I am a fan of Klosterman's Sex Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs but I struggled to get through this one. The stories were....a little bit bizarre and felt a bit rushed or underdeveloped. 3 Stars.

It's Safe to Get Back in the Water

I very much enjoy Chuck Klosterman's work, but I've been a bit disappointed by his last few collections of recycled pieces. Well, not to worry here. These new, brief, quick-hit fictions are top form Klosterman.

The premises are clever. There are weird and surreal twists and turns aplenty. And the wordcraft and word play is engaging and entertaining. There are lots of short, punchy pieces and plenty to choose from. Unlike most collections, the appeal is consistently high right across the board and there's lots to like.

So, I ended up very happy with this anthology, and pleased to be back in Klosterman's company and his strange fictional worlds.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This has been out over a year and had many helpful reviews already. Since I can't anything more, I'll just say that this is OK, not great.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

Chuck does it AGAIN. These are my favorite stories - just a hint of truth. This reminded me of his earlier work. Give me all the short stories.

I first read Chuck Klosterman because Seth Cohen was flipping through a copy of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs on an episode of The OC-my teenage self couldn’t resist what was either blatant product placement or a producer having a fangirl moment.

His newest release, Raised in Captivity, is a collection of short stories written in the vein of Black Mirror-fictional scenarios that border uncomfortably on the truth.

Like all of Klosterman’s writing, it’s fun, it’s quick, and it speaks to our times in a light-hearted, but intelligent way that makes you literally go hm, I never thought of it that way.

It is interesting to see how each individual story develops. But this book didn't grip me as much as other Klosterman books. It felt like the stories were only loosely tied to each other

This is an odd collection of words. Not exactly stories, though some are actually stories. Others are the beginning of a story, or perhaps the middle of a story. Others are just...there. No ending, nothing really to say. That doesn't mean there's nothing here to like. It's just a rather unfinished and unpolished product that should have half as many entries and be twice as long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this copy of Raised in Captivity by Chuck Klosterman.

Having never read a book by Chuck Klosterman before I had no idea what to expect. I knew that his books were typically non-fiction and that this was not. I knew that this was a book of short stories, which I love and was excited about. This was a book full of micro-stories, short story doesn't really accurately describe them. Were there plots in each story? Sure, don't expect a traditional plot structure though. This is a book that will force you to reconsider what constitutes a story. Is that a good thing? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

My biggest complaint is that most of the stories were interesting and grabbed my attention but then ended just as I was really getting involved. Some of the stories never caught my attention but that is true with any short story collection. All in all, this was an enjoyable read but I would have loved a few longer stories that were allowed to really tell their story versus a whole bunch of really short stories where none seemed to reach their potential.

For short story fans, this is worth a read but if you want to explore the works fo Chuck Klosterman this is probably not the best place to start.

Have you ever wondered if your thoughts are “normal”? Well now you have someone to compare yourself to without worrying about your spouse calling the police! The author of Raised in Captivity appears to have captured 34 of his random thoughts and published them in a book.

Could there be a seeing-eye puma? If your grandparents died in the holocaust, does that mean you can understand racism? If you’re rich enough, can you live in an insulated bubble your entire life? For me, the answers are no because they’re bound to get hungry sometime, no because it’s a fallacy of relevance, and of course they can.

Just because these extremely short stories, around ten pages each, are random doesn’t make them irrelevant or less entertaining. Raised in Captivity would make a good doctor’s office waiting room or bathroom reader. It is much better in small doses. Take your time reading each story and think about the underlying concepts for a while. It is meant to be savored like a single malt whiskey not guzzled like cheap beer. 3 stars.

Thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, this fictional nonfiction just was not my cup of tea. Thank you.