ilovemypals69's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
disreputabledog's review
5.0
"American Gothic Tales" is a superb collection of gothic stories published by American authors, ranging from the late 18th century to the present. I'm about halfway through the anthology, and so far none of the stories have been anything but excellent and enjoyable, although some stand out more than others.
A few of the stories I've read before, like "The Black Cat," "The Yellow Wallpaper," and of course "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," but what makes this collection so interesting is the inclusion of gothic stories by authors that are not usually considered to be gothic writers. (Joyce Carol Oates, the editor of this collection, notes in the introduction that the point is to make readers question how flimsy the concept of "genre" is.)
The stand-out stories from the ones I hadn't read before:
Nathaniel Hawthorn - "Young Goodman Brown"
Herman Melville - "The Tartarus of Maids"
Edith Wharton - "Afterward"
Gertrude Atherton - "The Striding Place"
HP Lovecraft - "The Outsider"
EB White - "The Door"
A few of the stories I've read before, like "The Black Cat," "The Yellow Wallpaper," and of course "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," but what makes this collection so interesting is the inclusion of gothic stories by authors that are not usually considered to be gothic writers. (Joyce Carol Oates, the editor of this collection, notes in the introduction that the point is to make readers question how flimsy the concept of "genre" is.)
The stand-out stories from the ones I hadn't read before:
Nathaniel Hawthorn - "Young Goodman Brown"
Herman Melville - "The Tartarus of Maids"
Edith Wharton - "Afterward"
Gertrude Atherton - "The Striding Place"
HP Lovecraft - "The Outsider"
EB White - "The Door"
reviewsmayvary's review
3.0
Levar Burton reads this on the first episode of his new podcast. I am not actually a fan of short fiction or sci/fi, truth be told, but I can listed to LB talk about whatever.
This is a short story about the meeting and connection between a young boy and an alien assassin.
This is a short story about the meeting and connection between a young boy and an alien assassin.
carolinedenise's review
3.0
This is the first story LeVar Burton's chose for his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads (reading rainbow for adults).
I liked it, it's a nice little short story about a boy and an alien assassin, but I was more interested by LeVar's narrating choices (the alien voice <3) than by the story itself.
I liked it, it's a nice little short story about a boy and an alien assassin, but I was more interested by LeVar's narrating choices (the alien voice <3) than by the story itself.
lelex's review
5.0
This hit all my sci fi sweet spots of intensely and fantastically depicted aliens, family bonds, feeling sentimentality for a small child who hired you as a hitman, and so on and so forth.
apostrophen's review
4.0
I wasn't expecting a story about an alien assassin and a twelve-year-old boy to pull at the heartstrings.
I, like bajillions of others I assume, listened to this on LeVer Burton Reads.
I, like bajillions of others I assume, listened to this on LeVer Burton Reads.
qa9's review
3.0
I think I'm gonna really appreciate LeVar Burton's "LeVar Burton Reads" podcast, especially since it means I'll be checking lots of books off my to-read lists and add some extras to the list of "read." Yay podcasts!
Interesting take on what it means to connect to others, and how to best go about doing it; about the ties of family and friendship; and on a world with aliens and humans sharing space somewhere poverty and oppression still exist.
Interesting take on what it means to connect to others, and how to best go about doing it; about the ties of family and friendship; and on a world with aliens and humans sharing space somewhere poverty and oppression still exist.
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