Fiction

Buchanan, Cathy Marie. The Day the Falls Stood Still. Voice: Hyperion. Sept. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-4013-4097-1. $24.99.F

Buchanan's first novel illuminates the beginnings of hydroelectric power in Canada during World War I. Fortunes are made and lost on electricity supplied by Niagara Falls, and Bess's family suffers particularly—her father loses his job at the local electric powerhouse, and her sister Isabel loses both her rich fiancé and her life, drowning in the river. Bess and her mother turn to tailoring to make ends meet, and Bess continues with her work when her naturalist husband, Tom, goes off to fight. Returning from the war, Tom goes to work for the electric company to support the family, although he deplores the effect of the generators on the Niagara River. In the end, this conflict between the natural world and progress leads to tragedy. VERDICT Historical fiction readers will appreciate the excellent period detail, especially the depiction of the era's social mores, and the romance between Bess and Tom is also a high point.—Amy Ford, St. Mary's Cty. Lib., Lexington Park, MD

After a joyous ride from woman to woman, Bunny Munro, a sex-obsessed beauty product salesman, meets his comeuppance when he is fatally injured in a traffic accident. Not until his dying moments does he feel remorse over taking sexual advantage of his female customers and neglecting his nine-year-old son. However, the penitence comes only after many chapters of sexual gratification and coarse language, and one wonders if he is indeed sincere or if the author is merely seeking absolution for his own self-indulgence and bawdiness. Australian rock star Cave, moonlighting as a novelist, has an ear for the rhythm of language, employing dialog that appropriately reflects individual walks of life. But as the story, with little variation, follows Bunny door to door as he flirts with women and occasionally enjoying a "quickie," it soon becomes repetitious and tedious. VERDICT Cave's previous novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, has been hailed as "adventurous," but this work, laced with infantile wit, frankly goes nowhere. Reading like a graphic novel without illustrations, it may appeal to readers with a predilection for weird humor. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/09.]—Victor Or, Surrey P.L. & North Vancouver City Lib., B.C.

Nine surviving adult children and their families gather for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner at the home of their fragile, ailing parents. Though he's dying of Parkinson's and the aftereffects of a devastating stroke, the patriarch continues his lifelong reign of terror. His saintly, long-suffering wife, imbued with a serenity that baffles her children, is worn out from caring for his physical needs while running interference with her brood of offspring, in-laws, and grandchildren and trying to maintain the appearance of a close-knit family. With Andre, the eldest child at 59, who is engaged to the much younger, solidly centered Isabelle, Canadian author Courtemanche beautifully captures the conflicted dynamic of a dutiful child who has never loved his father, desperately needs to please his loving mother, and can only survive by maintaining emotional distance from the whole messy swamp of lifelong familial grievances and entrenched behaviors. VERDICT This follow-up to the brilliant Sunday at the Pool in Kigali (2003) beautifully compacts the big issues of aging, dying, and duty into scenes of resentful devotion, cheerful fatalism, and intimacy held at arm's length. Highly recommended.—Beth E. Anderson, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

This fourth novel in the Dante series follows the life of Bruno Dante (based not so loosely on the author) as he negotiates the urban underworld of contemporary Los Angeles. It opens as publication of Dante's short story collection is postponed indefinitely; he then deservedly loses his telemarketing job. He copes with this string of failures and the relentlessly negative voice in his head by relying on a steady diet of alcohol, Vicodin, Xanax, and painkillers. Dante finally lands a job managing the West Coast branch of a limousine service. His good fortune only unhinges him, however, as his drinking binges get worse and his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Ultimately, he realizes that he must confront his problems or be "86'd for the last time." VERDICT The son of Beat author John Fante (Ask the Dust) has also published a short story collection and two books of poetry and is a published playwright. His latest will appeal to fans of his literary mentor, Hubert Selby Jr. It's definitely not for readers uncomfortable with a steady stream of expletives and some explicit sex.—Douglas Southard, CRA International, Boston

