T.C.BoyleStoriesIITheCollectedStoriesof

Asecondvolumeofshortfiction—featuringfourteenuncollectedstories—fromthebestsellingauthorandmasteroftheformFewauthorswritewithsuchsheerloveofstoryandlanguageasT.C.Boyle，andthatisnowheremoreevidentthaninhisinventive，wickedlyfunny，andalwaysentertainingshortstories.In1998，T.C.BoyleStoriesbroughttogethertheauthor’sfirstfourcollectionstocriticalacclaim.Now，T.C.BoyleStoriesIIgatherstheworkfromhisthreemostrecentcollectionsalongwithfourteennewtalespreviouslyunpublishedinbookformaswellasaprefaceinwhichBoylelooksbackonhiscareerasawriterofstoriesandtheartofmakingthem.Byturnsmythicandrealistic，farcicalandtragic，ironicandmoving，Boyle’sstorieshavemappedawiderangeofhumanemotions.Thefifty-eightstoriesinthisnewvolume，writtenoverthelasteighteenyears，reflecthismaturingthemes.Alongwiththesatiresandtalltalesthatestablishedhisreputation，readerswillfindstoriesspeakingtocontemporarysocialissues，fromairragetoabortiondoctors，andcharacter-driventalesofquietpowerandpassion.Otherscapturetimelessthemes，fromfirstloveanditsconsequencestoconfrontationswithmortality，orexploretheconflictbetweencivilizationandwildness.ThenewstoriesfindBoyleengaginglytestinghischaracters’emotionalandphysicalendurance，whetherit’sagroupofgiantsbeingbredasweaponsofwarinafictionalLatinAmericancountry，aRussianwomanwhoignoresdirewarningsinreturningtoherradiation-contaminatedhome，ahermeticwriterwhogetsmorethanabreakinhisroutinewhenhetravelstoreceiveaminoraward，oramaninaCaliforniamountaintownwhogoesalittletoofarinhisconcernforawidow.Mordantwit，emotionalpower，exquisiteprose：itisallhereinabundance.T.C.BoyleStoriesIIisagrandcareerstatementfromawriterwhoseimaginationknowsnobounds.