The Smell of Cedar by River

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Horror, mystery, Review, Review week, River Dixon, story, Terror, The Smell of Cedar

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

The Smell of Cedar by River Dixon

The Smell of Cedar is an unsettling and unnerving psychological horror story made all the more believable by its backstory of abuse and control. For me the length is just right, with moments of reflection which help to not only explain the lead character’s past but also move the story along at a good pace.
River’s use of a nonlinear structure is both effective and skillfully employed and his careful use of description allows the reader to create a vivid scene whilst reading the story. At times I was not certain as to whether tense changes worked quite as effectively as they might have, but this is a minor issue and I am being, perhaps,  a little pedantic.
I do think, however, that the actions of the character Melanie, to whom we are introduced early on in the story, and which become clearer as the tale develops, add to the chilling (and all too real) possibility of history repeating itself. 
If you enjoy short, chilling and disturbing stories, then I would certainly recommend reading this.

You’ll Never Walk Alone by Chris Hall

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1980's, Adventure, Chris Hall, Liverpool, mystery, Reading, Review, Review week, story, You'll Never Walk Alone

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

You’ll Never Walk Alone by Chris Hall

Chris Hall writes with a style which can only be described as irresistible. From the very opening of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ until the closing sentence I was hooked and, like all of the other stories of hers that I have read, I simply didn’t want to put the book down.Written with great wit and humour, the story twists and turns, drawing new characters in as it unwinds, each of whom has their role to play. Without wanting to give too much away this is a story that is easy to imagine actually happening; the characters are all very real and three dimensional and some of the coincidences that occur along the way are very believable and, indeed, relatable.
Chris’s descriptions are vivid and clear, and certainly not over-worked, allowing the reader to easily form a visual narrative as they read. Would it help to have a little background knowledge of Britain in the 1980’s? Well, I’m not sure. Being British (and of an age) I found it easy to identify with the setting (even though my knowledge of Liverpool, where the story is set, is very limited), and I found myself chuckling at times at some of the references to which her characters allude: (‘You dancing?’ for example). So, in answer to the question, I would say not, such is the strength of the story.
There are moments within the story where I genuinely took a breath and thought ‘well, I didn’t see that coming’, which, if I’m honest, doesn’t happen that often.
And, of course, there’s a monkey! Who could say no?
This is a story that I know I will re-read over and over and, if you enjoy a good, realistic adventure (with just a hint of mysterious legend) then ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is the book you’ve been searching for. 
Highly recommended. 

Dead Souls by Andrew S French

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Andrew French, Andrew S French, Dead Souls, Ghost, Horror, Reading, Review, Review week, short stories, Spooky, stories

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

Dead Souls by Andrew S French

Dead Souls is a fine collection of supernatural stories each with an original and unique perspective. Very little about each of the stories is predictable which makes them a joy to read.None of the stories are overly graphic, focusing on the unsettling rather than relying on horror or gore for their impact, which makes them all the more interesting and satisfying.
If you are looking for short stories which are ghostly but thoughtfully written then I would highly recommend reading this collection.

Static Dreams – Tara Caribou (ed)

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Authors, Ghostly, Horror, mystery, Reading, Review, Review week, short stories, Static Dreams, stories, Tara Caribou, Terror, Various

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

Static Dreams – various authors, edited by Tara Caribou

It would take a lot of searching, and even more page turning, to find a finer collection of dark tales than Static Dreams. From Mark Ryan’s quintessentially English story, which will make you think twice about visiting a charity shop, to Lou Rasmus’s chilling tale of a man’s decline to editor Tara Caribou’s own disturbing dystopian contribution, whose roots feel very close to home, this anthology features stories by some of the most original independent authors around.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

What’s more is that there is an equally impressive Volume 2 as well. Definitely worth checking out!

The Stories Inbetween by River Dixon

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Ghost, Horror, Reading, Review, Review week, River Dixon, short stories, stories, Terror, The Stories Inbetween

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

The Stories Inbetween by River Dixon

I will preface this review by saying that I read a lot of short stories.

Having got that out of the way I have to say that I have never read a collection so original, so cleverly written or so affecting as ‘The Stories Inbetween’. Whether it is the dark humour of stories like ‘The Example’, the superb literary idea behind ‘The Diner’ or the unsettling nature of ‘Conversations in the Mirror’, River Dixon has managed to craft a collection of stories which will stay long in the memory. His style is very much that of a writer’s writer, using prose effectively and succinctly and knowing exactly what to include and where to leave spaces for the reader to fill themselves.

Many of the stories contained here are darkly horrific, but benefit from River understanding precisely how much ‘gore’ is needed to maintain the effectiveness of the  story – yet I would not lump this collection in with a horror genre. It is far more than that. So many of the stories are both insightful of human nature and  indeed, thought-provoking, and this is, without doubt, a collection that I will read many times.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Andrew S

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Andrew S French, Astrid Snow, Don't Fear the Reaper, Intrigue, mystery, Review, Review week, story, Thriller, writing

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Andrew S French

‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ is a well-paced, exciting and engaging mystery-thriller which takes the reader into a world of murky, dangerous and hidden government agencies. Original and skillfully written it is full of the grit that one might expect without the glamour that is so often portrayed elsewhere. Yes, there are several references made to cities more ‘associated’ with espionage and subversive activities such as Berlin, Prague and Vienna, but most of the action takes place in and around London and the (unassuming) South and South-East of England. And this results in the story being both more realistic and more relatable.
An intriguing opening introduces the reader to the lead character who is, refreshingly, female. Astrid is a strong, but ultimately flawed, woman whose backstory is unveiled in a series of flashback memories. It is, indeed, these flaws that engage the reader and give her character depth and realism in what is (action aside) a very character-led story.
The story itself is complex but not complicated and, as it progressed, I found myself being more and more drawn in by it. It is full of twists and turns (some of them unexpected) right up until its gripping conclusion, where the reader is left wanting more – fitting, really, as this is the first of a series of books featuring the protagonist. 
One feature of this book which I think French employs with particular success is the use of double narrative: the bulk of the writing carries the story in the third person, but a second narrator (the antagonist) tell events from their perspective which adds an extra level of interest.
Oh, and did I mention the great musical references that run through the story?
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys not only thrillers and mystery stories but also readers with a penchant for stories featuring a strong female lead

A week of reviews

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Adventure, Amazon, Chris Hall, Lunaisonline, Reading, Review week, Reviews, Song of the Sea Goddess, story, writing

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

Song of the Sea Goddess by Chris Hall

Part fantasy, part adventure and part allegory, Song of the Sea Goddess is an imaginative and eloquently told story about the unfolding of the lives of a group of seemingly unconnected characters following one bizarre event.Chris Hall develops each character through individual chapters that slowly become interwoven and lead towards an unexpected climax. Particularly enjoyable is how seemingly random events show up which give a wonderful insight into the past lives of several of the characters. Indeed each character comes to life as the story unfolds and, as most of the book is written in the present tense, the reader’s connection with them develops in a sort of ‘real time’.
The chapters themselves are relatively short which works very effectively to help the reader to internalise their understanding of the characters and their relationships. 
I don’t want to go into plot detail as each event is important to the overall story and needs to be discovered by the reader, but expect plenty of twists and turns with each page. 
So often, I find, story endings can ‘tail off’ a little, but this is far from the case here; Chris’s ending is as strong as her opening and leaves a satisfying feeling on the reader.
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fantasy adventure with its feet firmly planted in reality.