Customer Reviews

Months and Seasons

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For those readers fortunate enough to have read Christopher Meeks' first short story collection - THE MIDDLE-AGED MAN AND THE SEA - and discovered the idiosyncrasies of Meeks' writing style and content, rest assured that this new collection - MONTHS AND SEASONS - not only will not disappoint, but also it will provide further proof that we have a superior writer of the genre in our presence! Meeks is an observer of the human condition, and that does not mean his view is lopsided or focused on only one realm of characters. True, he does create characters that have strangely vulnerable aspects that alter the way they interact with those around them. But in the end, these are people we pass in the street or sit next to on the bus, or notice in the strange places of Southern California like malls, funky parties - or just 'around' the neighborhood or cities. But his strange creations have just the right amount of 'normalcy' that in our eyes could make them part of the unnoticed woodwork: in Meeks' eyes (and pen) they become extraordinary seeds for terrific stories.

In the opening story 'Dracula Slinks into the Night' a dysfunctional couple attends a silly Halloween party where the husband's aversion to dancing leads to a fall that oddly mutates the couple's differences. 'Why not dance?' Meeks writes, 'We're merely blobs of water and minerals procreating to create what? It was a world run over with gas-guzzlers and pollution and cattle prods for semen.' In "The Sun is a Billiard Ball' we watch the interaction of two couples' lives: one couple is dealing with the husband's discovery of bloody stools while the other couple is facing the spectre of HIV testing, and the manner in which their lives intersect is one of the examples of the Chaos Theory. In 'The Holes in My Door' a recently 'separated' man finds gunshot holes in his garage door and reacts by investing in his own gun and shoots himself in the foot - much the way his bonding with his ex-wife (an obsession that colors all of his thoughts) was punctured by his own behavior.

There are other stories of infidelity and the remorse of cheating and regretting. The title story concerns movie extras and their cruising. Cody, the lead character, is looking for the perfect match (such as girls with names like Summer or May). 'Cody believed in belief. He was like the late Danish philosopher Soren Kirkegaard, except he was working in America on a movie set with giant power cables and topless women. He and Soren were awed by faith. Cody couldn't explain why he believed names were important, for example, but they were. He just knew. There were things beyond science'. In 'The Wind Just Right' Meeks dives into a mother/daughter relationship that has more similarities in fears and phobias than either understands. In 'Breaking Water' we meet fashion model Merrill, post op for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that changes her career options, but delivers other opportunities. '"We're just 'beings toward death', right? Martin Heidegger said we're all looking for an authentic life before the inevitable happens. We're supposed to face death and have a healthy anxiety towards it'."

In excerpting little passages from this book this reader hopes to convey the spectrum of experience gained from reading Christopher Meeks. He writes with a blend of hilarious humor, significant angst, philosophical bents in the manner many people inhabit 'beliefs' to continue their lives in this somewhat discombobulated world, and offers us fresh views of ordinary people whose lives for even a few moments become extraordinary. Other readers will find personal favorite stories and passages - it is that kind of book, one that has little chunks of life to which we call all relate and find both kindred spirits and avoidable folks with suggestions on how to cope with them. There are twelve stories that expand the spectrum begun in THE MIDDLE-AGED MAN AND THE SEA and each is a polished gem from a gifted artist. Highly recommended for a very broad audience base. Grady Harp, May 08

NOTE: I orginally posted this review as a guest reviewer on Red Adept's Kindle Book Review Blog on November 2, 2009. I used the same 0-5 star review format that Red Adept uses.

"Months and Seasons," by Christopher Meeks, is a short story collection with eleven stories, including a chapter from the author's novel "The Brightest Moon of the Century." Having enjoyed the author's first short story collection, "The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea," I was looking forward to reading "Months and Seasons." Three of these stories were previously published as Amazon Shorts.

Overall: 5 Stars

Plot/Storyline: 4 1/2 Stars

As with "The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea," most stories involved relationships between people. Several stories were about how people dealt with life-changing or unexpected events, such as the death of a loved one, serious illness, or natural disaster.

One of my favorite stories, "The Farms at 93rd and Broadway," was about an empty-nest married couple's attempt to liven up their predictable lives by the impromptu act of going uptown to a show. I won't give away the outcome, but think of the old vaudeville joke that begins with "Doctor, my wife thinks she's a chicken..."

"A Whisker" showed how useful a cat can be around the house, especially in helping its owner to regain a lost love.

"Dracula Slinks into the Night" was a marvelous story, but if for no other reason, it was worth reading to learn how sperm is extracted from a dead man. No, I'm not telling, but you wouldn't believe me if I did!

Perhaps the best story was "Breaking Water." What happens to a top supermodel when a serious medical condition threatens her career? This is the longest story in the collection, and it's the most complete story in terms of character development and plot. This story was substantial enough that it could have been expanded to a novella.