In the tiny town of Avening in the Pacific Northwest, life hums with a peculiar sort of energy. Some call the town enchanted; others call it quirky. But all would agree that it is a special sort of hamlet, populated by some rather intriguing people. Perhaps the most intriguing is the town witch and wise woman. An individual of extraordinary, even magical talents, Autumn Avening is ready to retire—and must find a replacement from among the local denizens. With one year to choose, Autumn begins keeping an ever closer watch on her friends and neighbors, looking for just the right candidate. Through her eyes, we get intimate glimpses of the locals of Avening—strong men and women whose stories are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. VERDICT Loose ends in Foster's strong debut indicate sequel potential for those who enjoy following characters from book to book. Fans of Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic) and Joanne Harris (Chocolat) will love getting to know the residents of this cozy, charming little town. Highly recommended.—Leigh Wright, Bridgewater, NJ

On the surface, Robbie and Carlo seem to have the perfect life, sharing a beautiful home and an architecture firm. Robbie is a dreamy optimist; Carlo is pragmatic and responsible. Their peace is shattered one night by a seemingly random crime, but they discover that the foundation of their relationship had been compromised by fault lines long before the attractive stranger named Tom appeared at their door. For the first time in 20 years, both men find themselves keeping secrets from each other and testing their respective roles in the relationship. Despite the intimations of violence, Gabol's sixth novel (after Light at Dusk) isn't a thriller but rather an exploration of how the fear of loneliness can restrict or damage lives, written in a leisurely, restrained literary style. VERDICT Fans of domestic novels will appreciate the finely drawn portrait of a long-term couple confronting the choices they have made in life, but readers may not be persuaded that Tom is as fascinating as everyone else in the book believes. [Tyrus Books is the new publishing venture of former Bleak House founding editor Benjamin LeRoy; this title was originally listed as a Bleak House publication.—Ed.]—Devon Thomas, DevIndexing, Chelsea, MI

In his debut novel, the author, who teaches at a private Manhattan high school, brings the reader into the minds of the faculty and students at Carmine-Casey School for Girls, an elite prep school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Leo Binhammer has the distinction of being the sole male English teacher at the school, which makes him a favorite among some of the students—especially Dixie Doyle, who flatters Binhammer with her wiles while infuriating the smarter girls. Fortunately, as Binhammer struggles to keep his wits about him, he finds in his English colleagues a jovial camaraderie that allows him to share professional insights and personal dilemmas. When another male English teacher is hired, however, Binhammer's professional and private lives collide. VERDICT Especially good at characterization, Gaylord has delivered a story that's ripe with acute and wry observations on men and women, competition, sexuality, and secrets. He's created a slippery slope, but readers will find the terrain surprisingly navigable as the novel ends. Highly recommended.—M. Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ

Originally published in 1966 and previously translated into English in 1978, this existential novel is set in occupied Poland during World War II. Narrator Witold and his enigmatic companion, Fryderyk, two intellectuals with ties to the underground resistance, find themselves holed up at a friend's farm. The two men quickly become obsessed with the farmer's teenage daughter and a young farmhand with whom she has been friends since childhood and attempt, for their own voyeuristic amusement, to entice the two into beginning a sexual relationship. Eventually, their games are derailed by, and possibly contribute to, a series of bizarre and disastrous incidents. Each event is overanalyzed by the narrator, allowing Gombrowicz to reveal his underlying concern with the "blind elemental forces" that determine human events: war, love, religion, sin, and desire. VERDICT Philosophical, sensual, and occasionally jarring, Gombrowicz's writing swirls with strange meanings. His singular style may deter casual readers, but those who brave a few chapters will find themselves hypnotized. Borchardt's translation, from the original Polish, returns a clarity and impact to the text that had been lost in the earlier two-step translation from the French. Especially recommended for fans of Sartre, Camus, and similar authors.—Forest Turner, Suffolk Cty. House of Correction Lib., Boston

