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floribunda52's review
2.0
Not sure what to say about these stories. The writing was fine, but after half the book I just couldn't take any more dystopia... it began to feel like the same story over and over, and reminded me of my experience with George Saunders. Just not my cuppa tea, I guess.
kiramke's review
2.0
Nope. There are some interesting premises in these stories and I kept waiting for them to go somewhere that resolved for me - wherever it is that short stories land to be meaningful, a plot point, an observation, a mood - but they never got there. Worse, they sometimes landed in a place that made me say 'ugh.'
beatrice_k's review
5.0
MAN V. NATURE is a Rorschach Test of a short story collection. Diane Cook has written stories that are wholly unpredictable and out of this world yet of this world. When the world turns upside down, what gets righted inside of you? Once you start reading, you won't be able to put this down until you're able to answer that question.
shapronator's review
5.0
This collection of short stories is probably one of the strangest I've ever read. These stories are dark and twisted, often leaving me scratching my head at the end thinking "wtf," but also sparking internal debate about the nature of man and the sometimes tenuous division between man and animal. Cook's writing is frequently absurd but also funny, and I was hooked after the first story.
chaifanatic18's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lacywolfe's review
3.0
I enjoyed these very odd stories. If you're looking for something a bit different, I recommend this one.
orinthebard's review
5.0
These is some of the best short fiction I've read in a while. The author interview at the end says to all:
If not bleak, many of these tales are horrifying. "Man V. Nature," the title story, stuck with me for its ability to make me care about a sickeningly manipulative, self-pitying middle-aged man. "It's Coming" is another favorite, written from the collective point of view of executives running from a monster that is made more terrifying by the fact that it is never described. The book ends on a high note with "The Not-Needed Forest," one of the few stories in the collection that I felt had a satisfying ending. Finally, the first story, "Moving On," had me hooked with its too-close-for-comfort dystopia that addressed both the increasing wealth disparity in America and our cultural discomfort with grief.
I could nitpick that many of the stories felt incomplete, stopping right in the middle of things, but that unpredictability is part of what kept me interested.
Some readers think the book is depressing, bleak, or dark. I don't feel that way about the stories. I can't say they're joyful, because that's not it, but they're exuberant. All the characters are trying to connect and trying to get past some hardship. And those are inherently hopeful acts.
If not bleak, many of these tales are horrifying. "Man V. Nature," the title story, stuck with me for its ability to make me care about a sickeningly manipulative, self-pitying middle-aged man. "It's Coming" is another favorite, written from the collective point of view of executives running from a monster that is made more terrifying by the fact that it is never described. The book ends on a high note with "The Not-Needed Forest," one of the few stories in the collection that I felt had a satisfying ending. Finally, the first story, "Moving On," had me hooked with its too-close-for-comfort dystopia that addressed both the increasing wealth disparity in America and our cultural discomfort with grief.
I could nitpick that many of the stories felt incomplete, stopping right in the middle of things, but that unpredictability is part of what kept me interested.
sawyerbell's review
4.0
3 parts Brothers Grimm + 2 parts Twlight zone + 1 part absurdist humour = 1 very happy reader.
I think this is the first time I've ever enjoyed every story in a short story collection. Highly recommended.
I think this is the first time I've ever enjoyed every story in a short story collection. Highly recommended.
aliteracja's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Suicide, Death, and Animal death