These stories are beautifully written - every single one of them is worth reading for that reason alone. I was especially stunned by "The High Divide," "Drummond & Son" and "Up North." I got a kind of stillness-before-the-storm feeling while reading a lot of these stories - they seem to capture that moment when the characters are on the verge of something, and then dwell in it for a while.

My only complaint is that many times I felt almost too aware that I was reading a nice piece of literature. I could appreciate the beauty of the writing but couldn't really get lost in the story. I wanted the terrible to happen and I wanted to follow the characters into their madness, but that never happens. I think if these stories were novels the author would be forced to go there. If he ever writes a novel, I'd be really excited to read it.