A Collection Of Short Stories Strung Together That Create Confusion . . . .
937420
This book was more like a collection of related short stories than like a novel.  On top of that, none of the characters in it were particularly interesting or likable.  By the time I got to the last few chapters, I had trouble even remembering who some of the characters were, even though I read the book in less than a week.  I did like the closing paragraph, however.
460042
This is a collection of four short stories from the author. The first is that kind of fantasy where it is really just alternative historical without any magic or anything, and that's not really my genre of choice. The second is an interesting fantasy about a girl with wings that definitely raises more questions than it answers. The third is a parody fairytale about a prince rescuing a princess from a dragon, but with a twist that seemed a bit odd to me (and not because I'm against love triangles going that direction, ha). Finally, Tide of Shadows is the fourth story and from which this collection takes its name. I was excited to get to it since it seemed like the main attraction, and it was interesting, but didn't really tell a satisfying story. All of these short stories were artistic in a way that didn't really appeal to me, but I'm sure will appeal to other readers.
3706341
Perhaps steampunk lovers would enjoy this collection, but most of the stories left me disappointed. Some of the endings just didn't make sense to me.
3150620
I have read many horror short stories and this collection just did not resonate with me. Most stories I found very obvious and trite, the few I started to enjoy ended too abruptly without any sense of satisfaction. I had to force myself to finish this collection and didn't get the same joy I found with other short horror story collections by authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, or Dean Koontz. This is only my opinion but I felt I had to post a review since it is the first book on Amazon where I completely disagree with the average user score this book somehow has.

I truly wonder if the people that have given this book 4 or 5 stars just do not have much life experience. Maybe they have never watched old Twilight Zones, Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, or read old horror stories where the author seems to have drawn much of his inspiration from. For them maybe these stories seemed new and fresh, to me it was just more of the same old stories I have read or watched before. I would have given this book only 1 star if not for the one story I did enjoy "Bolts", the first story in the book, and the one wisely chosen for the free preview that lead me to buy this book.
2818220
I am always happy to locate an Al Sarrantonio book.  I have truly enjoyed his novels.  This is his first collection of short fiction.  I had to read it right away, but I wound up being disappointed.
Short horror fiction is often far mor intense than horror novels, but that is not the case with this collection.  At best the stories are odd.  Usually they are just dull.  I found myself reading the stories in hopes of finding the gem in the collection.  There was none.  This was very odd as I could relate to many of the characters.
All in all I have to say that fans of his novels may want to pass this collection by as the stories within bear little resemblance to his longer works.
614900
Interesting but a bit confusing, with three different stories that one doesnt beging to relate until the end, and that with much thinking backwards.
1375581
Great stories. The between the number stories are all at the end of the collection though completely out of order and you don't realize it until you get to them and read them.
592267
Hello, this is quite the collection of short stories.  These stories don't necessarily hold to the same theme.  Most of the stories are quite dark and do not have a happy ending.  Thanks.
2095146
Some of the stories are too lengthy and average, but there are a few stories that really blow my mind.
2799264
A collection of short stories with no real theme or destination, some are good, some are chilling, and some are quite pointless.
2033423
I typically enjoy reading short stories, and this is a pretty good,
if somewhat uneven collection.  The goal of some of them (particularly
the frame story) seems to be little more than to shock.  And while
this is accomplished relatively well,  there is something more to
a number of the stories.

One does have to admire Palahniuk's craft.  The structure of most
stories and the narration is masterful.  The first story stands out
in this regard.  After all these are just words on paper, and not that
many words at that.  And yet, the story is as disquieting as anything
I have seen on television or film.

While none of the other stories achieve this intensity, they are all
disturbing in their own way.  And that is probably the main shortcoming
of the book - one does ask whether Palahniuk really used his prodigious talents
only to show that he can disgust us in 25 different ways?
4438064
This collection of short stories have all been used in the previous novels. Therefore one was paying to read the same stories over and over again. I did not appreciate that
607473
This is a collection of short stories. Hollis Seamon has written some seriously unusual, unforgettable, poignant and thought provoking essays about everyday people in unusual circumstances. First there are two young people in their teens dying of cancer then there's the garbage men that find babies in a trash bag and try to save them. There is the cat lady, an agoraphobic, a plagiarist, and also sibling rivalry, possible murder and an incredibly unusual dog. Although the writer has come up with truly unique situations that pique a readers interest, I found myself so depressed reading the stories that I didn't want to continue. That is unusual for me. I like books that make me think, feel and wonder. But Corporeality was just too much packed into each story. If I had been able to know the characters after or lengthen many of the stories out and also have some not so over the top emotions I may have enjoyed it more. Maybe short stories aren't for me.
1705724
This is a collection of short fiction novellas interlaced with various essays of sometimes dubious basis. There ARE some pretty good stories here--I quite liked "The Guardians" and "Sword of Damocles"--but overall it felt more like a "whatever hadn't been in other collections yet" than anything else. The science were sometimes interesting even if I find there's little evidence for some of the conjecture, but since they are unproven either  way they're mostly just a different way of looking at  things for a minute than anything else.

Not one of his best collections, not one of his worst. Just....."it good"
3207147
Generally I liked this collection of short stories, funny, good story-telling, enjoyable. However, I couldn't give 5 or even 4 stars for various reasons. First of all the title is misleading: it is not the next part of series. I m sure that it was intentional, the publisher should be too stupid not to notice to be true... Second: it is just playing with the known characters, not much new element. A new evil is too similar to an old one. Should do better. Third: the last short story is obsiously just a marketing item, written to increase the expectations for the next book. Guys, was it really necessary? So in spite of the acceptable stories, too much marketing for my taste, so I had to punish the book and the publisher. Be more subtle next time!
2969412
Serendipity is a collection of ten short stories on a variety of themes. Some touch on horror and the esoteric, others project the human desire for freedom, while the final half of the book is devoted to WWI-related fiction. Of the stories, I found myself most drawn to "Serendipity," a unique romance on the fringes of the supernatural, and "Widow's Walk," a chilling tale reminiscent of a film noir serial. "The Red California Spyder" reminded me of a somewhat popular song about another red car of legend, and "Night Visions" was positively creepy.

If the collection has a weak spot, for me it was the satirical "Proudest Monkey," which interrupted the flow of the book. I don't think it's badly written - it is quite amusing depending on how you interpret the author's intent - but it didn't seem to fit with the overall dark motif of the collection.

If you enjoy short fiction, dark suspense, and a Twilight Zone undertone in fiction, this is a book worth reading.
3973323
It's a collection of short stories. Some are predictable but still funny while others are fairly deep.