The Facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios

Yann Martel
The Facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios
Canongate Books, 2004
ISBN: 1841955361

Four stories form Martel's early years of writing:
. The Facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios
. The Time I Heard the Private Donald J. Rankin String Concerto with One Discordant Violin, by the American Composer John Morton
. Manners of Dying
. The Vita Æterna Mirror Company: Mirrors to Last till Kingdom Come

If you've read a very inventive story by one author and then you decide to read another one of his books, does that mean you are prepared for what is to come? Not necessarily. I found these four stories to be just as imaginative as I had thought, well, maybe a little more. I mean, if you look at the titles of the stories alone, they are wonderous. And so are the stories. I did not enjoy Manners of Dying as much as I enjoyed the other ones. Martel gives his stories a twist that you just don't expect but that makes total sense.

Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963, of Canadian parents, and currently lives in Montreal. He is the author of Life of Pi and Self.

This book is available at Amazon in English and German.

Tags: English, stories, fantasy