The first story in this book, "The Teacher," is extraordinary. A charismatic teacher shows a very disturbing video, frame by frame, as students and teacher alike are changed by the experience. One of the best stories I've read recently.

I already reviewed this once and goodreads ate it, and I'm sleepy so highlights: 1. I liked paul tremblay when I talked to him about crime novels so I started his book a year ago. 2. I picked it back up and finished it this week. 3. It is very well written, but I don't answer followups about short story plots. 4. I'd like to read a novel by him.

I re-read this to take away the taste of the John Shirley anthology, and it worked. With Tremblay you don't know what is coming next, but the odds are that it will be strange and cool. Probably best characterised as slipstream, with some being absurdist and others realistic. The stories are up and down, of course, but most of them strike home. The strongest may be We Will Never Live in the Castle, a post-apoc story of doomed love and revenge in a derelict theme park. Love! Death! Minigolf!

Tremblay writes unreliable characters like it's nobody's business (for more on that check out his phenomenal novel "A Head Full of Ghosts"). And apparently apocalypses, too, for that matter. Overall, Tremblay's stories and his writing are just spectacular. Admittedly, this collection is not perfect, there were a couple of duds for me, yet the ones that scored scored really high. REALLY high. And to clarify, the majority scored. I just love what great writers can do with the short story format, a...

Nearly 5 stars. Superb stories: strange and weird (a girl with two heads, a man who fills his house with spiders), or post- or pre-apocalyptic (in one the world is overgrown with bamboo like plants, that eventually come up through the floorboards; in another there is a cerebral aneurysm epidemic). OK there are innumerable examples of strange and/or end-of-the-world stories but what sets Tremblay apart is the odd combination of humour and compassion. And the smooth, expert writing. It was possibl...

http://www.hipsterbookclub.com/review...Paul Tremblay blends fantasy, horror, and realism in his new short story collection In the Mean Time. In 15 stories of personal and social catastrophes, Tremblay confronts the loneliness, fear, paranoia, and endurance of humankind.The book collects a handful of Temblay’s published stories from the past decade with a few original to the collection. The author plays with elements of different genres, ranging from realism to dark fantasy and science fiction.

Review originally published at The Nervous Breakdown:http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/rt...When you enter the world of Paul Tremblay most anything can happen, and usually does. His recent collection, In The Mean Time (ChiZine Publications) defies expectations, the cover art a soft purple hue all filled with glittery type. It shows the faces of two sweet girls, which at first glance (pay attention, readers, the show starts here) could be two sisters sitting very close together, twins maybe. But...

It pains me a great deal to admit this, but this book is wonderful. Slightly bent, funny, bizarre, and awesome, often at the same time, Tremblay's series of tales are remarkable, and it's no wonder his star is rising as fast as it is. Scratch that: it's a mystery why it isn't rising faster. Definitely one of my favourite books this year. (And I'm still angry about it.)

Unsettling is the best way to describe this collection of stories or better yet as one Goodreads reviewer described it "stories of personal & social catastrophes." As with most short story collections some fell a little flat but I'm surprised that I haven't heard more about this writer. Weird, terrifying, and thought-provoking.

I cannot believe that more people haven't read these short stories. THEY ARE FUCKING AMAZING!!! Dark and strange... highly recommend.

I'm a fan of full disclosure. I always struggle with the subjective-objective conundrum when trying to review something. Should I go with the gut or the more analytical approach? You get the idea.Hence the problem here. I just wasn't much into where Tremblay was going in these stories. The second half of the collection grabbed me more than the first part. There seemed to be more character involved. However, these are really good stories. Really, really good stories that reminded me of Shirley an...

I've been reading this book for years now and have to sadly say that I've finally finished it. The slow pace is due to two factors: one, in general, I tend to read many collections and anthologies simultaneously so it can take me a while to finish any one book but when I start finishing them, I finish many at once. Second, and more relevant to this review, Paul Tremblay writes stories that need to be studied and digested properly. It's not necessarily easy reading but if you take a bit of time w...

a float for paul tremblay!!!holy freaking crap!!i am giving this five stars, even though there were one or two stories there that i didn't think were the best, because the ones that were great were GREAT as in "i want you guys to all read this book-great." first - a word. barnes and noble has this publisher shelved in sci-fi/fantasy which is so frustrating to me because the world being the way it is, fewer people browse genre-sections than browse general fiction-literature because the assumption...

Thoughtful stories and a different look from Paul Tremblay. Excellent!

This collection is ridiculously good. I read a few stories of his in anthologies and HAD to pick this up based on those stories. I was not disappointed. Looking forward to his new novel!

IN THE MEAN TIME by Paul Tremblay IN THE MEAN TIME by Paul Tremblay is a collection of weird short fiction that lives up to its title, offering readers fifteen sociopolitical tales that inform us of inner conflict as well as interpersonal conflicts, world-ending plagues, psychological horror, and inconsolable loss as they lead us down dangerous avenues where adaptability and resiliency are the only means of defense and survival. IN THE MEAN TIME unfolds in a merciless world not unlike our own, a...

These stories fell short of my expectations, probably because I already read "A Head Full of Ghosts" and was expecting much of the same: interesting characters and storylines, solid writing, all the good stuff. While the writing was largely good, the stories were lacking. None of them felt complete, and I could not figure out the point of many of them. The first story, "The Teacher," had a powerful, unsettling, uncomfortable mood which pulled me in, but I could not say the same for the others. I...

I first saw Paul Tremblay's name mentioned in the blogs of several other writers I enjoy, so it should be no surprise that I enjoy the fictional worlds he creates. I love the way Tremblay balances strange and playful elements against emotional realism and seriousness. These stories take chances, but never leave the reader behind in pursuit of writerly flourishes or abstractions.The bulk of the collection is comprised of whimsical yet dark pieces existing in a sort of no-man's-land between genre

Twitter Review: #ITMT In The Mean Time by Paul Tremblay @paulGtremblay http://bit.ly/bfWKjw #ITMT story1: The ticking clock is a child’s impending pain. Incredible suspense. I suffered an entire life during this story. #ITMT story2: Does simple psychosis explain the girl's 2nd head? Her mother's unhealthy support of the condition tears me apart. #ITMT story3: like a scary retelling of Barthleme's The Balloon through the meta lens of academic legacy.Starts simply clever but ends deep.

A collection of mini-masterpieces about the end of the world, both actually and personally. I hate Paul Tremblay for being such a talented writer. Or I would if he had a uvula. But he doesn't, so I take pity on him. You should, too.