Ambrose Bierce
Best known as a master of searing satire, American author Ambrose Bierce was also an accomplished short story writer. The engrossing tale The Damned Thing presents as its central theme the ultimately unknowable—and untameable—essence of nature and the natural world. Told from several different perspectives, the story focuses on a freak fatal accident that is written off as a wild animal attack. But does that description get at
...Misanthropes, grumps, and the hopelessly jaded will relish every ruthlessly witty word of Ambrose Bierce's essay collection A Cynic Looks at Life. Bierce unleashes his jaundiced eye and incisive insight on a number of topics that are still as resonant as they were at the time of the book's 1912 publication.
The bone-chilling stories related in the collection The Parenticide Club vary widely in tone, style and setting, but they share one characteristic in common: all of the narrators have gravely injured or killed a family member, often a parent. Those with the constitution to make it to the end of the book will marvel at Bierce's inventiveness and writing skill.
This highly entertaining novel about three Franciscan monks is something of a departure for author Ambrose Bierce, who typically wrote about his own time. The story, which takes the form of a diary penned by the main character, Ambrosius. Though he faithfully carries out the duties of his office, he struggles with temptation, particularly after meeting the beguiling Benedicta, who happens to be the hangman's daughter of the title.