This is [Mason's] first collection of short fiction, and it is full of stories that provide the nutrition of a novel at a tenth of the length ... Despite the range, and the fact that the stories were written over 15 years, the subjects and settings provide a pleasing unity. The grand pleasures of fiction are all here: rich, cushioning detail; vivid characters delivering decisive action; and a sense of escape into a larger world. The best story of all, though, might be one of interior drama. 'The Second Doctor Service' is a tale of possession that stands comparison with Maupassant’s terrifying 'The Horla', and reminds us that before we face our foes, first we must battle ourselves.
A master of descriptive prose, Mason structures many of the stories to complement the content ... Mason uses the ring as a metaphor for life, cycling through Burke’s thoughts about freedom and joy, sin and humiliation, each emotion landing with the speed and the blow of a well-placed punch ... A thread that runs through most of the stories is Mason’s fascination with science – not surprising, given his day job as a practicing doctor. But while his scientific training clearly informs his writing, it’s apparent that Mason has also never relinquished his sense of wonder. Mason demonstrates tremendous respect for his characters, even though his stories are set in times when the world often did not leave room for such considerations.
Pinpoint physical details and precisely articulated emotions collide with the mystical, while scientific quests drive characters to extremes ... With transporting empathy and feverish intensity, Mason portrays the brilliant naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who trustingly shared his theory of evolution with Darwin. Sheer wonder shapes the title story ... With touches of Borges and Calvino, Mason’s fabulist stories are works of tenderness and awe for human curiosity, passion, mad valor, and profound resiliency.
Mason’s melodious, introspective collection ...locates startling depth in a series of engrossing character studies ... The title story is a standout ... Mason is a brilliant wordsmith...and respectful of his readers by not giving away too much. Each story is informed and deepened by scientific inquisitiveness, and rewards readers with understated philosophical insight. This showcases Mason’s wide range and mastery of lyrical precision.
Nine tales of human endurance, accomplishment, and epiphany told with style and brio ... In his first story collection, [Mason] shows how quickly and completely he can immerse readers in a foreign place and time ... 'Death of the Pugilist, or The Famous Battle of Jacob Burke & Blindman McGraw' is—if you’ll forgive the wordplay—a knockout punch: 17 short, numbered rounds recounting the life of a Bristol stevedore whose fate awaits him in the ring of an 1824 boxing match so vividly described you can almost taste the blood ... A pair of stories with female protagonists—one an 18th-century hot air balloonist—offer relief from an overwhelmingly male cast ... An enchanting cabinet of curiosities and wonders.
