Ambrose Bierce was a true American original. Civil War hero. Journalist. A true master of the English language who lived by the maxim "Less is more" in his writing. (He defined a novel as "a short story, padded"). Gifted with a razor sharp mind and a wit commonly referred to as "pure venom", Bierce'...
As a word assassin (i.e. editor) by day, I find Bierce's talent for word conservation stunning. I didn't know diction (and fiction) could feel so efficient. But, because no story is longer than 5 or so pages, this collection can feel draining, especially since the stronger works are in the last two ...
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