Interviews/ Views/ Reviews

There’s a belief amongst some musicians that the notes that you don’t play are as important as the ones you do. It might be fun to play more more more (with your amp cranked to 11), but space is important. You have to let the music breath. The same thing applies to books: what’s left off the page is important as what finds its way onto it.

This collection of short stories is a classic example of that principle. There are no wallowing descriptions that suck the life out of the plot. Kormak, his friends and enemies, and the world they live and die in are not served up with lashings of adjectives and adverbs. The text is clean.

It’s an approach to writing common to a lot of great books I have read recently: Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot, The Road. It’s a stark contrast to some less experienced authors (*coughs and looks at feet*) who have a tendency to choke their story with words. (Even if some of those words do go up to 11.) I don’t want an author to spoon feed me their imagination, I’d rather fill in the gaps myself.

From that perspective, these short stories are worth reading. The sparse descriptions are effective and a good reference for authors looking to improve what they do.

One of the stories that features.

But what’s the book about?

It’s a collection of old school sword-and-sorcery stories featuring a world-weary protagonist, Kormak, who fights and thinks his way through a series of ever more fantastic encounters. There are a few unpleasant twists; there’s a dash of humour. The setting is well-fleshed out with a rich history, which stands to reason given the author’s experience and the amount of time he has been writing in this world. They’re a good read. They’re an easy read, too. (I mean that positively.) But, one of the things I really liked about these stories is that they’re short.

I love a good epic as much as the next reader but I also enjoy shorter formats. Especially for a slow(ish) reader such as me, there’s something satisfying about finishing a book in an evening or two. And in fantasy (AKA The Genre of Escalating Page Counts), quality short stories are a rare beast.

In summary, if you’re into dark fiction & fantasy, the stories are worth your time. They work on their own and also serve as a good introduction to the longer Kormak books.

Here’s the catch.

I’m not sure where to get hold of this collection online.

I got my copy as a subscriber to Bill King’s newsletter. I’m not sure if this particular offer will come around again. At present, he is offering a free omnibus of full-length Kormak novels on his website.

You’ll need to sign up to his readers’ group to claim it (here), but he writes great newsletters, too. Descriptive and to the point. Like Kormak.

To finish, I’ll quote Mr King himself:

‘As always, thanks for your time.’

Andy

You can read more about the man behind the words here.

One Book Interview #13 – William King (Author)

Please note I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon sites.

I keep promising more reviews. I rarely live up to that promise. (They seem to take me so long to write.) This week, however, is different…

A classic 1920s science fiction novella — with a 21st century twist. Ex-boxer Harry Stubbs is on the trail of a mysterious legacy in South London. A polar explorer has died, leaving huge debts and hints of a priceless find. Harry’s informants seem to be talking in riddles, he finds that isn’t the only one on the trail — and what he’s looking for is as lethal as it is valuable, leaving a trail of oddly-mutilated bodies. The key to the enigma lies in an ancient Arabian book, leading to something more alien and more horrifying than Harry could ever imagine. Harry is not be an educated man, but he has an open mind, bulldog persistence and piledriver fists — important assets when you’re boxing the darkest of shadows.

The story of mystery and horror draws on HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos and is inspired by Ernest Shackleton’s incredible real-life Antarctic adventures.

My thoughts?

Short version:

The Elder Ice is an enjoyable book – quick to read, well written and entertaining. If you’re interested in a London mystery set in the early 20^thcentury, with a supernatural twist, a dash of gore, and a few left hooks dropped into the mix, this one’s for you.

Long version:

What starts out as a straightforward mystery novel, complete with a cast of chancers and lovable rogues, becomes something a whole lot stranger. (Think ‘From Dusk til Dawn’ but with bowler hats, fist fights, antique dealers and ‘fug.’) Not everyone will appreciate the transition from ‘normal’ to ‘odd’, but for others not enough will be made of that final weirdness.

There were a few things that stood out.

The opening is fantastic. It grips you, sets the scene and the ending of it leaves a nice chill.

The main protagonist. Harry is the classic pugilistic gentleman, the type of fellow to give you a broken-nosed grin while reminding you ‘not to confuse kindness with weakness’. (He may even crack his knuckles as he does so.) His back story, his hopes and dreams, his good nature and stolidly reliable presence. I like Harry. It’s also refreshing to have a character who doesn’t have a Dark Secret (normally alcoholism) crowbarred into the pages.

