slferg's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
1.0
I found these short stories and bits and pieces incredibly depressing. Rather dreary, in fact.
jorgegamboa's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
jcovey's review
4.0
A series of very short vignettes that focus unvaryingly on a few topics. Almost all involve some combination of mythology, a deep dissatisfaction with the modern world, and a keen feeling for the ephemeral nature of all things. All the stories are enjoyable, and Lord Dunsany's lyrical prose shines throughout, but they do become a tad repetitious. Even the real gems, Charon being a particular diamond, lose some of their effectiveness after their point has been repeated 51 times.
mallorn's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
lizabethstucker's review
4.0
4 out of 5 stars.
(The edition reviewed was an audiobook)
These are extremely short tales, vignettes or even smaller than that. There's a taste of poetry to many of these entries. The themes of death and sadness, desperation and desire, strange visitors and gods all permeate the stories as well. I enjoyed this audiobook from start to finish, some of the stories making a stronger impression than others. One of my favorites, although I don't know how to explain why, was "Charon", although none of these were what I would considered bad.
An enjoyable 45 minutes of narration, with a speaker who has just the right tone for the beauty of the words. A dip into fantasy and horror and supernatural beings, great for those who have never read Dunsay, like myself.
(The edition reviewed was an audiobook)
These are extremely short tales, vignettes or even smaller than that. There's a taste of poetry to many of these entries. The themes of death and sadness, desperation and desire, strange visitors and gods all permeate the stories as well. I enjoyed this audiobook from start to finish, some of the stories making a stronger impression than others. One of my favorites, although I don't know how to explain why, was "Charon", although none of these were what I would considered bad.
An enjoyable 45 minutes of narration, with a speaker who has just the right tone for the beauty of the words. A dip into fantasy and horror and supernatural beings, great for those who have never read Dunsay, like myself.
duchessofreadin's review
4.0
Fifty one short tales - a quick and fun read! Stories of all different types - and very enjoyable!
adventurous_tessa's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories are really weird but some are great. I loved how a lot of the stories related to nature and what human civilization is doing to it.
metallinguist's review
4.0
I suspect that many people discover Dunsany through Lovecraft, or at least such was the case for me. One can certainly see the influence - at times, perhaps, Lovecraft "borrowed" concepts from Dunsany in a strikingly direct manner. One story that comes to mind is "The Doom that Came to Sarnath" by Lovecraft compared to "How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana" by Dunsany; in Dunsany's tale "the enemy" is brought by man, while in Lovecraft's tale, "the doom" is also brought by man but in a much more destructive and prolonged way that requires generations to culminate into its full consequence. Both stories imply that man is dangerous to the old gods / high priests and their magical ways. Dunsany, however, is the master of the short short story. Some of these stories are only about a page or less long, and read more like brief snapshots of a scene or time. Clark Ashton Smith also had some extremely short stories but I think none have come close to Dunsany and his succinctness. A lot of these stories are also very dialogue-heavy and extremely poetic and/or philosophical in nature. Overall, a really good collection for someone interested in getting into Dunsany or who is simply short on time and wants to read some very short stories with fantastical themes.