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Dispensation: Latter-Day Fiction
DISPENSATION anthologizes the best Mormon short stories written near the turn of the twenty-first century. Each of the extraordinary twenty-eight stories in this volume represents a potent individual voice, from popular and nationally acclaimed authors Brady Udall and Orson Scott Card, to well-respected Mormon literature veterans Douglas Thayer and Margaret Blair Young, to talented up-and-coming writers Lisa Madsen Rubilar and Todd Robert Petersen, and many more.
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2010
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56 people want to read
About the author
Angela Hallstrom
3 books42 followersAngela Hallstrom lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her fiction has received awards from the Utah Arts Council and has appeared or is forthcoming in Dialogue, the New Era, Irreantum, and Salt Flats Annual. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Hamline University and has served on the editorial boards of Water-Stone Review and Segullah. She is the author of the novel Bound on Earth and editor of the anthology Dispensation: Latter-Day Fiction. She and her husband are the parents of four children.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 9, 2016
If you're curious about what LDS fiction is and who the major writers are right now, go buy this book and read it. Even if you're not or if you think you don't like short stories, I still think you should buy this book. It's hefty (over 400 pages) and includes a little bit of everything and everyone. There were some stories that I liked more than others, but I was generally impressed with the choices and the quality of the writing. If, like me, you've been reading a lot of Dialogue or Irreantum over the last few years you will feel that this book is a wee bit redundant, but many of the things in there are still worth a re-read.
June 24, 2011
I was told this book would give me faith in LDS literature - that there are authors out there writing the kinds of work that I want to read. It most definitely fulfilled that purpose. These are not the kinds of stereotypical stories with pat moral endings and cheesy grins all around. These stories acknowledge the existence of hard problems, of grief, of unanswered questions. I feel a little more real for having read them.
January 25, 2015
Has some excellent stories, some okay stories, and one awful story by Orson Scott Card.
November 27, 2021
It started good and it ended good. Several of the stories in the middle were lame though. For instance, “Jumping.” Mary Clyde was trying to be like Ernest Hemingway and his “ice-berg theory” where you leave out a lot of the details so readers have to infer what’s beneath the service. The problem is Clyde isn’t as good an author and so the story was just confusing. The other stories I really didn’t like were “Measures of Music” (same iceberg problem as “Jumping”), and “Blood Work” (weird, ambiguous ending that reminded me too much of some of my classmates in the English department that say things they think are deep but that don’t actually mean anything).
The stories I liked, that made this a four star book were “The Garden” (super strong, evocative, and though-producing story about righteousness, sacrifice, and love), “Brothers” (had me on the edge of my seat, feeling like I was there and then the ending dropped me back into my couch wondering what’s going to happen next), “Healthy Partners” (a cool struggle of competing loyalties where you hope good will win out), “The Walker” (a thought provoking story of the circular nature of life), “Miracle” (really great, sad,-hopeful but-hopeless story about addiction, recovery, change, and love), “Light of the New Day” (cute, romantic, and makes you feel good), and “Buckeye the Elder” (kind of sweet, kind of sad; kind of inspiring, kind of cautionary; kind of deep, kind of light hearted and fun. Just a really great balance in a realistic story).
If you get squeamish and don’t like stories where really bad things happen to people, don’t read “Wolves” or “Miracle.” I liked the themes and the thought provoking nature of “Calling and Election,” but couldn’t help feeling like it was a defilement of very holy and sacred things. Because of this, at the end of the day I wouldn’t recommend it. Stories like “White Shell,” “Out of the Woods,” “Who Brought Forth This Christmas Demon,” “Buckeye the Elder,” and “Thanksgiving” offered really great perspectives you don’t often get about being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I’m glad we’re in here. They reminded me to be careful in judging and quick to show compassion. “Bread for Gunnar” was a great story showing the difficulties of accepting plural marriage and was inspiring (even if the writing was a little confusing towards the end in terms of what was really happening in the story). “Hymnal” and “The Weather Here” were odd, end of world stories that feel like an Orson Scott Card novel but short, confusing, and weird. I’ll be honest, I didn’t love them. But speaking of Orson Scott Card, he wrote an inspiring story about consecration that was worth reading called “Christmas at Helaman’s House.”
