I want to add the view of someone who is not religious and therefore can cast an unbiased view of this book. Having read parts of it, I can see how some may be offended. However, having said that, I don't think the internet should ever be censored and this book should remain downloadable for anybody who wants it. You may not agree with the book, but the world is full of people with differing opinions and we should respect that. If anything this book teaches us that - that we're all different and see things differently. Live with it. :)

This book is blackly humorous in the same way that Don Quixote is, funny in places. Read this years ago but plan to read it again now I've come across it on this site because as far as I remember it was a compelling, fun, enjoyable book. It's basically about the exciting adventures of the eponymous hero Candide, although it also raises a lot of philosophical questions and that's probably why it's considered an important literary work. Short book that’s worth the read.

First off, let me say something I've said before to Matt in an email, this site truly redeems the internet. All of you downloading should support this site.

Now for this book. I couldn't agree more with Jim's review of this complete rubbish. What more can I add that he hasn't already said? Except that if this is what modern fiction is all about, then I'm sticking to the classics. This is a really bad collection, each story is a mess and ultimately pointless as Jim points out. Don't waste your time with it. There are millions of other books on this site - almost everything else is better than this literary diarrhea.

Only recently came across her work and was pleasantly surprised to find these stories fairly gripping little tales. I can recommend the collection on the strength of “the shadows on the wall” alone. You’ll probably be disappointed if you take your horror hard. Freeman takes a gentle suspenseful approach to the supernatural tale, but these stories are well worth reading, especially if you're a traditionalist. They are (most of them) tightly written considering the time they were written in, and it’s the interaction between the characters that stands out more than anything. You can just imagine these “little horrors" having happened in real life to real people at some time or other.

Country of the Blind is probably the best of the stories in this collection, but this lot is not representative of the quality of Wells' short work. The "country of the blind collection" contains some real gems; some of them, in my humble opinion, are masterpieces of the short story genre. Better to read that collection than this one.

I read this book in my late teens and was stunned by it. Some of the scenes are still fresh in my mind years later. Rask's growing madness, the poverty which is never dwelt on but always present, the torment of the characters, their desperate lives, and the emotion that runs through the whole thing like electricity ... there is so much of life in this old book, and I think almost everyone knows the plot by now. A very deep book, and not something to take with you on the beach! One minor point though, re-reading the book today, it seems a little baggy in places, like his other great works, and could benefit from some modern judicial editing maybe. I tried reading his other works (The Idiot etc.) but none of them quite did it for me the way this book did.

This is his masterpiece.

Read this book today. Kafka was a true literary genius. For me this book is about insecurity, obsession, and a dire warning about the perils of bureaucracy. The whole thing is utterly fantastic and fascinating. One of the greatest works of literature bar none.

And if you are in any way interested in the way Britain seems to be heading into a bureaucratic-manic state these days then you really have to read this prophetic book, because it is in many ways more prophetic than Orwell's 1984

A true literary genius. Read as many of Kafka's short stories and books as you can, especially The Trial, which, in light of the way Britain seems to be heading into a kind of bureaucratic-manic state these days, is in many ways a more prophetic book than Orwell's 1984.

Don't be put off by the age of this book, it's still hilarious even by today's standards.