Short Stories Books

During the Depression, a young brother and sister must flee from a murderous preacher who has infiltrated their home in search of a small fortune in stolen money. This novel deserves to be better remembered than it has been, for I have read few books that are better at evoking the psychology of children in a realistic way. But Davis Grubb doesn't stop there: the sociopathic preacher with his flexible interpretation of scripture, the lonely single mother whose yearning to experience love and make a secure home for her children makes her vulnerable, the lonely drunk whose personal weaknesses undermine his good intentions, the self-sufficient matriarch with an unshakable sense of duty--these and many other characters are vividly rendered. Grubb also skillfully evokes the lonely rural settings where his drama plays out. Such careful attention to character and setting makes for a scary and heartbreaking novel because we can imagine these things happening to real people in a real place. Highly recommended.

The Night of the Hunter is an old story and movie, but is a page turner as of today. Very exciting and intriguing.

Hemingway, Steinbeck, Tolstoy et al, will always have a place in the pantheon of literature. In this reader's opinion, this novel warrants a little niche in that pantheon for Davis Grubb, whose lean, muscular and evocative prose propels this thrilling story, driving it toward the inevitable conclusion.

Charles Laughton's movie based on this book was an interesting effort and well done, but if one hasn't read the unsentimental, un-varnished novel, then somewhere a potential reader is missing the juice. Like Laughton's screen effort the novel is indeed pregnant, but not at all unwieldly; rather, the book, slender as it is, is bursting with some of the best writing put to paper in any genre and is as good as anything ever written by the more prolific Masters.

Grubb's unpretentious style looms up from the pages like the reek of the bottom waters at river's edge. Subtle by turns, the terrifying game of hide-and-seek between light and shadow jumps at the most unexpected moments, just like the novel's villain with his knife.

Filled with archetypes and certainly many levels of meaning for interpretation by the reader, this is one novel one won't forget soon. It stalks memory and, personally, I find myself still returning to the book from time to time to savor a magnificently rendered mood, and a time, place and story that is as fresh and exciting now as it was almost half a century ago.

Writing true and honest profiles of such diverse characters, let alone children, is no easy thing, and Grubb's work is peopled with wholly believable characters who truly cast shadows, live and breathe, even in the periphery. This is part of the novel's triumph.

I cannot recommend Night of the Hunter too highly. It's simply a "must read" for anyone who loves good literature, fine writing --and isn't predjudiced against genre. In this beautiful, sinister work, Davis Grubb breaks the mold.

Night of the Hunter has always been one of my favorite films: eerie, atmospheric, gripping are just a few words that come to mind for this masterpiece, the only film made by silent film star Charles Laughton. It gets better with each viewing. I only got around lately to reading Davis Grubb's source material and it's just as amazing and mesmerizing as the movie. If you like a book that gives you genuine chills, yet still creates really sympathetic characters, give this one a try. Of course, if you're like me and loved the movie, you owe it to yourself to see why they wanted to make it into a movie.

With the publication of a new edition Amazon seems to have deleted the earlier reviews. They were unanimous in their praise for Night of the Hunter,

I bought the book in Italy to read on the trains. There wasn't much of a selection. I expected a routine crime thriller.

We have cheapened superlatives to the point where they really don't resonate. If I tell you it's the best book I have ever read, I may be setting your expectations so high that it can never meet them.

It did change my life.

Grubb provides one of the best "bad guys" in literature: the Reverend Harry Powell. A bad guy needs a hero. Powell is so bad that it takes two heroes to offset him.

The first is John Harper, the older brother. If you happen to have two children -- an older brother and a younger sister -- the story of their relationship has immense power.

The second is Rachel Cooper. She is my favorite character in my reading life.

She is immensely strong, with a forgiving nature. It was her ability to forgive that helped me to forgive someone -- to change my life.

Of course Robert Mitchum is well known for having played Reverend Powell in the movie -- for good reason. Lillian Gish played Rachel Cooper. She was wonderful.

The movie continues to grow in stature, while the novel seems to be forgotten. (There is a musical version of Night of the Hunter out there somewhere.) This is an unfortunate, as Grubb deserves to be recognized as a great writer.

I've been reading my way through all his works -- that I can find. Fools Parade is the most accessible -- terrific, and Shadow of My Brother is a very powerful story of racism that, unfortunately, is still highly relevant.

Grubb wrote with strong emotional content. The emotional power of Voices of Glory is so high that I haven't had the composure to read it yet. I'm trying to understand how he did that, to be able to write like that myself.

Sci-fi grandmaster Isaac Asimov is at the top of his game in this collection of nine short stories. The first is "Profession", which speculates on the nature of education in a future where the Earth is the technological center of a civilization of hundreds of populated planets. The story revolves around young George Platen, and the very special profession for which he has been selected. Asimov goes beyond describing the technology for imparting information and makes points about the everyman's preference for physical over social science, the nature of the creative mind, and how society finds
ways to placate the uncreative, including an event at the future Olympics. More menacing is the "Feeling of Power" in which an unassuming computer programmer discovers the lost art of arithmetic in a future society where only computers know how to do mathematics. Asimov shows how this discovery moves up the bureaucratic chain until it reaches the ears of those who know
how to make use of it, but also makes a statement about scientific responsibility. "The Gentle Vultures" shows a non-competitive race that goes from planet to planet helping the survivors of nuclear catastrophe - until they encounter their first Cold War. And two of the very best tales deal with the burgeoning concept of artificial intelligence. "All the
Troubles of the World" shows a society that relies too heavily on its guiding computer, while "The Last Question" is a totally unique story dealing with a theosophical question and featuring a conclusion that is perhaps the greatest in all science fiction.

