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suzannalundale's review against another edition
5.0
Utterly brilliant. Full review to come. *all the chefkisses*
bickleyhouse's review
5.0
If I am correct, this is the first novel by Stephen Black.
And what a first novel it is. I was simply blown away by this tale.
I learned about this book because I follow the author's blog, Fractured Faith.
Kirkwood Scott, the main character, suffers from OCD. He lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His OCD requires him to roll a couple of D&D dice every day, to see what "routine" he must complete to keep anything disastrous from happening.
But Kirkwood's OCD also has a name. Skelly. Occasionally, Kirkwood is "summoned" to an audience with Skelly, during which he is unable to move and forced to listen to whatever Skelly has to tell him.
As this tale unwinds, Kirkwood stumbles across a young, homeless girl named Meredith. Meredith happens to be drawing a face in her paper tablet. And the face happens to be Skelly.
I won't spend any more time revealing plot pieces, here. That pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the book, which I enjoyed immensely. There is a great supernatural/fantasy element to the story, and I really loved that.
In a lot of ways, I will say, this story reminded me of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, which is my favorite Gaiman book. Oddly enough, as I was finishing Skelly's Square on my Kindle, I was also listening to Neverwhere on Audible, on my daily commute. While they are two completely different stories, not even really that much alike, to me, they have a similar "feel." I don't know if that makes sense or not, but it's the best I can do.
I fell in love with Black's characters. Well, not Skelly, of course. But especially Meredith. In my opinion, the development of characters is done very well. The writing style kept me hooked in and I can't say that I was ever bored or uninterested in the story. Mr. Black keeps it interesting and it moves along relatively quickly, in spite of its five hundred-plus pages.
The ending was satisfying and gripping, and left me wanting more. I understand that there is a second story that has since been written, and I will definitely be checking that out.
I might also add that, if I understand correctly, the author suffers from OCD, so he knows whence he speaks as he describes it in the novel.
If you're a fan of supernatural/fantasy stories and classic good vs evil, go read this book!
And what a first novel it is. I was simply blown away by this tale.
I learned about this book because I follow the author's blog, Fractured Faith.
Kirkwood Scott, the main character, suffers from OCD. He lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His OCD requires him to roll a couple of D&D dice every day, to see what "routine" he must complete to keep anything disastrous from happening.
But Kirkwood's OCD also has a name. Skelly. Occasionally, Kirkwood is "summoned" to an audience with Skelly, during which he is unable to move and forced to listen to whatever Skelly has to tell him.
As this tale unwinds, Kirkwood stumbles across a young, homeless girl named Meredith. Meredith happens to be drawing a face in her paper tablet. And the face happens to be Skelly.
I won't spend any more time revealing plot pieces, here. That pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the book, which I enjoyed immensely. There is a great supernatural/fantasy element to the story, and I really loved that.
In a lot of ways, I will say, this story reminded me of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, which is my favorite Gaiman book. Oddly enough, as I was finishing Skelly's Square on my Kindle, I was also listening to Neverwhere on Audible, on my daily commute. While they are two completely different stories, not even really that much alike, to me, they have a similar "feel." I don't know if that makes sense or not, but it's the best I can do.
I fell in love with Black's characters. Well, not Skelly, of course. But especially Meredith. In my opinion, the development of characters is done very well. The writing style kept me hooked in and I can't say that I was ever bored or uninterested in the story. Mr. Black keeps it interesting and it moves along relatively quickly, in spite of its five hundred-plus pages.
The ending was satisfying and gripping, and left me wanting more. I understand that there is a second story that has since been written, and I will definitely be checking that out.
I might also add that, if I understand correctly, the author suffers from OCD, so he knows whence he speaks as he describes it in the novel.
If you're a fan of supernatural/fantasy stories and classic good vs evil, go read this book!
jferrell526's review
5.0
Can 3 save the world?
When I read the first chapter of this I thought history. Boy was I wrong!! It's great. It's a mystery wrapped in a paranormal novel. This is something I haven't seen before. I must say that the authors unique approach held me in thrall throughout this book. Well done, Sir.
When I read the first chapter of this I thought history. Boy was I wrong!! It's great. It's a mystery wrapped in a paranormal novel. This is something I haven't seen before. I must say that the authors unique approach held me in thrall throughout this book. Well done, Sir.
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