Creatures of the Kingdom: Stories of Animals and Nature
If you know James Michener solely for his entertaining, exhaustively researched epic novels, the short essays inCreatures of the Kingdommay come as a surprise, though all but one are excerpted from five of his most popular works. Mostly tales of animal life told in a strong narrative voice from the animal's anthropomorphized point of view, these 16 pieces evince a clear affection for their subjects and are told with an essential goodwill that is reminiscent ofJames Herriot. Good tales on their own (each piece stands alone and is not hampered by being taken out of context), the stories selected for this anthology also serve to showcase the gentle humor that infuses Michener's body of work, but which is generally overshadowed by the sheer weight of information and ideas in cumbrous books that could easily double as doorstops. By contrast,Creatures of the Kingdomclocks in at a digestible 281 pages and will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading about natural history or zoology.  It is also likely to be a favorite with adolescent readers who favor animal stories but are getting too advanced for reading material aimed at their own age group--or who have depleted the available youth titles and are ready to move on.--Brenda Pittsley--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.