| It has become obvious to all but the most | | | | tempted to consume the whole thing while in the |
| unrelentingly stubborn apologists for the oil industry | | | | middle of a crowded book store. Try to avoid this |
| that we now stand at a pivotal moment in the | | | | temptation, as you will find Fables to be a veritable |
| history of our planet. As much fun as it would be to | | | | banquet of philosophical speculation and belly laughs. |
| make fun of Al Gore's pretentious drawl and | | | | How in God's name, you may be wondering, can one |
| expanding bald spot, none of us can afford to ignore | | | | book offer such seemingly incongruous rewards? The |
| his clarion call for global change. With humankind's | | | | answer to that question is the secret of Quisling's |
| carbon footprint leaving a catastrophic impact upon | | | | triumph. He has crafted three distinct but thematically |
| Mother Earth, it is the sacred responsibility of every | | | | connected tales,focusing on some of the Earth's least |
| citizen to make a change for the better. We can all | | | | respected inhabitants: a clam, an ant, and an |
| agree on that much, but the next question is a lot | | | | earthworm. Against all expectation, Quisling turns |
| thornier: How exactly do you start? As in so many | | | | these lowly invertebrates into heroes of truly epic |
| vital areas of life, when confronted by a monumental | | | | scale. By infusing so much ambiguous life and |
| task it is beneficial to start with something small. In | | | | recognizably human foibles into its three-pack of |
| other words, begin by taking a "micro" view of your | | | | protagonists, Fables allows readers to understand |
| "macro" problem. Numerous studies have indicated | | | | these creatures as reflections of ourselves. Laughable |
| that the more we are taught to respect and even | | | | as the clam's frustration with the emptiness of his |
| love the tiniest creatures, the deeper connection we | | | | existence might seem, is our own periodic despair |
| will feel to the planet at large. So if you're looking to | | | | any less ridiculous? It all comes down to a matter of |
| address climate change in your own way, you might | | | | perspective, which seems to be one of Quisling's |
| want to start by picking up a copy of Fables From | | | | primary lessons. After reading this timeless book, you |
| the Mud by Erik Quisling. This book, simple in | | | | may find yourself thinking twice before stepping on |
| structure yet profound in implication, illuminates the | | | | the next ant you see crossing the sidewalk. He's a |
| plight of Earth's smallest inhabitants in a style that will | | | | guest on this ailing planet, just like you. And for all |
| make you laugh even as your empathy expands. The | | | | you know, he might be in the middle of an heroic |
| first thing you are apt to notice about Fables is the | | | | struggle worthy of mention in a book Fables From |
| fluid interchange between illustrations and text. This | | | | the Mud. |
| book has been designed with such a graceful | | | | Erik Quisling is the author of the critically acclaimed |
| simplicity that you could easily read it cover to cover | | | | new book, Fables from the Mud (Borderlands Press, |
| in a single sitting. Indeed, once you've gotten a sense | | | | Nov. 2007). |
| of its sharp humor and cerebral charms, you may be | | | | |