When We Were Wolves : Stories

Rating:
Summary: A Few Shots of Billman
Review: "The whole world is drunk and we're just
the cocktail of the moment. Someday soon,
the world will wake up, down two aspirin
with a glass of tomato juice, and wonder
what the hell all the fuss was about."
Dean Martin-The Rat Pack

I've been hungover on contemporary short stories for the past ten years. Sure, every once in a great while I'd come across something verging on genius, but never have I read anything like Jon Billman's WHEN WE WERE WOLVES. His stories are tomato juice and aspirin, a cure for my literary hangover. As a matter of fact, I think I am drunk on this collection of stories. I also think that I've lost my metaphor. But no matter, I have this book. I am happy and sedated, intoxicated by Billman's writing. Three sentences from the second story, "Kerr's Fault":
"My wife was pretty, but now she lives in Illinois."
"Robin is pretty in the way that wood smoke smells nice."
"Robin's hair is the color of new motor oil..."
Enough. Buy this book and find out for yourself. Cheers!

Rating:
Summary: Fine strapping fiction from a fine strapping fellow
Review: I once saw Jon Billman eat a garlic pancake. I remained his friend despite this, and he has here turned in a great collection of stories about Wyoming and environs. Before I read this book, I thought all western writing had saloons, spurs, buckin' broncs, hats measured by fluid capacity, and sagebrush or tumbleweeds or other non-leafy plant things. Jon's book has all of those, but it also has uranium prospecting, mural painting, prison hockey, firefighting, and several mentions of George Armstrong Custer. If you like these things, get this book and read it. There is also garlic.

Rating:
Summary: Billman has a grasp of the true west.......
Review: Jon Billman has an idea of what the true west is. Not what some other writers or travelers fictionalize it to be. Billman has a sense and understanding of what Wyoming locals and natives are really like. Not the trust fund baby, North Face wearing pot heads that are colonizing the west. (Formerly of Pinedale, WY)