USA: Senior citizen's collection of 54 short stories looks at life, love, family, history

. BOOKS SENIOR SHORT STORIES: Written by a Senior for Other Seniors Author: Epps, L. Macon Publisher:CreateSpace (164 pp.) Price (paperback): $9.00 ISBN (paperback): 978-1-4404-4203-2 Classification: FICTION A collection of upbeat, quasi-fictional tales geared to seniors. Retired aerospace engineer Epps composed most of the selections between the age of 68 and 88 — his brush is broad, covering sports, ghosts, politics, religion, marital life, crime and the adventures, and misadventures, of youth. “An Unlikely Hero” concerns childhood friend Sam Perkins, who hit two grand-slam homers in a baseball game, earning a measure of fame and the undying interest of high school girls. “Amazing Visitors Come to Leisure Village” is about extraterrestrials and is dedicated to the author’s nephew, Dr. Steven Greer, who established the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and spearheads the effort for government disclosure of UFOs. Some stories are fables, as in the case of “Reform School,” in which boys who take their lumps are justly rewarded and boys that avoid them get an appropriate comeuppance. In “An Old Shoe,” a senior teaches a young man valuable life lessons. Occasionally the author addresses a story to a particular audience. In “World Peace–At Last!” the author asks if Ted Turner, Bill Gates or Warren Buffet might be interested in his ideas for improving our world. “A Tunnel To….?” demonstrates the resourcefulness of seniors in a precarious situation, while other stories are what might be characterized as “gray” fantasies. Throughout, the tone is appealingly earnest, with the author moving easily between reality and fiction. A few stories are gems from the golden years, but not everything here glitters. At times, the point of a story is elusive and plots formulaic—as when Epps takes an event or well-known personality (e.g., the oft-married Thomas Manville) and works backwards to create a tale with a twist. Once the reader catches on, the gimmicky endings become tedious and more likely to produce smiles than guffaws. Still, seniors may enjoy reading about the younger generation getting their just desserts from the silver-haired set. Lighthearted vignettes from a senior’s point of view. [rc] Macon Epps Email: maconepps@verizon.net Copyright 2005 Kirkus Reviews