Other Seasons — Neal Barrett Jr.

Neal Barrett, Jr. answers (sometimes) to a number of names: Odd, Weird, Gonzo, and, as a former collection points out: Slightly Off Center. Barrett is all of the above, and more. From readers who have followed his career come accolades such as brilliant, unique, sheer genius. Other writers respect his status as a master of words, his ability to weave rhythm and poetry into his tales.

Barrett jumps in and out of genres at will, or simply invents one of his own. He likes to bring his favorite characters together, and see what they'll do. In "Sallie C." he puts The Wright Brothers, young Erwin Rommel and Sheriff Pat Garrett in a shabby hotel out west."Highbrow" finds generations of devoted workers building a half-mile high statue of Richard Nixon."Tony Red Dog" describes the trials and tribulations of the only Apache in the New York mob.

Neal Barrett, Jr. has made a special effort to give us a number of dark, funny, and hopefully impossible views of the future. Present in this collection are "Under Old New York," "Radio Station St. Jack," and the much heralded "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus."

Clearly, Nostrodamus missed the boat. Read and enjoy...