House of the Ancients and Other Stories

by Clifford Garstang

Nobody’s perfect, but some of us—mostly men—are blinded by our hubris and baser urges. Judgment is impeded. Mistakes are made. The stories in this collection, many of them set outside the U.S., explore some of the consequences of these common failings.

Review:

"In these stories (some linked, some not), capitalism and American hubris shape every character, rich or poor, male or female, white or non. Garstang fills his pages with excess and overindulgence, violence, murder, and abuse of power and privilege. The stories take place all over the world — Asia, Europe, Mexico, America — but none of these locations provide an environment of stability or respect among humans. Instead they are sites of fear and exploitation of the “other,” whether that means gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status." ~ Los Angeles Review of Books

172 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2020

About the author

Clifford Garstang is the author of three novels: THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE (forthcoming, 2024), OLIVER’S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY. He is also the author of three story collections: WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW (winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction), IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, and HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES. He is the co-founder and former editor of PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE and the editor of the three-volume anthology series, EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET. A former international lawyer with a prominent US law firm and the World Bank, Garstang earned a BA from Northwestern University, an MA (English) and a JD from Indiana University, an MPA (International Development) from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and an MFA (Creative Writing) from Queens University of Charlotte.

Reviews

[Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it. But here's what some other people said about it.

Clifford Garstang’s impressive collection arrives like a rush of postcards from around the world, streaming in through the morning mail slot. Mexico City, Bangkok, Hanoi, Copenhagen, Central Asia and the hinterlands of Virginia are only a few of the locales he transports us to in these memorable stories. And at each stop along the way, we’re greeted by another cast of characters, eager to enchant, charm and delight.

~Tim Wendel, award-winning author of Castro’s Curveball and Cancer Crossings

In his story collection House of the Ancients, Clifford Garstang sets before the reader a tiered Crayola box full of modern American males. A variety of different shades await inside—troubled, thoughtful, arrogant, and broken men, each trying to find his place in a changing society. Be prepared to hate some of them. Be prepared to weep for some of them. Be prepared to weep for the ones you hate. Fascinating, insightful, equal parts poignant and disturbing, House of the Ancients will keep you reading deep into the lonely night.
~Kim Wright, author of Last Ride to Graceland, winner of the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction

The characters in Clifford Garstang's House of the Ancients and Other Stories travel the world. But no matter how far they go—Denmark, Mexico, Vietnam—they can't escape themselves. It is the collection's flawed and fascinating characters as much as Garstang's exquisite evocations of international settings that make House of the Ancients a wonderful reading experience.

~Mark Brazaitis, author of The Incurables and The River of Lost Voices: Stories from Guatemala

Where won’t Clifford Garstang travel in his urgent quest to explore the darker corners of the male mind? These incisive, pitch-perfect short stories sweep through a dazzling realm of exotic locales, pushing the reader into an uncomfortable and daring consideration of culpability.

~Leslie Pietrzyk, author of Silver Girl and This Angel on My Chest

[Marjorie Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Clifford Garstang’s new story collection, House of the Ancients and other Stories, the writer takes you to Mexico, Central Asia, northern Thailand, Denmark, and the Great Valley of Virginia, as if he borrowed Graham Greene’s writing muse. A world traveler through his work in international law and the Peace Corps, Garstang is comfortable taking us to uncomfortable places with discomfiting characters. The men who populate these stories are broken, and as we like to say these days, they make bad decisions. The characters are razor sharp, the sense of place mesmerizing. But it seems to me that what Garstang is getting at, in this third story collection, is exposing the self-delusion-tending-toward-narcissism of a certain breed of American male. It’s almost as if a ghost of our present circumstances haunts them.
All the stories are haunting, even disturbing, but the one that terrifies me best features a writer down on his luck who has a blowout fight with a much more successful rival at a small dinner party.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clifford Garstang's latest collection, House of the Ancients and Other Stories, takes us all over the globe, but his characters are familiar. We meet troubled but fascinating men; at times I found myself rooting for them and at other times against. In the words of another reviewer, he pushed this reader "into an uncomfortable and daring consideration of culpability." Garstang is a talented writer, causing the reader to sit up and think, which, for me, is the mark of an excellent book. I highly recommend this collection, and I look forward to reading more from this author.