The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says it all: "Describing Patrick
Mcmanus as an outdoor humorist is like saying Mark Twain wrote books
about small boys." And if you don't believe that, Mcmanus's millions of
readers certainly can't be wrong. Like Twain--or more contemporary
humorists Dave Barry and Garrison Keillor--Mcmanus shares the belief
that life's eternal verities exist primarily to be overturned. In
Mcmanus's world, all steaks should be chicken-fried, strong coffee is
drunk by the light of a campfire, and fishing trips consist of men
acting like boys and boys behaving like the small animals we've always
assumed they were. And like Twain, Barry, and Keillor, Mcmanus writes
extremely funny stories of adventure and its consequences. Into the
Twilight, Endlessly Grousing is the tenth hilarious collection of his
adventures, wry observations, and curmudgeonly calls for bigger and
bigger fish stories (don't even think about calling them lies). This
time around, the renowned columnist takes on everything from an Idaho
crime wave to his friend Dolph's atomic- powered huckleberry picker to
the uncertain joys of standing waist-deep in icy water, watching the
fish go by. As always, Mcmanus offers his own brand of philosophical
insight along the way. A prime example: his belief that ignorance is
the bond that holds male friendships together. And he gives us the
examples to prove it. So no matter what you're after, it's all here in
Mcmanus's most far-reaching and funny story collection yet. 1997.