The title story, "Months and Seasons," depicted a cast party after a movie has completed shooting. Why does the set electrician only date girls who are named for months or seasons, and will sparks fly when he finally meets the right girl?

As a bonus, the last story, "The Hand," is actually the first chapter of the author's novel "The Brightest Moon of the Century." It works well as a standalone story, and it served to pique my interest in reading more about Edward, the story's protagonist.

Character Development: 5 Stars

Characters were developed to an extent commensurate with a short story. The author did a fine job of giving the reader enough background information to understand the motivations and feelings of the principal characters.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

The author displayed considerable writing skills in his use of the language, the realistic dialogue, and keeping the reader's interest. Situations and settings were described succinctly and clearly with no wasted words.

Most stories are narrated from the third person point of view, but the author showed equal skill at using first person in three of the stories.

Editing/Formatting: 5 Stars

The formatting was nearly perfect in my Kindle version, and a linked table of contents was a very nice touch. The book had clearly been professionally edited, and I found no grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.
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I have to say that my interest in short stories leans more toward plot-driven stories and those with a lot of action. Generally, I'm not overly fond of modern short stories that emphasize character development or begin in the middle of a story. However, I've enjoyed both of the author's short story collections very much.

While reading Months and Seasons, I recalled Socrates' dictum "The unexamined life is not worth living," for the characters inhabiting Christopher Meek's short stories are either experiential zombies, on whom everything is lost, or in serious need of a wake-up call. Fortunately, for them, and for us as readers, they get it. The twelve stories hover around that mysterious black hole in our lives: the "what" everyone else but you knows, but won't tell you; and which you must discover in time, or die deprived of a secret whose revelation could, both in the present and retroactively, give meaning to your life. Meeks' tales are polished keys crafted to unlock nothing; rather, to reflect the already-open treasure surrounding us. Even if the "I"'s within these stories suffer blindness of insight, what meets the reader's eye is endless, the surface bottomless, and the stories taut as piano wire in an assassin's hands. Whether describing the epiphany of a man who must dress as Dracula to discover his own blood line or a woman experiencing the art of creation in the creation of Art, Meeks' words evince one magic show after another. Step inside the tent of his cover, and awe.

This moving collection of short stories covers a full range of life experiences. Short stories excel at conveying one particular emotion each and Christopher Meeks delivers a variety of them here. Each short story feels rounded on its own as a complete vignette and all together, they make this collection shine with humanity and intelligence.

Many of the stories deal with couples, in all sorts of situations. There is a story about a couple going to a hypnotists' show - the wife wants to let go and have fun, but her husband holds her back from immersing herself in the experience. Another couple with a reluctant husband attends a Halloween party together; he learns to have some fun. My favorite story, however, was that of an old man, a writer, whose house burns down. I thought it perfectly summed up how we all cope with disaster; our lives fall apart but we must put up a show for the rest of the world and pretend that we will be just fine.

As I was reading, I'd be excited for the next story when I felt the one I was currently reading begin to wrap up. I never wanted to put the book down between stories because I just wanted to read more of them. I've got his first collection sitting in my Amazon cart for when I make an over $25 purchase because I really, really want more of his writing. I was thrilled to see the bonus track from his next book and I can guarantee I'll be buying that one as soon as it's released.

I would definitely recommend this one, whether you're like me and want to read all the stories through at once, or whether you'd like to read just one story between errands on a busy day. This collection is beautifully composed and certainly worth your time.

Months and Seasons is a collection of short stories. In it we meet a variety of people in different stages of life, dealing with different conflicts and life altering events. They all search for happiness for themselves and their loved ones.

Some of my favorite stories include Dracula Slinks Into The Night about a man attending a Halloween party (I really identified with this guy!), The Farms at 93rd and Broadway about a husband and wife attending a hypnotist show, The Sun Is a Billiard Ball, two stories that eventually weave into one, The Old Topanga Incident where a whole man's life burns to the ground, Months and Seasons about one man's perception of what he wants, and Breaking Water about a woman reinventing her life.

I really liked the variety in the stories. Some were humorous where as others were more serious. With some short story collections it ultimately feels like the same story repeated over and over again slightly different each time, this is definitely not the case here. This collection provides peeks into many different lives in way different ways all by the same author!

On a side note, I really enjoy when an author includes a peek at their next book. At the end of this book we get a peek into The Brightest Moon of the Century with the story The Hand. I really like his idea of a collection of stories of one man's life throughout his life, covering 30 years. Meeks compares it to The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, another book I need to read. I really liked The Hand and look forward to reading the whole collection.

