I recently re-read this book for the second time after reading it when it first was published, almost 20 years ago. I find that this book is both entertaining and interminable. This is a collection of several short stories, and the first to feature stories about the "Family," which feature the characters of Bud, Dennis Savage, Carlo, and Little Kiwi (Virgil). Those stories are the finest in this book. The other stories are a mixed bag -- the final entry, "The Disappearance of Roger Ryder," I couldn't even finish (and I TRIED!). I'm looking forward to "Buddies," and eventually the rest of the books about the "Family."