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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While there are some great stories like The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death, the majority of this collection seemed either forgettable or just boring. The detective stories were probably the worst of all.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is the size of a AP textbook, and it is not conducive to reading at the beach, in the bath, or anywhere besides a desk seemingly. It’s got it all — the classics (Red Death, Black Cat, Tell-Tale Heart, Pit & Pendulum, Amontillado, etc.) and also array of others that stretched my expectations for what a Poe story is. Like — WTF is going on with Berenice’s teeth?!
I knew Poe for gothic horror and mystery; I didn’t realize until I read Lionizing that he was also funny. While Murders in the Rue Morgue is great fun, it’s sequel and the longest story in the lot (The Mystery of Marie Rogêt) is certainly not. Other standouts that were new to me included William Wilson, King Pest, and The Man of the Crowd.
Harry Clarke’s intricate illustrations were memorable. I only wish there were more of them.
I knew Poe for gothic horror and mystery; I didn’t realize until I read Lionizing that he was also funny. While Murders in the Rue Morgue is great fun, it’s sequel and the longest story in the lot (The Mystery of Marie Rogêt) is certainly not. Other standouts that were new to me included William Wilson, King Pest, and The Man of the Crowd.
Harry Clarke’s intricate illustrations were memorable. I only wish there were more of them.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really gave this a try. I always heard good things about Edgar Allan Poe's writing so as soon as I saw this short story collection I immediately bought which I now regret. Maybe I should've started with his poetry first because non of his short stories peaked my interest. In my opinion, it was average at best and painfully slow and boring at worst. I hated most of it and only found 5 of the 16 stories I forced myself to read either "just okay" or tolerable: those stories being The Gold Bug, The Black Cat, The Fall of The House of Usher, The Pit and The Pendulum, and The Murders in The Rue Morgue (I didn't even bother with the sequel because I was just so done at that point). I respect Edgar Allan Poe as an author but it's good to know now that his short stories are just not meant for me.