The Black Cat Collective, a group of young Vancouver writers frustrated (in their own words) by "Vancouver's lethargic literary scene," has taken matters into its own hands with The Skinnier Leg of the Journey, a collection of short stories by Lisa Marr, Anne Jew and Rob Howatson—all collective members. And the result is surprisingly diverse, well crafted and not at all "collectivized." These are new stories and they are good stories, ranging from a one-eyed man's search for a mate to a wedding in Ed's Chapel of Love. At the very least, a definite de-lethargizer of the Vancouver scene, and a hell of a good read.