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nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nhw.livejournal.com/882610.html[return][return]Decent collection of new stories in various genres; the editor's introduction makes it clear that he is trying to make some kind of point, but it is less clear what that point actually is. I particularly liked "Weaving the Dark" by Laurie King.
tylerteacher's review
2.0
With a title like “Thrilling Tales” I got this crazy notion that it might include tales that were thrilling. I was sadly disappointed. The title implies that we can fly as high as we want, this is what stories can offer us, but each story just came up with excuses on why we can’t get off to the ground. The better stories let us float an inch or so off the ground. The best was letting us get to a rooftop, but when we expected to fly and we are looking to the sky, anything else is disappointing.
On a commercial note, I was excited to read from a few authors I hadn’t read to get a feel for if I wanted to read more of their work. Based on this book, I do not. Having said that, based on the authors I had previously read that were included here, I can assume this is a poor representation of what they are capable of. I don’t recommend this book unless your idea of the wonders of imagination include you walking down the street on a sunny day and that’s it. Dream bigger and read something else.
On a commercial note, I was excited to read from a few authors I hadn’t read to get a feel for if I wanted to read more of their work. Based on this book, I do not. Having said that, based on the authors I had previously read that were included here, I can assume this is a poor representation of what they are capable of. I don’t recommend this book unless your idea of the wonders of imagination include you walking down the street on a sunny day and that’s it. Dream bigger and read something else.
greeneyedramaqueen's review
3.0
Some of the stories I really liked and others were just OK...I'm not that big into Science Fiction anyways so the ones that were more along THOSE lines didn't pull me into them as much but the thriller/suspense type ones I liked! There's 20 short stories so something for everyone!
nycsquirrel's review
3.0
Good mix of very McSweeney authors (Michael Chabon, Dave Eggers, Elmore Leonard, Sherman Alexie, etc. - even an odd Stephen King [but never been a fan]). Sometimes dense, usually odd, but always creative.
ominousevent's review
2.0
This was a real mixed bag. Some of the short stories were excellent, original and gripping; others were dull, self-conscious and not worth the time it took to read them (indeed, there were two or three that I didn't bother finishing.
Highlights: Dan Chaon's "The Bees" (creepy and unsettling), Kelly Link's "Catskin" (slyly bizarre), Nick Hornby's charming "Otherwise Pandemonium", Elmore Leonard's unironic western"How Carlos Webster ...".
Almost all the highlights were overlong and indulgent, instead of playing to the strengths of a short story (or "thrilling tale", if you will): Michael Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary", Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes" and Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent, A Planetary Romance" all proved unfinishable. So perhaps I haven't really read this book after all.
Highlights: Dan Chaon's "The Bees" (creepy and unsettling), Kelly Link's "Catskin" (slyly bizarre), Nick Hornby's charming "Otherwise Pandemonium", Elmore Leonard's unironic western"How Carlos Webster ...".
Almost all the highlights were overlong and indulgent, instead of playing to the strengths of a short story (or "thrilling tale", if you will): Michael Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary", Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes" and Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent, A Planetary Romance" all proved unfinishable. So perhaps I haven't really read this book after all.
lajacquerie's review
4.0
This collection was preceded with an explanation/lament on the dying genre/pulp short story. I gathered that short stories are hard, pulp has little in the way of plot (I'm not sure I've ever read a true pulp story, as this was a phenomenon that occurred before I could read), and started in. Pulp was dying. Whatever. I was just pumped that I'd found a "collection" book on the shelf of the man who would later become my boyfriend (didn't want to start something longer as the "book at his place" in case things didn't work out. That would be an awkward borrow). And the contributing author list was impressive enough to make me consider reading stories out of order--to get the recognizable authors done first, juuuuuuust in case.
So, the thing about short sotires is they're short. It's hard to tell a WHOLE lot in just a few pages, and the best of the stories left me wanting more. As for the bad ones, well, they're over quickly and you can move on to the next. This wasn't a grand slam collection, but there's enough good in here to warrant a recommendation, and some of which I think you should find a way to read regardless of method. I've marked my favorite 7 with [top], and since most of these clustered at the top or above average range for me, I gotta say "I really liked" most of the stuff I read, hence the 4 stars.
Jim Shepard's "Tedford and the Megalodon" -- Excellent, although I must admit I've had a strong recent Antarctic focus (H.P. Lovecraft, Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World), wonderfully atmospheric. Man hunts giant fish in a teeny canoe. Good luck.
Glen David Gold's "The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened Thereafter" -- Very good. Quicker and arguably better than the flashback half of Water for Elephants. An elephant in hanged.
Dan Chaon's "The Bees" -- Man cultivates superior bee pollen and feeds it to his malnourished and dying baby, with ill effects. The heightening anxiety and tension is well done, although the ending is predictable a little ways out.
