I like Catastrophe a lot! Most of these stories are clever metaphors. "Seven Floors" shows how we face mortality. "The March of Time" peels a layer off dementia. Somewhat more direct, perhaps, "The Collapse of the Baliverna" and "The Epidemic" analyze insidious sorts of guilt and fear.

Other stories, while their meaning is fairly clear, did, however, fail to move me. "Just the Very Thing they Wanted", "Oversight," "The Monster," and "The Egg" seem at times obvious or even gratuitous.

As in any good collection of stories, there are a number of oddballs present. "The Alarming Revenge of a Domestic Pet" stands out to me as the emblem of this group.

I do recommend this book - 20% gold, 60% median, 20% disappointing. Better than a lot of collections of this sort manage! ( )

I bought this thinking it was something else, but I am very glad I ended up with this. I had never heard of Dino Buzzati, but he is amazing! Generally very short stories that have an air of something about to go wrong (as so wonderfully stated in the foreword); that's right down my alley. Some really great ones in here, and even the ones I didn't like aren't bad. And I liked seeing all the very common Italian names constantly pop up.

3.75 average, rounded up to 4.

"The Collapse of the Baliverna" - 4 stars
A man might or might not have caused a catastrophic collapse, and his companion of the day might or might not know he did it.
A great example of a foreboding sense of dread throughout the whole story.

"Catastrophe" - 5 stars
A very short and impactful story about a trainful of people moving along just ahead of the news of some kind of "-vasion."
I could see this wonderfully adapted as a graphic story.

"The Epidemic" - 5 stars
There's a flu epidemic going around, and as the colonel's team gets it one by one, he becomes convinced that only traitors to the government contract it. What does that mean for him when he gets it?
One of the longer ones, but every bit is incredible. The paranoia, the experience of being dead sick with the flu, and a beautiful last line.

"The Landslide" - 4 stars
A reporter is sent to a small out-of-the-way town to report on a devastating landslide, but when he arrives no one knows what he's talking about.
Very interesting. Very Kafka-esque.

"Just the Very Thing they Wanted" - 5 stars
A young couple visits a small town and inadvertently triggers the rage of the townsfolk.
WOW. So cruel and a little hard to read, honestly (there's that ever-present sense of dread again!) but impactful and engrossing. One of my favorites.

"Oversight" - 5 stars
A woman at a party gets caught up in the talk of bad things happening, and worries she left her young daughter home alone.
Started slow, but really leads up to the ending.

"The Monster" - 3 stars
A maid thinks she has seen a monster in the attic, and while everyone says she must have imagined it, they act like they believe her...
Good premise, but not as impactful as the others.

"Seven Floors" - 5 stars
A sick man is admitted to a hospital with 7 floors, each one for a different severity. Against his will and contrary to the seriousness of his condition (he believes), he keeps getting transferred down floors.
Tied for my favorite of the collection. The hopelessness and frustration of not being listened to is pervasive and affecting.

"The March of Time" - 3 stars
The narrator is at dinner with an acquaintance, as time passes on.
This is a strange one - there's some very effective scenes (and could be another great graphic adaptation), but I didn't love it.

"The Alarming Revenge of the Domestic Pet" - 4 stars
A young woman refuses a drink from her aunt's strange bat-like pet.
Very interesting. That's really all I can say.

"And Yet They Are Knocking at Your Door" - 4 stars
A wife and mother gets rid of the dog statues that have been guarding their home for generations, to dire consequences.
The beginning and the end were meh, but the middle where she is trying to convince everyone to ignore the clearly flood house is brilliant.

"Something Beginning with 'L'" - 3 stars
A man is visited by his doctor and a man who claims to know him, who reminds him of a strange encounter he had earlier.
I very much admire the translator with keeping with all the 'L' words and their appropriate meanings.

"The Slaying of the Dragon" - 5 stars
Upon hearing about a local dragon, a group of aristocrats go out to slay it.
This would be one of my favorites if it didn't make me so angry and disgusted and sad (just like "the Very Thing They Wanted"). Very effective and well-done.

"The Opening of the Road" - 3 stars
To celebrate the new road that has been built, a group of people go on it's inaugural voyage.
Another story about the dangers of peer pressure/herd mentality and the sheltered and naïve behavior of aristocrats. Not bad, but it's been done better in this very collection.

"The Scala Scare" - 2 stars
Attending an opera amongst rumors of unrest, the patrons are too scared to leave once it ends.
The longest story and the most boring.

"Humility" - 3 stars
A hermit is repeatedly visited by a priest troubled by his enjoyment of people's reverence.
Very Italian.

"The War Song" - 2 stars
The soldiers, no matter how many battles they win or how well they're treated, are constantly singing a sad song.
Fine. Not very memorable.

"The Egg" - 4 stars
A poor mother sneaks her daughter into a city-wide Easter egg hunt, and her daughter's egg is taken away when they're found out. This only makes her mother angry.
Entertaining.

"The Enchanted Coat" - 4 stars
A man gets a beautiful suit made for him by a strange tailor, and realizes it grants him unlimited money - for a price.
Great conceit. You can really feel the main character's moral struggles.

"The Saints" - 2 stars
A new saint is anointed, but when he realizes nobody knows about him he starts performing miracles to attract attention.
This story really doesn't fit into the collection, thematically or topically. It's fine but having it as the last story leaves me a little unsatisfied. ( )

Most of the stories collected here are terrific, but some of the ones nearer to the end are notably worse. Some of my favorites are "Seven Stories," "Just the Very Thing They Wanted," "Oversight," and "The Landslide". I didn't care much for "The Scala Scare," "The Alarming Revenge of a Domestic Pet," or "Something Beginning With 'L'". ( )