Tales Of Soldiers And Civilians And Other Stories

Ambrose Bierce

Editions

Review

Ambrose Bierce, mostly noted for the story ‘An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge’ (which appears in this collection), and for disappearing (aged 70+) into Mexico in search of Pancho Villa, is here represented by a sizeable collection of tales.  Some (the best) focus on the American Civil War; they are gritty, unromantic, realistic and beautifully written.  Some of the civilian stories depend too much on O. Henry – like twists, but are nonetheless very appealing.  This volume also includes tales of the supernatural; you’ll never forget ‘My Favorite Murder’, which combines horror and hilarity, or indeed the equally shocking – and funny – ‘Oil Of Dog’.

The strongest writing comes, however, in the war tales: here Bierce combines vivid descriptive detail with a strong vein of irony, presenting war as a world in which chaos and destruction are set in opposition to the order of military protocol. - review by Karen Wadman