Scan barcode
henrygravesprince's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
An interesting little gothic tale seeped in loneliness and death anxiety. The idea of the afterlife as communicated here are very fascinating. When I first read some of Bierce’s work as a teenager, I wasn’t really a fan, but I quite enjoyed this and I’m interested in reading more of his stories. I really like the use of irony in the third part of the story: it’s both sad and clever. Overall, quite well written, sketching out the event by providing the reader each piece of the puzzle throughout the in three accounts rather than a simple straightforward, linear tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Infidelity
deathcab4kati's review against another edition
5.0
So thought provoking. Left me thinking about the stories for hours afterwards. I loved his writing style and his quirky descriptions. I particularly enjoyed Psychological Shipwreck.
imakandiway's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
lberestecki's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of the time my complaint with short stories is that they really aren't all that short, and I think an author can often do more with an actually short story than with a story that is long, but too short to be a book or novella. So I appreciated that these stories were quick and got right to the point, especially since that works particularly well with spooky stories.
Received from NetGalley.
Received from NetGalley.
vsbedford's review against another edition
3.0
Since these short stories, I think, are not going to give the modern reader any sort of scare (not even a little bit) it's probably best to critique it, rather, on one's enjoyment of the writing style, And here, and this is probably my own fault as I should have known better, the writing style is that late 1890s - early 1900s style in which the sentences meander all over the damn place and then abruptly end. This style and I do not get along. In short, this was not for me, BUT I'm not the target demographic.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
corinadelb's review against another edition
5.0
{Read for ENC1102}
'twas a great collection of macabre fiction. I wouldn't necessarily call this 'horror' to the standards of today's horror fiction, so those of you looking to be scared aren't going to get scared here, but it was very entertaining. I think it can almost compare to the macabre of HP Lovecrafts' short stories since his are also under horror and speculative scifi.
'twas a great collection of macabre fiction. I wouldn't necessarily call this 'horror' to the standards of today's horror fiction, so those of you looking to be scared aren't going to get scared here, but it was very entertaining. I think it can almost compare to the macabre of HP Lovecrafts' short stories since his are also under horror and speculative scifi.
caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty cool and unique little story! A murder told from three different perspectives - including the victim's!
hyzie's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how I managed to never hear of Ambrose Bierce, but I genuinely regret the omission in my earlier reading.
His stories are creepy, but they are also weirdly fun. He's nailed down a proper horror atmosphere, which is often the hardest thing, and he generally has a good grasp of the twist ending and how to mange it, which is remarkably difficult. He did have a few endings that felt a bit off (I find this weirdly common in horror of any kind), but most of the stories in this collection were enjoyable all the way to the end.
In terms of atmosphere, he reminds me quite a bit of Lovecraft or perhaps Poe, though his focus is farther west than theirs was, which adds a different feeling to the stories.
I will definitely be poking around for more of his writing now that I've discovered him. He's definitely worth reading for anyone who is interested in short horror stories.
This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
His stories are creepy, but they are also weirdly fun. He's nailed down a proper horror atmosphere, which is often the hardest thing, and he generally has a good grasp of the twist ending and how to mange it, which is remarkably difficult. He did have a few endings that felt a bit off (I find this weirdly common in horror of any kind), but most of the stories in this collection were enjoyable all the way to the end.
In terms of atmosphere, he reminds me quite a bit of Lovecraft or perhaps Poe, though his focus is farther west than theirs was, which adds a different feeling to the stories.
I will definitely be poking around for more of his writing now that I've discovered him. He's definitely worth reading for anyone who is interested in short horror stories.
This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
lnatal's review
3.0
A man's mother is brutally murdered but, except for the finger marks around her neck, no trace of the killer can be found.
More...