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That Old Country Music
Book
Since his landmark debut collection, There Are Little Kingdoms, and its award-winning sequel in...
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Explorations: First Contact (Explorations #2) in Books
Nov 13, 2019
Science Fiction has always been at home with the short story. The science fiction magazines from the mid 20th Century onwards was frequently the only way of writers to get their work published. As a bonus the concept of science fiction - taking an idea and seeing where it goes - is a really nice fit for short stories.
This collection is more than just a selection of tales from up and coming science fiction writers; all the stories are set in the same universe and are in some way on the theme of first contact. The introduction sets this up, with a damaged alien ship discovered on the moon. It is able to transmit details of nearby inhabited star systems - and a terrible warning about a dangerous foe - before it shuts down. Mankind learns all it can from the message and the wreckage before setting out for the stars.
Each story then follows the fate of the mission to one of the star systems. This is the point where any similarity in stories ends as each writer brings their own style and ideas for their contribution (although there are some neat nods to the other stories now and again). The result is a satisfying mix of different ideas but all within a consistant whole.
That's not to say that every story hit the spot for me, but that's inevitable given the range of authors here, but every story was interesting to read. There are also the occasional one that felt a little rushed, the idea either too big for a short story, or too many ideas vying for the limited word count. But these are minor niggles and the standard of all the stories is very high.
Overall a really good collection showcasing the talents of current science fiction writers. If you like interesting ideas and gripping stories about aliens and space exploration you won't be disappointed.
This collection is more than just a selection of tales from up and coming science fiction writers; all the stories are set in the same universe and are in some way on the theme of first contact. The introduction sets this up, with a damaged alien ship discovered on the moon. It is able to transmit details of nearby inhabited star systems - and a terrible warning about a dangerous foe - before it shuts down. Mankind learns all it can from the message and the wreckage before setting out for the stars.
Each story then follows the fate of the mission to one of the star systems. This is the point where any similarity in stories ends as each writer brings their own style and ideas for their contribution (although there are some neat nods to the other stories now and again). The result is a satisfying mix of different ideas but all within a consistant whole.
That's not to say that every story hit the spot for me, but that's inevitable given the range of authors here, but every story was interesting to read. There are also the occasional one that felt a little rushed, the idea either too big for a short story, or too many ideas vying for the limited word count. But these are minor niggles and the standard of all the stories is very high.
Overall a really good collection showcasing the talents of current science fiction writers. If you like interesting ideas and gripping stories about aliens and space exploration you won't be disappointed.
Jamie (131 KP) rated The Bazaar of Bad Dreams in Books
Aug 15, 2017
Author commentary (2 more)
Plenty of dark humor
The handful of good stories were really great
Much of the collection simply fell flat (1 more)
Mix of genres was sometimes disjointing
An underwhelming collection from the King
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams is a large collection of novellas and short stories that include a wide variety of genres. Each time I turned the page to the next story it would be kind of a wild card and I never knew what to expect which was both good and bad. While it was nice that the variety keeps things fresh, it also made the collection feel disorganized. The stories in the anthology don’t fit any particular theme, instead they just seemed like odds and ends thrown into a master volume. This will probably not be a big deal to many, but for me it just broke the flow.
On a more positive note, one of my favorite aspects of King’s writing is the incredibly dark humor that is present in much of his work. I think the addition of comedy helps to break some of the tension from the otherwise horrific stories and I found myself chuckling several times while reading. The anecdotes before each story were fun to read and gave some interesting insight into King’s writing processes and the things that inspire him. These personal little notes were one of the major highlights of the collection since it serves as a way of connecting the reader to the writer. King to me just has a likable voice and I enjoy reading or listening to his talks.
My favorite story out of the entire collection was no contest, there was one story that stood out to me more than the others: Under the Weather. The short is just so well paced and filled me with so much dread from start to finish that I was in awe. It really showcased King’s mastery of the technical aspects of writing and how to build tension and suspense. Other notable stories were Mile 81, Batman and Robin Have an Altercation, The Dune, Under the Weather, The Little Green God of Agony, and Summer Thunder.
Despite all of my praise, it was difficult for me to decide how I wanted to rate this collection. The stories are decent, there are even a few really good ones in the collection, but overall it was nowhere near King’s best. When I closed the book I felt relieved to finally be done, which is not the best feeling to have after finishing a book. Many of the stories seemed to be either love or hate to me and so it was really a mixed bag. Even after I’d finish a story I enjoyed and put the book down for the night, I’d find that I had no motivation to pick the book back up again the next day. Because of this I ended up taking a full month to read this collection which is slower than my average. I had actually been thinking of rating this book lower but the strong final stories drove me to push my rating up a little higher.
