Marcus Hawke

I'm much more a fan of single-author short story collections than I am of multiple-author anthologies, probably because an author collection shows the range of the author through the variety of the stories.

Marcus Hawke has some freaking range.

The twelve stories here are nicely varied, with everything from crappy neighbours to crappy boyfriends, from house hunting to frozen apocalypse, from slasher through to biblical end times, though the one that really caught me was a nasty little treat show more called "Yours Truly".

I think this is my third Hawke book, but it's definitely my favourite so far. Talented, imaginative author, and also, truly a nice guy.

I'm not gonna say you should pick this collection up. I'm telling you you need to.

Get on it. show less

Y'know...I'm just not a slasher fan. I don't know what it is, but it really, for the most part, does absolutely nothing for me.

But having enjoyed Hawke's GREY NOISE, when the opportunity came up for an ARC of this one? I jumped at it, hoping it would rise above the rest of the slasher genre.

Hawke didn't disappoint, and yes, it absolutely rises to the top of the lake...kinda like the Redwood Ripper.

It's a simple story, and it's a predictable story—as are most slashers—but Hawke took the show more time to fill us in on all the major players and there were times—often in the span of a sentence or two—where he delivered truly heart-rending moments.

It's a fast read, and it's a rewarding read. If you do like slasher fiction, this is worth the time, because you'll enjoy the hell out of it. If you're like me and don't like slasher fiction, this is still worth the time, because I enjoyed the hell out of it. show less

I've been enjoying Marcus Hawke's books for a few years now, so I was glad to be able to actually meet him and fill in the holes in my Hawke bibiography a few months back. The fact that I bought this in September, and it's now January gives you an idea of how far behind I am in my TBR...

In Hawke's afterword, he does mention this was a book that took quite awhile to write, and yet, at the same time, it was the one constant in a changing world. I know that feeling, and I'm pretty sure I went show more through the same stuff with my first novel too. And like mine, I think some of that chaos works its way into the narrative... and not in a bad way.

I will say, overall, I'm not a real big fan of books that paint a Christian narrative, but Hawke does a good job of giving us a lot of different points of view, from hardcore believers to those that don't really buy in, so it made me enjoy the ride far more than I normally would have.

The storytelling is brisk, and sarcastic...just my style! Hell yes. I think the only time if felt a little slow was all of the training that Mason went through. I do remember, at one point, putting down the book and having that stupid song "We're Gonna Need a Montage" from the Team America movie.

If you don't know what I'm talking about... I'm sorry and you're welcome

Anyway, in the end, I enjoyed the hell out of this book, great story, great build up, great villain, and great climax. I have to say, it was the little touches that elevated it for me. The side characters and, especially, the both witty and terribly bad teenage humour. It all landed perfectly.

If you haven't read Hawke...fix that error. show less