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A review by ominousevent
McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales by Michael Chabon
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.