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fermanichlyd's review
5.0
The back cover perfectly describes these short stories as “lively, apocalypse-tinged tales”.
xochlovesmangos's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Very gripping stories. I think about them constantly. One of my all time favorites.
juup's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
garthranzz's review
4.0
One Great Short Story (Short Story Month) - Lit Hub: May 4
https://lithub.com/tag/one-great-short-story/
Just “The Way the End of Days Should Be”
Interesting, almost stream of consciousness, tale of the world drowning. Or is it. It could easily be plopped down into today.
https://lithub.com/tag/one-great-short-story/
Just “The Way the End of Days Should Be”
Interesting, almost stream of consciousness, tale of the world drowning. Or is it. It could easily be plopped down into today.
zeecorster's review
4.0
Beautiful, surreal, haunting little collection of stories that take place in worlds just different from our own. Cook does an excellent job playing with these differences to construe meaning to her readers: Look at how the specter of motherhood haunts "Flotsam," for instance. I felt genuine sadness at moments in "Moving On" and "A Wanted Man," too, so these aren't just thought experiments without any emotional grounding. But when you read a story like "Somebody's Baby," where a man waits in the yards of new parents to steal their children away, you're surprised at how quickly and naturally you settle in to the bizarrerie—Cook's got a masterful control of the reins here, and she's going to take you on a smooth, but oh-so-strange ride.
Choice quotes:
It had been days since Phil and his two oldest friends drunkenly fished from the middle of the great lake for fat trout, the sweet orange flesh of which tasted best grilled over charcoal, under stars tossed absurdly across the sky like birdseed. - "Man V. Nature"
“Linda means ‘beautiful’ in Spanish,” the man in her bed whispers. “My name is Lydia,” she whispers back. - The opening line of "Flotsam," which is maybe the best and most appropriate opening line to a story I've read all year.
When he felt most lonely, he focused on this: He had been kept. Not cast away to be chased, battled, killed. He was being cared for by a woman who still asked him to touch her again and again, and who, at least for now, believed beyond all proof that he had something to offer. And who, in their closest moments, when our man tried to give her what she most wanted, managed to abandon some bitterness and express something like joy or pleasure or peace. It might be unconscious. It might have nothing to do with him. But he called it love. And as long as he could see it in her, he would be grateful. - "A Wanted Man"
Choice quotes:
It had been days since Phil and his two oldest friends drunkenly fished from the middle of the great lake for fat trout, the sweet orange flesh of which tasted best grilled over charcoal, under stars tossed absurdly across the sky like birdseed. - "Man V. Nature"
“Linda means ‘beautiful’ in Spanish,” the man in her bed whispers. “My name is Lydia,” she whispers back. - The opening line of "Flotsam," which is maybe the best and most appropriate opening line to a story I've read all year.
When he felt most lonely, he focused on this: He had been kept. Not cast away to be chased, battled, killed. He was being cared for by a woman who still asked him to touch her again and again, and who, at least for now, believed beyond all proof that he had something to offer. And who, in their closest moments, when our man tried to give her what she most wanted, managed to abandon some bitterness and express something like joy or pleasure or peace. It might be unconscious. It might have nothing to do with him. But he called it love. And as long as he could see it in her, he would be grateful. - "A Wanted Man"