German Nobel laureate Grass burst onto the literary scene in 1959 with what many consider one of the best postwar novels to that date. Grass recounts here the story of Oskar Mazerath, who knew he did not want to be born while still in utero. Nevertheless, Oskar makes his first appearance in the prewar free city of Danzig (now Polish Gdan´sk) like an über-enfant terrible and begins a series of (mis)adventures with his symbol, the tin drum, that lead him through the Nazi era and beyond. One more extraordinary thing about Oskar is that at age three he refuses to grow anymore. VERDICT This reviewer did not have access to the German text in comparing this new translation with the original, by Ralph Manheim. The Mitchell translation might be said to be somewhat smoother, a bit more contemporary in feeling, but there is a heft to the original lacking here. Grass actually collaborated with several translators, including Mitchell, in producing new translations in various languages. Either translation is highly recommended to those who love world literature, though smaller libraries shouldn't feel rushed to replace the initial translation. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/09.]—Edward Cone, New York

In Big Horn County, MT, 1991, when a barefoot half-black, half-Native American hitchhiker wearing an expensive cowboy hat gets a ride from a teenager named TJ Darley, a friendship is born. The mysterious hitchhiker gives his name as Spoon, short for Arcus Witherspoon. TJ takes Spoon home to the family ranch, where he is hired as a much-needed extra ranch hand. Gradually, TJ and his hardworking parents become aware that Spoon has an uncanny talent for forecasting bad weather and trouble in general. They also learn that Spoon is a Vietnam vet with a prison record. However, he is a terrific worker and becomes a mentor to TJ. When a coal company threatens to tear up the neighborhood, the Darleys and Spoon are drawn into battle. VERDICT More about TJ's coming of age than the eponymous Spoon, this new novel by the author of the CJ Floyd mysteries (Blackbird, Farewell) vividly presents the realities of life on a cattle ranch. Larry Watson's Montana 1948 comes to mind as a readalike.—Keddy Outlaw, formerly with Harris Cty. P.L., Houston

Maryanne lives simply with her dog, Bob, and her cat, Clement. Having quit her job at Keepsake Cottage Collectibles after her live-in boyfriend leaves her, she spends her days napping, going for walks in the dog park, cooking comfort food, throwing the I Ching, and taking on the occasional writing project for her ex-employer. As she gets deeper into her isolation, she begins to hear Bob and Clement talk; then she begins to hear other people's pets talk as well. Her friend Donna convinces her to volunteer at the animal shelter, and Maryanne's skill in divining the animals' needs, combined with her insistence on commemorating soon-to-be euthanized pets, leads the veterinarian, Stan, to hire her as his assistant. Then he asks her to write the funeral service for his mother, something for which Maryanne finds she has a knack. VERDICT Hawkins, a journalist and writing teacher, seamlessly weaves together many eclectic elements: soup recipes, I Ching meditations, bits of maudlin poetry, a pet's simple request for toast, the heartache of death. You don't have to be an animal lover to enjoy this funny and moving debut novel.—Joy Humphrey, Pepperdine Univ. Law Lib., Malibu, CA

This tale of growing up in 1960s South Africa revolves around two characters who are polar opposites. The narrator, Simon, is the bookish son of a local magistrate, while quiet Fanie Van Den Burgh comes from a more modest background. The two somewhat reluctant friends meet again when Fanie plays in a tennis match at Simon's private high school, competing for her lowly technical school. In a series of flashbacks, Simon recalls his and Fanie's past growing up in and around the village of Verkeerdespruit, a rural backwater in the Orange Free State. Just as Fanie could be a side of Simon's character that he is unwilling or unable to face, so the country is divided not only between whites and blacks but also between the English and Afrikaans languages and cultures and rural and modern urban life. The story comes to a climax when Simon goes against his old friend in the final match, as various dramatic, sexual, and cultural themes come into play. VERDICT This probing and perceptive coming-of-age tale features artfully sketched characters and offers a vibrant portrait of a country and culture in conflict. While the audience may be limited by the setting, it is quality literary fiction worth considering.—Jim Coan, SUNY Coll. at Oneonta

