James Hynes

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He is not long at the office before he begins to notice strange things: coworkers who never work but who always have their work finished, odd pale-skinned men wearing ties and pocket protectors who appear at unexpected moments. This may sound like an extension of his academic satires, but Hynes doesn't stop there. In one of the earlier books, his character sold his soul for tenure. In Kings of Infinite Space, Paul Trilby makes a different choice. The humor is still there — people really do laugh out loud when reading Hynes novels — but this time there is also a vague glimmer of nobility. Paul Trilby even falls in love, allowing this book to be funny, frightening, smart, and sexy! It is absolutely unlike anything you have ever read.

James Hynes returns to Ann Arbor to read from Kings of Infinite Space at Shaman Drum Bookshop on Thursday, May 20.   

[Originally published in May, 2004.]