The Editor's Choice: New American Stories

This second collection of short stories, selected by Murphy from nominations submitted by fiction editors of magazines and literary journals, more than lives up to the promise of its predecessor. Although the simultaneous pain and joy of human relationships emerges as a common theme in the tales, the narrative styles and voices are as diverse as the publications in which they first appeared: Ms., Antaeus, Playboy, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, TriQuarterly. From the better-known authors represented here, readers will expect a great deal, and they will find it. ""Julius Caesar and the Werewolf,'' John Gardner's last published story, is a splendidly crafted tale narrated by Caesar's physician. Trevanian's ``The Sacking of Miss Plimsoll,'' featuring a Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist and his secretary, is dazzling. If not quite as polished as these gems, the contributions of many of the newer or lesser-known writersMartha Bayles, Brent Spencer, Gerald Duff, Pam Durban, Gayle Whittierare nonetheless most rewarding reading. January