The Thing About Great White Sharks: and Other Stories - Softcover

Wright, Rebecca Adams

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1477821074 ISBN 13: 9781477821077

Publisher: Little A, 2015

Synopsis

In this collection’s richly imagined title story, our brutal and resourceful protagonist is determined to protect her family from a murderous, shark-ridden world—at any cost. Elsewhere, an old woman uncovers a sinister plot while looking after a friend’s plants (“Orchids”), and a girl in the war-torn countryside befriends an unlikely creature (“Keeper of the Glass”). In “Barnstormers,” a futuristic flying circus tries to forestall bankruptcy with one last memorable show. At the heart of “Sheila” is the terrible choice a retired judge must make when faced with the destruction of his beloved robotic dog, and “Yuri, in a Blue Dress” follows one of the last survivors of an alien invasion as she seeks help.

Extending from World War II to the far future, these fifteen stories offer a gorgeously observed perspective on our desire for connection and what it means to have compassion—for ourselves, for one another, for our past...and for whatever lies beyond.

About this title

About the Author:

Rebecca Adams Wright is a 2011 graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop and a former University of Michigan Zell Writing Fellow. She has an MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan and has won the Leonard and Eileen Newman Writing Prize. Rebecca lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with her husband and daughter.

Review:

“A fabulous debut story collection...These tales are alternately humorous, touching, frightening, thought-provoking, and all of them are sublimely entertaining. Shifting narrative gears with a sly grace, Rebecca Adams Wright proves that she can tackle any genre (not to mention any sub-genre) that she wants to. And she makes it look easy. Is she showing off? Maybe, but she’s got talent worth flaunting. Read her. You’ll be glad you did.” —David Anthony Durham, author of the Acacia Trilogy

“Rebecca Wright’s fiction fizzes with charm and intelligence.” —Kij Johnson, author of At the Mouth of the River of Bees

“These are ceaselessly inventive stories, witty, wry and wondrous, by turn, and all graced with an emotional sincerity that ensures they never dip into mere whimsy. This is speculative fiction with both a head and a heart.” —Peter Ho Davies, author of The Welsh Girl

“These wild, fun, challenging stories showcase a promising writer stretching her talents in every imaginable direction.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“At turns heartbreaking and hilarious, this far-out book of stories spans past, present, and future, as characters deal with sharks, aliens and robots.” —Entertainment Weekly

“In her debut short story book, Rebecca Adams Wright really lets her imagination run wild. Sharks that rule the world, a dying robot dog, the aftermath of an alien invasion—these are just a micro-sampling of what to expect in this epic fifteen-story collection.” —Refinery29

About this edition

• Publisher: Little A
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1477821074
• ISBN 13: 9781477821077
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 182