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Old School
Old School is a collection of fourteen short stories.
Why Old School? Bette Davis famously noted that "Old age ain't no place for sissies." In these stories the protagonists may not all be old, but ain't none of them young anymore. They're past the solipsism of youth, that grandiose narcissism that lets the young imagine the world as a stage devoted to their glories. Every character in Old School knows that life isn't a stage, it's a ring. And you'd better learn to take a punch, because life is the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. You might land a shot here and there, but you are gonna get your ass beat and, in the end, you're going down for the count. Life is however-many-billions and 0, and each of us is just one more digit on the wrong end of that equation.
Why Old School? Bette Davis famously noted that "Old age ain't no place for sissies." In these stories the protagonists may not all be old, but ain't none of them young anymore. They're past the solipsism of youth, that grandiose narcissism that lets the young imagine the world as a stage devoted to their glories. Every character in Old School knows that life isn't a stage, it's a ring. And you'd better learn to take a punch, because life is the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. You might land a shot here and there, but you are gonna get your ass beat and, in the end, you're going down for the count. Life is however-many-billions and 0, and each of us is just one more digit on the wrong end of that equation.
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 6, 2012
Old School is a collection of 16 flash fiction stories. Unlike many short story collections, Old School has a theme - getting old - and is organised into three parts: Middle Aged; The Golden Years; The Afterlife. The stories are all tight and punchy, with some nice expressive prose. Evenness in quality is sometimes a problem with collections. In general, Old School is strong throughout and most stories pack a solid blow or twist. There are a couple of stories that are perhaps a little too short and could have done with a tad more elaboration, but there are definitely no duds. The standout stories for me were Sheepshank and The Summer of Fishing. Interestingly, Sheepshank was longer than the other pieces and those extra words allowed some real depth to be developed. As a side issue, given the book is published in an e-format it could really do with an interactive table of contents - without it it’s difficult to jump around the book, which for a short story collection is very useful (especially when it comes to writing a review and you want to revisit some stories). Overall, an enjoyable collection of stories that are a cut above average fare.
April 19, 2012
It’s very appropriate that Dan O’Shea’s first collection is called Old School, because Dan is definitely an old school kind of guy. You know, the kind of old school where the approach to life is that you shut up, nut up, and just get on with it.
And from boys on the cusp of manhood to hardened criminals on a mission to fathers willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to provide for their families to a tougher than nails septuagenarian granny, there’s a lot of old school attitude flying around in the fourteen stories that make up this take no prisoners collection.
Sometimes the ‘getting on with it’ is poignant and noble (“Shackleton’s Hootch,” “Exit Interview”), other times it’s nefarious (“Pink Cadillac,” “Thin Mints,” “Two Phones”), and still others it’s just downright necessary (“The Summer of Fishing,” “Absalom,” “Purl Two”). In every instance, however, it’s absolutely pitch-perfect.
For a man that claims he initially found the concept of writing a 1,000 word story impossible (“I’m pretty sure I’ve written sentences that long.”), O’Shea nevertheless proves himself to be a master of the genre, with not a single beat out of place or word wasted. The people in O’Shea’s Old School world are as blunt and brutal as O’Shea’s writing, doing exactly what is required of them with grim acceptance and without a second thought. The result is a collection of stories which demands to be paid attention to, stories whose visceral starkness resonate undeniable truths about the world. And even though that world is often ugly, O’Shea’s writing is always sublime.
And from boys on the cusp of manhood to hardened criminals on a mission to fathers willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to provide for their families to a tougher than nails septuagenarian granny, there’s a lot of old school attitude flying around in the fourteen stories that make up this take no prisoners collection.
Sometimes the ‘getting on with it’ is poignant and noble (“Shackleton’s Hootch,” “Exit Interview”), other times it’s nefarious (“Pink Cadillac,” “Thin Mints,” “Two Phones”), and still others it’s just downright necessary (“The Summer of Fishing,” “Absalom,” “Purl Two”). In every instance, however, it’s absolutely pitch-perfect.
For a man that claims he initially found the concept of writing a 1,000 word story impossible (“I’m pretty sure I’ve written sentences that long.”), O’Shea nevertheless proves himself to be a master of the genre, with not a single beat out of place or word wasted. The people in O’Shea’s Old School world are as blunt and brutal as O’Shea’s writing, doing exactly what is required of them with grim acceptance and without a second thought. The result is a collection of stories which demands to be paid attention to, stories whose visceral starkness resonate undeniable truths about the world. And even though that world is often ugly, O’Shea’s writing is always sublime.
July 19, 2012
Dan O'Shea's collection OLD SCHOOL from Snubnose Press is well worth a read. The work has a natural feel to it and there's also a huge range of subject-matter.
His first section deals with middle-age.
The opener is a reflective piece about a childhood incident, one that's helped to shape a life .
You'll meet meths addicts here, men facing tough decisions, hit men and guys trying to find different ways out of the holes in which they find themselves. You'll even find Shakespeare, no less.
The Golden Years brings a change of flavour, but continues with O'Shea's sharp, hard-hitting work. There is a slight change of gear, here. O'Shea captures some of the physical hardships of old age, but blesses his characters with tough minds and wills.
One particular tale has us visit to an old-people's home allows us to meet and ex-cop who has his interest in the world rekindled when a new guy is wheeled onto the block. It's a quality piece which could easily be much longer, though is hugely satisfying in this small bite.
After the great starters and a fabulous main course, O'Shea still has the generosity to offer up a couple more as a fine dessert.
I'm looking forward to more short fiction from this guy for, unlike many of his creations, I know there's plenty of life left in this old dog.
His first section deals with middle-age.
The opener is a reflective piece about a childhood incident, one that's helped to shape a life .
