In These Stories, with the spareness of language and the intensity of emotion and imagery that are the hallmarks of his fiction, Gary Paulsen offers up the subject of human vulnerability; he captures it, holds it to a mirror, and marvels at the light and bone-edged beauty there. Here a drunken Vietnam vet stumbles into a cemetery, where he helps to deliver the second Christ; a young man observes a silent ritual performed by his dying father-in-law in an ancient canyon; a boy witnesses the violence of nature in the midst of war; an older and more cynical man discovers inspiration among the ladies of the library. For those familiar with Gary Paulsen's work - including the autobiographical Eastern Sun, Winter Moon and his lyrical tribute to farm life, Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass - and for those who are reading his fiction for the first time, The Madonna Stories is an experience that will not be forgotten.