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Rating: Summary: Chilling Collection of Imaginative Ghost Stories Review: The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories is another marvelous, inexpensive reprint from Dover Publications. These twelve stories selected from The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce are remarkably good. I intend to become much better acquainted with Ambrose Bierce.Bierce had an inventive imagination, much like Edgar Allan Poe. In this chilling collection we meet angry spirits seeking revenge, humans transformed into wild beasts, and individuals deranged by encounters with apparitions. Although written a century ago, several stories explored subjects that seemed surprisingly modern. The Man and the Snake is a frightening study of the psychology of one man's imagination. Time and space are transformed in A Psychological Shipwreck. And we meet an emotional, possibly unstable, thinking machine in Moxon's Master. I considered listing the stories that were my favorites. However, as I enjoyed all twelve stories, I decided to forego the exercise. Buy this little collection. You won't be disappointed. Ambrose Bierce fought at Shiloh and Chickamauga, was wounded at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain in 1864, and retired after the war at the rank of major. Later, as a newspaperman in San Francisco, his acerbic wit and penchant for satire made him a significant force in its vibrant literary community. In 1913 he disappeared while traveling in Mexico, possibly a victim of the Mexican Civil war.
Rating: Summary: Chilling Collection of Imaginative Ghost Stories Review: The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories is another marvelous, inexpensive reprint from Dover Publications. These twelve stories selected from The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce are remarkably good. I intend to become much better acquainted with Ambrose Bierce. Bierce had an inventive imagination, much like Edgar Allan Poe. In this chilling collection we meet angry spirits seeking revenge, humans transformed into wild beasts, and individuals deranged by encounters with apparitions. Although written a century ago, several stories explored subjects that seemed surprisingly modern. The Man and the Snake is a frightening study of the psychology of one man's imagination. Time and space are transformed in A Psychological Shipwreck. And we meet an emotional, possibly unstable, thinking machine in Moxon's Master. I considered listing the stories that were my favorites. However, as I enjoyed all twelve stories, I decided to forego the exercise. Buy this little collection. You won't be disappointed. Ambrose Bierce fought at Shiloh and Chickamauga, was wounded at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain in 1864, and retired after the war at the rank of major. Later, as a newspaperman in San Francisco, his acerbic wit and penchant for satire made him a significant force in its vibrant literary community. In 1913 he disappeared while traveling in Mexico, possibly a victim of the Mexican Civil war.
Rating: Summary: Contains several essential Bierce stories, and is cheap. Review: There is a reason why you should buy this book, and there is a reason why you should not. If you have not read any stories by Ambrose Bierce before, then this book is a wonderful way for you to get acquainted with them, since it is cheap and has the stories essential for someone who wants to know what his writing is like. On the other hand, any dedicated Ambrose Bierce fan will find this book inadequate and too short, so they should go for the greater books or anthologies, since they truly encompass the entire spectrum and contain all variations of Bierce's story-telling.
Rating: Summary: Worth the read Review: This book showcases the fine writing talents of Ambrose Bierce, famous for his "Devil's Dictionary" among other things. These ghost stories are very fine and show a lot of thought and imagination. The title story in particular is extemely powerful in its perspective changes and genuine feeling of sadness experienced by the characters. I recommend this book and edition wholeheartedly.
Rating: Summary: Worth the read Review: This book showcases the fine writing talents of Ambrose Bierce, famous for his "Devil's Dictionary" among other things. These ghost stories are very fine and show a lot of thought and imagination. The title story in particular is extemely powerful in its perspective changes and genuine feeling of sadness experienced by the characters. I recommend this book and edition wholeheartedly.
Rating: Summary: Imaginative stories from a great writer Review: This contains only a small sampling of author Ambrose Bierce's work with ghost and horror stories. Most are the ghost sotries we are used to with vengeful spirits or loved ones trying to connect to the world of the living, but have just the right little twist to make them unique. In "The Middle Toe of the Right Foot," for example, what starts out as a duel in an empty house ends up with the death of a duelist by the ghosts that inhabit the palce and recognize him. Other stories deal with man's own fear of the unknown, such as in "The Man and the Snake" or "A Watcher of the Dead," in which the characters literally scare themselves to death. The most unique story in this collection, though, is the last one titles "Moxon's Master," which gives a dealy warning about the progress fo man and machine. These are all great tales to read aloud by the campfire and are sure to send just the right amount of chills down your spine.
Rating: Summary: Imaginative stories from a great writer Review: This contains only a small sampling of author Ambrose Bierce's work with ghost and horror stories. Most are the ghost sotries we are used to with vengeful spirits or loved ones trying to connect to the world of the living, but have just the right little twist to make them unique. In "The Middle Toe of the Right Foot," for example, what starts out as a duel in an empty house ends up with the death of a duelist by the ghosts that inhabit the palce and recognize him. Other stories deal with man's own fear of the unknown, such as in "The Man and the Snake" or "A Watcher of the Dead," in which the characters literally scare themselves to death. The most unique story in this collection, though, is the last one titles "Moxon's Master," which gives a dealy warning about the progress fo man and machine. These are all great tales to read aloud by the campfire and are sure to send just the right amount of chills down your spine.
Rating: Summary: Worth the read Review: This is my first experience with Bierce's works, and I thought this book was pretty good for it's price. I really didn't think that any of these stories were scary or horrifying in any way, but some of them were interesting. I thought that some of the longer tales resembled Poe's with the sometimes unwanted droning of needless descriptive and large words. But, I would reccomend this book if you are a fan of Poe. I thought this book was a good bargain, since it is cheaper than a cup of coffee these days. So, I encourage you to take a look at it. It's a pretty good read, and what else can you buy for this price today?
Rating: Summary: A Good Bargain For Your Buck Review: This is my first experience with Bierce's works, and I thought this book was pretty good for it's price. I really didn't think that any of these stories were scary or horrifying in any way, but some of them were interesting. I thought that some of the longer tales resembled Poe's with the sometimes unwanted droning of needless descriptive and large words. But, I would reccomend this book if you are a fan of Poe. I thought this book was a good bargain, since it is cheaper than a cup of coffee these days. So, I encourage you to take a look at it. It's a pretty good read, and what else can you buy for this price today?
Rating: Summary: Something for the reading around the campfire.... Review: This small book contains 12 of Ambrose Bierce's short stories (The Eyes of the Panther, The Moonlit Road, The Boarded Window, The Man and the Snake, The Secret of Macarger's Gulch, The Middle Toe of the Right Foot, A Psychological Shipwreck, A Holy Terror, John Bartine's Watch, Beyond the Wall, A Watcher by the Dead, and Moxon's Master). The stories cover ghosts, revenge, and otherworldly messages. This is by no means a definitive collection of Bierce's work, but it is a good, inexpensive introduction. The stories are short and do not go into intense detail and background. These are compact and complete enough to be told around the campfire or just around the living room with the lights turned out. Bierce knows his reader and will often give the ending an unexpected twist.
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