I've not been much of a short fiction reader until this last couple of years. In saying that, I'm presenting a disclaimer of sorts, that I really don't know how to write about short fiction collections. . .

"Transported" is a collection of more than two dozen short stories by New Zealand author Tim Jones. I don't think there is one overarching theme as might be suggested by the title, but I come away from the whole collection with thoughts of human beings' relationships with each other and their relationship with the earth they live on.

The collection is more varied than most, ranging from thoughtful stories of human relationships, to clever and witty flirtations with the famous like Borges, Lenin and Gorbachev; to mythology, suspense, and science fiction. For me it was like trying to drive on a country back road when one has been driving in suburbs for too long; it takes a little getting used to the unexpected turns in the road, the bumps and ruts, the fallen trees and the narrow stretches. This is not a bad thing, for indeed, country roads offer their own pleasures.

Some of my favorite stories are: "Alarm" and "Robinson in Love", two stories about men in almost-relationships; "Cold Storage" a suspense story about a con-artist's last con (and maybe not!); "Morning on Volkov", an eerie science fiction tale about researchers monitoring the proto-life on an alien planet; and "Measureless to Man", a story about Coleridge and his muse (so to speak). There are bits of other stories which still linger and more than a few vivid images of the land called New Zealand. This is a fine collection of short fiction for the adventurous reader who enjoys getting off the neat, paved streets once in a while. ( )