Customer Reviews

In The Shadow Of The Strip: Las Vegas Stories (Western Literature Series)

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

 

 

I don't agree at all with the previous reviewer. This is, after all, a collection of short stories about the dreams, disappointments and odd-ball characters that make Las Vegas what it is. I found most of the stories delightful, with enexpected twists, and generally full of heart. If you're looking for Purlitzer Prize stories, look elsewhere. If you like to people watch and enjoy the unique, the unexpected, and the perverse that sometimes tickles our imaginations, you'll enjoy this collection - a collection that could only be crafted by those so intimate and loving of Vegas life and all of its bizarre permutations.

I swear that you're going to be very disappointed by this book. The short stories are mostly at the level of a college literary journal, and only one or two stories are memorable stand-outs that show off a modicum of creativity. (Who knew that reading about the highs and lows of gambling could be so unexciting? I gamble every time I go to Las Vegas, and I'm also a fan of contemporary fiction, yet I was bored to death by these stories.)

Buy Mike Tronnes' excellent anthology, Literary Las Vegas, instead.

I am unable to surgarcoat it. This is a really bad book. There are 14 stories in this book and they are all undeserving of my money. This collection was a real disappointment. The stories are shallow, predictable and utterly fail at engaging the reader. However, in case you need to see for yourself, here is what you will get:

1. The Run
2. The G-d Gambler
3. Las Vegas Courtship
4. Bowling with the Christ Child
5. The Funniest Thing You Said All Night.
6. The Fish Magician
7. The Night Uncle Willy's Car Caught Fire on the I-95
8. Insufficient Funds
9. Easy Driving
10. Mr. Biondi and the New Dispensation
11. Golfers
12. Naked City
13. Big-City Dtective
14. You Saw Me Crying in the Chapel.