Award-winning Canadian author Taylor (Stanley Park) turns his attention to short fiction; the result is an absorbing novella and an uneven series of short stories. "NewStart 2.0™" is a fascinating look at creativity and fraud in the art world that begins when painter Shane Donald meets idiosyncratic fellow student Dennis Kopak while studying at an art college. Donald goes on to become the editor of an art magazine and his quest to interview a reclusive Italian painter leads him on a labyrinthine path back to Kopak, who has become the painter's agent after a long interlude in which he developed a unique software product. While this piece deftly probes the tenuous nature of artistic success, many of the short stories don't fare as well. Taylor is an elegant craftsman, but he doesn't always link his well-drawn characters with the objects and endeavors that fascinate them: the title story is a compelling account of a dark horse that breaks the back of a gambling operation, but "Doves of Townsend" is a murky effort in which an antiques dealer focuses on a butterfly collection to keep herself together after her father's suicide. "Smoke's Fortune," meanwhile, is a brutish, gut-wrenching affair about the struggle of two men to kill a dangerous dog, while "Prayers to Buxtehude" is a graceful yarn about a man who loses his fiancée after confessing how an unrequited passion for his childhood piano teacher ended in disaster. Taylor has his share of ups and downs here, but his polished prose makes for a generally rewarding read. (Nov.)
