Rating: 
Summary: Great debut collection from emerging voice in fiction!
Review: "The Torturer's Apprentice" is an excellent collection of short stories that reveal a very powerful creative imagination at work. The stories range in time from distant past to present day settings: the pick of the collection in my view are the medieval title story "The Torturer's Apprentice", "My Slave", "And Never Come Up" and the contemporary "The Vulgar Soul" and "The Work of Art". Two very short pieces, "Rose" and the eerie "A Battlefield in the Moonlight" also made a big impression!The cruelty of the medieval torturer in the title story, and the slaveowner in "My Slave" is heightened by the eloquence of Biguenet's prose. In a declining profession, where demand in large population centres for the torturer's services has died out, to earn his keep extracting confessions, he travels the rough roads and small towns of Europe, burdened by the transport of his heavy torture equipment. He hires a young apprentice, not just to pass on his trade or receive assistance with the moving of the various torture devices to the place of his next appointment but also for the company. But a twist of fate has a tragic end in store for the partnership...In "My Slave", the unfeeling slavebuyer derives cold pleasure from the prospect of owning someone. Once the slave is in his service, however, he fails to pick up on the "complex mechanisms of discipline and punishment", the unspoken code of behaviour pertaining to all slaveowners, a failure to keep which has consequences... Past or present, Biguenet switches easily. "Lunch with My Daughter" explores the predicament of a man who wishes to reveal who he really is to his 16year old daughter who thinks he is just a close family friend...In "Rose", a man checking through the possessions of his recently deceased wife makes a shattering discovery relating to the kidnapping of their child many years before. Biguenet's imaginative take on the extravagant demands love can make are evident in "Do Me", "The Work of Art" and "Gregory's Fate", demands that may well stretch to the limit our conventional ideas of what love means. In "I Am Not A Jew", an American touring Germany, wandering through the heart of a Jewish graveyard, peering in the fading light at photographs encased behind glass on the headstones, suddenly encounters an aggressive group of neo-nazi skinheads who harass him with the question, "Are you Jewish"? Intimidated, he repeats over and over again, "I am not a Jew", even after the skinheads have moved off. Back in his hotel, he is forced to re-examine his response...In "The Vulgar Soul", non-believer Tom Hogue's hands and feet mysteriously start to bleed, just like stigmata. Soon he has a religious following, though he himself remains unmoved by the happening. More of John Biguenet's brand of short stories would be gratefully received!
Rating:
Summary: Very thought provoking
Review: As a former student of Biguenet's I was anxious to read this collection. While I can say I definately had my favorites in this collection, each was a great singular effort. Many of the stories had surprising ironic twists that made them even more interesting. As with most short stories I was left wishing these were longer. I would like to see some of these stories fleshed out into longer works of fiction. Most of all i was pleased to see that this is a case of "those who CAN teach."
Rating: 
Summary: Extraordinary Details
Review: John Biguenet captures the imaginations of his readers better than anyone I've read in a long time. I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy and vividness of his description of the bayou in "And Never Come Up." You see, I was a resident of the area in which this story was set, and he has captured the spirit of that southern Louisiana atmosphere with incredible skill. I can't wait for the release of his next novel, Oyster.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Details
Review: John Biguenet captures the imaginations of his readers better than anyone I've read in a long time. I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy and vividness of his description of the bayou in "And Never Come Up." You see, I was a resident of the area in which this story was set, and he has captured the spirit of that southern Louisiana atmosphere with incredible skill. I can't wait for the release of his next novel, Oyster.
Rating:
Summary: A Smooth, Sweet Readers' Treat!
Review: Reading John Biguenet is truly a humbling experience. His magnificent command of language allows him to send his readers gliding smoothly, almost effortlessly, through story after story and yet, his narratives ultimately have a sledge hammer impact. You realize that the characters have become all too real as you accompany them on their journeys of awakening to the sharp, often bitter, realities of life. I can only echo reviewer Parker King's comparison of Biguenet to Somerset Maugham, for its aptness is quite undeniable. Both Biguenet and Maugham are easily accessible to readers with a calm, quiet style that belies the stunning aftershock that their stories imprint indelibly on each reader's psyche. As your tongue will constantly return to the jagged edges of a broken tooth, so too will your mind return to these stories, these characters, these scenarios and actions that seem so commonplace, yet so foreign. Stories such as "Rose," "Never Come Up," and the self-titled "The Torturer's Apprentice" seem to have gained the most attention, but each story in this wonderful collection is a jewel just waiting to be caressed and treasured for its own worth. From the lingering destructiveness of "I Am Not A Jew" to the shape-shifting surrender of "Do Me" to the blatant hopefulness of my personal favorite, "The Open Curtain," Biguenet has shared with his readers the blinding wonder of common worlds and everyday events. I bow to his genius and eagerly await more from this extraordinary talent. You owe it to yourself to savor this treat of a book!
Rating:
Summary: A Smooth, Sweet Readers' Treat!
Review: Reading John Biguenet is truly a humbling experience. His magnificent command of language allows him to send his readers gliding smoothly, almost effortlessly, through story after story and yet, his narratives ultimately have a sledge hammer impact. You realize that the characters have become all too real as you accompany them on their journeys of awakening to the sharp, often bitter, realities of life. I can only echo reviewer Parker King's comparison of Biguenet to Somerset Maugham, for its aptness is quite undeniable. Both Biguenet and Maugham are easily accessible to readers with a calm, quiet style that belies the stunning aftershock that their stories imprint indelibly on each reader's psyche. As your tongue will constantly return to the jagged edges of a broken tooth, so too will your mind return to these stories, these characters, these scenarios and actions that seem so commonplace, yet so foreign. Stories such as "Rose," "Never Come Up," and the self-titled "The Torturer's Apprentice" seem to have gained the most attention, but each story in this wonderful collection is a jewel just waiting to be caressed and treasured for its own worth. From the lingering destructiveness of "I Am Not A Jew" to the shape-shifting surrender of "Do Me" to the blatant hopefulness of my personal favorite, "The Open Curtain," Biguenet has shared with his readers the blinding wonder of common worlds and everyday events. I bow to his genius and eagerly await more from this extraordinary talent. You owe it to yourself to savor this treat of a book!
Rating:
Summary: Rx: One story per day as needed. Savor the implications.
Review: Stunning. Marvelous. These short stories are the finest examples of the craft. I was stunned by "The Vulgar Soul", realized I was into something very special reading "Rose", had my heart torn out and handed to me by "Lunch with My Daughter", and marvelled at the incredible descriptive power of "The Open Curtain". There are no turkeys here, John Biguenet has become a master of this genre early, reminding me of the wit and wisdom of a much older Somerset Maugham. Please read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Rx: One story per day as needed. Savor the implications.
Review: Stunning. Marvelous. These short stories are the finest examples of the craft. I was stunned by "The Vulgar Soul", realized I was into something very special reading "Rose", had my heart torn out and handed to me by "Lunch with My Daughter", and marvelled at the incredible descriptive power of "The Open Curtain". There are no turkeys here, John Biguenet has become a master of this genre early, reminding me of the wit and wisdom of a much older Somerset Maugham. Please read this book!
Rating:
Summary: A BOUQUET OF LITERARY MIRACLES
Review: The notes on the jacket of this slim but impressive volume let the reader know that this is John Biguenet's first book of fiction -- I certainly hope it's not his last. These stories are incredible -- small miracles of creation, blossoming before the reader's eyes to reveal incredible depths for works so short. Without accusing the author of being in the shadow of other writers, I am reminded in some places of the best works by Fuentes, Garcia-Marquez, Calvino and other authors who have shown themselves to be masters at creating a world on the printed page. Biguenet is capable of the same feats of creation, but in his own unique style -- it's wonderful to see a 'new' American author working on this level. His characters live and breathe -- the worlds in which they live are there for us to experience by feel, smell, taste, touch and sound -- and the thoughts and emotions of the inhabitants of these created worlds are ours to know as well. Every single work in this volume is a gem --- any of them alone would be worth the price of this book. If Mr. Biguenet can write short stories like this, I wonder what kind of novel he could write...? But only if he isn't tempted to give up work on the short form -- short story writers of this calibre are rare in today's America. I look forward to reading more of his carefully crafted writing.
Rating:
Summary: A BOUQUET OF LITERARY MIRACLES
Review: The notes on the jacket of this slim but impressive volume let the reader know that this is John Biguenet's first book of fiction -- I certainly hope it's not his last. These stories are incredible -- small miracles of creation, blossoming before the reader's eyes to reveal incredible depths for works so short. Without accusing the author of being in the shadow of other writers, I am reminded in some places of the best works by Fuentes, Garcia-Marquez, Calvino and other authors who have shown themselves to be masters at creating a world on the printed page. Biguenet is capable of the same feats of creation, but in his own unique style -- it's wonderful to see a 'new' American author working on this level. His characters live and breathe -- the worlds in which they live are there for us to experience by feel, smell, taste, touch and sound -- and the thoughts and emotions of the inhabitants of these created worlds are ours to know as well. Every single work in this volume is a gem --- any of them alone would be worth the price of this book. If Mr. Biguenet can write short stories like this, I wonder what kind of novel he could write...? But only if he isn't tempted to give up work on the short form -- short story writers of this calibre are rare in today's America. I look forward to reading more of his carefully crafted writing.
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