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A review by ctgt
The Uncanny Valley: Tales from a Lost Town by Gregory Miller
4.0
Granpa says Uncanny Valley is a thin place
This is a bit of an odd duck. Can't really call it a short story collection although that is what it may appear on the surface. It's a collection of letters from the residents of Uncanny Valley in response to a contest to explain what makes your hometown special. While is doesn't really have an narrative thread running through the stories it does paint a vivid portrait of the town and it's inhabitants. The ending was quite intriguing and fell right in line with the tradition of weird fiction.
The letter writers range in age and their stories vary in length and complexity. In truth, the first quarter of the book wasn't ringing my bell but then I hit the story Richard Shute Goes Home for Dinner and from that point on most of the stories spoke to me with Best Kept Secret, Lillian Sweeney's Music and The Sounding of the Sea resonating strongly.
A very interesting way to format the storytelling and while it started slowly the overall impression was positive. Recommended for those who enjoy weird fiction.
That was all it took; we had witnessed the final straw alighting on the camel's back, and the camel's back had broken. Something, after half a century, had finally snapped in Bob. The dark animal had woken up.
This is a bit of an odd duck. Can't really call it a short story collection although that is what it may appear on the surface. It's a collection of letters from the residents of Uncanny Valley in response to a contest to explain what makes your hometown special. While is doesn't really have an narrative thread running through the stories it does paint a vivid portrait of the town and it's inhabitants. The ending was quite intriguing and fell right in line with the tradition of weird fiction.
The letter writers range in age and their stories vary in length and complexity. In truth, the first quarter of the book wasn't ringing my bell but then I hit the story Richard Shute Goes Home for Dinner and from that point on most of the stories spoke to me with Best Kept Secret, Lillian Sweeney's Music and The Sounding of the Sea resonating strongly.
A very interesting way to format the storytelling and while it started slowly the overall impression was positive. Recommended for those who enjoy weird fiction.
That was all it took; we had witnessed the final straw alighting on the camel's back, and the camel's back had broken. Something, after half a century, had finally snapped in Bob. The dark animal had woken up.