“Clothing Esther” has the potential to be a beautiful, touching story but didn’t live up to it. I liked “Trusting Lily,” felt like it showed how God works in mysterious ways. “Obbligato” was a good story about faith and doubt. “Salvation” was confusing and didn’t grab me. “Voluptuous,” “Blood Work,” and “Zoo Sounds” we’re all alright but none of them grabbed me either. “The Care of the State” was just weird and unrealistic. It felt like Brian Evenson was trying to shock his readers, but it fell flat on me. The only other story I haven’t mentioned is “Quietly.” That story was thought provoking, but I don’t feel like there was enough in it to really hold me. It was like turning the keys in the ignition, but the car not firing up.
Overall, I’d recommend the book if you want to get the whole gamut of experience connected with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you don’t want to read the whole thing but are interested in some of the stories, talk to me and I’ll tell you which ones you’d be a good fit for.
The stories I liked, that made this a four star book were “The Garden” (super strong, evocative, and though-producing story about righteousness, sacrifice, and love), “Brothers” (had me on the edge of my seat, feeling like I was there and then the ending dropped me back into my couch wondering what’s going to happen next), “Healthy Partners” (a cool struggle of competing loyalties where you hope good will win out), “The Walker” (a thought provoking story of the circular nature of life), “Miracle” (really great, sad,-hopeful but-hopeless story about addiction, recovery, change, and love), “Light of the New Day” (cute, romantic, and makes you feel good), and “Buckeye the Elder” (kind of sweet, kind of sad; kind of inspiring, kind of cautionary; kind of deep, kind of light hearted and fun. Just a really great balance in a realistic story).
If you get squeamish and don’t like stories where really bad things happen to people, don’t read “Wolves” or “Miracle.” I liked the themes and the thought provoking nature of “Calling and Election,” but couldn’t help feeling like it was a defilement of very holy and sacred things. Because of this, at the end of the day I wouldn’t recommend it. Stories like “White Shell,” “Out of the Woods,” “Who Brought Forth This Christmas Demon,” “Buckeye the Elder,” and “Thanksgiving” offered really great perspectives you don’t often get about being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I’m glad we’re in here. They reminded me to be careful in judging and quick to show compassion. “Bread for Gunnar” was a great story showing the difficulties of accepting plural marriage and was inspiring (even if the writing was a little confusing towards the end in terms of what was really happening in the story). “Hymnal” and “The Weather Here” were odd, end of world stories that feel like an Orson Scott Card novel but short, confusing, and weird. I’ll be honest, I didn’t love them. But speaking of Orson Scott Card, he wrote an inspiring story about consecration that was worth reading called “Christmas at Helaman’s House.”
“Clothing Esther” has the potential to be a beautiful, touching story but didn’t live up to it. I liked “Trusting Lily,” felt like it showed how God works in mysterious ways. “Obbligato” was a good story about faith and doubt. “Salvation” was confusing and didn’t grab me. “Voluptuous,” “Blood Work,” and “Zoo Sounds” we’re all alright but none of them grabbed me either. “The Care of the State” was just weird and unrealistic. It felt like Brian Evenson was trying to shock his readers, but it fell flat on me. The only other story I haven’t mentioned is “Quietly.” That story was thought provoking, but I don’t feel like there was enough in it to really hold me. It was like turning the keys in the ignition, but the car not firing up.
Overall, I’d recommend the book if you want to get the whole gamut of experience connected with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you don’t want to read the whole thing but are interested in some of the stories, talk to me and I’ll tell you which ones you’d be a good fit for.
February 25, 2018
I’m reluctant to rate it because I didn’t finish it, but so far I would give it a 2.5. I got through the first 12 stories and decided to take a break. I just didn’t get sucked in to these stories. I was about to say it is harder to get into a short story but that is exactly backwards. A really good one should hook you from the beginning and keep your interest. So for now I am not finishing the book. Please, someone, tell me how good one of the upcoming stories is and how sad it would be if I missed it, and I will read it.
I have to add this. One of the stories, Jumping, was a true story thinly disguised by changing some names and a few lateral occurrences. Someone very close to me was on that chair lift and critically injured. The way the author presented her was full of half truths, which I guess is ok since it is being passed off as fiction, but some of the untruths told about her were gross and hurtful to the family. I find it uncalled for to bring such hurt to someone who is already hurting.
