#081 A Trivial Incident

Today’s 4075 word story can be found here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/081.html Travis Review:  If you strip away the background of the penniless prince and the details of bird hunting, this becomes the story of a man and a woman with a history together who are now too shy/embarrassed to talk to each other. I feel like we’ve a had …

#080 In The Dark

You can find today’s 1755 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/080.html Travis Review: Another title for this story could be How The Cook Got Fired. Chekhov uses an enormous amount of restraint with today’s story as it could have easily become a bedroom farce with lovers hiding in closets or a crime story with the common man facing …

Self Promotion Interruption

This is Travis. I wanted to share some news. My 1000 word crime short story “Because” was published last Thursday. It’s darker, more compressed and violent than Chekhov’s content. It’s about nature vs. nurture, why people do the things they do, and the ability of people to change their ways. I hope you enjoy it.

#078 The Dependents

Find today’s 2448 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/078.html Travis review: We’ve read a few old codgers from Chekhov, but Mihail Zotov might be the most pathetic. At first I suspected his ramblings were just rhetoric for a hidden love for his animals or as he sees them, dependents. And ultimately it was, but I didn’t expect (spoiler …

#077 Talent

Find today’s 1692 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/077.html Travis Review: Today’s story has the title “Talent,” but I feel it is being used facetiously. After living in Los Angeles for several years and being a writer myself, I have known many Yegors (and possibly might have been one myself) who thinks of the rewards of being a …

#076 The First-Class Passenger

Find today’s 2868 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/076.html Travis Review:  Today’s First-class passenger was also a first-class egomaniac among other things. I think it is fair to say that although the man was drunk, he was speaking from the heart. Alcohol has a way of reducing the social filters that we have in place, exposing ourselves …

#075 Martyrs

Find our 75th story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/075.html  Travis Review: Today’s 2008 word story should not be confused with the 2008 French film bearing the same name that I’ve refused to watch, because, as I understand it, once you’ve seen the disturbing flick, you cannot unsee it. This story is about a psychosomatic socialite caught up in the …

#074 Pink Stocking

Find today 1468 story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/074.html Travis Review: The plot of today’s story is thin. A chauvinist husband, unable to go out hunting due to rainy weather, discovers for the first time, it seems, that his wife is not very smart. His indignation vacillates between outrage and tenderness as he would hate to have an …

#072 The Husband

Find today’s 1876 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/072.html  Today’s story is broken into 2 parts. The first part is told in an omniscient point of view giving general and specific details about a cavalry regiment coming to a small town and the frenzied effect it has on the town’s women. The second part is exclusively from …

#071 A Troublesome Visitor

Find today’s 2466 word story at http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/071.html Travis review: Today’s story has the setup of a crime novel and could have started off with Edward Bulwer-Lytton‘s famous line: “On a dark and stormy night.” Incidents of crime are cataloged by the forester and coward, Artyom. Perhaps he is not exaggerating when he claims to have been beaten …