Although most of the stories were written in the 1950's, there's very little that's been dated by subsequent scientific discoveries, largely because this collection isn't about hard science so much as the relationships between far-reaching technologies and human society. The protagonists aren't
swashbuckling hero types, and they usually aren't even dedicated scientists single-mindedly pursuing knowledge; they're more likely to be "little guys", ordinary working people with jobs to do, who when faced with something they should be helpless to combat, still summon up the courage to act during that one brief moment when they can make a crucial difference. Probably the most dated feature of this collection is its attitude toward women, who are frequently absent entirely, or serve only in the most stereotypical of roles. Only the touchingly sentimental "The Ugly Little Boy" treats a woman as anything like a real human being. Even so, the power of Asimov's ideas
and the scope of his vision of the future have delighted readers for over half a century. If you haven't read these stories in other collections, you'll certainly want to catch them here.

Any one of the nine short stories in this volume would make their author's career. By assembling them in one volume it becomes immediately apparent that Isaac Asimov was the undisputed master of modern science-fiction. Asimov's style is perfectly suited to the genre--his writing style is plain and deceptively simple. Yet for all the simplicity of the writing the ideas remain profound.

Asimov not only understood science and technology, he had a virtually prophetic vision of how science and technology would change the world. Our internet and cell phones would be no surprise to Asimov--he'd consider how far we have yet to go.

PROFESSION: A fascinating study of a future society where one's profession is dictated by a computer according to a person's talents and aptitudes. Ideas that no longer look entirely futuristic.

THE FEELING OF POWER: The guy can do math in his head! A wry take on the effects of computing power on personal computational ability.

THE DYING NIGHT: A first-rate mystery story told in the milieu of science fiction.

I'M IN MARSPORT WITHOUT HILDA: Like "The Dying Night" a story that demonstrates Asimov's ability to effortlessly cross genre boundaries.

THE GENTLE VULTURES: Watch out for the humans. Take any work by any modern science fiction author--Asimov has already been there and has often done the story better.

ALL THE TROUBLES IN THE WORLD: Artificial Intelligence issues that are still being debated today.

SPELL MY NAME WITH AN S: About the societal impact of near infinite computing power and governmental intrusion into scientific research.

THE LAST QUESTION: Wow. A mindblower. This one is easily among the best science-fiction short stories ever written. Asimov's take on intelligence and the future of the universe.

THE UGLY LITTLE BOY: Time travel and human experimentation are combined in this gem that teaches us that our essential humanity is more important than any scientific achievement.

Isaac Asimov, science fiction grandmaster and one of the absolute best writers in the field ever to wield a pen, wrote so much - and so much of high quality, at that - that it is difficult for a newcomer to his works to even know where to begin. This daunted me so much that, for a while, I dared not venture into Asimov's canon at all - doubtless, many others have done so as well. Now that I have finally started reading him, I regret that I didn't do it long ago. I urge - urge - you not to make the same mistake. Though Asimov wrote literally hundreds of short stories, this short and concise collection features some of his very best. Included in this collection are absolute masterpieces such as The Last Question (one of the Top 3 science fiction short stories of all-time, in my not-so-humble opinion); Profession (an excellent and very underrated story); The Dying Night (an excellent SF mystery that has been, alas, outdated by subsequent science, but is still enjoyable to the full); The Ugly Little Boy (a rare emotional moment for Asimov, and a great story at that - he called this his third favorite that he ever wrote); and Spell My Name With An "S" (a unique and clever story sprung from the lifelong trouble Asimov had with people adding an extra "S" to his surname.) This collection also includes several lighter pieces, which serve to fill space and lighten the mood. Very, very, very highly recommended to any fan of science fiction writing, an absolute classic and masterpiece of the genre.

I read this book God knows how many years ago, and I've never been able to get it out of my head since. I read it again and again until the pages fell out; it's that kind of book. Thoughtful, provocative, and absolutely terrifying; Asimov at his best.