Kelly Link's "Catskin" -- very intriguingly written, like a lyrical adult fairy tale, hard to describe, but interesting and eerie. A witch's son carries out her dying wishes. [top]
Elmore Leonard's "How Carlos Webster Changed His Name to Carl and Became a Famous Oklahoma Lawman" -- understated but a solid short. Boy grows up bent on revenge against a bank robber/murderer who kills a man in front of him--and steals his ice cream cone.
Carol Emshwiller's "The General" -- semi-standard captured-child-fights-people-who-killed-his-family-but-must-play-by-their-rules-until-s/he-can-escape-and-use-their-knowledge-against-them with a usually unexamined amount of doubt. Enjoyable (which is between decent and good, these are short-term investments we're talking here).
Neil Gaiman's "Closing Time" -- wonderfully chilling, achieved a level of suspense/quiet grimness that I wished American Horror Story would have. Unnervingly told tale about a haunted house. [top]
Nick Hornby's "Otherwise Pandemonium" -- one of the best in the collection, with equal parts chilling foreboding and honest human reactions (if a bit awkwardly written but hey, the teenage years are awkward). Boy finds a VCR that "predicts" the end of the world. [top]
Stephen King's "The Tale of Gray Dick" -- if I was still in the shadow of King's Dark Tower series, I would've liked it more, but a well-written piece anyway. A farmer and his wife ask an experienced fighter to stay and help them defend their town against their longtime oppressors.
Michael Crichton's "Blood Doesn’t Come Out" -- ... I actually can't remember this one, and the short shrift other reviewers give it online doesn't call up anything. I remember being disappointed, and I'm sure that's what it was.
Laurie King's "Weaving the Dark" --maybe I just couldn't relate because I'm not yet contemplating morality and being saddled with someone I once loved as a burden, but mostly boring. A woman going blind wonders about her life and limits now that her lover is terminally ill.
Chris Offutt's "Chuck’s Bucket" -- pretty self-referential and 4th-wall-breaking, in ways that's sometimes irritating and sometimes amusing; decent. The author uses a scientist friend's experiment to view his lives in alternate realities.
Dave Eggers's "Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly" -- Sorry Dave, hated this one. A tourist climbs a mountain and doesn't particularly like it, until the end.
Michael Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary" -- just plain fun, a Hercule Poirot-type whodunit set in zeppelined Nazi Germany. [top]
Aimee Bender's "The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers" -- quite enjoyable. A police detective ruminates on the breakdown of a marriage that results in a double murder. [top]
Harlan Ellison's "Goodbye to All That" -- had high hopes for this one, given Ellison's reputation, and maybe that's just what he was counting on. It also made me want to look up the mose words. Anyway, man climbs to the top of the mountains seeking the be-all end-all to life, the universe, and everything and--! We get a burger.
Seriously.
But how could you ever answer that question anyway?
Karen Joy Fowler's "Private Grave 9" -- thinking dark thoughts at an archaeological site; I was intrigued but ultimately felt unsatisfied...pulp stories aren't encessarily supposed to have a plot, but I guess I wanted a little more action.
Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes" -- fantastic; clever, creepy, I kind of want someone to make a movie of this. Drug that allows users to experience memory in enhanced detail causes NYC epidemic, recent memory loss, interference in temporal events, and possibly a nuclear explosion. [top]
Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance" -- LOVED this, hopefully Chabon gets around to writing the rest of it; he describes things so well (as I've said elsewhere) and here inhabits the mind of a child with ease. How the children of Francis Drake ('member him?) become orphans in the Louisiana Territory in an alt-history world of airships and "landships." [top]
Sherman Alexie's "Ghost Dance" -- liked it, nothing shockingly new. Zombie Indians avenge their slaughter by Custer/people's ill-treatment in the 21st century.
...gee, I hope Joel never finds this. That first part makes me sound so damn cynical. Anyway, definitely worth a borrow and a read, but I'm hesitant about spending money on books these days. Short story collections unfortunately don't have much replay value, except when it comes to loaning out to friends.
So, the thing about short sotires is they're short. It's hard to tell a WHOLE lot in just a few pages, and the best of the stories left me wanting more. As for the bad ones, well, they're over quickly and you can move on to the next. This wasn't a grand slam collection, but there's enough good in here to warrant a recommendation, and some of which I think you should find a way to read regardless of method. I've marked my favorite 7 with [top], and since most of these clustered at the top or above average range for me, I gotta say "I really liked" most of the stuff I read, hence the 4 stars.
Jim Shepard's "Tedford and the Megalodon" -- Excellent, although I must admit I've had a strong recent Antarctic focus (H.P. Lovecraft, Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World), wonderfully atmospheric. Man hunts giant fish in a teeny canoe. Good luck.
