Contributor(s):Author: Ron Carlson 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.
Review citations Kirkus Reviews - pg.
1201 - 10/01/2003Library Journal / Best Of The Best/Highly Recommended - pg.
94 - 09/15/2003Library Journal / Exceptional Presentation - pg.
94 - 09/15/2003Library Journal / Book Of Special Distinction - pg.
94 - 09/15/2003Library Journal / Top 15 Book Of The Year - pg.
94 - 09/15/2003Library Journal / Highly Recommended - pg.
94 - 09/15/2003Booklist - pg.
208 - 09/15/2003Publishers Weekly - pg.
58 - 10/13/2003Publishers Weekly - pg.
37 - 10/20/2003New York Times - pg.
10 - 12/28/2003New York Times - pg.
28 - 06/06/2004.
W. W. Norton & Company A kind of flying: selected stories, paperback/ron carlson
