Described well.
Over at the Harlan Ellison DOT Com message board, member Michael Mayhew called short stories "the cognac of fiction."
I like that.
Here's the full quote, in which he praises the short stories in Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts:
Michael Mayhew
- Tuesday, July 1 2008 11:24:56
2) I'm in the thick of Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts. I bought it because I enjoyed Heart Shaped Box so much. In this collection Hill seems to have staked out a fascinating middle ground between genre fiction and "literary" short stories (literary being a fancy word for a closely-observed, slice-of-life with a small epiphany at the end)(epiphany being a fancy word for... oh, never mind). The guy is a big talent I think, taking the family business to places even more interesting then either of his very gifted parents. Best part for me is he's reminding me again of what I like about short stories - the cognac of fiction.
I like that.
Here's the full quote, in which he praises the short stories in Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts:
Michael Mayhew
- Tuesday, July 1 2008 11:24:56
2) I'm in the thick of Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts. I bought it because I enjoyed Heart Shaped Box so much. In this collection Hill seems to have staked out a fascinating middle ground between genre fiction and "literary" short stories (literary being a fancy word for a closely-observed, slice-of-life with a small epiphany at the end)(epiphany being a fancy word for... oh, never mind). The guy is a big talent I think, taking the family business to places even more interesting then either of his very gifted parents. Best part for me is he's reminding me again of what I like about short stories - the cognac of fiction.