There is a Reaper

There is a Reaper – General Understanding Quiz

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Approximate Reading Times

Quick Read: under 5 minutes
Short Story: 5 to 30 minutes
Novelette: 30 to 90 minutes
Novella: 1.5 to 2.5 hours

Other stories you may like:

The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
Short Story by Ursula Le Guin. A philosophical narrative describing life in the seemingly utopian city of Omelas. We learn that (almost!) everyone in the city lives in complete happiness. There is no organized system of rule, few laws, sexual freedom, no crime, no violence, and nobody living in want.
Circular Ruins
Short Story by Jorge Borges. A mystic arrives at the overgrown, burn-out ruins of an ancient riverside temple. Living as an ascetic, his purpose is to “dream” a man into existence, initiate him into the riddles of the universe, and send him to inhabit another temple.
Weight
Short Story by John Edgar Wideman. A writer reads a draft of a story he has written to his mother. It opens with the metaphor “My mother is a weightlifter”, and goes on to admire the way she has shouldered so many burdens throughout her life. She is not impressed.
Hands
Short Story by Sherwood Anderson. A young teacher is so traumatized by false accusations of child molestation that he flees, changes his identity, and shuts himself off from the world. He is now a frightened loner, with only one friend in the world and a nervous tic in his hands.
Hot Ice
Novelette by Stuart Dybek. An urban myth about a “saintly” girl encased in a block of ice ties together a story about urban decay and social change in a 1970s Chicago neighbourhood. The drug and alcohol-fueled rescue and “release” of the ice-girl symbolizes hope for change and a better future.

The Daemon Lover
Short Story by Shirley Jackson. A woman wakes on what was to be her wedding day to realize that she may have been duped the promise of marriage. In her desperation to find the man she shows signs of mental instability, questioning whether the proposal was real or imagined.
The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God
Quick Read by Etgar Keret. A bus driver who cares more about social justice than kindness experiences an epiphany witnessing the misery of Eddie, the world’s nicest loser, who is running late for a date with “Happiness”, the world’s sweetest girl. Unfortunately, Happiness proves to be a little too sweet.
Sweet Potato Pie
Short Story by Eugenia Collier. A family worked together to survive poverty. The older children cared for the young, and left school as soon as possible. The family could afford for only one child (now a professor) to attend college, but life is equally sweet for his cab-driving older brother.
Letter to a Young Lady in Paris
Short Story by Julio Cortázar. A man housesitting a friend’s apartment becomes concerned when he vomits up a tiny rabbit. This is normally an occasional occurrence, but ten more bunnies pop out over the following weeks. As they grow and begin to trash the place, he contemplates drastic action.
Last Evenings on Earth
Novelette by Roberto Bolaño. A father and son go on vacation together. The two are very different, and a tone of impending disaster builds throughout the story. When danger finally strikes, they face it together. We aren’t told the outcome, because it’s not important to the story.