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fallingletters's review
4.0
Particularly a great read considered alongside [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358276480s/11870085.jpg|16827462]. Otherwise, while not the most technically accomplished collection, it's a rather interesting collection of abandoned writings.
brandysith's review against another edition
4.0
I know that it was only a short story, but I desperately wanted to know more about the chaplain, his girlfriend, his goal of learning about Islamic/Muslim narration. I wanted to know his past, I wanted to know where he was going, I wanted to know what happened to the brain damaged baby.
Though a short piece, it's beautifully written, very vivid, very intimate, gold stars all the way.
Though a short piece, it's beautifully written, very vivid, very intimate, gold stars all the way.
amysutton's review
4.0
This was the perk I chose to receive for donating to the 2012 Project For Awesome. :)
A lot of other John Green fans don't like these shorts, I suppose because they're very different to the tone of his usual books, but I love them. My 4 stars aren't out of pity or obligation; I really really enjoyed reading these.
I love these early drafts because there's a lot of tangents in them: discussions about the history of the gospels in the Bible, examples of Einstein's theories of relativity, etc. I really enjoy writing that incorporates other little facts, trivia and information like that, so it was cool to see it in a work from John Green.
All of the stories -- Double On-Call, The Odd at Sea, and The Sequel-- were set in a children's hospital, and all of them had a chaplain that was a bit of a Mary Sue for John, but each had a different tone and mood.
Double On-Call: This story was about a hospital chaplain who has been working a double shift for over 27 hours. I loved the philosophical bits.
The Odd at Sea: This is an early draft for The Fault in Our Stars, but the settings and characters are slightly different (Hazel is not a Hazel... she's a Luke). And John is a character - description and name and all -- and parts of it are from the POV of that chaplain.
The Sequel: 5 Stars. I want to read a whole book of this. A girl named Hannah Al-Hajji is rushed to a hospital only to find out that none of her family actually exists... and then she realizes a little bit more. John has a way of making me really wish that the novels he makes up in his novels were real so I could read those, too.
A lot of other John Green fans don't like these shorts, I suppose because they're very different to the tone of his usual books, but I love them. My 4 stars aren't out of pity or obligation; I really really enjoyed reading these.
I love these early drafts because there's a lot of tangents in them: discussions about the history of the gospels in the Bible, examples of Einstein's theories of relativity, etc. I really enjoy writing that incorporates other little facts, trivia and information like that, so it was cool to see it in a work from John Green.
All of the stories -- Double On-Call, The Odd at Sea, and The Sequel-- were set in a children's hospital, and all of them had a chaplain that was a bit of a Mary Sue for John, but each had a different tone and mood.
Double On-Call: This story was about a hospital chaplain who has been working a double shift for over 27 hours. I loved the philosophical bits.
The Odd at Sea: This is an early draft for The Fault in Our Stars, but the settings and characters are slightly different (Hazel is not a Hazel... she's a Luke). And John is a character - description and name and all -- and parts of it are from the POV of that chaplain.
The Sequel: 5 Stars. I want to read a whole book of this. A girl named Hannah Al-Hajji is rushed to a hospital only to find out that none of her family actually exists... and then she realizes a little bit more. John has a way of making me really wish that the novels he makes up in his novels were real so I could read those, too.
waiehse's review
4.0
These three short stories written at various points in John Green's life are all unique yet vastly similar and are all precursors to The Fault in Our Stars. Through these, you can see the evolution from nhilism to hope (as John puts it in the Afterward).
"Double On-call" is a fictional autobiography and gave a sort of bleak outlook on sickness and the world in general. It recounts a tired, young chaplain's double on-call at a children's hospital where the best thing he could do is mourn. "The Odd at Sea" is very similar to both TFioS and DOC with the young Chaplin (who in this instance is even named John) with the same two beepers and same not quite loving girlfriend but also the terminal teen cancer patient attending a "dying kids support group". The Sequel is another story all together but the ever-present young chaplain is still there. This story was my least favorite of the three and that may be because it always felt just teetered on the brink of an amazing story but never quite got there. The concept was brilliant but it never became much more than an introduction into what could have been a fantastical adventure. This story did however introduce the fictional book idea. Interestingly enough, the fictional book in this instance was titled "The Odd at Sea" but the plot was completely different.
What amazes me though is that through all these stories have elements of TFioS but never together. But the elements they did all share; the young chaplain (AKA your favorite world history teacher), his both loving and cold-hearted girlfriend, the children's hospital and Lynn the badass social worker, never made it to TFioS. It was not until John took himself and some of his more personal experiences out of the story that it became great. In the afterward, John even talked about not being able to write the story effectively when it was to personal. That to me was very interesting. This short story collection is a wonderful insight into the novel creating process though the stories themselves aren't very extraordinary alone.
"Double On-call" is a fictional autobiography and gave a sort of bleak outlook on sickness and the world in general. It recounts a tired, young chaplain's double on-call at a children's hospital where the best thing he could do is mourn. "The Odd at Sea" is very similar to both TFioS and DOC with the young Chaplin (who in this instance is even named John) with the same two beepers and same not quite loving girlfriend but also the terminal teen cancer patient attending a "dying kids support group". The Sequel is another story all together but the ever-present young chaplain is still there. This story was my least favorite of the three and that may be because it always felt just teetered on the brink of an amazing story but never quite got there. The concept was brilliant but it never became much more than an introduction into what could have been a fantastical adventure. This story did however introduce the fictional book idea. Interestingly enough, the fictional book in this instance was titled "The Odd at Sea" but the plot was completely different.
What amazes me though is that through all these stories have elements of TFioS but never together. But the elements they did all share; the young chaplain (AKA your favorite world history teacher), his both loving and cold-hearted girlfriend, the children's hospital and Lynn the badass social worker, never made it to TFioS. It was not until John took himself and some of his more personal experiences out of the story that it became great. In the afterward, John even talked about not being able to write the story effectively when it was to personal. That to me was very interesting. This short story collection is a wonderful insight into the novel creating process though the stories themselves aren't very extraordinary alone.
sydofbee's review
3.0
Enjoyed it - and DAMN YOU JOHN GREEN! I want to know who Hannah really is and if she's really sick or if there's more behind it. Gah! However, it is somewhat obvious (especially after reading the Author's note) that there is a reason those stories were never finished/published.
phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
kwurtzel3's review
4.0
Honestly, I thought it was particularly hilarious how John inserted himself into every story. I don't think anyone who doesn't watch the Vlogbrothers will really get it. But I'm also not sure that anyone reading this is a non-Nerdfighter, either.
Overall: John's right. They're not great stories. But they do have quite a bit of charm. 3.75/5.
Overall: John's right. They're not great stories. But they do have quite a bit of charm. 3.75/5.
classygigi's review against another edition
4.0
Oh John Green. This was 10 dollars well spent. It was different from anything I have read before and even though it wasn't a complete novel, there was entire story presented. There was actually real depth to the characters which is some feat for a 20 page story. I did get a bit confused at some parts, but other than that the writing was really spectacular just like John Green's writing usually is. It was a very enjoyable short read that I would say I wished was longer, but it was perfect just the way it was.
daysed's review
4.0
I don't LOVE it, but it's kind of good, and I love what it means. If that makes sense?