Ron Carlson's stories, sometimes wicked or bittersweet, often zany, are rich with a hard-earned hopefulness frequently absent in contemporary fiction. In this generous gathering from collections no longer available, longtime fans and new readers alike can savor the development of a master of idiosyncrasy.

Properly celebrated for his range, Carlson offers us a rural sheriff who's wary of UFOs ("Phenomena"), a lawyer on a mission in remote Alaska ("Blazo"), a baseball player turned killer-by-accident ("Zanduce at Second"), and a nineteen-year-old who experiences an unsettling sexual awakening during an Arizona summer ("Oxygen"). Here also is a man accusing Bigfoot of stealing his wife, followed by Bigfoot's incomparable response. Not least of the treasures is "The H Street Sledding Record," a story perfect for family holiday reading, in which a young father creates the magic of Santa by throwing manure on his roof on Christmas Eve.

This book proves Carlson's axiom that "a short story is not a single thing done a single way," and it offers us--finally--a full view of his remarkable talents.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 10/17/2003
ISBN: 9780393324792
Pages: 464
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 8.21h x 5.51w x 1.14d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2003 pg. 1201
Library Journal 09/15/2003 pg. 94
Booklist 09/15/2003 pg. 208
Publishers Weekly 10/13/2003 pg. 58
Publishers Weekly 10/20/2003 pg. 37
New York Times 12/28/2003 pg. 10
New York Times 06/06/2004 pg. 28