I’ll be completely honest that I was drawn to Thrilling Tales of Modern Men solely due to the author, Danny McBride. There is nothing against the subject or genre, just not something I would typically have picked up, but with a person I respect behind the book it became a must-read. A well-written collection of short stories.
An amateur magician gets in way over his head with a deadly stunt in a local mall. A washed-up sitcom actor takes revenge on the coyote who killed his dog. Two young runaways decide to part ways, but not before embarking on one last big adventure. Each of these stories have one thing in common—each probes the fragile masculinity that has become an inescapable part of modern American culture.
As with most short story collections, there were some really good tales and some I was less in love with. Actually, there were some excellent stories and some good stories, I’ll put it that way. Thrilling Tales of Modern Men is a group of thrilling stories filled with unlikeable male characters that oozes with the vibes of how McBride crafts his tales.
This is not a book on how men should fix themselves, but more about how the main characters spiral out of control. While some get back up, others stay down, as they should. Most are brash, unflinching men, while some have a quiet feeling to them. A little bit of everything from start to finish.
I would have to say the opening tale The Illusionist, RoboCare, and The Book Burner are my three favorites of the bunch. While they are all good stories, those three were the ones that had me pulled in and by the end of the story was left wanting more. The best thing is that each story felt truly creatively unique and told a story I wasn’t expecting. Something you cannot always say about story collections.
Thrilling Tales of Modern Men is a short story collection filled with distinctive tales by one-of-a-kind talent, Danny McBride. The stories felt like something special while also entertaining along the way. I loved every moment, others more than some.
Thrilling Tales of Modern Men hits bookstores everywhere on June 23, 2026 from Random House. The audiobook is available for preorder via Libro.fm!
