In The Loyal Mountains: Stories

Rick Bass's recent trio of novellas, Platte River, was hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "a major step in [his] climb to the top echelon of American fiction writers." Now, with this dazzling new collection, Bass establishes himself as a master of the short story. These tales embrace vibrant images of human life and exuberant explorations of the natural world. In the title story, a man remembers his youth in the Texas hill country when he participated in his uncle's raucous escapades,...