The boxing! Love it. Just the right amount of detail. Some books get too technical in their fight scenes, this was nicely done. The street fight cut a fine line between genteel and the Hollywood style of ‘let’s all politely line up to get clobbered one at a time’, but that’s a minor gripe on my part. Using ‘round’ instead of ‘chapter’ is also a nice touch.

The highlight was the language. The author’s prose and dialogue is very evocative. Combined with historical details and a smattering of unobtrusive facts, it captures the period of the drama superbly and makes for a great setting.

The length (all 100 pages of it) makes this a quick read. As a result, some of the sections feel rushed and some of the characters a little underdeveloped. E.g. I would have liked more made of Harry’s legal employer and the scientists who study the little critters that underpin the plot. These people were there. And then gone.

There were a few moments which didn’t add up. The first was when Harry seemed to go from being under potentially-lethal suspicion to innocence in a matter of heart beats. I know this can happen, but the manner in which it happened didn’t quite make sense. Similarly, when Harry finds out who has been pulling the strings, the nature of the reveal and Harry’s reactions were underplayed & under-described. (The person who has been pulling the strings was a nice twist, though. I didn’t see that one coming.)

A few moments made me feel like I was Being Explained To. Some action (or more of that evocative prose) to balance out the dialogue would have been welcome.

The big scene at the end of the novel was, unfortunately, the weakest section. Personally, I would have preferred a lot more ‘mortal peril.’ I realise that in doing so the book could quite easily have slid too far into flat-out horror. Maybe this is why the author didn’t go that way, but the tension never really grabbed me when I really wanted it to. The survivor of this scene seemed to get through with good, old-fashioned grit and gumption and not much else. I would have preferred the author to bring in some of the drama found on the other pages (e.g. earlier in the same scene, in the derelict shed) to up the ante.

Harry’s ultimate fate in this short novel, however, is nicely done.

All in all, this is a good book but one which may have benefitted by simmering for a little longer and boiling a little harder. I would happily read more by the same author.

One Book Interview #50 – David Hambling (Author)

We have a first for this interview series – a return guest.

Author #56 has already appeared in the guise of Author #26. It’s interesting to see how the answers to the questions have changed. I have a similar issue with having to name my favourite authors – there is some consistency but a natural ebb and flow depending on what I’m reading. (My Top Five authors is getting a little crowded – I reckon there are about eleven people there already…)

1 – everyone should read

The masterly and unique ghost story The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. This is a superior take on the genre. It serves up genuine shocks and takes the ghost story into chilling territory it rarely visits.

2 – you would take with you if you were going to be marooned on Mars

An anthology of every short ghost story ever written in English. I restrict it to English only because I don’t read well in other languages. Ok then, let’s include every short ghost story ever translated into English as well. I know this anthology doesn’t exist. But it should!

3 – you took a chance on and were pleasantly surprised by

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. I knew her as a children’s writer, so I didn’t think a ghost story by her would pack much of a punch. Gosh, was I wrong. Chilling in every way.

4 – you’ve written that is your favourite

That’s got to be my new one Fitful Head: A Ghost Story. The early reviews confirm that readers are finding it scary. This is such a relief to me. When you’re close to a story in the writing process, it loses its initial impact on you as you draft and redraft. I feared I’d edited out the creepiness, but apparently not.

5 – that has influenced you most as a person

In terms of my passion for ghost stories, this has to be The Turn Of  The Screw by Henry James. I was thirteen when I first read it and it scared me rigid. Then I reread it straightaway and experienced that delicious feeling of seeing events through a different prism. Was it a story of haunting or of madness? I read it regularly and each time I veer from one interpretation to the other. I also love the film version called The Innocents.

6 – that has influenced you most as a professional

All the books I’ve ever read have influenced my writing. To pick one. Hmm, well if we’re sticking with ghost stories, I guess Wuthering Heights is the ultimate ghost story. And what’s more alluring than a love story that transcends death itself?

7 – of yours that prospective readers should start with if they want to get to know your work and where they can get it.

I have only two novels published so far. Can I mention them both? The first, Rowan’s Well, is a psychological suspense that explores the darkness at the heart of a new father.

You can find CJ at: www.cjharterbooks.co.uk

CJ Harter’s dissected human bodies, shushed library-users, shared poetry, organised bedbaths. Now she helps folk connect with creativity through writing. She has a degree in Literature and Philosophy, she’s mother to two adults, wife to one and slave to two tiny dogs. This One Book interview focuses on her lifelong love affair with ghost stories and marks the release of her new novel. You guessed it: a ghost story.

If you are interested in my (Andy’s) review of Fitful Head, you can read it here.

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Please note I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon sites.