The Care and Feeding of Nightmares

In his sixth book, "The Care And Feeding Of Nightmares" finds Randall Schanze at a new peak in his game. Merging genres he explores the darker corners of faith and disbelief, fear and humor, mortality and immortality. This time out, he's learned a new trick: He tackles sacred cows by chopping away the bovine part to rescue the sacred. It's original, occasionally appalling and occasionally funny as hell. His style is conversational, relaxed and intimate yet increasingly compelling as the reader becomes more and more invested in the tales he tells. His plotting continues to head off in unpredictable directions and his occasional twist endings are always surprise. He's not a slave to the twist, however, and doesn't pull the rug out from under the reader unless there's a reason to do so. In fact, he is refreshingly free from attempting to manipulate the reader. He simply sets up questions or implications, and trusts his audience take it from there. If you're not the kind of person to get stressed over someone taking a jab or two at the occasional religious belief, this is definitely a book worth reading. If you *are* the kind of person to take offense, then this collection provides some wonderful material to get really, really angry about.