25 November 2008

Writing on Reading: The Ant King and Other Stories

I picked up The Ant King and Other Stories by Benjamin Rosenbaum on the web. The author released the book under a creative commons license through Small Beer Press. Rosenbaum is a talented short story writer whose speculative stories reflect a postmodern/surreal style similar to slipstream author (and Small Beer Press co-founder) Kelly Link. While not all of Rosenbaum's stories resonated with me, I found many of them enjoyable and interesting. For example, the title story, "The Ant King: A California Fairy Tale" is packed with an entertaining variety of characters and events that keeps you guessing until the end. It also includes some interesting commentaries on various trends in modern society. 

I recommend The Ant King and Other Stories to those who like off-beat urban fantasy and those who wish to study well-crafted short stories. 

4 comments:

writtenwyrdd said...

thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to look them up!

laughingwolf said...

also me, and thx

ssas said...

My fellow editors are some of the best read people I know. If they recommend a book, it's on my bedside table.

Atop the HUGE stack of previous recommendations.

Benjamin Rosenbaum said...

I'm glad you liked it!