Sometimes a collection of short stories is all over the place: fantasy butting up against realistic fiction rubbing elbows with mysteries. This collection is not one of those times. Sure, some of the stories are more fantastic than others, and some have more realistic elements, but the tone is remarkably consistent across writers and even generations. Including stories from such big names in fantastic fiction as Kelly Link and Neil Gaiman and realistic authors like Nick Hornby and Jonathan Safra...

i wanted this to be better than it was, probably just because the intro was penned by daniel handler/lemony snicket. i should know by now that anything edited by the "mcsweeney's" peeps is going to be really good in theory & not measure up in practice. so what this is: a collection of short stories by various acclaimed fiction writers (of the "mcsweeney's" ilk--dave eggers & people like that) that i believe were written for younger readers (like maybe junior high-aged). or maybe they are stories...

Here's an amusing collection of imaginative shorts aimed at the younger set, a younger set that possesses a dry, sardonic sense of humor, anyway.I enjoyed these stories while I was reading them, and then...promptly forgot almost all of them.*There are some familiar names here, (also known as BIG NAME-BRAND authors) - Nick Hornby, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Neil Gaiman - but the tales in this book are obviously not anyone's BEST work.*Two notable exceptions - Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father

A collection of short stories from the likes of Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, George Saunders, Jonathan Safran Foer and a bunch of people I didn't know. All the stories are quirky and weird, and all the stories are just okay. The one by Gaiman was less than okay, it was really annoying. I already forgot what most of the stories were about because they left that little of an impression. The best part was the introduction by Lemony Snicket and the wonderful illustrations throughout the book.

More like 2.5 actually. A collection of short stories by various authors. Some of them were amusing, some of them...not. The illustrations were quite fun, the same goes for the introduction. If I am to pick a favorite story, it would be Grimble by Clement Freud. Grimble, who is about ten, has very odd parents, "odd" being an understatement: One monday, Grimble came back from school, opened the door, and shouted, "I am home". No one shouted anything in answer. So he went round the house looking

I loved Monster by Kelly Link and Lars Farf by George Saunders, but everything else was either ok or unmemorable. Grimble was kind of cute, but Monster really did me in.

A collection of short stories put together for some noble purpose - supporting a writing/reading school/project in NYC, I believe. If it's a good cause and you like to support good causes, by the book. Read the short story by Neil Gaiman and then put the book on your shelf, content you've done some good for somebody. But, don't read the other short stories. Waste of time, even the one by Hornby, who apparently typed his story out over coffee one morning. I speed-read/skip-read the other stories,...

Winner of the "Longest Title for Any Book Ever Produced on the Face of Planet Earth Award," this McSweeney's publication is a nice little collector's item. Were I rating it for the stories alone, I might give it a bit less than five stars. Why? Because, sometimes I'm a poseur; capable of shoveling out opinions more notable for their style and verbosity than any measurable degree of merit or substance. In other words, the stories are good, but I don't know HOW good they are, how they measure up a...

Out of 11 stories, only 5 of them worth the 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5 stars) award. Some of the stories are not as attractive or as immersive as the others, some felt so-so, and Gaiman's work here seemed pilit, like [I just want my name to be included in this anthology, yea?] So there. Yay, I hope I can join the TFG's book discussion this June 30.

Who would have guessed the title of a book might as well make up its whole review? Bottom line: weird as fuck.

I'm surprised by how much I'm loving this anthology of short stories written for middle readers. The introduction is by Lemony Snicket, and some of the stories are by Nick Hornby, Jon Scieszka, Neil Gaiman, and others. Plus, inside the book jacket is a half-finished story that the readers are encouraged to finish and mail in for a contest! Proceeds go to charity--or did. Stories are very well written, yet engaging and true for the average 11-year-old boy.

Cute book full of short stories that will sometimes have you laughing out loud. Neil Gaiman has a story in here, but oddly, it was not one of my favourites.There are some great lines found throughout the stories and some very strange tales.I will write more later.

I like McSweeneys. I like the 826 centers and take undeserved pride in their Mission origins. Their goal of inspiring young people by connecting them with good, dedicated writers chokes me up a little bit when I think about it. I liked this collection of hip little stories and artwork too - for the most part. Sometimes though, these stories felt a little too hip, a little heavy on the image and light on the substance if that makes any sense. They were all sooo ironic, sooo unconventional that it...

What an awesome title. That is why I picked up this book. Inside I found a selection of short stories and illustrations that were fun and funny. My favorites were Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband, by George Saunders; Seymour's Last Wish, by Sam Swope; and Monster, by Kelly Link (even though that one kind of left me with a feeling of Huh?). My favorite illustrations were from The Sixth Borough, illustrated by Barry Blitt; and Sunbird, illustrated by Peter de Seve (though I did no...

McSweeney’s, in a lot of ways, has ended up defining popular culture since its inception. Adult cartoons, I think, can be traced back to it. It’s irreverent literature, a post-post-modern variety of surreal appetites, although grounded enough in reality that it can’t be considered outright surreal, or fantasy. Satire, maybe, without having a point except to suggest that the everyday world is capable of encapsulating the absurd and make it mundane. I think much of popular literature was taken ove...