Outdoor Life magazine columnist Patrick McManus has been compared to Mark Twain. Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing demonstrates that he isn"t, but McManus will suffice until the next Twain comes along. In this book, the outdoorsman extraordinaire is doing what he does best--telling fish stories, getting into scrapes with buddies, occasionally waxing philosophical, but grousing just as often. Sometimes he even ventures out of the wilderness and into mainstream humor. McManus is easily the equal of Dave Barry or any other contemporary humorist, for that matter: When I think of all the times a Stupidity Alarm could have saved me from committing a Stupidity ... Here"s one instance that comes to mind. My children: "Daddy, please buy us a horse! Please, please, please, please!" Me: "Well, kids, I guess a horse wouldn"t be all that much trouble." Stupidity Alarm: WHOOOOP! WHOOOOP! WHOOOOP! The cowboy who sold me the horse said it loved children. That was true. But as I belatedly discovered, it hated adults. He covers well-worn territory, sure. But McManus is a pro who tells stories well, so Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing is always diverting. And when he tells stories about his boyhood, a note of wistfulness and pathos creeps in that is definitely agreeable. This volume is a fine effort by an experienced woodsman/wordsman.