An exceptional documentary dealing with one of Wyoming's most notorious citizens, one that reads like a novel. Although much has been written about Tom Horn, Chip Carlson has done an excellent job of presenting new facts and information furthing adding to the controversey over Horn's guilt in the murder of young Willie Nickell.

Chip Carlson has established himself as the most prolific and knowledgeable Tom Horn buff since Dean Krakel, and his work is extraordinarily readable. To understand a true American (choose your own term) outlaw, rogue, bounty hunter, lawman, Westerner ... whatever ... pick up Carlson's work, which is full of the grittiness that haunts the legend of Horn.

The best word I can think of to describe this book is FANTASTIC.Chip Carlson has written another masterpiece on the subject.
To me just about every chapter leaves you craving more information, and thats what a good book should do.His indepth research is amazing on how he has put it into a format for persons interested in this period of western history.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants more insight into the times trials and tribulations of 1890's Wyoming.

Though I majored in English, I never took a creative writing course while in college. When I started writing fiction a few years ago, I knew that I couldn't enter an MFA program because I'm a full-time attorney with a family to feed and a mortgage to pay. So, I decided that I should read as much fiction as possible to help teach myself the craft of writing. One of the books I purchased was the then-new 1998 Prize Stories: The O'Henry Awards. I couldn't have made a better choice! In this one volume, I read Lorrie Moore's heartbreaking "People Like That Are the Only People Here," Steven Millhauser's chilling "The Knife Thrower," Alice Munro's evocative "The Children Stay," among many other wonderful and powerful fiction from The New Yorker, Zoetrope: All-Story, Ploughshares, Harper's, and others. Larry Dark, the series editor, and the prize jury, Andrea Barrett, Mary Gaitskill and Rick Moody, did a wonderful job pulling together the best short fiction of that year. This collection not only gave me great joy as a reader, but also wonderful lessons in the art and craft of fiction writing.

Excellent collection of cutting-edge short fiction. If you want to see the extreme edges of today's scene and what, hopefully, is the future of short fiction, buy this collection every year. Extremely compelling work, wide variety of styles, and not the same old names.

As an avid reader of the O.Henry series, I felt that it was in a bit of a rut until this new editor, Larry Dark came along. Last year and especially this year, the O. Henry has become exciting and cutting edge, and Dark must be given all the credit. C'est magnefique Monseiur Dark!!

My two-and-a-half year old daughter Rachel and I can't wait for the next Billy adventure...because we're having so much fun reading this one over and over. Billy traverses a forest full of wild animals, rockets to outerspace to haul the moon in for a repair, and travels to the Caves of Argo in search of treasures--all from the safety of his own backyard, basement and kitchen. Billy's imagination is rich with ideas...and the illustrations in the book reflect this. The illustrations have great color and are a visual expansion of the text...not just a literal reflection of it. It is such a joy to watch Rachel make new discoveries, or come up with her own ideas for Billy. It is one of the most interactive, stimulating books we have.

Approximately two months ago I gave a copy of The Moon Adventure to a co-worker for her 2 1/2 year old daughter. Now whenever "Mom" asks what book Fallon wants her to read to her, the reply is "my favorite book...The Moon Adventure"

Billy Books is a kid with a "wild" imagination. Fromthe first page, when Billy is camping out in his back yard, andimagines all kinds of animals lurking about, you are propelled into Bill's world! The moon disappears behind the clouds and he imagines that the "light bulb" has burned out. It's up to him to fix it! The book is very well written, and beautifully illustrated. My 4 year old girl really enjoys it. It's written in a way that makes it very exciting to read and to listen to. The pictures are very detailed, and capture the eye immediately. The book also has some lines in it the parents will enjoy too. I look forward to the next "Billy Books" adventure!

By "literary" I mean stories that are original instead of anecdotal. These stories are not campfire tales--not that there's anything wrong with that!--but readers who are used to "told-for-true" stories ought to explore the literary ghost story as a complement to the other type, not because it's good for you like oatmeal, but because it takes you to a whole new level of fun. And ghost stories ought always to be--in one way or another--fun. Think of the stories of Sheridan Le Fanu and M.R. James, those of the Victorian women writers like Cynthia Asquith, Amelia Edwards. THE GHOST STORIES OF EDITH WHARTON are among my personal favorites. Novella and novel-length stories such as Henry James' THE TURN OF THE SCREW, Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, and Peter Straub's GHOST STORY, fall into the category, "literary," although nothing beats the short ghost story for a quick trip into the Twilight Zone, which may be why collections of short ghost stories are becoming collectors items. Beyond being just plain fun to read, literary ghost stories are often character driven, and contain some psychological depth. They might make powerful feminist statements, as Kay Weldon does in "Angel, All Innocence," in this collection. Literary ghost stories can explore spiritual issues as does Isaac B. Singer's "A Crown of Feathers." Other great stories in THE LITERARY GHOST are Joyce Carol Oates' "The Others," Muriel Spark's classic and often-anthologized "The Portobello Road," and Graham Greene's creepy "A Little Place Off the Edgware Road." In the introduction to THE LITERARY GHOST, editor Larry Dark concludes that this kind of story, "at its best, ...can be immensely satisfying to our mortal souls and their yearning for completion."