You'll meet meths addicts here, men facing tough decisions, hit men and guys trying to find different ways out of the holes in which they find themselves. You'll even find Shakespeare, no less.
The Golden Years brings a change of flavour, but continues with O'Shea's sharp, hard-hitting work. There is a slight change of gear, here. O'Shea captures some of the physical hardships of old age, but blesses his characters with tough minds and wills.
One particular tale has us visit to an old-people's home allows us to meet and ex-cop who has his interest in the world rekindled when a new guy is wheeled onto the block. It's a quality piece which could easily be much longer, though is hugely satisfying in this small bite.
After the great starters and a fabulous main course, O'Shea still has the generosity to offer up a couple more as a fine dessert.
I'm looking forward to more short fiction from this guy for, unlike many of his creations, I know there's plenty of life left in this old dog.
March 1, 2012
This is the first time I've read anything by Dan O'Shea and I'm very happy to say that Old School literally blew me away. Full of short, sharp stories that take absolutely no prisoners, it hits hard and it hits fast. Standouts here are 'Absalom', 'Mint Thins' and 'Hilary's Scars' but you could dip into this collection at any point and find an absolutely brilliant story. It's that good and that consistent.
Have to give a shout out to 'Sheepshank' as my favourite here. The longest story in the collection, O'Shea takes his time to build the tale of Lou DeGatano, who thinks he may have discovered who The Hangman, a serial killer from back in his cops days, is. Trouble is, both he and The Hangman are residents in Sunnybrook old peoples home and are both battling the onset of old age. All the stories here have spot on dialogue and characterisation but this was really special and bodes very, very well if Mr O'Shea is planning on releasing something in a longer form. This is the best short story I've read in a while - high praise indeed when you consider that I have recently read great collections by Frank Bill & Daniel Woodrell. Superb
Have to give a shout out to 'Sheepshank' as my favourite here. The longest story in the collection, O'Shea takes his time to build the tale of Lou DeGatano, who thinks he may have discovered who The Hangman, a serial killer from back in his cops days, is. Trouble is, both he and The Hangman are residents in Sunnybrook old peoples home and are both battling the onset of old age. All the stories here have spot on dialogue and characterisation but this was really special and bodes very, very well if Mr O'Shea is planning on releasing something in a longer form. This is the best short story I've read in a while - high praise indeed when you consider that I have recently read great collections by Frank Bill & Daniel Woodrell. Superb
March 22, 2012
Sharp shorts, precise language and pinpoint characterization makes for strong emotions when you read OLD SCHOOL. Dan O'Shea is one of those alchemists of language who can transmit the most abstact and unspeakable sense of dread through metaphors and allegories. Nobody talks about the ravage of time and life like Dan O'Shea does. He will leave scars on your soul and make you see life through his wisom. Highly enjoyable.
August 7, 2012
Dan O’Shea’s put together a kickarse collection of his short fiction here. O’Shea has a real storyteller’s sense of pacing and language – it’s easy to imagine them narrated by your favourite uncle, say. Most of these yarns are crime stories, often of the brutal and/or grisly variety, with a smattering of more speculative pieces towards the end.
All of them are worth a look, but I have a few favourites. ‘Thin Mints’ is a nasty little piece about a meth-fuelled stickup gone predictably awry. ‘The Blood of the Lamb’ is a loony character portrait with a Dahl-esque punchline. ‘Shackleton’s Hooch’ is gloriously melancholy. And no review should fail to mention the rather unflattering portrait of Wm. Shakespeare painted in ‘The Bard’s Confession on the Matter of the Despoilment of the Fishmonger’s Daughter’ – cold and bitter, but beautifully written. At three bucks for the Kindle version, this is another bargain. Recommended.
All of them are worth a look, but I have a few favourites. ‘Thin Mints’ is a nasty little piece about a meth-fuelled stickup gone predictably awry. ‘The Blood of the Lamb’ is a loony character portrait with a Dahl-esque punchline. ‘Shackleton’s Hooch’ is gloriously melancholy. And no review should fail to mention the rather unflattering portrait of Wm. Shakespeare painted in ‘The Bard’s Confession on the Matter of the Despoilment of the Fishmonger’s Daughter’ – cold and bitter, but beautifully written. At three bucks for the Kindle version, this is another bargain. Recommended.
July 20, 2012
Stories of getting old, but probably not how most of us get old --hopefully! Dan O'Shea's collection of short fiction hits hard and makes no apologies. At times brutal, it's not for the faint of heart. Most of the stories are pretty brief and that is to the collection's credit, each one a quick jab followed by a roundhouse resulting in a first-round knockout. Very glad I picked this up.
February 5, 2013
An interesting collection of well-written stories that unfortunately suffer from lack of follow-through. Too many are vignettes that lack a strong beginning, middle and end.
While I found many of these stories a bit unsatisfying, others are stronger, and it's made me interested in reading more of O'Shea's work. But I hope he can develop his plotting to the level of his prose in future.
While I found many of these stories a bit unsatisfying, others are stronger, and it's made me interested in reading more of O'Shea's work. But I hope he can develop his plotting to the level of his prose in future.
April 29, 2014
Wide variety of short fiction. Loved every minute of it and can't wait for more. Excellent in all the right ways. A couple of these stories are going to stick with me for a long time and I will reread in the future. Highly recommended.
December 29, 2014
Outstanding!
Full-tilt fiction (one hopes fiction) with nary an extra word. The writing equivalent of a Ford Fiesta with the front seat removed to accommodate a Hemi V-8, your grandma hopped-up on blue ice at the wheel.
Full-tilt fiction (one hopes fiction) with nary an extra word. The writing equivalent of a Ford Fiesta with the front seat removed to accommodate a Hemi V-8, your grandma hopped-up on blue ice at the wheel.
October 30, 2012
Enjoyable reading.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews