Synopses & Reviews
Over the course of his career, Jack Cady won the Bram Stoker Award, the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, a special award from the International Horror Guild, the
Atlantic Monthly First Award, the Iowa Prize for Short Fiction, the National Library Anthology Award, and the Washington State Governor's Award. Cady's keen and profound insight into the collective psyche of the modern world both from a narrative standpoint and from a critical cultural analysis are captured in this collection.
Phantoms includes his scathing critique of wartime politics and how these national policies are indelibly tied to the simple act of paying taxes (Dear Friends”), to an anguished reaction to a world caught on the cusp of change during the 1970s (Birds”), to a modern parable of the frustrating nature of Satan's job (The Parable of Satan's Adversary”), to a romp through science experiments gone awry (The Twenty-Pound Canary”). The world is filled with ghosts, but to Jack Cady, these phantoms are vital aspects of who we are. His stories never lose sight of the marvelous mystery of the fantastic.
About the Author
Jack Cady (19322004) was an award-winning fantasist and horror writer. During his career he won the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Bram Stoker Award. He taught writing at various academic institutions, including the University of Washington and Pacific Lutheran University. He was a conscientious objector during the Korean War, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard in Maine, a truck driver, an auctioneer, a landscaper, and a fervent believer in the value of history as a tool to understanding both politics and writing.
Table of Contents
01. Dear Friends . . .
02. The Parable of Satan's Adversary
03. Our Ground and Every Fragrant Tree is Shaded
04. Ride the Thunder
05. The Ghost of Dive Bomber Hill
06. The Souls of Drowning Mountain
07. Miss Molly's Manners
08. Now We Are Fifty
09. Seven Sisters
10. The Twenty-pound Canary
11. The Art of a Lady
12. Weird Row
13. Tattoo
14. Tinker
15. Kilroy Was Here
16. Poetry Makes Nothing Happen