Were I a lazy reviewer, I’d just tell you to not read any
further and go ahead and buy this book immediately. However, not only do I try
not to be lazy whenever possible, but it also appears this book is sold out on
the Dim Shores website, so you might need to do a little hunting (and I assure
you it’d be worth the effort).
Spend a few minutes chatting with me about my favorite
contemporary writers, and Daniel Braum is bound to come into the conversation at
some point. I’ve written of his greatness on this blog before (see my review of
his short story collection The Night Marchers…you should be able to acquire
that particular book with far greater ease than Yeti. Tiger. Dragon.). There’s
something about Braum’s prose that hits the sweet spot between literary fiction
and something decidedly “other.” Braum does not limit himself by adhering to
the laws of convenient genre buzzwords, which I believe allows him the
opportunity to have a wider range of potential readership. His work tiptoes
around magical realism, and were you to attempt to put his work in a box, this
would be the most comfortable fit. Some stories are filled with strangeness,
dread, and loss, others with innocence, mystery, and wonder. Feel free to mix
these descriptors as you see fit, as Braum certainly does.
This particular collection consists of three stories
spanning Braum’s career (from 2004, 2008, and 2016) that take a
cryptozoological slant, and the quality of the writing is consistent despite
the wide gap in years, a testament to Braum’s skill. As is the case with many
of Braum’s stories, these tales are set in “exotic” locations (I use quotes
because the term is relative), transporting readers to places they likely don’t
travel to on a daily basis.
Though I recommend this book to anyone seeking quality
fiction, other writers should especially be reading Braum, as his style can
serve as a crash course for word economy. Never a wasted word, and the language
is lyrical without being remotely flowery. Nothing is over-explained, yet I’m
never left feeling like I need more to be fully satisfied (naturally, I WANT
more, but that’s a different thing altogether, a positive thing). I’d argue
he’s a master of the short story form. Rumor has it Braum has a novel coming
soon, and I’m very interested to see what he does with a longer piece.
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