Synopses & Reviews
In When the Nines Roll Over, David Benioff (The 25th Hour, City of Thieves) uses humor and rich characterizations to explore the sometimes thrilling, sometimes pathetic emotional lives of a diverse set of characters. Over the course of eight stories, we are introduced to a host of young people on the cusp of discovery and loss. As he evokes the various states of agony and pleasure—humiliation, rebellion, camaraderie, and desire—Benioff displays a profound understanding of the transformative power of a single moment and how sadness can be illuminated by a humorous flip side. When the Nines Roll Over confirms the promise of a gifted writer emerging as a storytelling force.
Review
"[A]n ace storyteller....'The Devil Comes to Orekhovo'...may be the best Hemingway story Hemingway never wrote. (Grade: A-)" Entertainment Weekly
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"Fully lives up to expectations....Story collections aren't always high on readers' to-do lists these days. This one should be." San Francisco Chronicle
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"Eight deliciously accessible stories....All of these will hook you fast, and they'll keep you hooked....Technical accomplishment that's matched by a generosity of spirit." Kirkus Reviews
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"A deft stylist who's a notch or two tamer than Chuck Palahniuk and T. C. Boyle, Benioff finds levity amidst the gravity in a world where the simplest of moments can change the course of our lives." Booklist
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"There's a reason this kind of writing has lasted for ages; simply put, it's fun to read. The successful stories...are so thoroughly enjoyable that you may not reflect on their acute perceptions until you've put the book down for a while." Victor LaValle, The Washington Post Book World
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"Benioff writes with intelligence. His deft prose and sympathetic characters pull the reader entirely into each story, each distinct world." Charlotte Observer
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"The book's eight stories are written with both a literary writer's care and a film writer's instinct for courting his readers or viewers. He hooks them, reels them in and does his best to make them happy to be in the boat with him." USA Today
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"In eight tales, Mr. Benioff writes of innocence lost, illusions revealed and beauty eroded by time....With the exception of 'De Composition,' written in the postmodern vein of Borges or Calvino, Mr. Benioff's stories present fully drawn characters rooted in contemporary settings." Wall Street Journal
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"Here is a deeply satisfying collection of unusual, resonant, and beautifully composed stories. David Benioff is one of the most promising writers of his generation." George Pelecanos, author of Hard Revolution
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"Beautifully paced and seemingly effortless, these stories display all of David Benioff's prodigious gifts as a writer: his sly wit and knowingness, his acute social observation, and his understanding of loss and longing, and also the wide range of territory he has made his own." Maile Meloy, author of Liars and Saints
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"David Benioff's is not the sort of prose that gets singled out in reviews. I imagine critics referring to it as 'workman-like' or 'serviceable.' It's the kind of prose I love, unspooling naturally and smoothly....Benioff's stories thrilled me, made me laugh, had me making faces as I read, and reached me in a way that precious few short stories do. And when the book was finished...I wanted to turn to the first page and revisit each story again." Chris Bolton, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
Synopsis
In When the Nines Roll Over, David Benioff uses humor and rich characterizations to explore the sometimes thrilling, sometimes pathetic emotional lives of a diverse set of characters. Over the course of eight stories, we are introduced to a host of young people on the cusp of discovery and loss. As he evokes the various states of agony and pleasure humiliation, rebellion, camaraderie, and desire Benioff displays a profound understanding of the transformative power of a single moment and how sadness can be illuminated by a humorous flip side. When the Nines Roll Over confirms the promise of a gifted writer emerging as a storytelling force.
Synopsis
A tour de force of imaginative storytelling from the critically acclaimed author of City of Thieves andThe 25th Hour and co-creator of the HBO series Game of Thrones
In When the Nines Roll Over, David Benioff (The 25th Hour, City of Thieves) uses humor and rich characterizations to explore the sometimes thrilling, sometimes pathetic emotional lives of a diverse set of characters. Over the course of eight stories, we are introduced to a host of young people on the cusp of discovery and loss. As he evokes the various states of agony and pleasure humiliation, rebellion, camaraderie, and desire Benioff displays a profound understanding of the transformative power of a single moment and how sadness can be illuminated by a humorous flip side. When the Nines Roll Over confirms the promise of a gifted writer emerging as a storytelling force."
Synopsis
From one of Hollywood's hottest young screenwriters and the widely acclaimed author of The 25th Hour comes a collection of cool, urbane, and skillfully crafted stories.
About the Author
David Benioff was born and raised in New York City. He adapted his first novel, The 25th Hour, into the screenplay for Spike Lee's film of the same name. He is also the author of the screenplays for the films Troy and the forthcoming Stay and The Kite Runner. Stories from When the Nines Roll Over have appeared in Best New American Voices and Best American Nonrequired Reading.