(3) Base Camp
Stein's writing is snappy, eloquent, and thoughtful. Enzo is a narrator who really gets down into the meat and potatoes of human existence. For someone who isn't human, he sure is good at separating the important from the mundane and telling us what we really need to know about living good human lives. He's also good at judging people he thinks are human-ing wrong.
Nevertheless, this story isn't always as sweet as finding scraps from dinner on the kitchen floor. There are two death scenes, and for readers who find character deaths upsetting, that's something to be aware of going in. Both scenes are well written, but our eyes watered a little—okay, a lot— all the same.