hackjuber's review
5.0
Excellent collection of stories. Shepard has a special ability to voice nearly anyone. The narrators within this collection range from a miserable teen at a sleepaway camp to the first woman in space. I enjoyed some stories more than others so I figured I would rate the stories individually.
The Zero-Meter Diving Team - 4 stars
Proto-Scorpions of the Silurain - 4 stars
Hadrian's Wall - 3 Stars
Trample the Dead, Hurdle the Weak - 5 stars
Ancestral Legacies - 3 stars
Pleasure Boating in Lituya Bay - 3 stars
The First South Central Australian Expedition - 4 stars
My Aeschylus - 3 stars
Eros 7 - 5 stars
Courtesy for Beginners - 5 stars
Sans Farine - 5 Stars
The highlights for me were "Trample the Dead" and "Courtesy for Beginners." These two stories were the most character-driven out of the collection and they both deal with disgruntled youth. I was deeply invested in the narrators of these stories and I was upset that my time with them was so brief!
The Zero-Meter Diving Team - 4 stars
Proto-Scorpions of the Silurain - 4 stars
Hadrian's Wall - 3 Stars
Trample the Dead, Hurdle the Weak - 5 stars
Ancestral Legacies - 3 stars
Pleasure Boating in Lituya Bay - 3 stars
The First South Central Australian Expedition - 4 stars
My Aeschylus - 3 stars
Eros 7 - 5 stars
Courtesy for Beginners - 5 stars
Sans Farine - 5 Stars
The highlights for me were "Trample the Dead" and "Courtesy for Beginners." These two stories were the most character-driven out of the collection and they both deal with disgruntled youth. I was deeply invested in the narrators of these stories and I was upset that my time with them was so brief!
carka88's review
3.0
Started this in January, put it aside and then picked it back up again. Some of the stories were very hard for me to get into. I think history buffs would enjoy it very much, but I had a hard time recalling some of the historical references --it's been too long since I took a history class!
It's hard to imagine a broader cast of narrators, though, from Aeschylus to a Soviet female cosmonaut to an executioner during the French revolution. The vast amount of research that went into getting into the narrators' heads was impressive to say the least.
It's hard to imagine a broader cast of narrators, though, from Aeschylus to a Soviet female cosmonaut to an executioner during the French revolution. The vast amount of research that went into getting into the narrators' heads was impressive to say the least.
kfan's review
2.0
I read about half of it but didn't finish it. It's good, they're short stories, they're extremely well written, etc. There was just on real magic happening for me. Probably good for people who like Alice Munro, Grace Paley, things in the New Yorker.
I still think this is the best title for a book ever. I just wish the book had been about high school.
I still think this is the best title for a book ever. I just wish the book had been about high school.
escapegrace's review
3.0
This book was so overwhelmingly male that I thought the title was actually mocking me. Whether it was a tale of Yeti hunters or Chernobyl engineers or Hadrian's soldiers or a high school football star, the stories were irrevocably masculine. I do thank Shepherd, though, for lending credence to my long-held theory that The Who is a band for boys.
transpinestwins's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I still love "Proto-Scorpions of the Silurian," and I really enjoyed "Sans Farine" and "The Zero-Meter Diving Team." Others had really strong moments, particularly "Ancestral Legacies," "Pleasure Boating in Lituya Bay," and "Courtesy for Beginners," but didn't quite stick the landing. Overall I like Shepard's writing style, but a lot of these stories wrapped up predictably (particularly the two expedition stories, which felt like retreads of other expedition stories - if you want a really funny and weird take on the Everest expedition story, I'd recommend "Chomolungma" in John Henry Fleming's Songs for the Deaf) or were just kinda dull, parroting back all the research Shepard did without bothering to craft a good story around it ("Hadrian's Wall" is especially guilty of this). I get the feeling his novels might be stronger. He does a child's voice well enough that I might pick up Project X after this.
naomi_camb's review
2.0
I skimmed a few of the stories, and straight up skipped a couple after a few paragraphs, but I quite enjoyed the ones I read all the way through.
harkinna's review against another edition
5.0
Both Tunneling to the Center of the Earth and Like you Would Understand, Anyway, read quickly. When books are that good it kind of makes you sad. I read Wilson’s book on the plane to Idaho and savored Shepard’s book for months, having a short story here and there as I felt the need.
