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oddreads_nicolestins's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ericgaryanderson's review
5.0
In these stories, SGJ absolutely convinces me that I'm reading not just an episode in a life, not just a situation that's some part of a larger life that balloons off the page in ways we can't see or really know, but the contours of the life itself. This IS the character's life; this IS what it's like to be him or her. The way he does this is, I think, unerring and often unsettling, especially when characters slowly awaken into claustrophobia and still think that there's a way out. I was still thinking that too. . . . SGJ just nails it when it comes to knowing which moments, which details, which gestures and breaths and things said and unsaid give us these lives.
ickijones's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
4.0
Quick and interesting read. This is the first writings I’ve read of Stephen Graham Jones and I will definitely read more. I enjoyed his style of writing. It feels very stream of consciousness.
shinaabikwe's review
Found this a little too bleak and a little too masculine for my taste and mood right now. SGJ is an excellent writer however and it’s definitely the right book for someone.
meghanc303's review
3.0
Nobody Knows This
Last Success
Carbon
If you read nothing else in this book, let these be the stories you choose. Overall the collection wasn't my favorite of his work, but these 3 stories blew me away!
Last Success
Carbon
If you read nothing else in this book, let these be the stories you choose. Overall the collection wasn't my favorite of his work, but these 3 stories blew me away!
verkisto's review against another edition
4.0
It's interesting to jump back to the beginning of Jones' publications. The style is still very much what I would expect, but it's fascinating to see how he started from a literary position and then moved his way into genre fiction. Even as I was reading The Only Good Indians, I had the feeling that it was more literary than genre, and now I understand why.
I've not read any other writer like Jones. He has a knack for finding the perfect moment, the perfect small detail to emphasize in the story to make a point, to emphasize mood, or to fill atmosphere. It's amazing stuff. Even though I can't say I got the point of every story here, I could feel them and experience them.
"Discovering America" is easily my favorite of the bunch. I follow Jones on Twitter and that side of him feels playful and a little carefree, but that story takes a sideways, acerbic look at stereotypes. It's harsh and unforgiving, and I LOVE IT.
I've not read any other writer like Jones. He has a knack for finding the perfect moment, the perfect small detail to emphasize in the story to make a point, to emphasize mood, or to fill atmosphere. It's amazing stuff. Even though I can't say I got the point of every story here, I could feel them and experience them.
"Discovering America" is easily my favorite of the bunch. I follow Jones on Twitter and that side of him feels playful and a little carefree, but that story takes a sideways, acerbic look at stereotypes. It's harsh and unforgiving, and I LOVE IT.
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