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What Members Thought
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
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
Unloved underdogs sometimes get their just do in Karen Russell’s collection of short stories. A surreal landscape, the author takes us from vampires and giant caterpillars to re-incarnated horses and very human scarecrows. While not science fiction, it falls into a literary speculative fiction reminiscent of Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison. These creatures, pushed aside and downtrodden, that take center stage in these stories. You’ll read on hoping that, for once, the krill will eat the whale.
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It’s so hard to rate short story collections as a whole because I always love some stories and don’t care for others so 3 stars is my go-to rating. That said, favorites include: Vampire in the Lemon Grove, The Barn at the End of Our Term, and The New Veterans. Overall, a fun collection of weird and paranormal stories.
Vampires in the lemon grove, the opening story, is by far the best one. I also really liked The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979, and The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis. Proving Up was creepy, but ok. The Barn at the End of Our Term was silly. I loved Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating - "Go Team Krill!" Reeling for the Empire and The New Veterans are more thoughtful, heavier. All together, a wonderful collection of stories.
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This book was really frustrating. Echoing what many others have said, I think the author is a gifted writer with incredibly original and creative thoughts for story plots. But...none of them come to any conclusion! To invest time into reading what seems like a brilliant story only to have it putter out with no ending disappointed me a lot.
apparently my review didn't save. this was a pretty good collection of short stories overall.
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