One problem I have with short stories is that they are usually sad. Nothing ever really ends well in a short story, so when I find authors who are able to get past the sad short story, I rejoice. Shepard, a professor at Williams College with my Aunt and Uncle, takes major historical events and asks, “What was it like to be the person who was there?” For example, what would it have been like to be the guy whose actions caused the Chernobyl accident? Who was that guy? What was his life like, before and after? I just loved learning about the history of these events more intimately. I want to write out a few of Shepard’s stories long hand to see how he does what he does.
Wilson’s book came highly recommended by our local bookstore, Politics and Prose. (In an effort to keep it from closing, we try to buy a few books there every month.) Similarly, in Shepard’s book, we learn what it is like to be the class geeks, who have no other friends, taking those first tentative steps to explore their sexuality and then losing your best friend because of these steps. The title story is about avoiding growing up. The characters in the story studied underwater basket weaving, and after college, don’t have jobs. So they start digging under their town.
The comparison of the two authors leads to a discussion of how much research a writer needs to do before writing a story. Shepard does a lot. Wilson does almost none. The problem with doing no research, is that some subset of readers will notice what you don’t know. For example, in the Tunneling story, Wilson says that the diggers have to put on warm clothes in the tunnels when winter comes above. Nope. The earth, a mere four feet below ground is a constant temperature, between 50 and 55 degrees. Ever been in your basement? How about a root cellar? They should have needed warm clothes all of the time.
I started collecting notes on fun historical events to write about years ago, but what Shepard shows me is how to use these bits of paper and fragments of ideas.
One problem I have with short stories is that they are usually sad. Nothing ever really ends well in a short story, so when I find authors who are able to get past the sad short story, I rejoice. Shepard, a professor at Williams College with my Aunt and Uncle, takes major historical events and asks, “What was it like to be the person who was there?” For example, what would it have been like to be the guy whose actions caused the Chernobyl accident? Who was that guy? What was his life like, before and after? I just loved learning about the history of these events more intimately. I want to write out a few of Shepard’s stories long hand to see how he does what he does.
Wilson’s book came highly recommended by our local bookstore, Politics and Prose. (In an effort to keep it from closing, we try to buy a few books there every month.) Similarly, in Shepard’s book, we learn what it is like to be the class geeks, who have no other friends, taking those first tentative steps to explore their sexuality and then losing your best friend because of these steps. The title story is about avoiding growing up. The characters in the story studied underwater basket weaving, and after college, don’t have jobs. So they start digging under their town.
The comparison of the two authors leads to a discussion of how much research a writer needs to do before writing a story. Shepard does a lot. Wilson does almost none. The problem with doing no research, is that some subset of readers will notice what you don’t know. For example, in the Tunneling story, Wilson says that the diggers have to put on warm clothes in the tunnels when winter comes above. Nope. The earth, a mere four feet below ground is a constant temperature, between 50 and 55 degrees. Ever been in your basement? How about a root cellar? They should have needed warm clothes all of the time.
I started collecting notes on fun historical events to write about years ago, but what Shepard shows me is how to use these bits of paper and fragments of ideas.
fletches's review
3.0
Whew. This was a slow read for me; a short here and there. I started off reading it in multi story chunks, but honestly, its not a book I could enjoy that way.
So. In pieces, the stories are really rather exquisite. I already know Im going to have to read this again, with intent. Its a book I'll have to study rather than just read, in order to enjoy. As a book one simply reads, its a very dark set of stories, featuring a lot of futility and characters overwhelmed by nature and disasters. Bit harsh.
Not something I would recommend as a pleasure read- there is little humour in the darkness, so even if you go in for bitter irony, there are more rewarding places to find it- but if you have the time and are willing to work for your pleasure, its a good book.
So. In pieces, the stories are really rather exquisite. I already know Im going to have to read this again, with intent. Its a book I'll have to study rather than just read, in order to enjoy. As a book one simply reads, its a very dark set of stories, featuring a lot of futility and characters overwhelmed by nature and disasters. Bit harsh.
Not something I would recommend as a pleasure read- there is little humour in the darkness, so even if you go in for bitter irony, there are more rewarding places to find it- but if you have the time and are willing to work for your pleasure, its a good book.