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mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
This slim book contains, as the title suggests, short stories about the American Civil War, several of which appear to be memoirs rather than fiction. Bierce fought in the war on the Union side. Although I have read a number of Civil War books, I think this is the first that was written by a veteran of that war. (Shame on me.)
The sixteen short stories form a striking and illuminating set; honest, at times brutally so, about the gore and the cost of war, yet allowing improbabilities when it serves the narrative. Individually, the stories are very strong. Collectively, their similarities in tone and storytelling technique made them slightly less effective. I anticipated turns in the tales, some of which might otherwise have surprised me. I read the book, intermittently, over six weeks, but maybe should have stretched it out longer.
It is hard to single out a favorite story, but I particularly liked "Four Days in Dixie," which appears to be autobiographical, and which uses humor to offset the terrible plight in which the narrator finds himself.
Highly recommended.
The sixteen short stories form a striking and illuminating set; honest, at times brutally so, about the gore and the cost of war, yet allowing improbabilities when it serves the narrative. Individually, the stories are very strong. Collectively, their similarities in tone and storytelling technique made them slightly less effective. I anticipated turns in the tales, some of which might otherwise have surprised me. I read the book, intermittently, over six weeks, but maybe should have stretched it out longer.
It is hard to single out a favorite story, but I particularly liked "Four Days in Dixie," which appears to be autobiographical, and which uses humor to offset the terrible plight in which the narrator finds himself.
Highly recommended.
kaboomcju's review against another edition
5.0
Bierce wrote a variety of short stories in his life, but I think his Civil Wars stories tend to be his best. Don't expect any heartwarming tales because these are realistic and brutal...just like war. Bierce's firsthand experience is obvious as are his negative views on the war. Some of the descriptions are particularly gruesome (even by today's standards), but that just adds to the authenticity. Much better than his collection of ghost stories.
jeremyanderberg's review against another edition
5.0
"Bitter Bierce" is one of the more interesting characters in American literary history. He served the Union in the Civil War, including the brutal Battle of Shiloh — an experience which understandably scarred him, but also provided fuel for some of the most poignant, realistic stories on the Civil War ever penned.
While Ambrose wrote a variety of short stories (most in the horror/fantastical realm), novels, journalism, and hybrid pieces — like the remarkably witty Devil's Dictionary — his greatest work, in my opinion, are the Civil War stories collected here. While two of the pieces are short non-fiction remembrances of his wartime experience, the rest are fictional pieces that almost always have some sort of twisty ending.
The real strength of Bierce is in capturing the consciousness of soldiers — their fears, worries, courage; their grappling with death, their camaraderie, their innocence and, eventually, their lack thereof.
A few of the stories truly made my jaw drop at the end, either in the form of an unexpected conclusion, or simply an incredibly raw depiction of the sadness and weariness of war.
I also read a handful of Bierce's other work, and while some of the other stories are good, none approach the power of the 16 found here. While "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is his most famous story, I found "A Horseman in the Sky," "Chickamauga," and "One of the Missing" to be even more affecting. (All can be read for free online.)
All the stories can be read in under 10 minutes or so. If you're looking for a fright during this autumnal season, Bierce's collection offers a hefty dose, with perhaps too much realism; there's no need for the supernatural when the horrors of war are enough to bring a chill to your bones.
While Ambrose wrote a variety of short stories (most in the horror/fantastical realm), novels, journalism, and hybrid pieces — like the remarkably witty Devil's Dictionary — his greatest work, in my opinion, are the Civil War stories collected here. While two of the pieces are short non-fiction remembrances of his wartime experience, the rest are fictional pieces that almost always have some sort of twisty ending.
The real strength of Bierce is in capturing the consciousness of soldiers — their fears, worries, courage; their grappling with death, their camaraderie, their innocence and, eventually, their lack thereof.
A few of the stories truly made my jaw drop at the end, either in the form of an unexpected conclusion, or simply an incredibly raw depiction of the sadness and weariness of war.
I also read a handful of Bierce's other work, and while some of the other stories are good, none approach the power of the 16 found here. While "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is his most famous story, I found "A Horseman in the Sky," "Chickamauga," and "One of the Missing" to be even more affecting. (All can be read for free online.)
All the stories can be read in under 10 minutes or so. If you're looking for a fright during this autumnal season, Bierce's collection offers a hefty dose, with perhaps too much realism; there's no need for the supernatural when the horrors of war are enough to bring a chill to your bones.
reggiewoods's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
jessica_mcdermitt's review against another edition
5.0
This is a collection of masterpieces. Strange happenings, twists of fate, horrifying imagery, and just enough dark humor. Highly effective commentary on war.
jcovey's review against another edition
4.0
You know how most are gonna end but the construction is just flawless.
bobbo49's review against another edition
5.0
I first learned of Bierce through the dramatization of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge on The Alfred Hitchcock Presents television show in the early 1960s; Kurt Vonnegut once called that tale "the greatest American short story", and it remains one of my all time favorite stories. This collection of Bierce's Civil War stories (including Occurence) is absolutely magnificent, breath-taking, horrifying: a personalized, insider's view of the horrors of war in the 19th century, when the killing was mostly up close and very personal, and brothers and friends killed each other. The history of the Civil War is often told in cold, impersonal and statistical facts; here, Bierce describes it from the perspective of the people who fought and died. A great read.
ellisknox's review against another edition
4.0
With every review, someone had to mention he was known as "bitter Bierce" but I found him more ironic than bitter. He loved to have a character be unknowingly killed by a former benefactor, or for a villain to perform a good deed, and so on. I think today he'd be called realistic.
Short story writers do not benefit, I think, from being collected. Their stories do better when we encounter them at intervals, in various magazines--in other words, in the context for which they were written. Reading these stories in quick succession does tend to make one notice repetition (that boy was fond of the word "acclivity"), and this lessens the impact of each story. If you get this book, try reading no more than one story a month, with other reading in between.
All that said, the writing is a marvel, particularly in two respects. One is that realism. Some of his descriptions of dead bodies are horrifying, even at this long remove. He doesn't linger; the effect is more that of a jump scare in a movie, a sudden close-up that leaves you shaken.
Balancing these moments are wonderfully funny lines. Most are sardonic, and it helps to know the temper of the times, but boy howdy he gets off some zingers. His writing is the sort where you lean forward into the text, eager for the next vivid image or memorable vignette. Bierce does not keep the reader waiting.
Short story writers do not benefit, I think, from being collected. Their stories do better when we encounter them at intervals, in various magazines--in other words, in the context for which they were written. Reading these stories in quick succession does tend to make one notice repetition (that boy was fond of the word "acclivity"), and this lessens the impact of each story. If you get this book, try reading no more than one story a month, with other reading in between.
All that said, the writing is a marvel, particularly in two respects. One is that realism. Some of his descriptions of dead bodies are horrifying, even at this long remove. He doesn't linger; the effect is more that of a jump scare in a movie, a sudden close-up that leaves you shaken.
Balancing these moments are wonderfully funny lines. Most are sardonic, and it helps to know the temper of the times, but boy howdy he gets off some zingers. His writing is the sort where you lean forward into the text, eager for the next vivid image or memorable vignette. Bierce does not keep the reader waiting.
lovmelovmycats's review against another edition
4.0
Life sucks, war sucks even worse, bravery is like whatever; human beings are a horrible group of people.
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