The Keepers is Mike Maggio’s latest collection of short fiction. Published in 2011 by March Street Press, The Keepers includes the experimental “Suddenly, There Was Harold,” the heartwarming Christmas story “The Toymaker” and the Gothic tale “The Keepers” from which the collection gets it name.
Here is what critics are saying about The Keepers:
The Keepers has a tone of folktale, fantasy and waking dream. Even if the situation is present day, it feels like a tale that’s being spun for us. The stories are a force of writing with the consequence of characters guided by the author’s imaginings. Although there’s an emotional argument in each, kindness—more than not—defines the narrative; and our senses come alive with language, simple and true. The short story is said to be a courtship with the reader. If this is so, the reader will say “YES.”
Grace Cavalieri, Producer/Host
“The Poet and the Poem from the Library of Congress
Note to fans of Mike Maggio’s arresting political poetry: On the surface it may seem the stories in The Keepers employ a comparatively conventional bag of tricks, but don’t think for a minute you won’t get caught in their grip. Mike Maggio the storyteller leans back in his comfy, authoritative omniscience and narrates in a voice that is familiar and charming, like that of a fairy tale. Of course a reader is immediately taken in, only later to recall that it is from the familiar that the surprise jumps out—and also, sometimes, the delicious terror.
Madeleine Mysko
author of Bringing Vincent Home
Mike Maggio’s fiction straddles the line between lyrical and caustic. It captures something essential about these strange days. With the deft touch of a poet, Maggio’s imaginative fiction pulls you in and won’t let go. He offers a rich fictional landscape for those just now discovering his work.
Nathan Leslie
author of The Tall Tale of Tommy Twice
Signed copies of The Keepers are available directly from the author for $9 plus shipping.
