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aeculley's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
aelela's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
shelbycat's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
karlicka's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
midday_pigeon's review
4.0
Great collection of Scottish crime writers! Some I knew and some I didn't. Certainly have a few new authors to add to my list to look out for in the future. A few of the stories left me wanting a full book.
hal8752's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
iainkelly_writing's review against another edition
3.0
A great line up of Scottish authors and a neat premise - each linking their short story to a specific heritage landmark. All the stories are good, but it doesn't add up to much, and despite the undoubted talent on display, it's a shame none of the stories is either outstanding or particularly memorable. Perfectly enjoyable though.
peterrrrr2's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
spark_of_madness's review
3.0
Bloody Scotland was creepy. That was the point, I suppose, I just expected horror going in and got thriller. Not unhappy. There were quite a few stories I picked as favourites:
Stanley Mills, definitely. First, the uncertainty of what is happening at the mill and then the reveal of why everyone hates the floor manager. Then to his own daughter hoping he was dead and finding out he wasn't; the girls then deciding he would never touch them again. So creepy, so good, the pace was perfect.
Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. The wondering who was the impostor. Fantastic. Why did you kill poor Robert, Alex? What happened to his wife?? Did you kill her too?
Crossraguel Abbey. The abbey... I don't know what to think of it. All I could think of while reading it was a thing I read a long time ago that said cannibalism sends humans crazy, because the body/brain knows this meat is human or it somehow creates prions that send you mad. I don't know. Still creepy, still good.
St Peter's Seminary, Cardoss. I like how I couldn't figure out what creature we were in the point of view of. In retrospect it was a bit obvious.
Edinburgh Castle. Of course. That little boy. So psychotic. Jesus. I knew bad things were going to happen when he suddenly snapped out of his tantrum. Sooooo creepy. I feel like I read this story set in the castle or maybe heard it before? I can't place where I would have encountered it though...
Stanley Mills, definitely. First, the uncertainty of what is happening at the mill and then the reveal of why everyone hates the floor manager. Then to his own daughter hoping he was dead and finding out he wasn't; the girls then deciding he would never touch them again. So creepy, so good, the pace was perfect.
Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. The wondering who was the impostor. Fantastic. Why did you kill poor Robert, Alex? What happened to his wife?? Did you kill her too?
Crossraguel Abbey. The abbey... I don't know what to think of it. All I could think of while reading it was a thing I read a long time ago that said cannibalism sends humans crazy, because the body/brain knows this meat is human or it somehow creates prions that send you mad. I don't know. Still creepy, still good.
St Peter's Seminary, Cardoss. I like how I couldn't figure out what creature we were in the point of view of. In retrospect it was a bit obvious.
Edinburgh Castle. Of course. That little boy. So psychotic. Jesus. I knew bad things were going to happen when he suddenly snapped out of his tantrum. Sooooo creepy. I feel like I read this story set in the castle or maybe heard it before? I can't place where I would have encountered it though...
ruadhanach's review
No bad on the whole but some of the stories, like the last one, are dull as fuck - are ye writin a story or are you reviewin somebdy else's? Another story just felt a bit sadistic given the subject matter and the scope. The book's at its best when the writer in question has a particular fondness for describin the settin in great detail, because a good settin is fundamentally why the book even came to be.
I don't know if I've found any Scottish writers in this that I'd take to except maybe Chris Brookmyre; I'd read another of his. There's somethin interestin about the way he uses Scots vernacular and blends it wi English. I remember feelin at one point though - maybe in his story, or in another yin - that I wasn't really sure if this book was even written for Scottish folk.
There's a story where all the spoken dialogue is in Scots and the rest of the prose is in plain English and it makes me wonder who that story wis for. It makes me wonder as well whether people even consider Scots as a valid language any more, or if the age o technology and "grammar nazis" now means that Scots will die out cause English is more "correct".
I don't know if I've found any Scottish writers in this that I'd take to except maybe Chris Brookmyre; I'd read another of his. There's somethin interestin about the way he uses Scots vernacular and blends it wi English. I remember feelin at one point though - maybe in his story, or in another yin - that I wasn't really sure if this book was even written for Scottish folk.
There's a story where all the spoken dialogue is in Scots and the rest of the prose is in plain English and it makes me wonder who that story wis for. It makes me wonder as well whether people even consider Scots as a valid language any more, or if the age o technology and "grammar nazis" now means that Scots will die out cause English is more "correct".