A posthumous collection of stories set in the timeline of Pangborn's classic post-apocalyptic novel Davy. In an effusive intro, Spider Robinson says he had planned such a volume after belatedly discovering Pangborn, and then discovered Pangborn had already developed the same idea. Robinson refers to a handful of other tales that Pangborn omitted and refers the reader to a bibliography. They don't appear there. Seek out the Internet Science Fiction Database

It is not necessary to have read Davy, or, like myself, only dimly remember it, to appreciate these stories. All were published in the 1972 - 1974 timeframe in various non-magazine new SF collections -- a venue that Robinson says was more accepting of these very personal stories with a strong homosexual element and usually unhappy endings. Most of the stories take place in one of several small villages in rural upstate New York. While one character's tale forms the spine of each story, secondary characters are not overlooked.

I was strongly reminded of Richard Cowper's Bird of Kinship series that appear a few years later, because of the rural setting, the complete absence of any reference to the rest of the world, and the overarching frame of a developing religion. Both are well worth searching out.

Highly recommended. ( )

Stories set in the same post-apocalypse world as his masterpiece Davy, beautifully written and often heartbreaking. The last story in the book, "The Night Wind" is about a young man persecuted for his sexuality, and considering when it was written, is nearly miraculous. A one-of-a-kind book of stories, I only wish it was longer--the editor mentions some stories that should be, but aren't in it, and I want to read them too. I would recommend all of his books set in this world: "Davy," "The Company of Glory," and "The Judgement of Eve." ( )