This slim volume -- just 64 pages -- contains three stories, each co-authored by James P. Blaylock and a different student from a class taught by Tim Powers at the Orange County High School of the Arts, where Blaylock founded and, at the time of publication, headed the creative writing department. The stories -- "Stone Eggs" by Blaylock and Adriana Campoy, "P-38" by Blaylock and Brittany Cox, and "Houses" by Blaylock and Alex Haniford -- all involve a protagonist who finds himself occupying a house that's not his own.

In the first tale, it's a house of knowledge and secrets owned by the main character's absent uncle. In the second, it's the home of his late father. And in the third, it's the house of the protagonist's parents -- his mother recently dead and his father installed in a nursing home because of failing mental faculties -- as well as the supposedly abandoned house across the street.

Powers provides an illustration for each story.

The three short stories definitely have a similar feel and theme to them, so one wonders how much of each is in Blaylock's voice and how much is the student's. Each tale evokes a strong sense of nostalgia; the one by Blaylock and Campoy in particular creates a unique setting that could easily lead into further adventures. "P-38" creates a sense of place and emotion but doesn't feel fully formed -- I don't feel like it went anywhere by the end. "Houses" is perhaps the most unsettling of the three, although the payoff was somewhat predictable.

I have read several of Blaylock's books in the past and I expect I will continue to enjoy his work in the future. I'm not sure any of the students who participated in this particular literary experiment will get the same attention from me ... although it's possible that a return to the world of Max in his Uncle Jonathon's house could lure me back again.