Glen David Gold's "The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened Thereafter" -- Very good. Quicker and arguably better than the flashback half of Water for Elephants. An elephant in hanged.
Dan Chaon's "The Bees" -- Man cultivates superior bee pollen and feeds it to his malnourished and dying baby, with ill effects. The heightening anxiety and tension is well done, although the ending is predictable a little ways out.
Kelly Link's "Catskin" -- very intriguingly written, like a lyrical adult fairy tale, hard to describe, but interesting and eerie. A witch's son carries out her dying wishes. [top]
Elmore Leonard's "How Carlos Webster Changed His Name to Carl and Became a Famous Oklahoma Lawman" -- understated but a solid short. Boy grows up bent on revenge against a bank robber/murderer who kills a man in front of him--and steals his ice cream cone.
Carol Emshwiller's "The General" -- semi-standard captured-child-fights-people-who-killed-his-family-but-must-play-by-their-rules-until-s/he-can-escape-and-use-their-knowledge-against-them with a usually unexamined amount of doubt. Enjoyable (which is between decent and good, these are short-term investments we're talking here).
Neil Gaiman's "Closing Time" -- wonderfully chilling, achieved a level of suspense/quiet grimness that I wished American Horror Story would have. Unnervingly told tale about a haunted house. [top]
Nick Hornby's "Otherwise Pandemonium" -- one of the best in the collection, with equal parts chilling foreboding and honest human reactions (if a bit awkwardly written but hey, the teenage years are awkward). Boy finds a VCR that "predicts" the end of the world. [top]
Stephen King's "The Tale of Gray Dick" -- if I was still in the shadow of King's Dark Tower series, I would've liked it more, but a well-written piece anyway. A farmer and his wife ask an experienced fighter to stay and help them defend their town against their longtime oppressors.
Michael Crichton's "Blood Doesn’t Come Out" -- ... I actually can't remember this one, and the short shrift other reviewers give it online doesn't call up anything. I remember being disappointed, and I'm sure that's what it was.
Laurie King's "Weaving the Dark" --maybe I just couldn't relate because I'm not yet contemplating morality and being saddled with someone I once loved as a burden, but mostly boring. A woman going blind wonders about her life and limits now that her lover is terminally ill.
Chris Offutt's "Chuck’s Bucket" -- pretty self-referential and 4th-wall-breaking, in ways that's sometimes irritating and sometimes amusing; decent. The author uses a scientist friend's experiment to view his lives in alternate realities.
Dave Eggers's "Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly" -- Sorry Dave, hated this one. A tourist climbs a mountain and doesn't particularly like it, until the end.
Michael Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary" -- just plain fun, a Hercule Poirot-type whodunit set in zeppelined Nazi Germany. [top]
Aimee Bender's "The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers" -- quite enjoyable. A police detective ruminates on the breakdown of a marriage that results in a double murder. [top]
Harlan Ellison's "Goodbye to All That" -- had high hopes for this one, given Ellison's reputation, and maybe that's just what he was counting on. It also made me want to look up the mose words. Anyway, man climbs to the top of the mountains seeking the be-all end-all to life, the universe, and everything and--! We get a burger.
Seriously.
But how could you ever answer that question anyway?
Karen Joy Fowler's "Private Grave 9" -- thinking dark thoughts at an archaeological site; I was intrigued but ultimately felt unsatisfied...pulp stories aren't encessarily supposed to have a plot, but I guess I wanted a little more action.
Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes" -- fantastic; clever, creepy, I kind of want someone to make a movie of this. Drug that allows users to experience memory in enhanced detail causes NYC epidemic, recent memory loss, interference in temporal events, and possibly a nuclear explosion. [top]
Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance" -- LOVED this, hopefully Chabon gets around to writing the rest of it; he describes things so well (as I've said elsewhere) and here inhabits the mind of a child with ease. How the children of Francis Drake ('member him?) become orphans in the Louisiana Territory in an alt-history world of airships and "landships." [top]
Sherman Alexie's "Ghost Dance" -- liked it, nothing shockingly new. Zombie Indians avenge their slaughter by Custer/people's ill-treatment in the 21st century.
...gee, I hope Joel never finds this. That first part makes me sound so damn cynical. Anyway, definitely worth a borrow and a read, but I'm hesitant about spending money on books these days. Short story collections unfortunately don't have much replay value, except when it comes to loaning out to friends.
time_to_read_23's review against another edition
3.0
Meehhh...some of the stories were fantastic, but in general they were just okay.
spygrl1's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't impressed with most of this collection, but I liked Glen David Gold's tale of a vengeful elephant and Nick Hornsby's story about a teenager using a VCR that shows our doomed future as a way to get laid.