Isaac Asimov may very well be the most prolific author in modern history. With over 500 books to his credit (506, to be exact...go to asimovonline.com for the full list, if you don't believe me!), covering just about every subject in the Dewey Decimal System (except philosophy, I believe), the man was a real marvel. One of these 500 volumes, "Nine Tomorrows," is a collection of short stories that Doc Ike first had published in various magazines during the period July '56 to November '58. As the title suggests, all nine tales deal with possible futures that may face mankind, and all feature the wit, erudition and clarity that are the hallmarks of every Asimov story/novel that I've ever read. The collection kicks off with the longest tale, "Profession," in which Asimov presents a 65th century when one's vocation is determined by a kind of computerized psychological profile, and in which youngsters compete in Olympics-style games for plum jobs on other planets. But what happens if it is deemed that you're cut out for nothing at all? That's what happens to young George Platen, in this consistently interesting tale. (Asimov does make one rare goof in this story: George should be 20, not 19, by the story's end. Has anyone else noticed this?) In "The Feeling of Power," Asimov tells us of a scientist who is actually capable of doing simple math problems on paper (gasp!), without the aid of a computer (!), and how the military minds of that distant century make use of these newfound skills. But the old ways of doing things lead to nothing but trouble, in this brilliantly cynical tale. Asimov has been called "the Agatha Christie of Science Fiction," and in "The Dying Night," a murder mystery of sorts, we see an early example of how he earned that title. A scientist lies dead, his papers on mass transference stolen, and three of his old school chums are suspect. This somewhat contrived story nonetheless leads to a satisfactory conclusion that most readers will never foresee. (The 1965 observations of Mercury, by the way, have dated the science in the tale, but this is certainly nothing that Asimov could have foreseen in July '56.) What is certainly the most humorous tale in the bunch comes next: "I'm in Marsport Without Hilda." Written in Heinlein-like, tough-guy prose, this tale concerns a Galactic Service agent who must determine which of three men is attempting to smuggle a powerful drug out of the eponymous port. This one really had me chuckling out loud, and winds up very amusingly indeed. A most entertaining tale. In "The Gentle Vultures," the author tells us that an alien race has been living on the Moon's far side for several decades, waiting for Earth's Cold War to blow up so that they might come to our aid...for a fee, of course. Asimov would have us believe that these folks are the source of the 1940s' and '50s' UFO's, and who knows...maybe he's right! Anyway, the interaction between the chimplike aliens and their kidnapped Earthling is very well done in this unique tale. In "All the Troubles of the World," a computer is responsible for not only caring for everyone on Earth, but also for predicting and preventing crimes. Is it possible that this 1958 story was inspired in part by P.K. Dick's "Minority Report," published two years before? Who knows? The story is very clever, though, and has a most touching ending. "Spell My Name With an S" shows how the smallest alteration in one's life can occasionally lead to great worldwide changes. A way-out surprise ending caps off another very clever Asimov short story. And then there's "The Last Question," in which Asimov theorizes on nothing less than the end of the universe 10 trillion years in the future...and what might happen after that. This is a truly mind-expanding short story that offers much food for thought in its 12 pages. The collection wraps up with perhaps my favorite story of the bunch, "The Ugly Little Boy." Here, a nurse is hired to take care of a 4-year-old Neanderthal tyke who has been plucked from the past by a scientific institute. The tale should be instructive to all those critics who have accused Asimov of being unable to depict convincing female characters. Nurse Fellowes is VERY well drawn, I think, with some psychological complexity and surprising maternal tendencies. The ending of this tale is nicely sentimental, and lingers long in the memory. Thus ends a really fine collection of stories from one of sci-fi's true masters. Trust me, you'll wish there were 20 tomorrows here, instead of just nine!

As a vampire craves blood, Thomas Ligotti's readers will enjoy Noctuary. The stories are complex, at least some of them. I read one of them over the phone to a woman I know and she laughed a few times. At least at the beginning of the story. Makes me remember the line, "Be careful what you laugh at." The wonderful thing about the stories in Noctuary is that you don't have to understand them to enjoy the writing.

Ligotti shuns the spotlight. But that's okay because he certainly didn't shun the dreams and nightmares that I experienced while reading this book that I consider a masterpiece.

It's a haunting piece of work and my only warning is that Ligotti will take you to a place -- hidden in your mind -- that you don't even know exists.

Flawless. Highly recommended.

...we smile." -Autumnal, from Notebook of the Night.
Thomas Ligotti is one of the most original and unsettling horror writers of this day and age, only somewhat rivalled by his predecessors, Poe and Lovecraft. (One writer who does come very close, however, is Ramsey Campbell.) He is the epitome of the horror writer, thinking of ideas a great deal of us wouldn't even be able to think of: In Part One, we meet Lucian Dregler, an obsessive searcher for the Medusa; Samuel, the deranged postman, descending into his mind on each successive All Hallows' Eve; Arthur Emerson's encounter with a god who may realise his dreams; and Mrs. Rinaldi's ancient wooden chest, home to something infinitely pure and equally corruptable. Part Two take a darker tone. Here we meet Andrew Manning, destined to bring about the end of earthly life; a scientist turned leper messiah and his marvelous machine; a painter determined to become part of his landscapes; and a man pursued by puppet-like horrors, written in the shades of a nightmare. The final section is entirely devoted to vignettes showcasing Ligotti's talent at using very few words to pull off the same effect. The micro-narratives range on subject matter from the unreal ("New Faces in the City") to the Gothic ("Salvation by Doom") to the premundane ("Primordial Loathing"), from the eyes of demons ("The Demon-Man"), from the mouths of the the dead ("One May be Dreaming", "Autumnal"), of the sum of all days ("The Interminable Equation"), on dark, rainy nights ("The Nameless Horror"), ponderings on the mystique of things ("The Mocking Mystery") and the sardonic beauty of it ("The Order of Illusion"). These and many more can be found here. The only piece that came even close to disappointing me was "The Physic", but, thankfully, even that is worth every word.

Thomas Ligotti is a truly unusual author. He has a fascination with "weird fiction," with the unknowable, the macabre. This is paired with a knack for eloquent word-poetry, intelligence and complexity, and a sense of the chillingly unusual. When I finish reading several Ligotti stories, I find that the world looks different. The colors aren't quite right any more, or the angles, or maybe people seem a little darker, a little stranger.

