Scan barcode
thiefofcamorr's review
4.0
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
To be safe, I won't be recording my review here until after the AA are over.
Very well written, cohesive and always to a high level of skill throughout the collection. There was one typo that I found, and the cover was decent enough.
However, I didn’t read one or two stories for the excessive (pointless) swearing, and got a bit sick of the constant drugs and sex - it would have been good to see a variety, to make the use of shock detail to resonate further. Most of the stories were reprints though, so singularly they would have had the desired impact.
Very well written, cohesive and always to a high level of skill throughout the collection. There was one typo that I found, and the cover was decent enough.
However, I didn’t read one or two stories for the excessive (pointless) swearing, and got a bit sick of the constant drugs and sex - it would have been good to see a variety, to make the use of shock detail to resonate further. Most of the stories were reprints though, so singularly they would have had the desired impact.
camerontrost's review
3.0
"The Last Days of Kali Yuga" plunges the reader into a dark world of sex, drugs, more drugs, violence, and disillusionment. From the Himalayas to Adelaide, and from Melbourne to the author's home in New Zealand, Haines introduces us to a host of nasty and confused characters. The writing style is blunt and the dialogue aggressive and brutal. Most of the stories make it clear where the reader is being taken but drag him there all the same. They are worlds drenched in violence and self-loathing. Other tales were surprising, sophisticated, and subtle in comparison. The latter description fits my favourite story by far, "Her Collection of Intimacy". I had read this tale previously in a horror anthology and it had stood out. It is an excellent work of fiction, a twisted tale of love, grief, helplessness, and obsession. It makes for unforgettable reading. "High Tide at Hot Water Beach" and "The Past is a Bridge Best Left Burnt" are also profoundly touching tales. "Father Father", "The Light in Autumn's Leaves", and "The Last Days of Kali Yuga" also impressed me. There are twenty tales in this collection and at least one of them is bound to haunt you.
alanbaxter's review
5.0
Paul Haines is an outstanding short story writer, a truly unique voice. His stories often feature a character called Paul Haines and it's never really possible to know where the author ends and the character begins. And within these stories, Haines explores every dark, dirty, nasty facet of the human condition.
This book is the definitive Haines collection. All the uniquely Hainesesque "backpacker horror" stories are here, along with a broad range of other subjects, from the fantastical to the horrible to the downright human nasty and every combination thereof. We also have the dystopian sci-fi novella "Wives", originally published in the awesome X6 Novella Anthology from Coeur De Lion Publishing. "Wives" alone is worth the purchase of this collection, but you should really buy X6 and read the others in that book.
And you must buy this book too, because you'll never read short fiction anything like that of Paul Haines. There will always be a part of you that wishes you never had read the short fiction of Paul Haines, but ignore that sensible and happy bit of your brain.
Everyone needs to explore the darkness. Everyone needs to experience the horror. Everyone should read Paul Haines.
This book is the definitive Haines collection. All the uniquely Hainesesque "backpacker horror" stories are here, along with a broad range of other subjects, from the fantastical to the horrible to the downright human nasty and every combination thereof. We also have the dystopian sci-fi novella "Wives", originally published in the awesome X6 Novella Anthology from Coeur De Lion Publishing. "Wives" alone is worth the purchase of this collection, but you should really buy X6 and read the others in that book.
And you must buy this book too, because you'll never read short fiction anything like that of Paul Haines. There will always be a part of you that wishes you never had read the short fiction of Paul Haines, but ignore that sensible and happy bit of your brain.
Everyone needs to explore the darkness. Everyone needs to experience the horror. Everyone should read Paul Haines.
More...