MR FORWARD & OTHER TAILS OF LOSS

In Herkert’s speculative short stories, everyday people confront mysterious and absurd circumstances.

The collection opens strongly with “Strange Frequencies,” which follows married couple Ella and Levi Jacobson, who’ve been struggling through Ella’s cancer diagnosis. While listening to a radio station that plays all of Ella’s favorite songs, they hear an advertisement for the services of a Dr. Ernest Willingham, who promises to solve all their problems. They make an appointment immediately, but the doctor’s strange methods have bizarre and unexpected results. This somber yet fantastical story primes the reader for what’s to come. In the second tale, “I Absolutely Hate Cats,” Pat strives for a promotion at Johnson Financial, but four stray cats have loudly taken up residence in his yard, leaving him sleep-deprived. A coworker offers him a dangerous solution, but it’s one he can’t resist. It’s one of multiple stories featuring cats and a general loss of humanity. “Mr Forward & the Misbelievers” follows the Rochefort family’s panic after receiving threatening letters. In them, a mysterious Mr Forward informs them that “all the misbelievers will die,” but the family struggles to solve the mystery. The haggardly title character is seen again in “Mr Forward & The Misintervention,” in which a deadbeat father is forced to confront his adult son; the conclusion is cleverly intertwined with the Rocheforts’ tale, effectively feeding into the underlying plot of the entire collection. Some of the stories end in an overly abrupt manner and suffer from repetitive prose that unnecessarily states what characters are thinking while also showing it through action. However, each character has a voice that’s distinctive, and each story has a specific mood and tone. Herkert also ably transports readers into the puzzle of who Mr Forward really is and what he wants from humankind.

Thirteen uneven—but often compelling—tales of death and sharp, pointy teeth.