I have several books of Ligotti stories and Noctuary is my favorite. I have often wondered why, and the answer I eventually came to is that most of the stories in here are shorter than those in other books. The longest one is less than 40 pages, and many are only two or three pages long. As much as I love all of Ligotti's writing, he's at his best when he writes in short chunks. Otherwise I find his writing sometimes drags a little.

Ligotti's work is not for everyone. If you don't like the weird or the macabre, you won't enjoy his work. If you prefer your stories to be normal, with a beginning, middle and end, all wrapped up in a neat little ribbon, then this is not for you. If you prefer your world to be its same, comfortable self when you close your books - don't read a word of Ligotti. Ligotti's style is definitely not for everyone. He hands us phrases that no one but he would conceive of, that almost cannot help but elicit a shudder:

"We witness the scene and, with what remains of our mouths, we smile."

But for those of us who enjoy it, it is a dread and harrowing pleasure - one that I would not give up. My only regret is that Ligotti is not a more prolific author.

To realise that for only a few dollars more I could have bought 'The Nightmare Factory' instead which contains all the stories in this book + many more! I guess I will end up owning them both. Ligotti is one of the few creditable horror writers working today and I could never get tired of his stories. They just seem to get deeper and deeper with each subsequent reading. However - if you are looking for blood/gore type horror don't bother - this is a deeply subtle writer at work ..

ligotti is the most disturbing horror writer i've ever encountered, hands down. after i finished "noctuary" i was hungry for more, but unfortunately could not find "grimscribe" anywhere, and am still fiending for a copy. the stories in this book resonate with a kind of sickly unreality (maybe best articulated in "the tsalal") and one gets the sense that while ligotti is on the one hand the impassioned horror writer trying desperately to communicate his vision to the reader, he is on the other hand the avant garde artist in the tradition of duchamp, laughing openly at our pathetic and delusory attempts to impose meaning and order on a universe that in the final equation has neither. it is almost as if he makes a point of pointing out the pointlessness. in this way, he is like his idol hp lovecraft, who constantly added subtle layers of philosophical nihilism and the most extreme forms of pessimism to his work. for those who love tasting the dark, you can't live without this

This was one of those books that we happened to introduce our daughter to at the perfect time. She is 5.5, loves fairy tales, and has recently been very interested in Peter Pan, and we are teaching her about maps. She loved the book right away! She loves to have an adult read her the directions while she moves her finger around on the map. She also loves finding interesting items/people in the busy map pictures (think "Where's Waldo"). From an educational standpoint, with this book she was able to quickly understand how to use coordinate grids, keys, scale, cardinal and ordinal directions, and geographical vocabulary, all without the book being overtly didactic. Rather, it was just a fun story she could be a part of (and learning these things was an inherent by-product). I would guess most 4-8 year olds, but especially those who like fairy tale and pretend play, will enjoy this.

This is a great book that the whole family enjoys. It's fun to pick a map and since everyone knows the fairy tales already- to make new endings or stories and characters based on the wonderful maps. I've bought more of these as baby shower gifts to add to family libraries.

This book is great, it really brings life to the fairy tales like Snow White and even Peter Pan with big colorful maps of everything you read about in the stories. We have a lot of fun going over the map, and I really think for a youngster 4-7 or so it is perfect for their age and imagination. It really puts a picture to the story, and makes the fairy tales all the more real.

The maps are very colorful and vibrant, and really took some imagination and time to put together. There are a lot of fun things packed in, I really enjoy it as much as my daughter. Haven't reviewed many things but HAD to write one for this because every parent needs this on the bookshelf.

I'm so glad I found this book on Amazon. Beautiful illustrations with wonderful detail. My son and I both love this book!

We bought this book for my daughter when she was 4 and heavily into the world of princesses (especially Snow White) and fantasy. She had the book for months before she ventured off the Snow White page. There is so much to do and see with this book, and it can be easily adapted for multiple ages. This book is an especially good companion to reading some of these classics for the first time (Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, and others). While the older child will memorize the maps and whiz through the hidden pictures rather quickly, all kids will enjoy the creative process of studying the map and imagining what else happens. We have fun asking questions about where other scenes from these books could happen on the map and making our own maps from there.

Jerome Wilson's stories are magical. They illumine a world we believe has gone but is still with us. He creates his characters in an objective, mature yet loving voice, letting them live a life of their own. Wanting to prolong the reading pleasure, I barely managed to restricted myself to one story a day.

Jerome Wilson's debut collection fulfills a promise that was apparent when the title story was published in Ploughshares over a decade ago. His skillfully woven characters, such as Sonny Buck, Jessie Leigh and Tammy Faye Lovejoy, draw the reader in, not only by the stories they tell, but through their neighbors' stories, the towns the live in and the people they encounter.

Paper Garden takes a trip down south that is sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, but always engaging. By the end of the last story, the reader has been taken on as much as an emotional ride as Sonny Buck on the ferris wheel. Paper Garden is well worth the purchase. I hope we see more from this writer in the future.

Like Chekhov and Raymond Carver before him, Jerome Wilson presses his paper against his subject, and rubs it with charcoal, shading it in, letting the texture of the object supply the texture of the work.

What emerges bursts full form in the head of the reader, producing images that begin when the story ends, that remain indelibly pressed upon you, a pressed flower in your head, and yours to keep.

