Another Book Review

I read another book recently—The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories by Mark Twain. It’s one of Dover’s Thrift Editions and may I say how much I love them? They pack a lot of punch for the price.

Grade: B+

Twain’s poorest writing beats most authors’ best. He just had the knack. So while these stories aren’t his best, they’re still pretty good. I particularly liked “The Mysterious Stranger.” As a story it fails, but it’s a fascinating diatribe against man and God. Here’s a sample:

It is true, that which I have revealed to you; there is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a dream—a grotesque and foolish dream. Nothing exists but you. And you are but a thought—a vagrant thought, a useless thought, a homeless thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!

Cheery, eh? But have you ever wondered if maybe the world was a dream and you were the dreamer? It’s a powerful concept.

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