01, 2013 rated it liked it
Eunice
Mar 05, 2013 marked it as to-read
Julianne Dunn
Mar 13, 2013 marked it as to-read
Lisa
May 08, 2013 rated it did not like it
Aimee
Jun 08, 2013 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Jeanne Bufkin
Aug 03, 2013 marked it as to-read
Andrea Thatcher
Sep 01, 2013 rated it it was ok
Paloma
Dec 03, 2013 marked it as to-read
Lori
Feb 02, 2014 added it
Shelves: didnt-finish
Katie
Feb 18, 2014 marked it as to-read
Amy (folkpants)
Mar 02, 2014 rated it liked it
Rhiannon
Mar 23, 2014 rated it liked it
Shelves: short-stories
Ami
Mar 31, 2014 marked it as to-read
Natalie
Apr 14, 2014 marked it as to-read
Josh
Jun 02, 2015 marked it as to-read
Shelves: american-south
Carleen Huxley
Jan 04, 2016 marked it as to-read
Nicole Adrienne
Oct 07, 2016 marked it as to-read
Brooke Williams
Feb 16, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Alaina
Mar 27, 2017 rated it liked it