FBI Profiler Karen Vail's idyllic vacation to Napa Valley with her boyfriend, Det. Robby Hernandez, is derailed on day one. A mutilated body bearing distinctive wounds is discovered during their exclusive wine tasting, and Vail is drawn to the case. Further investigations lead her to a second corpse with similar wounds. By the end of day two, Vail joins the Napa County Major Crimes Task Force. As additional bodies are found, Vail and her new colleagues begin a relentless pursuit of "The Napa Crush Killer." As possible motives and patterns begin to emerge and task force members are targeted, intensity levels increase. Jacobson's extensive FBI research background yields a gripping story laced with political underpinnings and dizzying twists that will have readers perched on the edge of their seats. In a style rivaling that of Patricia Cornwell or Harlan Coben, Jacobson surpasses his first Karen Vail thriller, The 7th Victim. VERDICT Essential for suspense aficionados. One caveat: readers expecting a neat ending may be disappointed, as a sequel is forthcoming.—Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Sydney Zamora has rebuilt her life and sculpted her body after a humiliating breakup. She doesn't need anybody else, right? Wrong. After seeing her friends coupling up, Sydney wants a relationship on demand but insists on doing everything possible to ensure that she will not have one. Determined to change things, she decides to take some advice (and criticism) from a prominent matchmaker for the wealthy. Enter Max Cooper, a rich bachelor with relationship issues of his own, who becomes a foil for Sydney's version of a self-made woman. Girl meets boy with mixed results. VERDICT Kennedy's (Bling) retelling of The Taming of the Shrew mixed with a dose of pop psychology features some edgy content that makes this inappropriate for teens interested in chick lit, and readers who enjoy fluffier takes on that genre will be disappointed. But readers interested in strong female protagonists and heartier women's fiction will be willing to join Sydney on her journey.—Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz, Cleveland P.L.

The frequent accusation that King writes too long is sometimes deserved. However, when he works in an epic mode, depicting dozens of characters and all their interrelationships, he can produce great work. He did it with The Stand and with It, and he has done it again here. A small Maine town is enclosed one October morning by an impermeable bell jar of unknown origin. Within this pressure cooker, the petty differences and power struggles of village life are magnified and accelerated. Opposing camps develop, one headed by Big Jim Rennie, the Second Selectman, and the other by Dale Barbara, a drifting Iraq vet who was nearly out of town when the Dome fell. The characters are well rounded and interesting while retaining the familiar appeal that has drawn and kept King fans for decades. VERDICT Regular King readers will rejoice at his return to his strengths. Some will balk at the page count, but a fast pace and compelling narrative make the reader's time fly. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/09.]—Karl G. Siewert, Tulsa City-Cty. Lib., OK

In her first novel, Llanos-Figueroa chronicles the experiences of a seldom-discussed group, the descendants of African slaves in Puerto Rico. In a straightforward narrative style, sprinkled with magic realism, the book relates the stories passed from mother to daughter through five generations of powerful women, beginning with Fela, a proud West African who brings a stone of great power with her into slavery. Fela's daughter Mati uses the stone to become a curandera, or healer. In succeeding generations, each of Fela's female descendants alternately discovers her powers and then rejects them, experiences the failure of a husband to understand her needs, and makes mistakes with her daughter. Finally, Fela's great-great granddaughter Carisa returns to Puerto Rico from New York, rescues her ancestral stories from oblivion, and brings the power of the stone full circle. VERDICT This commanding exploration of women's history will resonate with readers of strong African American feminist narratives like those of Toni Morrison and Ntozake Shange. With its unflinching description of slavery, it should also appeal to readers of slave narratives like Charles Johnson's Middle Passage and Manu Herbstein's Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade. [Library marketing.]—Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS

Told from the viewpoints of multiple characters, Maitland's second medieval novel of suspense (after A Company of Liars) is a real page-turner. Set in England in 1321, amid famines, plagues, and social conflicts, the story follows events in the village of Ulewic, whose inhabitants, including the priest, are held in thrall by a powerful secret pagan society, the Owl Masters. On the community's outskirts, a small band of women have established a beguinage—a safe sanctuary for women, not nuns, who have chosen to forgo the company of men and support themselves. When the villagers' crops fail and animals become ill, even as those of the beguinage are spared, whispers of witchcraft begin, fueled by the Owl Masters and their desire for a return to the male-dominated worship of the old powers. Carefully researched and meticulously crafted, the story enthralls, transporting the reader back to an earlier era that nonetheless seems to echo aspects of society today. VERDICT This gripping work should appeal to readers who enjoy books with medieval settings like Ariana Franklin's "Mistress of the Art of Death" series; those who like novels of suspense will also want to give it a try.—Pamela P. O'Sullivan, Coll. at Brockport Lib., SUNY

Alternating between 1995 and 2000, Malott's first novel concerns a group of journalists covering the Bosnian War who later return to Sarajevo to try to learn what happened to one of their company—charismatic photographer Gray Banick, who stared down atrocities through the lens of a camera. Among them are Banick's Bosnian interpreter, Emil Todorovic´, who has suffered a horrific loss at the hands of the Serbs; hard-drinking correspondent Jack MacKenzie, whose addiction to the adrenaline rush of war has cost him his family; and Lian Zhao, a Chinese American woman. Lian had a brief but passionate affair with Banick in Kansas City, which ended when she bowed to the wishes of her traditionalist parents and married another Chinese American. Her feelings stirred again after receiving a letter from Emil asking about Gray, she returns with the others to the village where he was last seen in the hopes of uncovering clues to his fate. VERDICT This is a passionate, wrenching tale of love and war whose tone and subject matter offer an update to Hemingway.—Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, North Andover, MA

The author of 17 novels (e.g., Island Tempest), Mewshaw finds his latest inspiration in Greek tragedy. An elderly mother gathers together her three children: Quinn, who escaped the family to become a successful actor in London; Maury, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome and who served time in prison for murdering his father; and Candy, who at age 60 resents having to put off a chance for marriage to care for her mother in Maryland. Despite her age and failing health, their mother continues to wield Medea-like power over her offspring, and there are many references to the Oresteia, a story of murder and revenge in which Quinn is preparing to perform. While Candy and especially Quinn seem awfully whiny at first, they become more sympathetic as they roar against their unhappy childhoods. Especially effective is the climax, when we discover their mother's final request. And the multiple first-person points of view are interesting and distinct, especially that of Maury, who accepts his fate and tackles life one small step at a time. VERDICT Recommended for readers who love family dramas.—Evelyn Beck, Piedmont Technical Coll., Greenwood, SC

A homeless man confronts newspaper reporter Henry Parker and then runs away. Later, the police inform him that the vagrant has been murdered and that evidence points to his being Parker's brother. The idea that he had a sibling he never knew about proves too tantalizing to resist, and Parker sets out to solve the crime and confront his father. When the evidence points to his father as the killer, however, Parker must use all of the tricks of his trade to establish his father's innocence, even though he hates the man. VERDICT Pinter does it again with his fourth Henry Parker outing (after the Crimespree-nominated The Stolen), an emotional and suspenseful journey with an engaging protagonist. While this one, the first of a two-book saga, ends on an obvious note, it's still a solid page-turner that would have been worthwhile value at a hardcover price. [The second half, The Darkness, will be published in December.—Ed.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

WTF? Can you write a thoroughly engaging book consisting of nothing but questions? If you can't, can Powell? Can you call a book with no dialog or characters fiction, or if you respond to the questions in your mind, isn't that characters and dialog? Will you? Why or why not? How many slices of life make a whole life? Is this the most original work this side of Ben Marcus's Age of Wire and Strings way back in 1995? Why will people of a philosophical bent enjoy this book? How bent do they have to be? Does it help to have the twisted sense of humor of a Monty Python fan? Will "people of a certain" age particularly respond to this book? How old is "a certain age" anyway? Are you uncertain? Could The Interrogative Mood become a cult classic? Why "mood" instead of "mode"? Why would this book not work for discussion groups? Why is the VERDICT for this weird little book so utterly positive?—Jim Dwyer, California State Univ. Lib., Chico