I fervently hope that Jerome Wilson's anthology is but the first installment of an insightful and compelling chronicle of his South.

Paper Garden and Other Stories is a vibrant gathering of short stories that are reminiscent of William Faulkner and Eudora Welty. Wilson, however, is not a copy of these literary precursors. I like these short stories because apparently Wilson speaks of his experiences from his perspective -- a perspective covering both urban and rural settings. "The Croquet Players" frolic through a picnic in an urban park and "The Witness Tree" laments the death of a towering grandmother on a rural homeplace.

I also like this writer's terse style that reflects the fluid rhythms -- sometimes calm, sometimes strident -- through which his characters live out their lives. The dialog of Wilson's characters also trumpets reality without being burdensome.

Paper Garden by Jerome Wilson, is a collection of short stories. In each story the characters come to life as Wilson takes his readers from the household of Sony Buck, a precarious little boy, to Jessie Leigh, a sweet yet not too bright little girl, to Mr. Pruitt, a spunky old man with a sharp mind.

This book was a delightful read. Jerome Wilson has a gift for grabbing his readers and forcing them to pay close attention to what his characters have to say. Each character was well-developed with a personality all of their own. Oftentimes, I found myself strolling down memory lane while laughing out loud at some of the antics depicted on the pages of Paper Garden and Other Stories.

If you like short stories, I suggest you grab a copy of this book; you'll be glad you did.

T. RHYTHM KNIGHT
APOOO BookClub

Petropolis is a fine work, with a style that ranges from subtle to direct, and from funny to quite serious. I am neither Russian nor Jewish, and thus fall a bit outside her primary target, where many of the stories, phrases, and attitudes may strike close to home. You don't need to have experienced a dismal life in a nearly-abandoned town in Siberia, the culture shock in America, or a strange longing for "home" to appreciate this original spin on the coming-of-age and fish-out-of-water concepts. As a regular American, I must compliment the author for her insightful and amusing observations of Americans.

The main character, Sasha, is herself relatively uninteresting as a kid in Asbestos 2, a bi-racial, chubby, non-practicing Jew with no particular talents. While Sasha is still in Russia, the novel to me is merely ok, with the action a bit slight as the focus is on the interactions of the characters within their dreary lives, often with resignation and cynicism. Except for the bi-racial Jew and art school angles, this didn't seem particularly fresh.

When Sasha gets the idea to become a mail-order bride in order to get to America to find her father, the action perks up. From then on, as Sasha goes from Arizona to Chicago and New York and a pass through Russia, her character gradually develops more sophistication (after all, she's still a teenager) and likability. Each new stop provides the author with a fresh opportunity to make sharp comments or show some wry humor. To me, the idea of a "pet Jew" was brand new, for sure.

As with Olga Grushin's novel, I can barely comprehend how a new novelist can write so well in a second language. Ulinich also made the highly appropriate choice to sprinkle in many Russian terms and phrases, naturally almost none of which I knew, rather than using English translations. One of my favorites was this excerpt: "Ponayehali...," sighs the grandma. On her way to the poseyolok, Sasha tries to translate the old woman's lament into English. The single word ponayehali means 'they arrived over a period of time, in large enough masses to become an annoyance.' O, the great and mighty Russian language! thinks Sasha. Here abuse is compact and efficient; two prefixes do the job of a sentence. Suddenly Sasha finds herself missing Brooklyn, where people simply call each other (a word you can imagine that starts with m)." That's nice.

I cannot hold my enthusiastic desire to share with you my marveling over this wonderful book I have been reading. It's by Anya Ulinich "Petropolis".
A story told by Anya Ulinch, who herself immigrated to USA from Moscow with her parents when she was 17, lived in Chicago and studied at the Art Institute. So she seems to know all ins and outs of what a typical teenager would know going to a mid-town high school or intricacies of Russian immigrant community, that we experienced first hand over the last 20 years. The weird and mesmerizing thing is that all of this is seen and told from the viewpoint of Ulinich's heroine, Sasha Goldberg, who as a 16-yesr old girl, half Russian, half Negro and also Jewish, born and raised in a murky Siberian ghost town Asbestos-2 and then makes a trans-Atlantic jump as a mail-in bride from Repin Lyceums in Moscow to America and settles in one of the North Shore multimillion mansions as a no-visa home maid.
Anya Ulinich's is great in her satirical, beneath-the-skin, and somewhat nostalgic description of Sasha growing up in Asbestos-2 in the post-perestroika years of complete nihilism and degradation. It gave me a very new look at the different Russia, which neither of us, thanks God, ever experienced. Here Ulinich heavily uses Russian idiomatic expressions, like "all the way up to devil's horns" when she wants to literally convey expression " ". She is not translating; she writes in great English, but one needs to feel Russian language to read and enjoy every line of this book. Ulinich is great in dialogues; she is even better in her description and utter sarcasm of today's Russia.
But just wait until you get to page 101, when Sasha Goldberg finally arrives to America. Nobody can spot her here as a Russian Jew, as she is transparently seen as pretty fat 16-year old black girl. This allows Ulinich to set Sasha on a such an independent and sardonical outlook that would make you take a new look at our society in general and at the Russian community in particular. And ...if you have not smoked weed, have not had a teen girl attending Art Institute of Chicago, never really mixed up with the taxi-driver type of the Chicago Russians, you would certainly replenish you life knowledge.
This is a book of a gifted and brave author; she is on par or maybe better than her peers. The book may make you both re-think and re-feel of our own long journey from there to where you are today.

