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glowbird's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite as satisfying the second time around, but still enjoyable and the title story remains a standout.
sloatsj's review against another edition
2.0
This is an entertaining collection of stories, which above all deal with mortality. Most of them I'd classify as fantasy since they bend reality a good bit. The first story in the book, "Mortal Coil," which was one of my favorites, was published in an anthology of horror stories.
The beginnings were invariably great hooks. The story "Extra Ordinary" begins, for example, "I met a girl in college who said she didn't sweat." Another, "Static," starts "When Ernest went into his sitting room that morning, he found that his television set had been bleeding.
Besides "Mortal Coil," my favorites in the collection were "Favourite," and "Stuff we Leave Behind."
Another good one was "Ashes to Ash," about a girl who dies in an accident and spends eternity as an ashtray. "Damned If You Don't" is also worth mentioning, about a man damned to hell who finds his roommate is Hitler's dachshund.
The stories are definitely clever. Overall, though, some of them flagged for me, and the long story "Tiny Deaths," about Jesus being reincarnated over and over, was written in a glib and irritaing voice.
The beginnings were invariably great hooks. The story "Extra Ordinary" begins, for example, "I met a girl in college who said she didn't sweat." Another, "Static," starts "When Ernest went into his sitting room that morning, he found that his television set had been bleeding.
Besides "Mortal Coil," my favorites in the collection were "Favourite," and "Stuff we Leave Behind."
Another good one was "Ashes to Ash," about a girl who dies in an accident and spends eternity as an ashtray. "Damned If You Don't" is also worth mentioning, about a man damned to hell who finds his roommate is Hitler's dachshund.
The stories are definitely clever. Overall, though, some of them flagged for me, and the long story "Tiny Deaths," about Jesus being reincarnated over and over, was written in a glib and irritaing voice.
mattab94's review against another edition
4.0
On the most part, the stories are a wonderful combination of darkly humourous, slightly unsettling, and with endings pleasingly ambiguous. The first story in the collection, Mortal Coil, is the standout story for me. The premise is intriguing and the tone and pacing is perfect.
Grappa and The Storyteller, though well-written, lack much story at all and fall firmly in the category of vignette. It's not that I didn't enjoy those 2, but I feel that nothing would have been lost to their exclusion.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. The subtly (and sometimes less than subtle) fantasy/supernatural elements contrast wonderfully with the matter-of-fact style Shearman writes with. The variation in story lengths was welcomed. This was my first exposure to Shearman, and the first short story collection I have read cover-to-cover.
Grappa and The Storyteller, though well-written, lack much story at all and fall firmly in the category of vignette. It's not that I didn't enjoy those 2, but I feel that nothing would have been lost to their exclusion.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. The subtly (and sometimes less than subtle) fantasy/supernatural elements contrast wonderfully with the matter-of-fact style Shearman writes with. The variation in story lengths was welcomed. This was my first exposure to Shearman, and the first short story collection I have read cover-to-cover.
charleslambert's review against another edition
5.0
What a powerful and wonderful book this is. In deliberately toned-down and undemonstrative prose, Shearman takes the lives of average people, suburbanites, office-workers, the patiently married, the mildly disappointed, and, with one single fundamental shift of perspective (for want of a better word), creates a reality that surprises, informs and moves, often deeply. I found most of these stories compelling, touching, occasionally gut-wrenching, often funny, with a capacity to tell truths about the way we live that many far more ambitiously written books just don't have. It's the kind of book you want to press into other people's hands.
marlan's review against another edition
Pitch-black humor with a fantasy twist. A little too black for my tastes--I ended up more depressed than smiling. But I loved the surreal elements. Humor is highly subjective, so I'd still recommend this book to anyone who likes to read--and think--a little off the beaten path.
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