Algerian refugee Thassadit Amzwar has witnessed a great deal of violence in her young life, yet she radiates joy. Now attending college in Chicago, she meets Russell Stone, writing instructor and all-around slump of a guy, who is fascinated by Thassadit's glowing countenance. After consulting with campus counselor (and eventual love interest) Candace Weld, Stone theorizes that Thassadit may be the carrier of a gene that produces happiness. Once the story makes its way to the media, all hell breaks loose. The cheerful refugee is publicly sanctified, vilified, and sought after—especially by genome companies that want to market her genetic good fortune. Offering some very meaty ethical issues, this fast-paced, science-laden story offers each character a chance to become heroic in his or her own way. VERDICT Intelligent, thought-provoking, multilayered, and emotionally engaging, this follow-up to Powers's National Book Award winner, The Echo Maker, astonishes with its depiction of our annoying cultural habit of creating, exalting, and disposing of celebrities within the span of a few minutes. Master storyteller Powers has a keen eye for the absurdity of modern life. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/09.]—Susanne Wells, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty.

Abel Jones Jr.'s death was both tragic and comic as he suffered an asthma attack in the bathroom of the Rebel Yell during a Confederate reenactment while his white family celebrated just outside the doors. Randall, who established her clever storytelling prowess with the New York Times best seller The Wind Done Gone, uses the passing of the conflicted Abel to pull together aspects of his lives as a divorcé and husband, a Southern black man, father, son, government official, and intelligence agent that likely would have never intersected. The beauty here lies not only in Randall's multifaceted characterizations but in the beautiful paintings she creates with words: "The day Abel was born, sweet tucked deep in the dark South, Langston Hughes, out west on a speaking tour, types out a little poem in celebration." VERDICT Though not as poetic, this work is reminiscent of the powerful intricacies of Toni Morrison's Love as it weaves the past with the present. Randall's latest tale is nostalgic, heart-wrenching, and captivating. Recommended for lovers of history and fantasy with contemporary overtones.—Ashanti White, Raleigh, NC

Simon Axler wowed theater critics with his outsize talent and persona for 40 years, taming major roles from Shakespeare to Chekov to Miller, but one evening at the Kennedy Center, he suffers a meltdown so terrifying and complete that he consigns himself to an institution for a month of group, art, and physical therapies. The blockage cannot be explained away through normal psychiatric channels, so Axler retreats to his country estate, where he fantasizes about the shotgun in the attic, unable to summon the courage to play the role of a man committing suicide. An unexpected visit from Pegeen Stapleford, the daughter of old friends and 25 years his junior, sets the stage for a recurring Roth theme (The Dying Animal, Exit Ghost), the pathos of the aging artist seeking revitalization through an all-encompassing sexual liaison. VERDICT Roth, the incomparable recipient of every major literary award, has written a sorrowful novella. Those of us who believe that he is one of the greatest living American writers will continue to do so, but if 60 is the new 40, readers may tire of his bleak insistence that artistic productivity ends so early. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/09.]—Sally Bissell, Lee Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Myers, FL

Margaret and Patrick are 28-year-old Bostonians living in Kenya in 1977. He's a doctor researching tropical diseases, while she dabbles in photography. They live in the guest house of Brits Arthur and Diana. An impulsive plan to climb to the top of Mount Kenya elicits varied responses from the group, which eventually will include a Swiss couple as well. While most see a challenge, if a mild one, Margaret is terrified, scrambling for a way to back out. Ultimately, tragedy strikes, and everyone, including Patrick, looks to Margaret as its cause. The country's race relations contribute to Margaret's feelings of remorse, pushing her to find a job and perhaps a new love. VERDICT The usual pinpoint precision of Shreve's (Testimony) prose is not in evidence here, as readers must work to discover the novel's time frame, and accusations of Margaret's complicity in the accident seem out of proportion, as does her sense of guilt. People who might consider an excursion to Mount Kenya will undoubtedly cancel their airfare and buy a new armchair instead. Shreve fans will demand this one, though. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/09; online reading group guide.]—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

