2 Reviews: Beluthahatchie, & Howard Who?

Story telling is an art. For me, it is The Art. A story can be told with pictures, the written word, the oral word, or any other way you like. But it is the story I love. One of  America's truly iconic southern storytellers, is the wonderful writer Howard Waldrop. I have read some of his stories over the last 10 years or so, but just recently I managed to read Howard Who? for the first time. The debut collection was first published in 1986, and was then reprinted a few years back in a very attractive paperback by Small Beer Press. It collected 12 stories of the Author's, along with an introduction by George R. R. Martin, and included story notes by the Author. Saying that Howard Waldrop is a master story teller would be stating the obvious. It is easy to see the southern influence of his language, but his twists and turns in his mostly alternate history plots are all his very own. There are no so-so stories here. They are all wonderfully unique. There is evidence of the long extinct dodo bird showing up in Mississippi in The Ugly Chickens. In Der Untergang des Abendlandesmenschen, there is a vampire, cowboys, and nazis, making the destruction of said vampire into quite another thing entirely. Ike At The Mike turns Elvis Presley into a politician, and Eisenhower into a musician. Dr. Hudson's Secret Gorilla is about a mad scientist. Wait! it's about a gorilla with a machine gun. A smart gorilla. Well, you'll have to decide. "...The World, As We Know't," well if the title doesn't give it away, it's about the end of the world, but not in a way you would expect, exactly. Green Brother is a wonderful Native American tale. But once again, a completely unique take on history as we never knew it. This is one of my favorites. But don't let that mislead you, I loved them all. You get the idea. This a collection that should be missed by no one who loves a good story. Trust me.

One of Andy Duncan's influences, is Howard Waldrop. Andy is another southern writer, and an exceedingly fine one. Did I say fine? I meant incredibly exceptional. Beluthahatchie And Other Stories is his debut collection, published by Golden Gryphon in 2000, with an introduction by Michael Bishop, an afterword by John Kessel, and story notes by the Author. Andy Duncan is not someone you read quickly. Not because it is work to read him, but because you don't want to miss anything. The detail in his characterization, the ease of description, and all the subtle nuances of his language, all make for a truly hearty, and thoroughly enjoyable "meal". And when he wants to, he captures that authentic southern flavor like few can. Stories about the devil, a tale about Patton (from which I actually learned somethings about the General that I never would have known), stories of horror, alternate history... but all having one thing in common. Not only magnificent story telling, but the creation of characters we believe and care about. Although I would not have missed any of these stories for any amount of money, my favorite would have to be Liza And The Crazy Water Man. Maybe because of the music history that went into it. Maybe because it is a love story in the end. It could be because of the unique take on the problems of recording. Or it just might be that I truly loved these characters. I can say no more.