The Otio in Negotio

In 'The Otio in Negotio', E. W. Farnsworth has brought together another lively, intelligent collection of stories, focusing on the humor, romance and oddities of exceptionally active and intelligent people in the contemporary world of business. As the title of the entire collection implies, these stories are highly allusive and full of hidden puzzles and games meant to pique the reader's attention. Names are significant. Allusions enrich the narratives. The scope of business is global, and many business plans resemble those of top startup companies in today's financial headlines. The fun in these stories is tempered by the constraints and challenges of business. Farnsworth's CEOs are human and infallible. Sometimes love finds a way, and sometimes it is cruelly eliminated from the personal equation. Where business triumphs, so does the human spirit. When satire chastens, the biters are bitten. A seasoned editor described lead story 'TwinLions' as "Breathtakingly new ... I've read nothing remotely like it."