On a more positive note, one of my favorite aspects of King’s writing is the incredibly dark humor that is present in much of his work. I think the addition of comedy helps to break some of the tension from the otherwise horrific stories and I found myself chuckling several times while reading. The anecdotes before each story were fun to read and gave some interesting insight into King’s writing processes and the things that inspire him. These personal little notes were one of the major highlights of the collection since it serves as a way of connecting the reader to the writer. King to me just has a likable voice and I enjoy reading or listening to his talks.
My favorite story out of the entire collection was no contest, there was one story that stood out to me more than the others: Under the Weather. The short is just so well paced and filled me with so much dread from start to finish that I was in awe. It really showcased King’s mastery of the technical aspects of writing and how to build tension and suspense. Other notable stories were Mile 81, Batman and Robin Have an Altercation, The Dune, Under the Weather, The Little Green God of Agony, and Summer Thunder.
Despite all of my praise, it was difficult for me to decide how I wanted to rate this collection. The stories are decent, there are even a few really good ones in the collection, but overall it was nowhere near King’s best. When I closed the book I felt relieved to finally be done, which is not the best feeling to have after finishing a book. Many of the stories seemed to be either love or hate to me and so it was really a mixed bag. Even after I’d finish a story I enjoyed and put the book down for the night, I’d find that I had no motivation to pick the book back up again the next day. Because of this I ended up taking a full month to read this collection which is slower than my average. I had actually been thinking of rating this book lower but the strong final stories drove me to push my rating up a little higher.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated David Sedaris Diaries: A Visual Compendium in Books
Apr 27, 2018
David Sedaris—Live for your listening pleasure (Audio)
Genre: Radio show
Rating: 4/5
David Sedaris tells story after humorous story, always pulling laughs from his audience (the audio recording is live). This short collection of memoir-esque stories will keep you laughing the whole way through.
The recording features four stories and several diary entries that are sure to have you grinning at the least and crying from laughing at the most.
Content: There was some mild language and some sexual references. Not for the easily offended.
Recommendation: Ages 18+ to anyone who enjoys radio shows, comedy, or just needs a good laugh and a break from reality.
**Thank you to Anna from Hachette Audio for providing my review copy!**
Genre: Radio show
Rating: 4/5
David Sedaris tells story after humorous story, always pulling laughs from his audience (the audio recording is live). This short collection of memoir-esque stories will keep you laughing the whole way through.
The recording features four stories and several diary entries that are sure to have you grinning at the least and crying from laughing at the most.
Content: There was some mild language and some sexual references. Not for the easily offended.
Recommendation: Ages 18+ to anyone who enjoys radio shows, comedy, or just needs a good laugh and a break from reality.
**Thank you to Anna from Hachette Audio for providing my review copy!**
The Witness for the Prosecution: And Other Stories
Book
Agatha Christie's classic short story collection, published to tie-in with a new BBC TV adaptation...
Versusyours (757 KP) rated Tales of Halloween (2015) in Movies
Nov 4, 2019 (Updated Nov 4, 2019)
A varied range of stories with differing degrees of success. There are 10 tales that cover the range of horror from urban legends, comedy, gore, Grimm fairy tales and many othe horror tropes. As with most anthologies the stories are short and sharp with the plot of each story being apparent quite quickly and there are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing.
There is enough in the collection to make you look out at the dark corners of your room a little bit more nervously and I will never look at a pumpkin the same way again.
There is enough in the collection to make you look out at the dark corners of your room a little bit more nervously and I will never look at a pumpkin the same way again.
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories
8.0
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Book
Vengeful ghosts, ravenous rats, gypsy curses, and the walking dead await you in Dracula's Guest &...
The Lottery and Other Stories
8.0
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Book
This is the definitive collection of Shirley Jackson's short stories, including 'The Lottery' - one...
Short Stories For Kids
Education and Games
App
Five fun short stories for kids are there in this interactive audio storybook app. With sounds,...
The Complete Short Stories: Volume 1 (The Complete Short Stories #1)
Book
First in a two volume collection of short stories by the acclaimed author of ‘Empire of the...