“Ryan W. Bradley’s stories grab you by the balls and don’t let go.” Bonnie Jo Campbell, National Book Award–nominated author
Description
A woman flees the hospital even as her infant son is breathing his last breaths. An aging construction worker comes to grips with the end of the only life he’s ever known. A deadbeat father meets his son for the first time, only to be blindsided by the boy’s birth defect. A man steals a corpse in order to give his father the burial he wanted.
In Nothing but the Dead and Dying, Ryan W. Bradley takes listeners into the world of blue-collar Alaska, reflecting on all that is unique about the rough and untamed state while touching on the basic truths about what it means to be human.
The twenty-plus stories in this collection are tied together by the Alaskan landscape, exploring the diverse ways in which people manage life’s difficulties. The characters are laborers in a harshly beautiful environment, something that is echoed in their relationships with friends, family, and lovers.
Praise
“Ryan W. Bradley’s stories grab you by the balls and don’t let go.” Bonnie Jo Campbell, National Book Award–nominated author
“Just like the state of Alaska itself, in which they’re set, the stories in Ryan Bradley’s Nothing But the Dead and Dying are beautiful, dangerous, hardcore, and strong enough to break your ice-brittled bones. Here are the losers and the strivers, the broken and the just-fixed, the down-but-not-out and the ones crawling back for forgiveness on hands and knees. These are the people of Alaska, yes, but they are also all the citizens of the world. They are you and me in our best and worst hours. Ryan W. Bradley goes full throttle down an icy road with these stories. GodDAMN, can he ever drive a story!” David Abrams, author of Fobbit
“A powerful, prickly read that tests the reader’s endurance. However, it is also a very humane, masterful collection that showcases a very talented author cutting to the marrow of human suffering and sharing what he finds in that wound.” Atticus Review
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Dec 1, 2015 |
| Release Date | December 2, 2015 |
| Release Date Machine | 1449014400 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Suspense, Anthologies & Short Stories, Literary Fiction, World Literature, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult |
Author Bio
Ryan W. Bradley has pumped gas, changed oil, painted houses, swept the floor of a mechanic’s shop, worked on a construction crew in the Arctic Circle, fronted a punk band, and managed an independent children’s bookstore. He now spends part of his time designing book covers. He is the author of several collections of poetry, a story collection, and the novel Code for Failure. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two sons.
Narrator Bio
Elijah Alexander has worked professionally as an actor for over fifteen years. He has worked and lived in New York, where he performed in numerous productions, including the Tony Award–winning play Metamorphoses. He worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for two seasons, as well as regionally at various other theaters. In Los Angeles, he has worked on critically acclaimed productions of Sleuth, produced by Garry Marshall, and other works. His film and television credits include Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Emily’s Reasons Why Not, JAG, Summerland, So NoTORIous, and Guiding Light. He was the voice of Vayne Solidor in Final Fantasy XII and has done several commercial voiceovers. He is currently the voice of Kenmore and has narrated more than ten audiobooks, including James Jones’ acclaimed novel From Here to Eternity.
Tamara Marston has been an actor, singer, and director for more than thirty years. A career performer and musician, she has toured nationally with several groups and appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and A&E’s Goodtime Café. Dividing her time between acting and singing gigs, choral conducting, music and stage directing, jingle and voice-over work, private and public teaching, and family, Tami feels very fortunate to make her living working in the arts.
Overview
A woman flees the hospital even as her infant son is breathing his last breaths. An aging construction worker comes to grips with the end of the only life he’s ever known. A deadbeat father meets his son for the first time, only to be blindsided by the boy’s birth defect. A man steals a corpse in order to give his father the burial he wanted.
In Nothing but the Dead and Dying, Ryan W. Bradley takes listeners into the world of blue-collar Alaska, reflecting on all that is unique about the rough and untamed state while touching on the basic truths about what it means to be human.
The twenty-plus stories in this collection are tied together by the Alaskan landscape, exploring the diverse ways in which people manage life’s difficulties. The characters are laborers in a harshly beautiful environment, something that is echoed in their relationships with friends, family, and lovers.
Reviews
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