I find short stories to be like snapshots, quick peeks into worlds and situations I would otherwise never have experienced. The best of them have an easy rhythm that lends itself to an almost effortless reading experience and allows me to lose myself in the stories for the whole time it takes me to read their fifteen or twenty pages. But all too often these days, short story collections are similar to the CDs being produced by the major record labels: great title track, one or two other catchy tunes, plus a whole lot of filler material needed to bring the whole thing to the required twelve tracks. I am pleased to report that if Months and Seasons, the new collection from Christopher Meeks, was a music album, many of its twelve pieces would be destined for the charts - no filler here.

As suggested by the book's title, the stories offer short looks into the lives of characters that are experiencing the various seasons of a lifetime. There are stories about children, about young singles and couples, about couples closer to middle age, and about men even closer to the ends of their lives. But whatever their age, all of these characters are coping as best they can with the problems and situations that life is throwing at them at that moment. Some of their conflicts are of the life-changing variety and others are of the everyday type similar to what most readers will have experienced for themselves at some point in their own lives. The particular beauty of this story collection is how Meeks is able to make his reader care as much about the little girl trying to get over her fear of water as for the aged writer who is about to lose a lifetime's accumulation of memories to an out-of-control brush fire.

I find it difficult to choose a favorite Months and Seasons story from those that strike me as being exceptionally memorable. If pressed to choose just one, I would likely end up with "The Wind Just Right," the story of a little girl who is lulled into losing her fear of water, and actually learns to swim, in the hands of a young teacher who herself learns that she is exactly the teacher this little girl needs, someone the little girl will probably remember for the rest of her life. The way that both girls gain self-confidence and the ability to trust their instincts makes this a beautiful story.

In "The Sun Is a Billiard Ball," one of the longer stories in the book, a couple fearing they have been exposed to AIDS and a man exhibiting symptoms of a deadly cancer find their lives intersecting in a way that could have not been foreseen by any of them even a split second before it happened. The courage, love and humor of this story make it one destined to be remembered. But, because I don't want to mislead anyone, I should note that Meeks handles humor and absurd situations as well as he handles serious topics. In fact, he opens the book with the humorous "Dracula Sinks into the Night," about what starts out as the costume party from hell for one man but turns into an unexpected blessing for him and his wife.

There is even a "bonus track" at the end of the collection, a preview of the book that Mr. Meeks is working on now, The Brightest Moon of the Century, a novel that will, in short story form, cover thirty years in the life of its central character, Edward. "The Hand," which closes Months and Seasons, is actually the first chapter of that new book, a chapter in which young Edward and his father are both forced to do a bit of growing up. I can't decide whether to call "The Hand" a trailer or a teaser but its inclusion in this collection was a brilliant idea because it has left me so intrigued to learn the rest of Edward's story that I will jump at the chance to read The Brightest Moon of the Century when it is available. Trailer, teaser and very fine short story all rolled into one, it worked well.

Months and Seasons, the second short story collection from Christoper Meeks, is a exceptionally entertaining and thought provoking offering from a gifted writer. The stories are often curious and clever, while hiding unexpected pockets of wisdom and philosophy. Through the use of an inventive method of storytelling, we meet people who struggle with the realities of existence in an often confusing world, trying to put the semblance of order to events that, for them, defy explanation. Here are curmudgeons and uptight husbands, grieving fathers and deceptive lovers, characters that could be people you know, enmeshed in the conflicts of the everyday. Many of the stories have clever asides dealing with controversial subjects like war, the economy, and violence. Though some of the stories are playful and comical, others deal with more frightening and murky subjects like mental illness and impending death. From the wildly absurd to the quiet fears we all harbor, the emotional range in this collection is impressive.

I enjoyed the more serious stories, as they showed tremendous insight into the way that people rationalize and cope with tragedies beyond their usual scope. One story that dealt with a set of characters who were plagued with doubts about their health had a palpable layer of tension running through it, and left me uncomfortably eager to see who would escape tragedy. All at once I was breathing a sigh of relief, while at the same time realizing that there was more uncertainty to come. Another, that dealt with a man whose mind was slowly unraveling, was genuinely chilling in it's conclusion. It was easy to see the downward spiral of madness in the character, who seemed so benign in the beginning. My favorite story was the bittersweet tale called Breaking Water. It was heartbreaking, and I found that the author is just as talented at writing from a woman's perspective as a man's. One of the stories was decidedly offbeat, reaching a finale that could be interpreted in several different ways, from laughable incredulity to a more somber revelation.

As a collection of stories, I found this book to be well balanced and gratifying. There was a pleasant mix of humor and seriousness that seemed to encompass a huge variety of emotions, from fear and suffering to acceptance and glee. At the very end of the book, the author included the first chapter of his work in progress, a novel written in short story form that follows a young man throughout his complicated life. I found this chapter to be very well rounded, and the main character to be someone who I would like to get to know better. There was a fullness to this story I really enjoyed, and I will be looking forward to reading this novel when it comes out. I had not read the first collection of Meeks' short stories, called The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and am now quite curious about that book as well. All in all, an interesting read. Bonus points for the insanely cute cover.

