What do you think?
Rate this book
Ephemera
192 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2025
1 person want to read
About the author
Jack Cady
66 books32 followersWinner of Nebula, Phillip K. Dick, World Fantasy and Bram Stoker awards.
Obituaries:
in Seattle PI
in Peninsula Daily News
in Seattle Times
from Komo News
Obituaries:
in Seattle PI
in Peninsula Daily News
in Seattle Times
from Komo News
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 26, 2025
This story collection shows the range of the late Jack Cady's writing abilities. These stories may have been selected due to the uncanny prescience in some of the stories from the 90s. This includes the climate fiction metaphors in the initial story 'The Sons of Noah' with its chilling 5-word last sentence. 'The Best Left Library of Dry Facts' is directly relevant to the disinformation offered these days, and the total rejection of those who would bend history to their agenda.
But what really snaps the reader's attention into focus is the writing style. Cady carefully selects his words to fit the story theme and mood, whether it's the formalism of 'Noah' or trucker slang and clipped sentences in his signature story from 1965, 'The Burning'. Cady may wear his heart on his sleeve, but he's so good at style and metaphor that you don't mind the hint of polemics: It actually makes the point of the story land more strongly.
I've read pretty much all of Cady's fiction, and I enjoy many of his novels, but by my lights the real strength of his writing is in short fiction. This collection highlights some of his strongest work.
But what really snaps the reader's attention into focus is the writing style. Cady carefully selects his words to fit the story theme and mood, whether it's the formalism of 'Noah' or trucker slang and clipped sentences in his signature story from 1965, 'The Burning'. Cady may wear his heart on his sleeve, but he's so good at style and metaphor that you don't mind the hint of polemics: It actually makes the point of the story land more strongly.
I've read pretty much all of Cady's fiction, and I enjoy many of his novels, but by my lights the real strength of his writing is in short fiction. This collection highlights some of his strongest work.
Displaying 1 of 1 review