Reviews

Altmann's Tongue by Brian Evenson

achurxh's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-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

2.0

bkerns's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A

5.0

stephenrobak's review against another edition

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2.0

I really wanted to enjoy this collection, but it left me flat. Very violent stories without the eerie, unsettling mood that I love in his later collections. Interesting to compare and contrast these to his newer stories, though.

bone_daddy's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is disturbing and twisted. It is the Id on paper.
Brilliant!
Loved every word.

wigstown's review against another edition

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3.0

Here's one more book I'd rather not rate. My reactions to it are complicated at best. Evenson's influences seem to be Kafka, Beckett, and the Christian bible. The violence is sinister, restless, part of his American landscape. He uses it to explore who we are as a culture. His images are horrifying and unforgettable. They are the stuff of nightmares -- the stepfather's genuflected body, Job and his bones, the killer of Altmann fleeing the scene and "fluttering into the blank sky."

I'll probably read more Evenson, but I'm going to take a long break first.

readbyrodkelly's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

isabellesbooks's review against another edition

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1.0

Normally I am a huge fan of Evenson’s short fiction but this collection really fell short for me; I think the only story I enjoyed was the last one. 

paulataua's review against another edition

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5.0

I came here after not really liking his ‘Last Days’, but feeling that there was something there and I should explore further, I was determined to read ‘Altmann’s Tongue’. With no local bookstore carrying it, no copy available on Amazon, and, due to covid, no chance of getting my hands on it without waiting for lengthy sea freight delivery, I felt frustrated. As luck would have it, a friend found a copy on his shelves, and luck begat luck as he advised me to start by reading the afterword. It is a piece of advice that I pass on to potential readers as it really helped me to understand more about what Evenson was getting at. The book turned out to be so much better than I expected. The stories are fascinating and totally thought provoking, especially the very short ones like ‘Killing Cats’ or ‘Altmann’s Tongue’. They take just a few minutes to read, but they shake you up, leaving you unable to read on for the hour or so it takes to process them

grasonpoling's review against another edition

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4.0

(4.5)

brutal. the writing’s incredible. i’m curious what a full-length novel from Evenson would be.

rclcirc2's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5