We Never Talk About My Brother [Paperback]

It's been 2 1/2 years since Peter Beagle's last collection came out. Far too long a time! Still, here are nine stories and seven interlinked poems for the Beagle enthusiast. With the exception of the poems, all have been written since 2007 and two have never been in print before.

'Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the Angel' starts off the collection with a story about a Jewish portrait painter and the Angel who comes to be both his muse and model. The story is told by the painter's young nephew and is full of telling details, love and quiet horror.

'We Never Talk About My Brother' is one of the best stories in this collection. Two brothers have the extraordinary gift of being able to alter the world. Not change the future, mind you. If they change something than it's been this way forever, past as well as future, and the original way the world moved is simply gone. One brother dislikes the power and never uses it at all. The other brother is a newscaster and used his power to make the evening news more exciting and action-packed, in the worst of ways. This tale is probably the closest Beagle has ever gotten to writing science fiction, and strongly reminds one of the best works of such writers as Theodore Sturgeon and Algis Budrys. Still, it's completely original and an extremely fitting title story for this collection.

'The Tale Of Junko And Sayuri' deals with Japanese mythology. Junko is a good man but ambitious and he desires things that, in Japan, he could never have due to his birth status and class level. Sayuri, a shapeshifter, falls in love with him and, in human form, marries him. She sees his ambitions and will do anything, including corrupting herself, to give him those things he desires. This tale is violent, dark and tragic. It is also extremely well-written.

'King Pelles The Sure' is possibly the best story in this book. Pelles is a king, kind and good-hearted but none too wise. His kingdom is quiet and peaceful and...well, dull. To liven things up he decides to start a limited war. Just a little one, mind you, started quick and finished quicker. To his horror, he learns that there is not such a thing as a limited war, not to those in the middle of it. Pelles learns his wisdom a little too late but learn it he does. The ending to this story is quiet, sure-footed and exactly right. A real gem.

Next, Beagle moves to an avant-garde, New Yorker style tale. 'The Last And Only, or, Mr. Moscowski Becomes French' is a tale of an American librarian who slowly becomes aware that he is turning into the last genuine Frenchman. More French than any actual Frenchman could ever hope to be. This is a humorous story of sorts, although a bit black in nature, and is a demonstration of Beagle's considerable range.

A giant step away from the previous story, 'Spook' is low comedy, with Farrell--a character who's appeared in numerous Beagle stories and novels--involved in a duel with a ghost over his lady love. The duel, however, is not conducted with guns or knives or even wit. It is conducted with streams of bad--horribly bad--poetry. The real joke of this story is that ALL of the hideous poems recounted are real poems written by actual literary figures. And they are truly horrible! This reader was moved to both wincing laughter at the wrong turns the poets went down and a certain amount of pain and recrimination at Beagle for having put all those tacky poems in my head.

'The Stickball Witch' appears in print for the first time, although it appeared as a podcast last year at the Green Man Review website (there are four other brand new Beagle podcast stories there, which have NOT seen print yet, so you might want to wander over there and give a listen). Set in the early 1950s, it relates the story of a group of boys, fast friends and stickball enthusiasts all, and their encounter with the neighborhood witch. ALL neighborhoods, when you're a child, have a witch-in-residence and this particular lady is a doozy!

'By Moonlight' is brand new and tells the story of an on the run highwayman who one frostly night stumbles upon an old man and a fire. The old man takes him in, warms him, feeds him and then proceeds to tell him a story of Titania and Oberon. A tale of Tir na nOg. A tale of Fairie and a tale of wits. Wits both Fairie born and Human made. And love, of a sort and a kind. The more you think on this story, the better it is.

'The Unicorn Tapestries' are the oldest items in this book. Written in the 1970s for a never published book about the famous medieval tapestries, stored in New York, these seven linked poems are seeing their first wide exposure. They are well worth reading.

'Chandail' is another story set in the world of Beagle's fine novel THE INNKEEPER'S SONG. As told by Lal, a principal character in that novel and now well advanced in age, the chandail is a sea creature--an ugly thing that becomes more beautiful the longer you look upon it. It is a telepath of sorts, able to communicate with humans via thought pictures, although the pictures a chandail sends are often tainted by the human's own memories--and how a human understands those pictures can be quite a different thing from what the chandail intended. Lal hates the chandail, because they show her memories of things she's lost and can never regain. She regards the chandail's efforts at communication as a form of mind rape so when she comes upon a horribly injured chaidail on the beach she doesn't flee or, as the creature wishes, kill it. Instead she attempts to tow the chandail out to deep water, though whether through mercy or cruelty even she is unsure. What follows is a trip through betrayal, horror and wisdom that tells you a great deal about Lal and, possibly, a small amount about you.

Look, if you've previously read anything by Beagle, you already know this book is worth the money spent. If you're a new reader, know this. Nobody in the fantasy field today is a better, more wide-ranging or wiser writer than Peter S. Beagle. Not Charles de Lint, who provides a fine introduction to this volume. Not Neil Gaiman, who's gone out of his way to praise Beagle's work on his blog. Not J. K. Rowling. Not anybody. You're never going to be sorry you've read any of his books. You're never going to be sorry you've purchased and read *this* book. For older readers--Hallelujah! For you newest readers, who are encountering him for the first time, how I envy you. You're about to fall in love.

This collection of nine short fiction pieces blows away not only other genre releases, but places Peter Beagle squarely as the voice to match in contemporary fiction. BROTHER got starred reviews in both Booklist and Publishers Weekly!

Each story is a gem, in and of itself justifying the purchase. Whether laughing at the sillier side of Beagle in "Spook," where two parties fight over possession of an apartment using bad poetry, or wiping away a tear at the moving story of "King Pellas the Sure," I found this book delightful to read. The title story is dark, sharp, and unforgettable. "The Last and Only, or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French" is the perfect counterbalance; a story that calls out both our imagination and our sympathy. The stories take turns showing up in my brain to contemplate again and again - they really stick with you.

For years I was a fan of The Last Unicorn, but hadn't read Peter Beagle's other fiction. If this is you, you owe it to yourself to pick this up and see how diverse and powerful his writing can be while maintaining his characteristic blending great characters with real emotion. How many authors can make you laugh and cry at the same time? I got my copy from Conlan Press, which represents Beagle, to ensure the purchase of the book supports the author and encourages him to keep creating such magic.

This book, which includes eight short stories and a poem, is really one of the best story collections that I've ever read. There is really not a dull or drab story in the bunch. Every story in this collection is fantastical, beautiful and marvelous. The writing is supurb, the settings are colorful and varied, and the characters come alive.

Before now, the only other book that I had read by this author was The Last Unicorn, which I loved. Now, having read this, I declare myself a fan of Peter S. Beagle, and I will be looking to read more of his work.

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