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janetlun's review against another edition
Collection of splendid short stories. Opens with Chabon's essay (that I love dearly) which rants against the modern literary short story: "plotless and sparkling with epiphanic dew.'
verycarefully's review against another edition
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.
mattie's review against another edition
The premise of this is really cool -- stories that are about something, plotty and genre-y. The execution runs a little hot and cold. Some of the stories are really cool and engaging, some not so much. I was actually pretty impressed by Dave Eggers's showing (a story about a woman climbing Mount Kilimanjaro). Also includes stories by Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, Sherman Alexie, and Michael Chabon, who also complied the book.
laage's review against another edition
3.0
Seems to have a slight fantasy touch in most of the stories within this compilation.
As with any short story collection with different authors, you will enjoy some, suffer through some.
As with any short story collection with different authors, you will enjoy some, suffer through some.
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