Sean’s Reviews > Stories > Status Update

'The Devil on the Staircase'. Quite liked this one. A bit sick of some of the themes and this sort of 'twist' but overall it read like a well crafted old tale (can't think of the right word- not quite a fable). I liked the language and writing style.

'The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon'. A bit beautiful, very real and somewhat mysterious. I liked it.

'Stories'. Started off dry and almost like an autobiography. I even considered skipping it. I think it was bit like a tax required to get me invested. It was good, overall. It's the sort of thing I think of when someone just says 'fiction', though perhaps higher in quality. Very real.

'Human Intelligence'. A nice and enjoyable sci fi story. Not much more to say. It wasn't particularly profound or unique but I liked it anyway. Rare to read a story that goes this well but isn't boring.

'Cult of the Nose'. I think I would've preferred if this was some conspiracy theory, cult thing the whole way through. I just prefer fantasy to crazy people. Disregarding that I could've done without the obvious summary of the story in the final paragraph.

'Parallel Lines'. Well rounded and decent. I liked it well enough.

'The Therapist'. Not written perfectly but definitely a good story. I liked the twists in the story (the murder came out of nowhere) and the length. I was initially thinking that the whole 'psychology' part seemed silly and would've been better if it was less based on something scientific. Maybe some more fleshed out alternate reality version. It ended up making sense in the story though.

'... urgently sipping her drink but not enjoying the hot liquid'. Sounds so weird. I think it's the use of 'hot liquid' instead of saying something like 'but not enjoying it'.

'Let the Past Begin'. Started well, but felt incomplete at the end. Even the last sentence feels more like a chapter break than the end of a story.

'A Life In Fictions'. Alright. Not particularly interesting or amazing. Hard to know if that reaction's just because I'm distracted by fixing my computer, though.