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quilly14's review
4.0
McSweeney's began my interest in literary journals about five years ago. Even though I'd never read an issue, the fact that Dave Eggers' name was attached caught my attention.
And now, five years later, I still hadn't read an issue. Not for lack of interest, but because, as I've mentioned before, literary journals have a tendency to be expensive.
That's what makes The Better of McSweeney's great and horrible. I get to read some great stories from the first ten issues of McSweeney's, which is awesome. But I really want to subscribe now, and I can't afford to.
The stories were worth a little lamenting about being poor. From the opener, "The Ceiling," by Kevin Brockmeier, a Twilight Zone-like story love and the sky falling, to "Tedford and the Megalodon," by Jim Shepard, the story of a man seeking the unknown, these stories are consistently fantastic.
Other highlights include "The Bees" by Dan Chaon, one of the most frightening stories I've ever read, and "Three Meditations on Death" by William T. Vollmann.
Before the stories start, there are letters to the editor from the first ten issue. They are a fun read, even if I did find myself getting impatient for the stories to start.
And now, five years later, I still hadn't read an issue. Not for lack of interest, but because, as I've mentioned before, literary journals have a tendency to be expensive.
That's what makes The Better of McSweeney's great and horrible. I get to read some great stories from the first ten issues of McSweeney's, which is awesome. But I really want to subscribe now, and I can't afford to.
The stories were worth a little lamenting about being poor. From the opener, "The Ceiling," by Kevin Brockmeier, a Twilight Zone-like story love and the sky falling, to "Tedford and the Megalodon," by Jim Shepard, the story of a man seeking the unknown, these stories are consistently fantastic.
Other highlights include "The Bees" by Dan Chaon, one of the most frightening stories I've ever read, and "Three Meditations on Death" by William T. Vollmann.
Before the stories start, there are letters to the editor from the first ten issue. They are a fun read, even if I did find myself getting impatient for the stories to start.
erat's review
5.0
If you can't afford a McSweeneys Quarterly Concern subscription or you just want to get a taste of what it's like before subscribing, you can't go wrong with this book. It truly is the better of the stories that I've read from the quarterly. You'll laugh your ass off, you'll come close to crying, and hopefully, if all goes well, you'll be desperate to subscribe to the quarterly by the time you finish this book. It's mind blowing.
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