In Aida Morden's Shadows of the Living Mountain, the volcanoes don't just erupt with lava, ash, mud, boiling water and massive rocks. They also send her stories and characters into the world. Destruction and creation go hand in hand. Families come together, often through lies and deception; families fall apart, often through the arrival of the truth. Like material from the Philippine Pacific Ring of Fire volcanoes, people are flung out to distant lands-Australia, Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Middle East, Europe-a diaspora that leads to longing, regrets, nostalgia and the ever-present search for an elusive sense of belonging: political, social, personal. These are stories that cut through the heart to reveal the soul. These are stories that don't waste their time on trivialities. Detailed, toughly sketched, unafraid of what they might uncover, these are stories that make us taste the magic of the universal while at the same time chewing on life's ashes.- Michael Mirolla, award-winning author of Berlin, The Last News Vendor and Lessons in Relationship Dyads