Boy girl meet. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Girl elopes with the Minotaur. Just one of the few story plots not to be found in this fun anthology of short stories. Romance, stone cold assassins, skirt chasing noir detectives, guitar heroes, Civil War poltergeists and naked lady holograms. They are all here. And more!
Written in a crisp, wry, comfort- food style by a new, and self-important, author and denizen of the back hollows of Appalachia, these stories are inspired by the works of actual authors who wrote to put food on the table. Unlike, say, Jon Ketzner, the author of this collection. Get ready for a great read. Each tale is well told and compelling. This anthology is a fine addition to the uniquely American short story literary form. The author promises that the sequel will include a honeymooning Minotaur. |
Jon Ketzner follows his well-received collection of short stories, Hillbilly Anthology (2020) with a new group of imaginative and witty offerings. Mr. Ketzner fancies himself the “Grandma Moses of twenty-first century letters, capturing the naïve primitivism of an old person with too much unstructured playtime.”
As with Hillbilly Anthology, these tales are inspired by famous Maryland writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edgar Allan Poe, Dashiell Hammett, and Anne Tyler who provide the basic DNA for these stories, with Mr. Ketzner creating contemporary takes as he pays homage to the genres and stylings of these great authors. The fun tales are peppered with people and places of the modern zeitgeist, some right out there, some thinly disguised. Each character is developed to be unique and compelling, each plot line thoughtful and engrossing. The stories are laced with Mr. Ketzner’s wry observations and, often, laugh out loud dialogue and narrative surprises. Where’s That Bastard Owen (and other yarns) is another fun read and as Mr. Ketzner proudly notes, “It makes a great gift for someone you don’t like very much. It’s a fine coaster, door stop and, if you put the hardback in your toilet tank, it will reduce water usage 15% and pay for itself in six months.” Alert the Nobel Committee. |
Oh no, not again. Yes, again. Jon Ketzner returns to America’s bookshelves and digital libraries with Bad Consequence, tales of an Amish samurai. Following in the wake of his successful short story collections…Hillbilly Anthology (2023) and Where’s That Bastard Owen?...and other yarns (2024) …Ketzner’s new novel follows the journey of Amish maiden Bethquinn Clark from her Rumspringa to becoming the top wet-works specialist at the National Security Agency. From bonnet and apron to Heckler & Koch.
As Quinn Clark takes on bullies of all ilk, she uses her formidable skill set to serve her country and her unusual genetic imperative to, you know, make daddy proud and bad guys pay. It’s complicated. As with all Ketzner reads, the tales of Quinn’s adventures are engaging, witty and often poignant. The writing is crisp and sharp, the dialogue wry and the narrative arcs full of surprises. Ketzner intends for this book to be a fun read, and he succeeds brilliantly. Ketzner fancies himself the “Grandma Moses of twenty-first century American letters, capturing the naïve primitivism of an old person with too much unstructured playtime.” Whatever. The counter-intuitive tales of an Amish lady going all badass on America’s enemies, foreign and domestic, take genre tropes and twist them into amusing and clever stories that are richly satisfying, even to someone who is not a typical reader of such nonsense. Anyone who hates bullies will enjoy reading of their fates in these pages as they meet the bad consequence of their evil choices. |