The story, "Flytopia" is the standout entry in this collection. It's a wonderful miniature -- proportioned exquisitely, rhetorically balanced, a near-perfect short story. And yup, Self shares talents withNicholson Baker:they both render griping dark fantasies, have a finesense for physical detail, and fret over style.Baker writes moremechanically precise and tighter prose.Self has a darker outlook and usesa bit heavier, richer vocabulary (in part, because he throws British slanginto the mix.) With the exception of a fatuous, painfully wiredrawnstory about a German-speaking British baby ("A Story forEurope"), the tales in this anthology are very good. About half thebook is taken up with a story and a novella that both concern the same twoblack British brothers. In these, you'll learn tons more than you need (orwant) about crack smoking and British jails, but you'll love the charactersand their predicaments.Self's stories and characters are not slick orespecially predictable and that adds to their charm.
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