John Henry Fleming

In this collection, John Henry Fleming traffics in the fantastic and near-fantastic. I’m still processing some of the stories. They’re inventive, well-written, and they approach subjects both common and uncommon from odd angles. Some are fable-like tales.

My favorite is “The Day of Our Lord’s Triumph (with Marginal Notes for Children)” in which the story of a neighborhood pick-up basketball game is told in biblical parable. Lust-inspiring aliens are among us in “Xenophilia.” A show more truly disastrous family climb of Mount Everest inspires some wicked black humor in “Chomolungma.” Fleming even approaches love from a strange place in “Song for the Deaf.”

Sometimes facts are hidden from the reader for a little longer than I’m comfortable with, but it’s a minor issue. The stories earn respect the deeper you go into the collection.

Fleming has calculated the stories in this collection were rejected a total of 233 times before they found their original homes in various publications. That doesn’t speak to the quality of the stories – just to the difficulty of publishing short stories, even for accomplished writers. show less

This is a wonderful story of the power of legends. The author writes with a satirical twist -- which had me chuckling several times -- and also had me contemplating the near-universal need for heroes and shared stories.

Earl Shank is a man with a plan; several plans, actually, to develop his isolated Florida community and turn a healthy profit at the same time. None of his schemes succeed, until he meets Josef Steinmetz. Josef is a recent immigrant who has lost everything: his wife, his show more orchard and his shoes. Earl, as postmaster, hires Josef as letter carrier and with a little help from local Indians and an aspiring journalist, the legend of the barefoot mailman is born.

This is the kind of book you can read on two levels: an engrossing, funny story and a commentary on society. Both are well done and enjoyable. show less

This book did not capture my attention the way some books do.

This book did not capture my attention the way some books do.