McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (Vintage Contemporaries)

I was really looking forward to this collection of short stories. I used to love reading short stories when I was in school, but outside of magazines there really aren't that many short stories written anymore. In fact, that was the supposed reason for bringing together this collection of stories. Some of the stories are rather good, but most are mediocre, and a few are just plain stinkers. The stories I enjoyed the most were:"The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened Thereafter" by Glen David Gold. This story tells the tale of a murderous elephant and how she was finally captured and hung. This is my personal favorite story in the treasury."How Carlos Webster Changed His Name to Carl and Became a Famous Oklahoma Lawman" by Elmore Leonard A young boy has his ice cream stolen by a famous gangster and moments later watches the criminal murder a lawmen. That one event (the stealing of the ice cream or the killing?) changes the life of Carlos Webster forever."Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly" by Dave Eggers I'll give him credit, Eggers is a more talented writer than I imagined him to be as this story illustrates. It's the tale of a woman's quest to hike up Kilaminjaro. Great storytelling."The Martian Agent, A Planetary Romance" by Michael Chabon This story is a "what if" piece of historical fiction. The last bit of a rebellion on the British controlled North American continent is crushed. The two sons of the rebellion leader are saved and rescued by their famous uncle, an inventor of air ships.Overall THRILLING TALES was a bit of a disappointment. Several of the tales were promising, but did not deliver in the end, such as Nick Hornby's "Otherwise Pandemonium" a story about a VCR that can veiw the future. Others were duds. However, the few outstanding stories make this collection worth reading, though not necessarily worth buying.

All the way from the U.K. during pandemic- surprised as to the quick shipping. Great quality book. With library brinding. McSweeney's quarterly releases are a step away from the norm-each issue is unique. Fantastic selection of works and a bonus of the tale of grey dick by stephen king

McSweeney's doesn't usually publish books of superstar authors like this, so I made sure to get my hands on one as soon as I could befor e they started flying off the shelves. I had high expectations for this collection, and I wasn't disappointed. Every book of short stories seems to have one or two that just aren't interesting, but this book is the exception that proves the rule: every single story is wonderful. While they are all truly great, I particularly enjoyed Glen David Gold's "The Tears of Squonk and What Happened Thereafter," Neil Gaiman's "Closing Time," and Nick Horby's "Otherwise Pandemonium." Stephen King fans will be pleased to note that his contribution, "The Tale of Gray Dick," is actually an excerpt from the upcoming <i>Wolves of the Calla</i>, the fifth book in the Dark Tower series.

Sent in a quickly manner, good service, I got exactly what I wanted!Thank you!

Great compilation of easy reads.

The other reviewers have summed it up: I wanted to like this collection, but it let me down. If you must read it, get it from the library -- it is not a keeper.

I love to read short fiction. I think the forms of short story, novelet, and novella are sorely overlooked and underappreciated in the literary world today. Having attempted to work with all three forms in my own writing, I know just how hard it is to make even a conditional success of them, let alone turn out works that are complex, and which engage the mind as well as the heart. That's why when I find a modern collection of really good short stories, I invariably rave about it and recommend it to everybody I can find. Such books are increasingly rare treasures in today's easy-reading, fast-food-fiction world, and deserve to be read by as many people as possible.That's why, if you haven't already, you should run out and find a copy of McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales. The list of contributors alone should be enough to get your attention: Stephen King, Carol Emshwiller, Laurie King, Glen David Gold, Michael Chabon, Elmore Leonard, Michael Crichton, Neil Gaiman-and that's just a few of the many excellent writers contributing some truly excellent work to this anthology.Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, one of the best novels of recent years, says in the introduction that he longed to get away from the "short stories, plotless and sparkling with epiphanic dew" that characterize so much of modern short fiction, and return to the great old days of the tightly-plotted tales in pulp magazines. So when Dave Eggers asked him to guest-edit his pomo quarterly, McSweeney's, Chabon jumped at the chance to bring his dream to life. To that end, this book has "pulp" written all over it, from the cover art (taken from an actual 1940 cover from Red Star Mystery Magazine), to the lurid exclamations of the cover copy, to the hyperbolic story summaries on the contents page, to Howard Chaykin's expressive illustrations; the whole creates a package designed to put one in mind of the pulps' heyday-and while the stories within aren't quite that spectacular, they're still damned impressive. I'll describe just a few of them here, due to space limitations as much as anything else--but bear in mind that these are by no means a representative sampling of this varied anthology, just a few of my favorites:*"The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened After," Glen David Gold's heartfelt meditation on revenge;*"Catskin," an eerie fairy tale by Kelly Link;*Nick Hornby's "Otherwise Pandemonium," a great urban fantasy about a teenaged boy whose secondhand VCR shows him the future;*"Weaving the Dark," by Laurie King, a creepy yet humorous mystery (whose illustration, unfortunately, gives the ending away);*"Ghost Dance," a dark and grim horror-fest by Sherman Alexie;*"The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance," by Chabon himself, an excellent alternative history tale, very much in the vein of Michael Moorcock (himself a contributor), and a delightful closer for the anthology-with the promise of a sequel to come. Can't wait!Other stories are good, though not perhaps the classics Chabon was hoping for-like Michael Chrichton's "Blood Doesn't Come Out," which is dark and effective though a bit unsavory, Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary," which is almost too clever and wry for its own good, Harlan Ellison's "Goodbye to All That," a reprint of a story he's already published (the lone exception in an anthology that promises the stories are all new, never before seen), and which is a retread of his Ronald Colman/Shangri-la/shaggy-dog-story-with-a-bad-punchline obsession. It's a decent story, but I would have preferred something original from Harlan. And Stephen King's "The Tale of Gray Dick," an excerpt from the most recent Dark Tower novel, is far more subtle than his usual fare, and less engaging because of it, though it does grow on you.Probably the best story in McSweeney's is Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes," a tour de force tale about a drug that allows one to relive memories. It's not unlike a Philip K. Dick story in sensibility, though in terms of writing and execution it's light years past even PKD's best work. The deeper you get into Moody's dark, atmospheric story (set in a near-future New York that is nightmarishly close to our worst surmises about what terrorism could do to it), the more it unfolds and envelops you; perceptions change, events shift, and reality itself goes up for grabs. The climax of the story, told in a Joycelike rush of prose that is one of the most thrilling, enthralling things I've read in years, must be read carefully to be understood; once you do so, I guarantee you a frisson you will remember fondly for a long time. In my opinion, "The Albertine Notes" is one of the best stories I've read in years.If you love short fiction as much as I do, McSweeney's is for you. It's a multifarious, engaging, occasionally frustrating, but thoroughly excellent read, and one I hope you'll treasure for years to come. The best part is that a second McSweeney's book, likewise edited by Chabon, is due out later this year. If it's anywhere near as good as the first, I'm there.

This book is worth a read just for the crazy adverts of the time that go with it. You can 'train vicious dogs' or 'purchase the miracle wall cleaner'. The stories, written by such diverse writers as Nick Hornby and Stephen King among the many, are printed in two column style which I find very relaxing on the eye. The stories are varied and as it says on the tin (or the cover) thrilling.

a lot for your money here - plenty entertainment for those cold dark nights.

Brilliant

退屈な小説がもてはやされる昨今の潮流に逆らって、手に汗握る冒険活劇ばかりを集めたというシェイボンに拍手を送りたい。こういうわくわく、ドキドキの楽しい短編集を待っていたのだ！中身も表紙同様、アメリカン・コミック調で楽しい。いかにもアメリカ～★という感じの作り。結構分厚いペーパーバックなので、かなり読みでもある。