The Mysterious Secret of the Valuable Treasure — Jack Pendarvis

This debut collection of stories holds a fun house mirror to the everyday lives of characters as empathetic as they are absurd.

You've met the characters in The Mysterious Secret of the Valuable Treasure. They're the quirky visionaries and misguided dreamers we all know. . .and might even be. These characters are absurd, hilarious, and completely believable.

From the self-appointed historian of the title piece to the frustrated wage slaves of "Our Spring Catalog" and "The Pipe," these are individualists who don't quite adhere to mainstream ideals. Pendarvis draws his humor from the world of high school ambitions and misunderstood intentions allowed to breathe and take shape. Always original but somehow familiar, these are stories plugged into the collective unconscious of our imaginary lives.

Jack Pendarvis's work is difficult to describe but a pleasure to experience, infused with humanity and laugh-out-loud funny. Comedic literary talent of this caliber is rare.