Fox 8

His spelling needs work, but the vulpine letter writer that George Saunders invented for this popular short story is “a hero worthy of any fairy tale,” said Claire Allfree in Standard.co.uk. When his home is replaced by a mall, the fox attempts to be a peacemaker, even mentioning in an early letter his enthusiasm for the “fud cort.” Few fiction writers could get away with such playfulness, but “somehow Saunders carries it off”—which is why the 2013 story is now a 64-page stand-alone.