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Strategies Against Extinction
This debut short-story collection is made up of nine stories about people who find themselves at difficult turning points in their lives—times when they are faced with hard choices, broken promises, and the fear of self-destruction. These characters are diverse: a film projectionist, a second-generation comic book store owner, a vascular surgeon at one of Boston’s premier hospitals, an ex-baseball player turned financial advisor. All these characters attempt to smash through the inexplicable glass ceiling of their lives and make sense of a world that, more often than not, defies them at every turn.
In “Union Terminal,” a self-made businessman hides his brother’s alcoholism as he sits by the bedside of their father, an overweight ex-con contemplating open heart surgery, tentatively exploring the layers of their history. “Projection” is the story of a college student who spends her last summer before graduation working as a film projectionist whose new boyfriend may have an explosive secret of violence. “The Utility Room” is about a young divorcee who rents out a spare room in her house to a mysterious adulterous couple, and their haunting infidelity allows her to strangely reclaim her lost sense of self. In “The Re-Creationist,” a veteran of World War II thrives as a baseball broadcaster mastering the art of “re-creating” games, only to find that the new post-war era has discarded the imagination for the furious speed of modern technology. The stories in this collection are startling and realistic evocations of the lives of memorable characters, told with rich observation, energy, compassion, and grace.
In “Union Terminal,” a self-made businessman hides his brother’s alcoholism as he sits by the bedside of their father, an overweight ex-con contemplating open heart surgery, tentatively exploring the layers of their history. “Projection” is the story of a college student who spends her last summer before graduation working as a film projectionist whose new boyfriend may have an explosive secret of violence. “The Utility Room” is about a young divorcee who rents out a spare room in her house to a mysterious adulterous couple, and their haunting infidelity allows her to strangely reclaim her lost sense of self. In “The Re-Creationist,” a veteran of World War II thrives as a baseball broadcaster mastering the art of “re-creating” games, only to find that the new post-war era has discarded the imagination for the furious speed of modern technology. The stories in this collection are startling and realistic evocations of the lives of memorable characters, told with rich observation, energy, compassion, and grace.
- GenresShort Stories
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2012
About the author
Michael Nye
13 books44 followersMichael Nye is the author of three books: the short-story collection STRATEGIES AGAINST EXTINCTION, the novel ALL THE CASTLES BURNED, and his forthcoming collection UNTIL WE HAVE FACES (Turner Publishing, 2020).
He attended the Ohio State University, where he graduated with a B.A. in English, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he earned his M.F.A. in creative writing.
His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in American Literary Review, Boulevard, Cincinnati Review, Crab Orchard Review, Epoch, Kenyon Review, New South, Sou’wester, and South Dakota Review, among many others. His work has been a finalist for the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in fiction and nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
He lives with his family in Columbus, Ohio, and is the editor-in-chief of Story.
He attended the Ohio State University, where he graduated with a B.A. in English, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he earned his M.F.A. in creative writing.
His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in American Literary Review, Boulevard, Cincinnati Review, Crab Orchard Review, Epoch, Kenyon Review, New South, Sou’wester, and South Dakota Review, among many others. His work has been a finalist for the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in fiction and nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
He lives with his family in Columbus, Ohio, and is the editor-in-chief of Story.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 18, 2013
Strategies Against Extinction comprises a group of stories that are far beyond the expected quality of a debut collection. Michael Nye's prose is fluid, vivid and captivating, and the diversity of subject matter and character from story to story demonstrates Nye's strong powers of observation and understanding of the human circumstance. The style and storytelling in each of the nine works present readers with a subtle but thematic melancholy, where the literal "strategies against extinction" are strategies for the individual characters' self-preservation and are typically presented through powerful but sporadic acts of momentary freedom from consequence. The characters are often sympathetic, yet there still resides an estrangement from them allowing readers to observe safely from a distance. Nye's greatest strength comes from the subtlety of this approach.
While all of the stories in this collection are strong and worth reading, "Sparring Vladimir Putin" and "Keep" stand out in excellence. In these two, Nye exceeds the typical scope of modern fiction by not only appealing to the universal, but also resonating in the contemporary realm of American society. In “Sparring Vladimir Putin,” we are intrigued by the similarities between the future Russian Prime Minister and the scandal ridden American former Governor where, as the tension unfolds and climaxes, we are left tracing those similarities back to their source: lust for success and power. In “Keep,” we’re captivated from the start, attempting to rationalize our identification with and emotional connection to characters bearing little resemblance to ourselves.
A few times throughout the collection the exposition becomes slightly too explicative, but generally the interpretation is left to the readers. Overall, we highly recommend this book.