Just finished Petropolis in one sitting. It's more than just a piece of fiction about Russian Jewish immigrants in the US. Above all, it's a touching story that evokes laughter, tears, and existential thoughts about the meaning of your own life. Ulinich did an incredible job conveying the personalities of the characters, and the depth of their more tragic than happy life experiences.

The above reviews would give you the feeling that this is just an immigrant novel though a very good one. It is and a lot more.

It is a stupendously well written weave of character, plot and some of the best descriptive metaphors strung like pearls paragraph after paragraph. I am astounded.
Disclaimer: I have an semi-Jewish immigrant wife and know dinner table Russian which makes the book even more enjoyable. But it is not just an "insiders" book.

Very funny, very sad, unbelievably good book for such a young writer.

this is my 1st book by this author and although i enjoyed the book and its a book to read slowly to take your time to enjoy,i am not a fan of her's with this book.It has a good rythm and flow.

I just finished reading Plenty More Love and I completely enjoyed this book. It was such a sweet love story and the drama with the arsonist added excitement as well. It has become my favorite book. I have not read the first two books in the series, but I will as soon as I can get my hands on them.

I not only enjoyed the story and plot but I am extremely pleased with the writing. It was well written and professionally done. This was a well thought out, fast paced, action packed story.

This is a wonderful love story. I wanted it to last forever, but I couldn't wait to solve the mystery. I could not help but turn page after page to uncover the mystery behind the fire, and to know more about the love and desire that Johnathan & Lisa shared for each other. Their love unfolds beautifully. The reader will feel like this is a couple they know and they are a witness as the relationship develops. The storyline is very realistic. It is very similar to a real life situation I've experienced. This book is in the top three books I have ever read! I will, without a doubt, recommend this book to anyone without a second thought. I loved Plenty More Love!

This is such a wonderful love story. This is a book that I know that I will read over and over again. The mystery behind the fire was an added bonus to the book. I felt that it could have been a 500 page novel. Johnathan & Lisa shared so much love and desire for each other. As a reader, I felt that I got to know the couple and what their relationship was all about. Loved Lisa's character. She was strong and didn't play any games. She was from wealth, but worked hard to prove herself to others and mainly to prove herself to herself. Way to Go Ms Townsend. I have recommended this book to co-workers and other friends. Wonderful story,with love and respect developing to the very end and still had lots of passionate moments.

Plenty More Love, a novel by Christine Townsend, tells the tale of two best friends who admit to family, friends, and finally themselves, their desire to have more that just a friendship.

Lisa Stevens, an executive tom boy that enjoys spending her time being anything but ladylike, discovers while dating this wonderful guy, that what she wants most, is to tell her best friend her true feelings and to initiate a romantic relationship with him.

Jonathan Hill, an all around likeable fire chief who spends most of his spare time fixing old cars and selling them, is facing a dilemma because he has strong feelings for his best friend Lisa, but does not feel worthy enough to let her know how he feels.

Ultimately, Lisa decides that enough is enough and fixes herself up in her best "hoochie mama" attire and heads over to the fire station, only to turn heads and knock Jonathan's eyes out. While doing so, she hand him an ultimatum; let's be together or end our friendship. With the realization of his possible loss, Jonathan has no choice but to admit his feelings.

The relationship starts off fine, but becomes more difficult as Jonathan saves Lisa's life after someone tries to kill her in a fire. Someone is out to get Lisa and Jonathan does everything possible to determine who it is after the woman that he loves.

As in life, most people discover that a best friend is a keeper whether male or female. In this novel, Ms. Townsend shows her readers that your best friend can also be the love of your life. What I got from this story was that not only were they best friends, but soul mates. In my opinion this is a "add to my wish list" type of novel, because Ms. Townsend takes you down the path of true friendship and love.

Reviewed By: Eleanor S. Shields, Black Butterfly Review

This volume provided an excellent translation of a chinese text that was written many years ago. It describes the social mores and conventions of an era that has long passed. The translation of the story is accompanied by very comprehensive notes to each chapter and also an extensive bibliography. While the book should be regarded as a work of scholarship the story nonetheless is captivating and entertaining and the frequent descriptions of erotic and racy interludes throughout the story creates a certain charm and allure for a lost age. I was so impressed by the translation and intrigued by the story that I have progressed to the next volumes.

hard to rview..read the book 50 yrs. ago and am looking to replace it. orig. was lost in moving. question i have is why vol.1 ..am looking for the entire book...as i recall it was well over a thous. pages .. would like more info. fm. author re; future volumes..when can they be expected? th orig. book was a extremely interesting view into the way things were way back when in feudal china..as i recall it covered not only the rich but also the very poor and how each existed in their world

David Tod Roy's translation of the classic 16th century Chin P'ing Mei is awesome and right on the money. The story leaps off the pages - this is how this famous vernacular Chinese novel was meant to be read! Every element of the story is clear and concise in Roy's translation, allowing the reader to enjoy the plot and the fascinating characters.

