The Hermit's Story

The story “Eating” is going to hold a special, special place in my heart. Set right here outside my door in North Carolina, he gets the place and the people just right. “I’m hungry,” Russell said. They stood there in the blue smoke, letting it bathe them for a while, and looked out at the forest drop......more

Rick Bass is a stud. Not like you would normally classify "studs", but a stud none the less. I bet if you spent a day with this man, you might think "He's more boring than I would have thought him to be" but man oh man does his life experience seem interesting when reflected in what he writes. You k......more

I have read this collection of short stories twice, and two of the stories several times. I'm not sure why the alchemy happens between an author's words and a reader, but Rick Bass is one writer who I seem to connect with more often that not. These stories are quiet, even when they are adventurous.......more

You never quite escape the icey blue environment of the title story--it's like a skeleton key for whole collection. Whether in the woods or in an SUV passing a bus full of inmates, Bass knows what "environment" means--engagement. "Swans" is absolutely devastating in the best possible way. "Cave" ble......more

Every story in this collection is amazing, particularily the title story, and "Swans." And all the rest.......more