I have to add this. One of the stories, Jumping, was a true story thinly disguised by changing some names and a few lateral occurrences. Someone very close to me was on that chair lift and critically injured. The way the author presented her was full of half truths, which I guess is ok since it is being passed off as fiction, but some of the untruths told about her were gross and hurtful to the family. I find it uncalled for to bring such hurt to someone who is already hurting.
December 15, 2018
There are some great stories in this collection. I think there was one I didn't particularly like, but I can't recall which one it was. If you like complex short stories that aren't all black and white yet quite satisfying, this is the book for you. If you want everything to come out all right in the end, look elsewhere.
December 12, 2017
A little hit and miss (like all short story collections). I enjoyed "The Garden," "Brothers," "Christmas at Heleman's House," "Calling and Election," "Clothing Esther," "Hymnal."
December 19, 2011
I'll hold off on stars for now, as I'm only about halfway through.
This is an anthology of contemporary fiction and there are some very fine stories here. So far I've particularly liked Levi Peterson's "Brothers" and Mary Clyde's "Falling." All in all though, this has been a mixed bag. Some disappointing pieces, at least for me: didactic and tedious. I'll refrain from naming names, since I'm sure others will love what I did not. And it's perhaps a mistake to read a collection like this cover to cover. Somehow I can't seem to dart around though: I want to see what's out there.
Strange thing that occurred to me this morning: there are so many homeless/vagrant characters in these stories. A real preponderance. I was trying to figure out why, and here's one thought: in literary studies, we talk about the "Other"--someone/thing not like us. You might say that all of literature is (in one way or another) about an encounter with the Other, about grappling with difference. And I wonder if somehow the homeless population feels like a safe Other for Mormons to encounter. The blame for their situation is more ambiguous than it is for other troubled souls. We're also commanded to help them, so we're perhaps willing to look at them more directly. Anyway, will be interesting to see if this keeps up in second half of the book.
I guess the thing that strikes me most though, is that the decision of whether or not (and how) to include the Mormon element still feels like such a deliberate choice, unnaturally so. There are a few options: 1. Mormon characters (faithful, jack, etc), 2. Mormon characters that never explicitly mention they're Mormon, 3. no Mormon characters and no mention of Mormonism, 4. Mormons as peripheral characters whom the main characters long for somehow, 5. Mormons as peripheral characters that come off a bit nuts. I wonder if most of these writers pick one of these categories and write in it all of the time and feel a loyalty or obligation to that method, or if they start in one and move to another, and what it all means. I wonder if, at some point, this won't feel like such a deliberate choice, if we'll be able to be Mormons and Writers, but not necessarily Mormon Writers who have to pick one of those cards and figure out how to play it. I wonder if that would be a better world, or one that's even possible.
This is an anthology of contemporary fiction and there are some very fine stories here. So far I've particularly liked Levi Peterson's "Brothers" and Mary Clyde's "Falling." All in all though, this has been a mixed bag. Some disappointing pieces, at least for me: didactic and tedious. I'll refrain from naming names, since I'm sure others will love what I did not. And it's perhaps a mistake to read a collection like this cover to cover. Somehow I can't seem to dart around though: I want to see what's out there.
Strange thing that occurred to me this morning: there are so many homeless/vagrant characters in these stories. A real preponderance. I was trying to figure out why, and here's one thought: in literary studies, we talk about the "Other"--someone/thing not like us. You might say that all of literature is (in one way or another) about an encounter with the Other, about grappling with difference. And I wonder if somehow the homeless population feels like a safe Other for Mormons to encounter. The blame for their situation is more ambiguous than it is for other troubled souls. We're also commanded to help them, so we're perhaps willing to look at them more directly. Anyway, will be interesting to see if this keeps up in second half of the book.
