The Ephemera is a collection of short stories by a new Scottish author – Neil Williamson. As the title suggests, the stories cover a wide variety of themes but they all have one thing in common: they are all beautifully written and incredibly easy to read.

'Shine, Alone After the Setting of the Sun' is a bittersweet tale of a young artist, who can only communicate with the outside world through the mosaics she creates, and the difficulties this causes in her relationship. The next story, 'The Euonymist' is more of a science fiction story and revolves around the experiences of a scientist whose job is to travel to different worlds finding names for things.

In 'Cages' we meet Wilson, an elderly man whose only companion is a rather sickly bird in a cage. 'Well Tempered' is a slightly disturbing tale of a piano teacher who takes on the task of teaching a very disruptive little girl.

This is only a small selection of the stories on offer and it is difficult to give a true feeling for the variety of tales on offer without giving away the storylines. Just trust me when I say that this collection is well worth trying. Neil Williamson manages to draw many parallels with today’s society without the stories coming across as moralising. Sometimes it is enough to just leave the reader with something to think about.

I have been fortunate enough to read a number of books printed by Elastic Press and I have always been impressed with their ability to select just the right authors and stories to publish. I do not know who makes the publishing decisions at Elastic but it is clear that he/she knows their business.

I have never been the biggest fan of short stories but I must confess that I loved this set. It is truly up there with some of the best writing I have ever read. I would just like to see if Neil Williamson can produce longer works of a similar quality.

Synopsis
Nothing lasts forever. Everything is ephemeral.

Time slips by, people change, happiness is fleeting.

Neil Williamson's collection of bittersweet tales features fourteen stories of impermanence: from the ends of love affairs and the brief sanity of wartime convalescence, to the fading away of old languages and the dying of humanity itself.

An artist communicates solely through a bizarre mosaic, a father and his dying daughter seek hope in plague-ridden Scotland, a London pensioner's existence is inextricably bound to that of his pet canary, and in the jungles of Borneo a criminal searches for his missing son hoping for reconciliation before the end of the world.

"Emotionally complex and displaying a keen eye for detail, the stories in Neil Williamson's collection The Ephemera are a rich and rewarding read from a stylish new Scottish talent"
   – Jeff Vandermeer

"Subtle, evocative and compelling, The Ephemera is a collection that shines with reflection and intelligence"
   - Liz Williams