DIE ONCE--DIE TWICE

The opening sentence of "I Had Sex with a Martian" warns its readers, "If you are at all shocked by startling unconventionality and descriptions of male sexual members, do not read my story."

Here are 24 previously unpublished stories from the noir master, Gil Brewer. Beyond the fact that Brewer wrote outstanding short stories, an important reason to read his shorter works is artistic freedom. Brewer's obsessive theme was the destructive power of human sexuality, and he had greater freedom to explore this literary terrain in magazines than books.

But the stories in this collection exist for more than their sexual content (nor do they all have explicit content). They represent a range of noirish responses to the literary marketplace of the 1970s, when Brewer was casting about and targeting publications ranging from Boys' Life to Hustler. These 24 stories are by turns artistic and vulgar, enjoyable and off putting, accessible and challenging. Together, they form a fascinating final chapter in Gil Brewer's career as a story writer.