[2]
The Squirrel in Prose Fiction
[3] “It’s About Squirrels” by Lynn Abby
In this short story from the DAW Fantasy 30th Anniversary [4]anthology, obsessive squirrels introduce a newcomer to rural Florida to her neighbors and the realm of faerie.
[5] The Pixel Eye [6] / Paul Levinson
Squirrels are disappearing from Central Park [7]in significant numbers, some have been found drugged and unconscious, and New York Police Department forensic detective Phil D’Amato wants to know why. D’Amato is part of NYPD’s counterterrorism force; his job is to investigate anything abnormal in case it might be an indication of terrorist activity. Could the dead squirrels be the first victims of a germ warfare weapon? Could the disappearing squirrels have any link to a pet shop burglary across the river in New Jersey where hamsters were stolen? At first Dr. D’Amato thinks that investigating missing rodents might be a new career low for him, until he stumbles upon a secret laboratory where the Feds are turning hamsters into listening devices.
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary [8]/ David Sedaris; illustrations by Ian Falconer
In the title story of his darkly humorous collection of fables, Sedaris tells of a relationship gone sour because of a misunderstood word. Although this volume is wickedly funny, optimists and animal lovers may want to stick to Aesop [9]adaptations or Toni and Slade Morrison [10]for their fables.
[11] “Squirrels” by Jim Tomlinson
In this short story from Things Kept, Things Left Behind [12], an attic invasion by the creatures serve as an excuse for a woman to telephone her ex-husband.
[13]