While all of the stories in this collection are strong and worth reading, "Sparring Vladimir Putin" and "Keep" stand out in excellence. In these two, Nye exceeds the typical scope of modern fiction by not only appealing to the universal, but also resonating in the contemporary realm of American society. In “Sparring Vladimir Putin,” we are intrigued by the similarities between the future Russian Prime Minister and the scandal ridden American former Governor where, as the tension unfolds and climaxes, we are left tracing those similarities back to their source: lust for success and power. In “Keep,” we’re captivated from the start, attempting to rationalize our identification with and emotional connection to characters bearing little resemblance to ourselves.
A few times throughout the collection the exposition becomes slightly too explicative, but generally the interpretation is left to the readers. Overall, we highly recommend this book.
February 5, 2013
The stories that bookend this collection, "Re-Creationist" and "Keep" are standouts amidst nine quiet but powerful works. I admired Nye's control throughout and his ability to render with such empathy, insight, and skill so many diverse and believable characters struggling against their weaknesses and their potential ruin.
September 8, 2012
Strategies Against Extinction is better than a "debut" collection of short stories. It's just a good collection, period. Nye manages to flesh out a wonderfully broad spectrum of characters, ranging from a 1950s baseball announcer clinging to a crumbling marriage, to an early-twenties film projectionist trying to escape the mundane existence of her hometown. Vladimir Putin is in there, too....
Perhaps the most distinct aspect of Nye's work is the pace and insight of his prose. He is an accomplished wordsmith who moves from wide shots to exact, crystalline detail within a single scene, seemingly changing the very passage of time by offering the reader precise descriptions of key objects or events. And he does so without losing the rhythm and cadence of the story.
"Strategies" is an excellent kick start for a writer who can take us into the minds of a variety of diverse characters with convincing, compelling, even elegant, prose.
Perhaps the most distinct aspect of Nye's work is the pace and insight of his prose. He is an accomplished wordsmith who moves from wide shots to exact, crystalline detail within a single scene, seemingly changing the very passage of time by offering the reader precise descriptions of key objects or events. And he does so without losing the rhythm and cadence of the story.
"Strategies" is an excellent kick start for a writer who can take us into the minds of a variety of diverse characters with convincing, compelling, even elegant, prose.
May 24, 2013
I'm writing a full review as I'm rereading these stories, so this won't be comprehensive. I really enjoyed this collection, full of characters you want to stand up and cheer for in their heroic escapes and last stands.
I'd read some of Nye's work in Boulevard and was eager to read the rest of the stories here. There's a courage and a dignity to each of the stories, and the thread pulling them together (aside from his Ohio roots) is imagination as the uber-strategy, how it saves us and protects us and even occasionally blinds us to reality, but always there, serving the purpose of making our lives at once too painful to go on and somehow bearable.
I'd read some of Nye's work in Boulevard and was eager to read the rest of the stories here. There's a courage and a dignity to each of the stories, and the thread pulling them together (aside from his Ohio roots) is imagination as the uber-strategy, how it saves us and protects us and even occasionally blinds us to reality, but always there, serving the purpose of making our lives at once too painful to go on and somehow bearable.
October 2, 2012
I received Strategies Against Extinction as a giveaway through the website Goodreads.
I love well-written short stories and this collection lived up to my expectations.
The characters were well rounded, more so than many full-length books. With only a very few exceptions, I remained sympathetic to the lead character to the end of the story.
Generally, the lead character of each story faced loss or betrayal -- sometimes at his or her own hands.
Of all the stories, my favorite was The Re-creationist. It was not what I expected from the title and I learned something new.
I love well-written short stories and this collection lived up to my expectations.
The characters were well rounded, more so than many full-length books. With only a very few exceptions, I remained sympathetic to the lead character to the end of the story.
Generally, the lead character of each story faced loss or betrayal -- sometimes at his or her own hands.
Of all the stories, my favorite was The Re-creationist. It was not what I expected from the title and I learned something new.
October 30, 2012
I want to like this book more, but something didn't quite click for me. The writing was good, and I loved the plentiful Cincinnati references. Connecting with the stories was a little hit or miss sometimes, and it seemed like a few times some of the character historey details hadn't been edited consistently. Particularly enjoyed the last three short stories that were a 3-part series.
October 4, 2014
Nye's stories are well told and their premises really piqued my interest. In practice, though, the collection is a little monotonous: sometimes empowering but usually bleak and emotionally wearing. There is evidence of great craft, though, so I would happily try his future work.
January 2, 2015
An incredible selection of short stories, as wonderful for their emotion and tight writing as they are for their eclectic nature. We should be reading more short stories and this is a great place to start.
September 22, 2012
Quietly, gorgeously, elegant stories that pack a punch.
October 1, 2012
I highly recommend this book for anyone
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews