"In this collection of stories, Dennis Vannatta's voice is as varied as the volatile history of mankind's struggle toward civilisation. From the Persian Wars to Vietnam, from Socrates to Jerry Lee Lewis, from a bloody pattern on a pavement to the patterns of the constellation, he manages to weave the past into a meaningful tapestry for the present. His voices are like shiny keys on a big ring, and he flips through them easily: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, good ole boy Arkansas, Rumpelstiltskin, a tour bus driver in the French Quarter, David and Goliath. He makes you wish there were more stories in the collection, just to see what he might do next." -- Cathie Pelletier.