I bought The Middle Aged Man and the Sea for a trip to Palm Desert a couple of years ago and enjoyed it immensely. Earlier this summer we vacationed in Santa Barbara. I knew instantly what book I would bring along with me for some afternoon reading. It had to be Months and Seasons.

One of Meeks' gifts is his appreciation for life -- every aspect of it. Few writers capture the toil of the human heart the way he does. I read his tales one by one, enjoying the the complexity of the characters' struggles woven into some very easy to read plots. In many cases I remembered certain episodes during the course of my life while reading Months and Seasons. I'm sure that's what makes his work so compelling, I identify strongly with the people he invites me to meet.

I can sense the care given to his craft while reading Chris' exceptional prose. I'm sure he works hard to perfect each sentence, paragraph, page and story when he writes, but when I read each tale it seems as though the words fell onto the page effortlessly. His stories are not forced upon you. They wait for you to follow them, word by word, at whatever pace is most comfortable to you. His words are easy on the mind, even pleasurable. Talent like that is a rare gift.

As a writer myself, I know how important it is to give your best effort at all times. When I read Chris' stories, I can see how much he cares about his craft and about his readers. I can't wait for the next collection of wonderful short stories from this talented wordsmith.

Conor and the Crossworlds: Breaking the Barrier
Conor and the Crossworlds, Book Two: Peril in the Corridors

It's been a while since my last Amazon Review -- well over a calendar year, gadzooks -- yet some things are worthwhile coming out of retirement for, like the latest Christopher Meeks story installment.

I can remember how fabled Czech film director Milos Forman describing how he managed to cajole James Cagney out of retirement for his RAGTIME feature [...], albeit with very specific restrictions requested from Cagney. But such was the compelling nature of the Forman-esque cinematic ride. Such was the magnitude of Forman's stature that he was able to persuade, nay, drag Jimmy "Cody Jarrett" Cagney out of hibernation into adding A-List punch-up to an otherwise yeoman effort for the defecting former Bloc-head.

Lookit, kids, I don't care what walk of life you hail from, but once you get your claws on a Chris Meeks read, you ain't never going to think the same way about yourself, you heard? Because I know I sure don't.

Being a classic INT-J on the Meyers-Briggs scale, I generally eschew all manner of emotional displays. But, bizarrely, whether you'd catch me out at a Prague house of (dis)repute, or perhaps lying supine armed with my allergy pills out on a freshly cut sod patch in full view of the fair visitors to our golden burg, you'd see me heaving a sigh or three or maybe even hitting my lower (padded) jaw on a cafe tabletop.

How does he do it, I'll frequently mumble and gawk to myself -- hopefully out of earshot of my nearest neighbour, lest they think I'm lacking several in the stack of fifty-two, though hardly out of place in the former Czechoslovak capital, Kafka's former angst-ridden stomping ground. How does he manage to reach down so deeply within me -- having such similar delectable proclivities for all things existential, for all things deliciously globular (Mr. Meeks shares my penchant for ample, anatomically-gifted female endowments). How does he succeed in using words which so forcibly clobber me, with more impact than Michael Chiklis (as The Thing) swinging a lead girder he might have borrowed off the Tappan Zee Bridge my way?

I don't know, I answer to myself (again, hopefully out of earshot of the relevant audience), but I can't get enough of it. I never want to get enough of it, actually.

It's *this* kind of feeling as you read Meeks. "If I never read another story anthology in a decade, it would have been enough for us," you'll say to yourself. To have tickled the arboreal ivories of a Meeks read is to have come close to Clarity.

The Pied Piper. Catnip. Delicious milk chocolate the likes of which I can down by the half-kilo at a given sitting. Quickies in the bush. A walkabout in the city of Prague on an 85-degree day with all manner of XX-chromosomal material strutting around without much covering it all up.

Yep. All of these things and more are pretty much the cognates for the feeling you're likely going to have when you, too, get your hands on the shimmering paperbackness of MONTHS AND SEASONS.

And I guarantee you this, too: Chris Meeks will likely resent my review.

Wanna know why?

Because 172pp of his short story greatness just isn't nearly enough. MONTHS AND SEASONS will leave you agape and wanting so much more.

A gorgeous, lolling, erotic, fiery read. I never want to say namaste when it comes to Chris Meeks. The larger the double-barrelled meanest, most vicisous spherical sac of venom they come, the harder Mr. Meeks whoops 'em.

So many thank you's, from one of your most strident EU-based fans.

--Adam Daniel Mezei
[...]

I couldn't wait for Chris Meek's new book, Months and Seasons, to debut today because I KNOW I'm in for another treat.
Once you've read Meek's writings, you're hooked. It's always so funny, so down to earth, so relateable.
Can't wait for it to arrive.
Madelyn Cain