Literally millions have read this iconic short story since it was first published by Collier's in 1924. It was a favorite in English anthologies for high school and college students in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The story was the direct source for several movies, beginning with The Most Dangerous Game in 1932.It has also been the basis for numerous TV shows. According to Wikipedia, at least nineteen episodes of television shows are based on this short story. A recent example was part of an episode in Game of Thrones: Season 5.American author Richard Connell lived from 1893 to 1949. "The Most Dangerous Game" was published at a time when World War I was still known as the Great War. The Great War ended in 1918, just four months after the Communist overthrow of the Russian imperial tsar Nicholas II. It is no accident that General Zaroff in this story had been an officer under the tsar, and that Rainsford had seen combat in the war. This story appeared less than six years after those events. Memories were still quite vivid.For me, this story is interesting--and thrilling--for several reasons. As a story it is superb. The text is economical, with some print versions as short as fifteen pages. The pace keeps accelerating, with several surprising pauses, such as when Rainsford finds himself up a tree. The philosophical questions of life, death, and the deadly role of killer are as keen today as in 1924. The answers are found in survival, trial by combat, and winner-take-all. While this story is of single combat between Rainsford and Zaroff, the answers have some validity in combat between nations. I don't say it's pretty. It's not. This story, however, immerses us in these questions and answers in a way that mere discussion never accomplishes.This story is also of interest because it was my father's favorite short story. A veteran of WWII in Europe, James W. Walsh saw combat and was briefly captured at least once. As a U.S. Army medic he saved lives while risking his own. The experience of combat, of being hunted while without weapons, stayed with him until his death thirty-five years later. And yet, THIS was his favorite short story. For me, that puts a stamp of authenticity on the thoughts and feelings of both Rainsford and Zaroff.Finally, a comment on the copy editing of this ebook. I noted ten errors in this short story. Punctuation errors were easy to figure out. Several word errors were less clear--"rowers" should be rowels (as in spurs); "traits" should be trails. I actually cross-checked with an old hard copy of the story to be sure. These are speed bumps for readers when the path of the story should have no obstructions. Even at just $0.99 for the Kindle version of a story in the public domain, the reader should suffer no speed bumps."The Most Dangerous Game" is a short story that everyone should read. I highly recommend it. And, I hope you find this review helpful.