Customer Reviews

Descent of Man: Stories (Contemporary American Fiction)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As with most first collections of short stories, 'Descent of Man' is pretty uneven. Too many stories feel like sketches for comedy shows, one joke spun out for pages. There are a few that are Kafka-lite, others a little too in love with the sound of their own voice; the last story, in its detached misogyny, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

This is still a highly entertaining book. Themes, subjects, charaters, motifs etc. recur, as the antiseptic, over-confident world of modern capitalism is blighted by beasts, nature, disasters: those things so alien to us we can never predict or destroy them, try as we might. This is an ugly re-vision of Darwin, evolution in reverse, survival of the sneakiest. The Boyle gallery of finks, thieves, perverts, latterday Josef Ks, cuckolds, killers, greed- and ambition-devouring monsters are not a pretty lot, but raise some delicious laughs.

There are some excellent pastiches here of Borges, Wells, Haggard etc., but, and perhaps this is the flaw, we're always reading Boyle. 'The Second Swimming' (about Mao's birthday celebrations), 'The Big Garage' (the mock-Kafka tale of a motorist's car breaking down) and 'The Extinction Tales' (an extraordinary catalogue of historical 'progress') at least are masterpieces. A fun way to enjoy the end of the world.

... This could be one of the best collections of short stories by an author I have ever read in my entire life. The title story is utterly brilliant and one of the most amusing. My favorite, HEART OF A CHAMPION, is the one I thought brought about the most internal laughter, the story of a boy and his collie. Other favorites, most of them more thought-provoking than ha-ha-worthy include THE SECOND SWIMMING, A WOMAN'S RESTAURANT, THE EXTINCTION TALES, and DROWNING. A strange thing I noticed: the stories seem to progress from funny to gloomy according to their appearance. I had originally planned to exchange this book with a friend once I was done, but when I had finished it I knew that I would want to read this again. Of all the emotions these stories force you to accept, disappointment isn't one of them.

The scarcastic humor found in "Desent of Man" was remesiant of Kurt Vonnegut and Franz Kafka. I enjoyed how T. C. Boyle picked apart the over-inflacted egos of the Gifted. He had one burned alive for taking a photograph of God dead. The Nihilistic pleaseure of a collector going out on a limb to collect an ancient beer can and his discription of a Researchers sexual experements with apes impressed me. No other book had such a darkly scarcastic vain and yet was written with intellegence. I also liked the twists in his stories thay kept the book exciting and alive. Like Hitchcock you will never know what "nice" fate T. C. Boyle has in mind for his pompus characters.

I think Descent of Man and Green Hell are two of the funniest short stories I have ever read. Either of these two are worth the price of the book.

You may want to read only a few stories at a time as they tend to get a little dark and depressing, but the two titles mentioned above are gems.

You'll never forget reading this book. The story "Descent of Man" is one of the funniest things I have ever read. The rest are equally satisfying, although, not all funny. Some of the stories, while thought provoking, are somewhat gloomy. Still, those that are not in the comedic vein, "Drowning" and "The Extinction Tales" come to mind, are highly entertaining and not to be disregarded. As for the rest, "The Champ," "John Barleycorn Lives," "Quetzacoatl Lite" and etc. etc. are absolutely some of the most amusing stories I'v ever had the pleasure of stumbling across. Descent of Man rocks my world!!!!!

I hate a story I can predict. I have never read anything less predictable. I loved this book. I only wish I could forget it and enjoy reading it again at a later date, but I know it's stories are unforgettable.

Read "We Are Norsemen" first to get a sense of how funny his writing can be. I'll never forget lines like: "thin-ribbed wolves yabbering at the doorstep." Pick it up. It's a keeper.

One of the most unusual authors I have ever read. Someone had suggested I read TC Boyle, so I have started with a collection of his short stories. Where does he come up with these topics: Norsemen invading, a chimpanzee who has a PhD, skies raining blood, Chairman Mao going bathing in the river in winter? Very vivid, colorful writing. Great reading.

These were solid, humorous stories, but it was tough for me not to think about the superior masters of the short story who T.C. was obviously influenced by or paying homage to. Boyle makes it quite clear that "The Big Garage" is his homage to Kafka's "The Trial," (not a short story). He also makes it clear that "The Human Fly" from IF THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY is an homage to Kafka's "The Hunger Artist." So, if you are thinking about reading this and you haven't yet read Kafka's great stories, such as "The Hunger Artist," "The Metamorphosis" or "In the Penal Colony," do yourself a favor and read those first.

Another writer who came to mind while I read this was Donald Barthelme. The story "De Rerum Natura" especially reminded me of Barthelme. Again, though, Boyle doesn't measure up to his influence.

Of course, Boyle deserves to be judged on his own merits and, by that standard, he is pretty good. And I have to give him credit if he inspired me to read more of Kafka, Barthelme and Jorge Luis Borges, another master of the short story.