I think that the title to this review says it all. The Masks of Nyarlathotep is by far the best cthulhu adventure that i have played (much better than Delta Green), due to the feeling of, well, 'authenticity' and adventure. But most of all lots of fun. Easily a choise for one of my top 5 modules of any gaming system.

I've found the O. Henry Awards series to be a pretty uneven collection of stories, but still one i eagerly await each year, because in each volume you find several good stories, and one or two gems. The 1999 collection is no exception. Sure I found most of the stories to be trite and dull, but hidden amongst the poorer work were really good stories by W.D. Wetherell, Michael Chabon, Charlotte Forbes, and Annie Proulx. And the second place story, Cary Holladay's 'Merry-Go-Sorry' is a great story that deserves to be anthologized many, many in the years to come. And Stephen King and Lorrie Moore's introduction were eloquently written, and a joy to read in their own right.

I tend to prefer the Best American series, but this year O'Henry is far more surprising and varied. I'm not sure what grudge is being held by the Kirkus Reviewer above (I suspect that he/she is some sort of failed MFA candidate?) BUT there's clearly strong work here. Larry Dark shows a much surer hand here than he has in previously edited volumes. He's still obviously got a thing for the "quirky" and strange--it's no surprise that he's also editor of "The Literary Ghost" since there's a kind of gothic sensibility at work in many of the chosen stories, but there's also a greater variety here than you'll find in this year's Best American. My personal favorites include Sheila Schwartz's stunning "Afterbirth;" Cory Halliday's "Merry-Go-Sorry," which performs some wonderful technical feats with its multiple narration; and of course Alice Munro's story. There are weak spots, of course:the Pam Houston story (mentioned by a previous reader;) and Annie Proulx's story, which just seems to me to be an awfully cliched rendering of the Western persona. Nevertheless, all in all, a very respectable collection.

I'm not sure what the Kirkus Reviewer wants from the genre but I am sure that every other reader will find something here to admire. I agree with previous reviewers about "Sign" and "Merry-Go-Sorry," (they are horrifyingly good) and would like to add my praise for the fine contributions "Sea Oak" and "Nixon Under the Bodhi Tree." Both stories examine mortality in very different ways but reach equally exquisite conclusions. Although the author has received enormous praise for the eponymous collection, "Interpreter of Maladies" is just a wonderful story about travel, confession, nationality and marriage. I love this collection and cannot believe that any sane person would worry about the future of the short story as long as such treasures are being created.

On a side note, Stephen King's introduction is eloquent and poignant. He was probably a great asset to the panel of judges and may even bring his own readership to the short story in general.

Barfola maximus. While this edition of the O. Henry awards is bound to contain a few good stories, it fails to meet the expectations of this reader. Too doggedly committed to placing well-known cash cow authors, the editors miserably failed to look beyond a few popular magazines and author names to find the best stories of the year. "What does a miscarriage look like? 'Oh. It looks like it does when you're having a period," are the opening lines of Flush. In my opinion, this is not a good catch line. I don't want to read about periods, or 'flushes.' Maybe a few of Pam Houston's fans like the story (she's one of the editors, probably the one that selected this story). Raymond Carver is one of the greatest short story writers ever, one of my favorites. But the O. Henry selection, "Kindling," reads like a Carver imitation. Not one the year's best, that's for sure. My praise goes out to the #1 story, however. "Weight," by John Edgar Wideman is excellent. It is exquisitely written and thought provoking from start to finish. In general, however, I find this book disappointing. It looks like it was thrown together over a weekend. A word of caution: I generally stick to the classics. My favorite stories are those of Flannery O'Connor, Faulkner, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Carver, Chekhov. I may be overly critical. I do like a lot of small press writing, however, and I don't find it in this edition. Roughly half of the stories are good, another quarter decent, and another quarter barfola maximus. This edition should be packed with excellent stories, not the worst works of a few great authors and magazines.

In the 2000 O'Henry Prize Stories, 11 of the 20 winners (55%) either hold MFA's, Ph.D.'s or teach at universities. Most interesting, however, is the experience of reading 19 highly polished, academically clean stories and at the end of the series, run headlong into Raymond Carver, a bold non-academe, and author of story 20. The contrast is striking, particularly coming at the end of the book. I am left wondering--are we missing or losing some literary giants because academic credentials have become as critical to the practice of creative writing as they are to law or medicine--or journalism?

Of the twenty stories, Michael Byers's "The Beautiful Days" was my top pick. From the literary journal Ploughshares, it's the story of Aldo, a young man we've seen before, who tries to find but ends up losing himself.

