"I'm harping on the family and loved ones and living rooms and personal space and the home here because a good many of the stories by Brett, Seth and Gary in this book touch on those themes. 'Touch on' might be too weak a term, come to think of it. 'Reach into' is better. 'Probe the way a surgeon does for a lump' is better still. A lot of these stories hurt. They hurt real bad. This is not a bad thing. Hurt can affirm life, and remind us we're not alone."--Michael Marano, from his introduction
I knew going in that this was an uneven book. Some of the stories are breathtaking in their brilliance. Others go on interminably. My favorite story was "Walking" by Seth Lindberg and Brett Alexander Savory, in which a man carries death with him through the desert. Another highlight was Seth's "Spirits of Absolution." Recommended.