Is Joel Fishbane’s first novel, The Thunder of Giants, more fact or fiction? To be honest, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that any part of this fascinating novel about two nearly 8-foot-tall women, a generation or so apart, could be based in fact until I finished reading it and perused the back cover description that says the book “blends fact and fiction.” Sure, I could just Google Anna Swan and Andorra Kelsey, but somehow I thought it would just be easier to quiz the author. So you know what my first question will be. JOEL FISHBANE podcast excerpt: “Much like the characters themselves, the individual stories of these two almost eight-foot-tall women were too big for short stories, so it became a novel.” If you’re looking for something that will challenge you as a reader of fiction, a story that bounces back and forth between time periods, includes trips to the P.T. Barnum American Museum in Manhattan and early Hollywood while featuring two most unusual women, The Thunder of Giants might be right up your alley. Joel Fishbane • • •  • •