What Wolves Know

This collection of 13 of Reed's recent stories showcases her talent, well-honed over the course of her half-century career, and broad range. "Denny" oozes darkly comic paranoia; "Monkey Do" is a hypocritical resentment fable; "Missing Sam" is tender and touching. A well-known historical figure gains an undocumented rival sibling in "Baby Brother," while the wolves in "What Wolves Know" owe more to Freud than they do to their namesake canines. Also included is an essay on Reed's work by her husband, Joseph Reed, which dodges around Reed's longtime and undeniable association with science fiction and fantasy by asserting that "[Reed] writes about people," which presumably no mere genre author would ever do. Despite this cringe, the essay is not without interest for those new to Reed's work. Where other longtime authors might fall into rote work and self-parody, Reed continues to display a laudable and original talent. (May)