To briefly discuss the storyline, Chin P'ing Mei is a "spin off" from the classic Chinese novel Outlaws of the Marsh, and focuses on the trials and tribulations of the conniving seductress Pan Chin-lien and the new life she leads after murdering her husband. Some scholars of Chinese traditional literature will not like this allusion, but the story reads like a modern-day soap opera. The characters are lusty and scheming, and the general climate is electric. The general plot follows the intricate daily triumphs and frustrations of Hsi-Men Ching and his `harem" of six wives and concubines (among them Pan Chin-lien). The story is rife with inter-household competition, infidelity, corruption, domestic abuse and eroticism. Characters are well developed, and the scenery is vivid. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the merchant class in 16th century China. It is easy to see how this novel has captured audiences for 400 years - and David Tod Roy's excellent translation will no doubt help it to endure for many more years to come.

This is the book to read if you want to taste medieval Chinese culture: Salty love poetry, sweet wickedness, sour decadence, bitter philosophy, oily sex, all rolled up in a ginger and garlic spiced, fleshy bun. Roy lets you savor all the ingredients and, with a healthy sprinkling of notes, let's you peruse the cornucopia that inspired the recipes. Bon apetit for this first course of five.

David Tod Roy has done Chinese literature proud by producing a scrupulously exact translation of this classic in Chinese erotica. Like what a previous reviewer says, it is "clear and precise", bringing out the naturalistic details of the novel fully to the reader; yet, for all its accuracy, it reads exceptionally well. For introduction, Roy has written a well-argued essay on why Jin-Ping Mei should be read as didactic literature, not as mere erotica, as it has for centuries. Jin-Ping-Mei's checkered history in Chinese literature doesn't disguise the fact that it is a very well written (and detailed) account of the rise and fall of an extended household, made obvious by corruption and its list of licentious dealings (both in Ximen Qing and his harem).

This was a great collection of stories. I feel that the first stories were the strongest and the last stories the weakest but even at it's worst these were wonderfully crafted stories. The writing style never fails to make you sympathize or in some cases, even empathize with the characters involved. Great to get you started in the always colorful, probably with gore, Punktown (Paxton to the socialites). Great stuff. Highly recommended place to start for all P-Town related books. Move in to Monstrocity after this and find out how bad things in the city REALLY are.

All I can say to this new author is...WOW! What a great compilation of stories. Interesting, well written, imaginative, and absorbing; you won't want to leave Punktown once you submerge yourself into its seedy depths.

On the planet of Oasis, an Earth established colony is formed called Paxton, but is known to everyone on Oasis as Punktown. In this colony, people from many different worlds and cultures live crowded into the apartments and streets, the colony overflowing with teeming life forms from the native Choom to the strange L'leweds and Antses and Waiais and of course the Humans.

Although each chapter is a separate story, they all blend into each other as a single fully developed tale of the colony itself, and the lives that carry out their existence there. When I read the first two chapters, I found myself being a little disappointed that they seemed to end rather "unfinished", like there should have been more wrap up to that particular tale. But as you read along, this feeling will fade because you realize that the overall concept of the book is that "life goes on", and you begin to feel the continuum of Punktown itself; as an entity comprised of individuals and not the individuals themselves.

My favorite chapter has to be the first one, "The Reflections of Ghosts", about an artist who clones himself to make artwork out of his creations, twisting the helix here and there to cause mutations according to whatever specs his customers wish. He calls them "Starfish" because of their complete lack of intelligence, but his narcissistic captivation with his "art" will be his downfall. Wait till you read about his "wall piece". Yuck.

Next, in "The Flaying Season", we follow a human woman named Kohl who lives in the Antse part of the neighborhood, and cannot seem to let go of her past even though it has already been erased.

"Wakizashi" is a very strange tale, introducing us to the L'lewed, one of the strangest residents Jeffrey Thomas dreamed up for Punktown. This chapter gives us a reason to ponder just how far does Tolerance extend when you are dealing with such diverse cultures?

"Precious Metal" is a new look at "Man vs Machine", a rather interesting tale that would be at home in Asimov's "I Robot". (Yes, it's that good!) Mob bosses and a robot jazz band and beautiful women make this tale a tasty and satisfying addition to this collection.

"Heart For Heart's Sake" is a beautiful tale of love conquering both evil, and artistic desires. Teal has created the perfect piece of art, his best work ever, and his girlfriend Nimbus does the performance art within his creation. But what price could possibly be worth such a treasure?

"Face" is a different kind of love story; the unconditional love of a parent for their child. This chapter is not about the conquering power of love, but the gut-wrenching pain that familial love can cause, and just how far one will go to never let go of their love. Or avenge it.

"The Palace of Nothingness" is a short, futuristic Haunted House story.

"Immolation" is an interesting and sad tale of a "Culture"; which is a clone specifically created for work. Would these "Cultures" have feelings? Love? Anger? Would there be room in their "brain-drip educated" minds to feel friendship, affection, or perhaps even seek vengeance?

The last chapter in the book, "The Library Of Sorrows", is about a cop named MacDiaz who has a photographic memory chip installed in his brain. This proves to be great for solving crimes and tracking killers, but just how many grisly scenes can he handle having total image recall of? At what point does one grow weary of the carnage?

