Fountain, Ben

An interesting, mostly well-written collection that rewards readers with small epiphanies, especially about family life (“his body emitting // that constant low heat of the still-growing”).

This is an ideal option for those who enjoyed Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, though Fountain's book isn't as gripping as Larson's. Lay readers may be intrigued as well, but natural disaster aficionados and geology fans are the best audience for this work.

Employing intricate detail and feverish cinematography, Fountain's (Brief Encounters with Che Guevara: Stories) vividly written novel is an allegorical hero's journey, a descent into madness, and a mirror held up to this society's high-definition TV reality. Tragically unhinged, it also rings completely, hilariously true. [See Prepub Alert, 11/21/11.]

Television producer Fountain's (West Wing) debut full-length documentary tells the captivating story of 62-year-old ex-coalminer Luther "Bonecrusher" Chaffin and his adoring 24-year-old son, Lucas, who is stubbornly committed to carrying on the family tradition of working in the mines of Dante, VA, despite the health and safety risks...