The Empty Chair: Two Novellas
Wagner (Dead Stars, 2012) seemingly breaks down the fourth wall, inserting himself in these linked novellas as both author and participant, doing for the world of overzealous mysticism and its misguided followers what he has done in previous works for Los Angeles and the entertainment industry.  In “First Guru,” a chance meeting in a hot tub at a gestalt retreat in Big Sur puts narrator Wagner in the position of listening to the confessions of Charley, a gay Buddhist who is channeling the lifestyle, if not the spirit, of Jack Kerouac as he takes to the road to escape the tragedy of his son’s suicide.“Second Guru” finds Wagner summoned to Manhattan to help a middle-aged former hippie relive her glory days in India, pursuing nirvana in the company of a ruthless killer and a charlatan shaman.  While Wagner’s trademark scathing satirical skills are in full force thanks to his sprightly word play and jaundiced observations, his purposeful exploration of the nature and importance of storytelling takes him in a subtly nuanced new direction. --Carol Haggas