A diverse compendium of imaginative flights-into fantasy, science fiction, realism, techno-politics, mythology, and the surreal-The Story of How All Animals Are Equal & Other Tales introduces Matt Runkle as a fearless writer allergic to boring sentences. Driven by fascinating characters and the technical and lyrical possibilities of language, these stories share an overt kinship with Donald Barthelme and Aimee Bender in their playfulness and scope, yet there's an inquisitiveness in the various twists and turns that reminds one of John Ashbery, and at times, when certain dark undercurrents break the surface, Paul Bowles. Runkle has the uncanny ability to extract meaningful psychological drama from absurd situations, which he serves to the reader with a dash of dark humor and wit.