In this collection, John Henry Fleming traffics in the fantastic and near-fantastic. I’m still processing some of the stories. They’re inventive, well-written, and they approach subjects both common and uncommon from odd angles. Some are fable-like tales.

My favorite is “The Day of Our Lord’s Triumph (with Marginal Notes for Children)” in which the story of a neighborhood pick-up basketball game is told in biblical parable. Lust-inspiring aliens are among us in “Xenophilia.” A truly disastrous family climb of Mount Everest inspires some wicked black humor in “Chomolungma.” Fleming even approaches love from a strange place in “Song for the Deaf.”

Sometimes facts are hidden from the reader for a little longer than I’m comfortable with, but it’s a minor issue. The stories earn respect the deeper you go into the collection.

Fleming has calculated the stories in this collection were rejected a total of 233 times before they found their original homes in various publications. That doesn’t speak to the quality of the stories – just to the difficulty of publishing short stories, even for accomplished writers. ( )