Maxima Library

This magisterial collection of short works by Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner reminds readers of his ability to compress his epic vision into narratives as hard and wounding as bullets. Among the 42 selections in this book are such classics as “A Bear Hunt, ” “A Rose for Emily,” “Two Soldiers,” and “The Brooch.”

Over the course of a four-day yacht trip, an assortment of guests goes through the motions of socializing with their wealthy host while pursuing their own disparate goals. As the guests are separated into artists and non-artists, youth and widows, males and females, Mosquitoes explores gender and societal roles, sexual tension, and unrequited love as Faulkner delves into what it means to be an artist.

Faulkner’s second novel, Mosquitoes was first published in 1927, but did not receive any critical response until his literary reputation was well-established.

Hillerman, author of the Joe Leaphorn mysteries, and Herbert, editor of The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing, trace this short-story genre from its beginnings in the hands of Edgar Allen Poe through its development by the likes of Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Roberts Rinehart and Anthony Boucher to its current practice by such masters as Marcia Muller. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," which established a great many of the whodunit conventions, is indispensable to such an overview. Raymond Chandler's "I'll be Waiting" emits a doom-laden atmosphere right from the first line; William Faulkner shows unexpected economy of language?and a transparent plot?in "An Error in Chemistry." Ed McBain scores high marks in "Small Homicide," in which the tiny details of a baby's untimely death resonate uncomfortably. As represented in this competent, unstartling collection, Linda Barnes ("Lucky Penny") easily outsasses Sue Grafton ("The Parker Shotgun"). Hillerman makes a solid appearance with "Chee's Witch," and in "Benny's Space" Muller captures the full subtle force of her novel-length vision.