Stories such as these are entertainment far superior to most of what entertains us today. If only good literature were also more popular, and less reliant on the good will of universities and academic institutions. The popular mags publish so little fiction anymore, and the literary journals have budgets that don't permit much promotion. "Best Of" publications such as the O'Henry Awards are not only good collections, but probably the top promotional vehicles for good writing today.

The second prize winner here, "The Man With the Lapdog," is probably one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. It's absolutely brilliant. Beth Lordan easily deserves first place for this piece, though the winner ("Weight," by John Edgar Wideman) is a wonderful piece of writing. Judging this must have been something else.

My other favorite was Judy Budnitz's "Flush." It's wonderful in that the ending is O'Henryish--a fitting award-winner indeed.

There's not a bad story in the bunch, really. This is a great buy--I plan to give many copies as gifts.

Since I live in NYC and most of my read time is on the subway, i prefer to read anthologies. This is the first in a long time that i have enjoyed all the stories for various reasons. Especially David Schickler's "the Smoker." (I was so engaged in this story, i ordered his current book). The stories in this book are well written with likeable characters. And there are also some surprises in store.

The seventeen stories in this collection evidence that good writing in North America has not been forgotten. The story that I most enjoyed was David Schickler's enchanting "The Smoker" with its character evolvement and startling twist. The first prize winner, Mary Swan's "The Deep" holds magnificent writing that presents images that will remain with you for days. Stories of humor and fantasy are represented by Pinckney Benedict's "Zog-19: A Scientific Romance" and George Saunders's "Pastoralia". Alice Munro, T.C. Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates, Antonya Nelson, and Ron Carlson maintain their renown with their short fiction in this collection.

Unlike many volumes claiming to have the best short stories of the year, this one may actually be able to claim it. Of the 17 stories here, only three weren't very good (unfortunately the first prize my Mary Swan is one of those three). The rest were good, and there were three that stood out as phenomenal: T. Coraghessan Boyle's story of a young couple throwing their child away; Joyce Carol Oates's story of abduction, rape, and abuse; and David Schickler's story "The Smoker" which is so bizarre and so good that I will pick up his first collection of stories, which this one is included in. Most of the stories in this anthology are of a darker nature, but they are also very well written.

You can't go wrong with any of his books. Pick up as many as you can. I've given a dozen copies of Montana 1948, White Crosses, Justice, A Dark Time, and Laura to friends. Great gifts for anyone who appreciates superior writing.

Watson's books in general are small town suspense. This book differs only in that the narrator is a teacher rather than a sheriff. Watson's strength is the complexity and authenticity of his characters - less true in this novel than Montana 1948 or White Crosses. The plot is well constructed - a serial killer in a high school. However, Watson does not write a traditional mystery - he is concerned with whodunit but more interested in exploring the effect of serial killings on the community - making and breaking relationships, suspicions of any "other", fear of the next death.

Well written and entertaining - curl up and read for fun.

A few of these stories were memorable, but last year's edition was better and so is Houghton Mifflin's "Best American Short Stories 2002," which shares three of the stories. Don't worry that one of the judges edits the periodical that published the winning story -- it was one of the few intense stories in this book. Most of the stories are just character and setting studies by authors who added notes like, "I wrote the beginning, and then I didn't know where to go with the story." Apparently, the judges like to read about different people and places, but I don't. I like memorable stories that aren't filled with description, like the best works of O. Henry, which were not character sketches. Irony, still common in short fiction, is almost absent from this anthology.

I've picked up the last few years worth of the Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, and usually I'm not disappointed, but this year I was. I've read most of volumes Dark has edited, and usually I agree with him on most if not all the stories, but I found this year's selection to be different. There are some good stories in the volume, but most of the stories are mediocre, dull, or just plain bad. But one bad volume doesn't spoil it for me. I still eagerly wait for next year's selection.

According to the editor of PRIZE STORIES 2002: THE O. HENRY AWARDS, thousands of short stories from hundreds of magazines were painstakingly reviewed in an effort to compile an anthology of the year's best in stort story fiction. This year twenty stories made the list while three of them were voted the best by the jurors Dave Eggers, Joyce Carol Oates and Colson Whitehead. I personally do not agree with the juror's selection of the top short stories, which is a clear indication of how subjectivity is involved in the process of judging literature. What is enjoyable to one person certainly might not be for another. I've been reading this analogy periodically during the past couple of weeks and I finished with mixed feeling. Some stories intrigued me while others were downright uncaptivating. In addition, a couple were so utterly strange that they could be episodes of the twilight zone!

Out of this collection my favorite short story was A.M. Homes' "Do Not Disturb", which is a tale of a husband trying his best to emotionally deal with his bitter terminally ill wife as their marriage falls apart. I also enjoyed Anthony Doerr's "The Hunter's Wife" about how a husband deals with the supernatural powers of his wife in Montana. The reason why I didn't give this book five stars is because I believe that there are more losers than winners in this collection. But don't just take my word for it. Remember that the appreciation of literature is subjective. You just may love it!