King of the Mountain: Sporting Stories

Fromm ( Indian Creek Chronicles ) writes with confidence and knowledge about a variety of experiences in this collection of 18 stories, all set against a vivid background of hunting and fishing. The relationship between fathers and sons is a common theme: In ``Flyways,'' a child of a recent divorce comes to a tentative understanding with his father while hunting turkeys; in the subtle and elegant ``Blues in the Reefs,'' a bird-hunter prepares for his first season without his lifelong partner, ``the old man,'' recently deceased. Women, too, find their way into this mostly male world. In ``First Time Out,'' a longtime hunter tries to introduce his girlfriend to the thrill of the sport; in ``Side Show,'' a woman's casual stalking of geese plunges her into something more serious. Newcomers to hunting and fishing are found as well: ``Mountain Boys Fishing Club'' portrays a Chicago man discovering the solitude of the trout stream, while ``Lost'' depicts a young boy trying to stay calm after being separated from his brother in the woods. Several of the stories have appeared previously in sporting magazines like Game Journal and Sports Afield ; most are brief, perhaps too brief to do more than just hint at the more complex relationships that seem to exist beyond the pages. But the best of them, like ``Grayfish,'' the tale of a man's friendly fishing competition with his deaf brother, provide a window into a way of life and the people who follow it. (Aug.)