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A review by jeremyanderberg
Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce
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.