Reviews

Song for the Unraveling of the World: Stories by Brian Evenson

greatblueshark's review against another edition

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2.5

This didn’t feel like a horror set of stories. Not necessarily a thriller either, it’s hard to explain. I’d recommend certain stories but not all. Also why do so many lick the walls clean?

vismund's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

bccorrea's review

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mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I guess I hate short stories? The horror doesn't punch most of the time. A few standouts but overall underwhelming. :(

dialhforhgai's review

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5.0

The world is a strange place, almost unbearably so. And yet, it is the only place I have. And I’m not even entirely sure I have it.

subwayscenne's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

tmvallehoag's review

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3.0

These stories are all wonderfully short and ambiguous nightmares. A strangely quick read. Knocked down from 4 stars because Of the story “Trigger Warnings,” which displays such a flagrant contempt for the concept of harm reduction that I’m unsure if I even want to read any more of Evanson’s books. If he has so much contempt for his readers, why should I trust him with my time?

In spite of that, though, these stories are, as I said, great. Particularly “Room Tone,” a mundane (not supernatural) horror story which read like a modern “Telltale Heart.”

soojeen's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

good collection of scary short stories

carissapffffft's review

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challenging mysterious fast-paced

3.0

gaven's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

anredman's review

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3.0

Feels less like a collection of stories and more like a study on a few concepts. Does that make sense? There was a lot of repetition in the stories, which I'm sure was intentional.

Doubt. Obsession. The thin layer between this world and another. A transferable self.

By far I prefer the first half of this collection. The repetition of themes started to wear me down after the midway point. Perhaps I should have taken more time to reflect on the story before charging on to the next one.

As always, I highly recommend any anthology of this author. The writing is too clever and cutting to be ignored.