Rider and Other Stories

Here are twenty-seven tales so varied, so clever, so gentle in their humour you wouldn't believe they could all be crammed into one book. We meet prodigies, orphans, wolf-hounds, flying horses, gamblers, goddesses, academics and acrobats... we see a genius and his violin, a retired soldier and his restaurant, a young woman and her dentist (thrice), a teenager and her chance to save humanity (guess how) and a Damascene conversion in the Himalayas. The whole boborscht of scenarios and zany characters has the flavour of true storytelling about it. But there are serious notes too: the fingers on the keyboard can fire a gun... so read on! 'These short stories work well. Perhaps their outstanding characteristic is variety; they move over a large, multi-textured landscape. Indeed, there is a theme here, but it is in no way obtrusive. The function of this book is a collection of good short stories, and as such they are meaningful and valid, with many pleasing echoes of place and motivation. They also demonstrate a sharp and individual perception on the part of the author; these are vignettes, portraits, of remarkable potency and accuracy.' Mark Sykes.