This is the first book I have read of Jeffrey Thomas's, and I must say it is absolutely wonderful. I loved the world he created, and the different aliens. His descriptions of the strange beings bring them out into flesh without teetering over into boring repetitiveness or patronizing "you should know what I'm thinking" prose. The characters are well though out, believable, and likeable; and the scenes they wander through flow like mind candy past the eye. Punktown is a fast read, which is good, because you will want to stay up reading this one. Enjoy!

"Punktown" is a collection of short stories of the futuristic city of Paxton (a.k.a. Punktown).

This collection is Thomas at his best (and if you have read his works "Monstrocity" or "Letters from Hades", you know this is high praise). Speaking of "Monstrocity", it is a novel also set in Punktown and is highly recommended as a follow-up to "Punktown".

While each story in this collection can stand on it's own, they are best when read together. There is a continuity present throughout these stories, and as a whole, they create a collage of a fantastically creepy city. Thomas delivers in creating a world like no other, and he does it well.

In the realm of the concave of space, in the infinite palette of stars, we experience this broad brush of great talent in Mr. Thomas's aspect of his eye. He is brimming with imagination, almost choking the literary world with this book's essence and flair. I thoroughly enjoyed this series of stories of the incredulous, and can't wait to read more, and to stoke my memory with the imagery it hangs in midair like a surreal Dali freakout. Suspended by sheer imagination, this book is a complete work by itself, evenly charged with bountiful prose that guts even the most mundane of human boor's soul, peels it back, and hoses out the insides. Bravo!

Jeffrey Thomas' is a grim, grimy, and enthralling world. A genre-busting collection, Punktown has cyberpunk and horror (even a touch of splatterpunk) in its lineage, and a compelling collection of tales merging a smattering of species on a faraway planet with the gritty, crumbling, degraded desperation of life in a huge megopolis slowly suffering the unstoppable enfeeblement of its advancing age. A future noir in its own vein. Thomas' stories bring life and death, excess and blight, triumph and failure to Punktown with a clear, sharp writing style. Punktown is not to be missed.

Back in 1990 on a rainy night (or maybe it wasn't) I happened across a book in a bookstore entitled: Puzzles of the Black Widowers. I thought it looked interesting...it was! In fact, it was awesome, and so are any of the Black Widower books you can lay your hands on.

Tales of the Black Widowers
More Tales of the Black Widowers
Casebook of the Black Widowers
Banquets of the Black Widowers
Puzzles of the Black Widowers, and now
The Return of the Black Widowers

Each story follows the same outline. A monthly meeting is held in a private room in an exclusive New York Restaurant. The members take turn bringing a guest. Over dinner a mystery is revealed. The members of the club try to work it out, but in the end, their faithful waiter, Henry, solves the mystery. Does the formula ever get old? Never! These are incredibly well written stories, each one being very different and unique. There are 12 stories per book. This book "The Return" is a posthumous volume. Asimov died in 1992 leaving only 6 unpublished Black Widower stories. These are collected here and grouped with 10 of his all-time classics. Also included are two, paying homage to Asimov. Although the book is paperback, it is larger in size than the standard paperback and a screaming buy at $10.

This was one of my favorite series when I was younger, as I have a thing for short mysteries. The last of the Black Widowers books, this one was a good as any I've read. A must-have for any true Asimov or mystery fan.

Of course I had to buy it! I love Asimov, I love his style and wit. He passed away in 1992, but that only slowed his output without stopping it.

There are 11 stories repeated from previous collections, six stories gathered for the first time, one Black Widower story by someone else, and an hommage to the Black Widowers also by someone else. There's an essay by Asimov and Harlan Ellison's forward.

Ellison's forward is the first thing wrong with the book. Asimov was famous for refusing to have anyone else write introductions to his books. In his story collections he also appended miniature essays to each story, often about how he came to think of a particular plot; obviously these essays are missing here. Further, the two stories by other writers just didn't belong in an Asimov collection, they're intruding. Finally, a few of the last stories were written when Asimov was dying and they are simply no good. I read and enjoyed them for sentimental reasons only; they would disappoint readers new to Asimov or the Black Widowers.

So if you are already a fan of the Good Doctor's fiction, indulge yourself and enjoy. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and pick up another of his 400+ books.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

Being an avid fan of Issac Asimov my whole life, I have read many to most of his fictional works including the casebooks of the Black Widowers. But this particular edition and its highly intense forward by the Doctor's dear friend is the best mystery collection by far. Any Issac Asimov fan will love it as much as I do and any reader of the genre will be highly gratified by the intelligence and plot twists the dear Doctor ingeniously supplies in his stories.

The Return of the Black Widowers


The Return of the Black Widowers (2003) contains:

The Acquisitive Chuckle

Early Sunday Morning

The Obvious Factor

The Iron Gem

To the Barest

Sixty Million Trillion Combinations

The Wrong House


The Redhead

Triple Devil

The Men Who Read Issaac Asimov

And some previously uncollected stories,including:

Northwestward

Yes, But Why

Lost In a Space Warp

Police at the Door

The Haunted Cabin

The Guest's Guest

The Woman in the Bar

The Last Story, by Charles Ardai

And an Afterword on the Birth of the Black Widowers







The Foreword by is by Asimov's Friend Harlan Ellison

If you've enjoyed The Black Widowers before or if you just enjoy a good mystery short story, I highly recommend this book.


Please be advised, it might be hard to put down.

Gunner April,2007