Though short stories — which is what Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror is, short stories with a frame device — are not generally my thing, the genre of short story most likely to please me is horror. (Ghost horror, not serial killer horror. Ghosts are imaginary, but serial killers are very real, and terrifying.) I ordinarily discount short story books unless they are pressed on me by friends who are sure they can change my mind about short stories (they can’t), but the horror thing and the thin, weird, slightly Goreyish illustrations made me decide to give Uncle Montague’s Tales…
16 CommentsTag: short stories
I will never catch up on reviews
Published 1 Oct 2010
by
Gin Jenny
…if I don’t do a bunch of short ones all at once. Thus: The Golden Mean, Annabel Lyon I checked this out on Gavin’s recommendation and because I love Alexander the Great. Your claims that he was a psychotic alcoholic have no effect on me because in my mind he is exactly the way Mary Renault writes him in Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy. The Golden Mean is about Aristotle when he comes to Macedon to tutor young Alexander. Though Lyon was clearly influenced by Mary Renault’s books, she gives a more nuanced picture of Alexander, showing a…
36 CommentsThe Illustrated Man, Ray Bradbury
Published 11 Apr 2009
by
Gin Jenny
My sister said to read this, so I bought it at the book fair last month. Ray Bradbury can write some disturbing stories, I tell you what. He writes beautifully – such good imagery and dialogue. I like the frame mechanism, of the man with illustrations on his body that begin to move, to tell the stories. I’d read two of these stories before, the one with the nursery and the one with the falling star – hated the star, loved the nursery. Which is about how I feel about them generally. I like the ones that start out sort…
3 Comments