These are stories of desperation and hard times, often marked by an inescapable sadness, set in a landscape both brutal and maginificent. Enlivined by folk tales, flights of fancy and details of ranch and rural work, they juxtapose Wyoming's traditional character and attitudes - confrontation, prejudice, persistence in the face of difficulty - with the more benign values of the new west. Bold, elegant and memorable, these pieces once more confirm Annie Proulx as one of the most talented short story writes in the language.