This Is the World

I have been a fan of William Penn's works for many years and remain astounded by the depth and breadth and versatility of his writing. This collection features some of his older stories and some of the newer ones, and they are very different. Stories such as This is the World, Tarantulas, Rosa, So Much Water Underground, Storm Watch, Grab Hold, and Talking Turkey, Not Goose which are among the wonderful stories in this book, are so different in styles that you might think they come from several different writers. The one thing that is universal in these stories is the eloquence and precision of Penn's writing, which is nothing short of craft. You can see that each of these stories is chock full, a labor of love, and though the subject matter is broad, and some have disturbing or unsettling themes, there is a common feel to them, perhaps derived from the obvious care taken to have each work be as good for us as it can possibly be... a quality missing from most written work on the market today. The stories also, even in the darker moments, seem to offer a sense of hope, and celebration of the positive in this world, but in a refreshing way, with a sense of realism, not sap or sentimentality. The stories are entertaining, imaginative and well worth reading.