A review by mpho3
Poachers by Tom Franklin

3.0

As is often the case with short story collections, I was drawn to some tales more than others. The introduction, which is a story in and of itself, establishes the tone of the book quite nicely by relating a piece of author's personal history and state of mind. However it does the job so well that my expectations for the collection ran a little too high. I didn't feel that sense of connection again until the fourth story, "Blue Horses." The others that stood out for me were "A Tiny History," which features characters introduced earlier, about two friends who each believe the other's wife would be the more fulfilling partner; "Dinosaurs," about a father-son relationship and a stuffed rhino; and the highly touted title novella "Poachers." It's not that the others aren't worthwhile, but they didn't grab me to the same degree. As a whole, the stories in Poachers are by turns comical, voyeuristic, tragic, dark, and heroic. 3.5