Read by Fred Major

Mixing the mundane with the metaphysical, the pairings of the everyday
and the extraordinary in this collection of short fiction yield supernatural
results.a young musician perceives another world while drinking coffee,
a fairy chronicles his busy life in a sandcastle during the changing
tide, a demonic 16th-century chess set shows up in a New Jersey bar,
and Charon, the boatman of hell, takes a few days vacation. Storylines
both conventional and outlandish reveal humdrum routines as menacing,
or imaginary worlds as perfectly familiar. Allusions to authors such
as Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne reinforce the fantasy tradition in
these tales, while understated humor and moments of sadness add a quirky
unpredictability. Also included is the previously unpublished novella,
"Botch Town," a coming-of-age story about a boy on Long Island whose
family and friends live ordinary lives under threats both real and
imagined. Each story is followed by a brief afterword that details its
genesis.

Download File Size:551.47 MB

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