I guess the thing that strikes me most though, is that the decision of whether or not (and how) to include the Mormon element still feels like such a deliberate choice, unnaturally so. There are a few options: 1. Mormon characters (faithful, jack, etc), 2. Mormon characters that never explicitly mention they're Mormon, 3. no Mormon characters and no mention of Mormonism, 4. Mormons as peripheral characters whom the main characters long for somehow, 5. Mormons as peripheral characters that come off a bit nuts. I wonder if most of these writers pick one of these categories and write in it all of the time and feel a loyalty or obligation to that method, or if they start in one and move to another, and what it all means. I wonder if, at some point, this won't feel like such a deliberate choice, if we'll be able to be Mormons and Writers, but not necessarily Mormon Writers who have to pick one of those cards and figure out how to play it. I wonder if that would be a better world, or one that's even possible.
January 21, 2012
Five stars for Hallstrom's editorial choices, four for the overall quality of the stories. There's no Desert Book style fluff here - it is full of well-drawn characters, complex moral issues, and beautiful prose.
Hallstrom did a fantastic job as an editor. She included a great range of writing styles and genres, and included both established and rising authors. Her selections demonstrate the rich and complicated ground that Mormonism provides authors and readers.
There were some fantastic stories in this anthology. "Clothing Esther" was my favorite, hands down, and "The Garden" and "Calling and Election" were also superb. I found one or two of them terrible ("Christmas at Helaman's House" comes to mind), but I guess that's the nature of an anthology - when you go for breadth of styles, no one will love every story. And I hadn't read much Mormon speculative fiction, and I found I really enjoyed those selections.
Overall, I think this is a great introduction to Mormon fiction, and would eagerly give it to any friend who says no one is writing good Mormon fiction.
Hallstrom did a fantastic job as an editor. She included a great range of writing styles and genres, and included both established and rising authors. Her selections demonstrate the rich and complicated ground that Mormonism provides authors and readers.
There were some fantastic stories in this anthology. "Clothing Esther" was my favorite, hands down, and "The Garden" and "Calling and Election" were also superb. I found one or two of them terrible ("Christmas at Helaman's House" comes to mind), but I guess that's the nature of an anthology - when you go for breadth of styles, no one will love every story. And I hadn't read much Mormon speculative fiction, and I found I really enjoyed those selections.
Overall, I think this is a great introduction to Mormon fiction, and would eagerly give it to any friend who says no one is writing good Mormon fiction.
May 14, 2010
An anthology of contemporary, literary short stories. Some really stunning pieces--you've got to check out Jack Harrell's "Calling and Election," Margaret Blair Young's "Zoo Sounds," and Darrell Spencer's "Blood Work." I can't stomach most pop LDS writers, sit-com shallow and either too timid or too naive to wrestle with any problems that their hero can't solve by glancing down at his CTR ring. But the stories in this collection have some depth. They squarely confront the real-world realities of despair, mental illness, overzealous piety, fractured relationships, guilt, lust, unrealized ambitions. No pat answers or tidy solutions. I think stories like these have moral weight simply because they carve out new spaces within us for compassion, for empathy.
January 17, 2013
I read about half of this, but I'm not sure if I'll ever finish. It is a compilation of short stories, so I don't feel bad if I don't read them all. I must say that the overall writing in the book was refreshing in that it was NOT predictable LDS fiction. Some of the stories were excellent (what I'd rate a 4 or 5) and some were not even worth my time and I'd rate them at a 1 or 2. So, that's where the rating of 3 comes in. My problem with short stories is that often the author seems to be attempting to make it completely weird and abstract which can be totally annoying. Also, I find that I can only take short stories in small doses. After a few days I LONG for the complexity of a novel. So, that is why I only go halfway through.
January 17, 2012
DISPENSATION: LATTER-DAY FICTION is a collection of short stories by people with some direct connection to the Mormon Church. All were published since the late 1990s, and the editors have done a remarkable job of finding excellent Mormon fiction.
Despite the Mormon context, the themes are universal and the characters are fully developed. Stories deal with problems in South Africa, the missionary experience, family life (including marriage, the position of women, and mother/daughter relationships), and other topics.
Anyone can enjoy these stories, but one’s experience would clearly be enhanced by having had some exposure, at least, to Mormonism. I recommend them highly.
Despite the Mormon context, the themes are universal and the characters are fully developed. Stories deal with problems in South Africa, the missionary experience, family life (including marriage, the position of women, and mother/daughter relationships), and other topics.
Anyone can enjoy these stories, but one’s experience would clearly be enhanced by having had some exposure, at least, to Mormonism. I recommend them highly.