This sequel to Bram Stroker's Dracula (1897) takes place in 1912, 25 years after the events of the first novel. The survivors of the encounter with Dracula are still haunted by the horror. Mina and Jonathan Harker's marriage is strained. Their adult son Quincy knows nothing of Dracula, and his parents hope—in vain, as it turns out—to keep him ignorant of past events. Jack Seward barely sustains his sanity with heroin. Arthur Holmwood hides in his manor, while an aged Dr. Van Helsing impatiently awaits the vampire's return. A demonic force begins insinuating itself into their lives. Death stalks them and those close to them. Meanwhile, Bram Stoker remains a bitter author who has had little success with his fictional version of Dracula. How he knew anything about the events of years ago is one of many mysteries explored here. VERDICT The authors (Stoker is a descendant of Bram, and Holt is a noted Dracula historian) skillfully explore the nature of evil while weaving together several complex plotlines throughout this mesmerizing story. Readers who enjoy dark fantasy with fast-paced action will plow through this book, not wanting to stop. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/09.]—Patricia Altner, BiblioInfo.com, Columbia, MD

When mountain climber Freya Hannen's Egyptologist sister dies mysteriously, Freya suspects murder. The more she investigates with her sister's friend Flin, also an Egyptologist, the more they realize that the motive for the murder involves Hidden Oasis, a legendary lost desert paradise and an obsession of Flin. Freya's sister had apparently stumbled onto the key. As Freya and Flin search for the truth and the oasis, others will stop at nothing, including extreme brutality and violence, to find the secrets Hidden Oasis holds. VERDICT Sussman (The Last Secret of the Temple) is an archaeologist familiar with Egypt and the Sahara, but what could have been a great adventure novel is written in numbing detail and further diminished by a number of subplots—lost uranium, timely plane crashes, the CIA, and magic meteorites—that detract from the search for the oasis. Overwritten and disappointing. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/09.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Wildgen's second novel has a lot to live up to. Her first, You're Not You, was a New York Times Editor's Choice and one of People magazine's Ten Best Books of 2006, and it is currently in development to be a film with Hilary Swank. And it really was a fabulously addictive read. The new book doesn't quite compare. The setting is the same—Madison, WI, with its university vibe and granola-crunchy edge. Three adults share a co-op house: career-minded new member Greta; Hal, who works passionately to feed the hungry; and Karin, a writer. The story starts when a dog is seen floating alone in the middle of the lake. Then a power outage that doesn't seem to get resolved sets off a feeling of strangeness throughout the town. And then Greta's husband appears drunk and asleep on the house porch swing. There's a fashionable "green" edge here—shared housing, farmers' market local shopping and cooking (Wildgen is known for her food writing), and the semiapocalyptic outage is also timely. VERDICT If you loved Wildgen's first book, don't expect the same thing. But if you're all about being green and a locavore, give it a try. [Library marketing campaign.]—Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

Best-selling Egyptian novelist Al Aswany (The Yacoubian Building) returns with a startling first collection, elegant yet pointedly sharp-tongued and sarcastic. The opening and longest work, "The Isam Abd el-Ati Papers," tests the boundaries of fiction, leaving the reader in doubt about the narrator's sanity. The succeeding stories follow in a similar vein, both shocking and outrageous in their critical and iconoclastic view of Egyptian life. For instance, in "The Kitchen Boy," medical student Hisham seems destined for failure as a surgeon but stands up to his bullying superiors and wins an academic appointment; the author pokes fun at the arbitrary nature of success in a highly bureaucratic culture. Throughout, the stories examine the opposition between the mores of society and the needs of the individual. Al Aswany is an insightful student of the human condition whose trenchant characters evoke a weird hybrid of Albert Camus and Charles Bukowski; the strange landscape depicted is at once painful and playful, rich in meaning and understatement. Useful notes help readers understand Egyptian and Islamic history and customs. VERDICT For readers of literary fiction, fans of existentialism, and students of short story writing.—Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos P.L., CA

In his debut collection, practicing physician Holt takes on the big cosmological questions in stunning fashion, recalling writers like Conrad, Hawthorne, and Melville in the scope of his interests and the grandeur of his style. His characters, like the astronaut in "Charybdis" (an O. Henry award winner from 1982, first published in the Kenyon Review) and the archaeologist in the title novella, stand on the precipice of the unknown, whether the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, or the contents of an Egyptian tomb. Not surprisingly, "Charybdis" has its counterpart in a story called "Scylla," in which a ship's captain and crew are faced with an amorphous danger called "the Law" that keeps them from venturing out again once they've come back to port. Here, Odysseus meets Bartleby the Scrivener, and domesticity brings its own rewards. VERDICT This collection represents a life's work of stories that are not well known outside of the readership of literary journals. That's about to change, and it's a good thing.—Sue Russell, Bryn Mawr, PA

Millet follows her sixth novel (How the Dead Dream) with a collection of stories, some previously published, combining celebrities with animals. In "Sexing the Pheasant," Madonna has not quite killed a pheasant on her Scottish estate and obsesses over her adoptive Englishness, among other things. The titular tale examines Harry Harlow's detached efforts to study his controlled "absence of love" in infant rhesus monkeys. A man at the Wellfleet town dump encounters Noam Chomsky, who is trying to give away his granddaughter's gerbil condo in "Chomsky, Rodents." In perhaps the most surreal and humorous yarn, "Lady and Dragon," an Asian billionaire attempts to win the admiration of actress Sharon Stone by adopting the Komodo dragon who bit her ex-husband. VERDICT Ranging from the mundane to the surreal, Millet's satirical yet sometimes touching stories will appeal to fans of the author's previous novels, especially Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, and to fans of T.C. Boyle's fictionalizations of well-known figures.—Cristella Bond, Muncie, IL

The author of Sophie's Choice served with the U.S. Marines in the South Pacific at the end of World War II, and he developed a lifelong fascination with the Marine Corps. This book, which collects his writing about marines, includes three previously published stories, a vignette, and the opening pages of an unfinished novel. As one might expect, the material here is uneven. Two of these pieces are more like sketches than fully developed stories. The other three, however, are superb. "Blankenship" and "Marriott, the Marine" are complex character studies of career marine officers, while "My Father's House," from the unpublished novel, is a gem. Here Styron deals lovingly and courageously with a veteran returning home after World War II, struggling to transition to life back home in Virginia. Styron has always been drawn to moral and emotional complexity, and in these three stories we see him at work skillfully exploring that rich and provocative terrain again. VERDICT Recommended for readers of serious literary fiction.—Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT

This is the third collection of Vonnegut's early work, following Bagombo Snuff Box (1999) and Armageddon in Retrospect (2008). Most of the stories are typical examples of late 1950s black humor. "Confido" is an audio device that whispers a bitchy commentary on the shortcomings of the owner's real friends, like an inner Joan Rivers. In "Fubar," a marginalized office worker's life is upended by a new secretary from the Girl Pool. In "Hall of Mirrors," two detectives match wits with a hypnotist suspected of murder. All of the stories feel dated, and reading them is similar to watching reruns of old black-and-white TV shows. Vonnegut's America is almost unrecognizable: low tech, mostly blue collar, but with an underlying weirdness, as in Philip K. Dick's work from the same period. But the voice is clearly Vonnegut's (as are the illustrations), and that should be enough to win over fans. VERDICT These early stories lack the polish of Vonnegut's classic novels but track the development of his hugely influential mix of sf and black humor. Important for fans, but first-time readers should start with the better-known titles. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/09.]—Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch. Lib., Los Angeles