The View from the Seventh Layer

I wish I could write like Kevin Brockmeier. The author of the celebrated Brief History of the Dead has just written a new short story collection, and I was floored by the quality of the writing and the sharp, short plots of each story. The range Brockmeier shows is admirable as well; after a "choose your own adventure" story where every choice leads to a scintillating and beautiful death scene, he follows with a thinly veiled Star Trek fan fiction story, "The Lady with the Pet Tribble." As a Star Trek fan, I was delighted by it--and the quality of the writing remained strong, which isn't always the case in fan fiction! With both humor and poignancy, Brockmeier has written a book of stories that are certain to affect readers of many different genres.