Outdoor Stories

Outdoor Stories - Review

Outdoor Stories

Michigan Seasons: Classic Tales of the Outdoors
Edited by Ted Rulseh

The Cabin Bookshelf, $22.95, cloth, ISBN 0-9653381-3-4

Foreword by Ted Rulseh

Illustrations by Christopher Smith, Traverse City

"From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it."
—Groucho Marx

With some minor involvement in this book's beginnings (by offering what encouragement I could to the publisher), I hesitated to be the reviewer. Some friends of mine also have written stories that appear in this book. And there are other writers with stories in this book who have been important to The Riverwatch over the past eight years.

So don't expect a critical review. However, I don't believe this is a serious flaw. This is a newsletter, not a literary magazine, and I doubt there ever was a critical review in The Riverwatch when I was editor. I wouldn't consider wasting precious space reviewing a book unworthy of your attention.

Moreover, anthologies are difficult to review. Especially where there are twenty-seven authors. So when Bob Linsenman, our new editor, sent me the unedited manuscript of this new book to review, I reluctantly accepted the task.

Well, not too reluctantly. I certainly didn't want to incur the wrath of our new editor.

I'm not a great fan of anthologies containing stories from many authors. I have too often been disappointed. Moreover, I believe they should be held to the same standard as anthologies of a single author. And my standards are pretty high. I've said before that Tom McGuane's Outside Chance is the best sporting collection by a single author. For anthologies by many authors I have two favorites: Nick Lyons's Fisherman's Bounty and Russell Chatham's Silent Seasons. So you can see I am not easy to please. I hope you understand that and bear with me.

Even so, this new anthology holds up well. First, it has a nice balance; between subjects, organized by seasons, with well known, lesser known, and possibly unknown authors.

Second, it's about Michigan, and for the most part, written by Michigan authors (those who reside in Michigan at this time).

The exceptions are Thomas McGuane, Ernest Schwiebert, and one of my favorite persons, and writers, in the fly fishing and writing business, Nick Lyons.

Tom McGuane, however, grew up in Michigan, and now is considered a Montana writer which in these days may be a step up from a Michigan writer and first learned to fly fish the streams we love. His story in this anthology was first published in AAA Magazine (I think) and then appeared in Outside Chance. (An excerpt was published in The Riverwatch.) Schwiebert also fished Michigan streams as a young man and the story in this anthology is one of his best. Nick Lyons got his Ph.D. at Ann Arbor, first fished for trout with the fly in Michigan on the Au Sable, and the story, Au Sable Apocalypse, was originally published in The Riverwatch.

Therefore, with writers such as these, there is a promise of a very good book. In addition to these most prominent authors we have native luminaries such as John Volker, Tom Carney, Ben East, Jerry Dennis, Mike Delp, Jim Harrison, Kathleen Stocking, and Jim Enger.

Those John Volker (alias Robert Traver) enthusiasts who might be offended because I've put others in his company will understand when they read these stories. Some of their stories have appeared in other publications. But that shouldn't matter; read them again. They're well worth the effort.

Before I wade into deeper water, I want to say something about some of these writers. Mike Delp has been one of my favorites over the years and has been very generous with contributions to The Riverwatch. But this story of his I haven't read; possibly it is in his forthcoming book which I hope will be reviewed in The Riverwatch; in any case it is one of his best ever.

Jerry Dennis has been reviewed in our newsletter and has been a major contributor. His story, from his collection, A Place On The Water, reminds me of going to Leland to chase big lake trout at night with a fly rod. It is a gem.

Jim Enger's book, The Compleat Angler, was reviewed in a recent Riverwatch. He was also our first editor. I can only say I wish he wrote more stories.

I believe Jim Harrison is one of our major poets and this story, while I enjoyed it immensely at the time when it was first published many years ago, is not one of his best, which is unfortunate because there are so many others that would be very appropriate for this anthology.

I've previously read the stories by McDowell, Miller, Linsenman, Sheppard, and Rau, and I've liked them all. So will you. They all are experienced writers who hold your attention.

Shep's story is about the fifth he has written about a crick, and I've got to admit it is his best. I wish it was in his anthology, Lure of the Lone Trail, but it wasn't, but the second best story was. It first appeared in The North Woods Call.

I had not previously read the stories by Warrington, Straw, Stanton, Peterson, Nevala, Huggler, Hall, Smith, Thorn, Driscoll, and Butz. It shouldn't be a surprise that I enjoyed them all, but I did. I just like stories, some good and some not so good. To be honest I'm not a very good critic.

I particularly liked the stories by Peterson, Nevala, and Driscoll. Ken Peterson was the first editor of Trout, the magazine of Trout Unlimited. He was very important to me because of his writings in Trout and I am especially pleased to see his story in this anthology. Nevala's story touches my heart regarding the experiences I've had with too many canoes in Au Sable country. Driscoll is an artist, and some day will be given the recognition he deserves as a storyteller. He has never disappointed me. I just have to read more of his work.

Well there is my review—one that I really didn't want to write. For those writers not singled out, I apologize; you may have written better stories than those who were. For those who have been praised, I apologize; you are likely to be even better than I think you are. For the readers and potential buyers of this fine book, I also apologize; my bias is obvious and you have not received a critical review.

But, honestly, all of these apologies are with tongue-in-cheek. If you like stories as much as I do then you should go and invest a few dollars on this book. You won't be disappointed. And for that advice I have no apology.

Michigan outdoors stories by Michigan writers, what more could you ask for? RWOL

[Top] [Home]