Reviews for Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives: Stories

The average rating for Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives: Stories based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-05-23 00:00:00 David Heeneman I loved Brad Watson's previous book of short stories, Last Days of the Dog-Men: Stories. The stories in this book don't quite measure up to the ones in that book; some of them seem almost experimental in nature. Divorce and men trying to reconnect with their estranged sons during limited visitation hours are popular themes. There're also a few about men trying to understand women. (Hell, I am one, and I don't understand them!) Watson really seems to shine when he's writing about children. The first story in the book, Vacuum, is wonderful. Three young boys, concerned about their mother's depression, seek help from a retired doctor in their neighborhood. He opened the door on up and stood there in it, wearing an old cracked pair of leather slippers on his white feet, a stinking-looking pair of pajama bottoms, and a tartan robe that had no belt. He fished a nonfilter Camel from a package in the breast pocket of the robe and lit it with a match from a book of matches and blew a cloud of smoke out over their heads where they stood in the carport looking up at him. The boys were astonished at the amount of gray-and-white-speckled hair on his stomach and chest. It was like he was wearing squirrel pelts there or something. It was hard not to stare. The middle brother looked past Dr. Hornegay into the den. He was hoping for a sight of Dr. Hornegay's wife, whom no one had seen in years because, word was, Dr. Hornegay's wife was ridden down by sadness and an extra one hundred and fifty pounds and no longer came up out of their basement. The only thing the middle brother could see in the den was a stretched-out La-Z-Boy on the headrest of which lay a scrawny yellow cat, looking right back at him. It gave him the creeps. Later, the kids attempt to discover how a cowboy can jump off a roof onto a horse without hurting his nuts. I never thought about it before myself, but you just know I can't stop thinking about it now. I loved these boys and would happily devour an entire novel devoted to them. The other really standout story, Alamo Plaza, features a man reminiscing about a long ago family vacation, the highlight of which was a freak accident in which a man lost a toe in the motel swimming pool. It was fantastic. It made the whole trip. Watson remembers; to a kid, seeing a severed toe can easily be the most memorable part of an outing.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-07-31 00:00:00 Brian Mcoy Title story is so good. Many others are as well. Highly recommend.