July 7, 2010
I find it very exciting to read Mormon fiction like this--with Mormon elements and characters, but without the sticky-sweet Deseret Book feel. The stories in this collection reflect some of the tensions and difficult situations people face in real life. Some are better than others, but many of them are truly fabulous. I'm thinking about them still. Yes, the collection is of Mormon short stories, but the writing is excellent on the whole, and the stories are just plain good stories regardless of the Mormon connection.
June 14, 2010
Wow, great great collection of Mormon fiction. If you're Mormon, and you like good, compelling, well-written stories, you really must read this. There's humor, theology, sci-fi, jealousy, redemption, life-or-death situations, and everything else. I didn't love every single one, but almost all were quite good, and a handful just blew me away. Make sure you don't miss "Calling and Election," "Buckeye the Elder," "Clothing Esther," and "Obbligato."
There was just a lot to love here.
There was just a lot to love here.
December 3, 2011
Like with most anthologies of this type, there will be stories you don't like in it. There will be stories that are offensive or too weird. BUT there will also be stories that move you in ways that are impossible and that resonate with parts of you you've never been able to articulate. Definitely read this one. The Kindle edition was great--didn't have any of those weird little typos that come with some Kindle edition--and the digital price is a steal for the quality in this collection.
May 25, 2016
I found this book to be a lot like other short fiction anthologies. I am not a big short story reader--I had the weird, ambiguous notes they so often end on--but in this anthology, like many others, there are some good ones in here. More than anything, it was interesting to read stories that had ties to LDS culture and religion. Note: this book is neither preachy, nor fluffy, nor anti-Mormon, nor anti-religion. It is very neutral.
July 26, 2011
Liked a lot of the short stories in here, detested others. A few I really, really liked. Introduced me to a ton of LDS writers. I didn't know there were so many good ones out there. Where do they hide themselves? Whenever I go to Deseret Book, it seems like the shelves are full of Anita Stansfield and her fluff loving pals.
February 21, 2013
It was wonderful to read an entire book with intelligent and well crafted stories that touched on Mormonism in some way. Several stories stayed with me long after I read them. The downside of this book is that so many of the stories left me feeling down. Very few of them ended on a positive note, but I guess that's literature for you ;)
October 21, 2014
I'm not much of a fiction reader, let alone short stories. But I have read about 4 of the stories so far and really have enjoyed them. Levi Peterson cracks me up. He has a way of making me laugh at the way we approach our certainty about things. Clothing Ester was actually really touching about life, death and attachments formed.
February 8, 2014
Made for great nightly reading with my wife-
We could usually get through a whole story - or maybe half - before running out of steam.
Nearly all of the articles had some basis of faith, and a connection to LDS religion or culture.
I earmarked the ones we liked best - but lots of bent-in pages. And I'll let you make up your own mind about that.
We could usually get through a whole story - or maybe half - before running out of steam.
Nearly all of the articles had some basis of faith, and a connection to LDS religion or culture.
I earmarked the ones we liked best - but lots of bent-in pages. And I'll let you make up your own mind about that.
October 4, 2012
This anthology contains what I thought were a few great stories ("Blood Work," "Calling and Election"), a lot of really good ones "Buckeye the Elder," "Brothers," ), and a few forgettable ones. Overall, this is the best collection of Mormon-themed short stories I have yet to read.
May 12, 2014
As essentially my first foray into contemporary LDS literature, I thought this was a solid collection. There's a diverse array of stories, ranging from almost-sci-fi to recalcitrant farmers. I enjoyed most of the stories, and wished there were more of them when I finished.
August 4, 2010
Haven't read all the stories yet. Although some are a little strange, it is a great collection. Doug Thayer's story "Wolves" is very good as is Stephen Tuttle's "The Weather Here".
October 30, 2013
Mixed. I loved some of the stories, others were a little too weird for me.
October 16, 2013
I truly enjoyed this book of short stories written by LDS authors. It is not your typical LDS fiction. These stories pushed the boundries and asked uncomfortable questions. It made me think.
March 20, 2014
Great intro to LDS short fiction. Naturally I liked some stories more than others, but I don't think there were any I regretted reading.
May 19, 2014
Interesting anthology of stories. Some left me with ????
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews