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lincolncreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Hiram Grange and the Village of the Damned is the first of five novellas from Shroud Publishing, each written by a different author, detailing the misadventures of one Hiram Grange, a hard-drinking, drug-smoking occult investigator with an unhealthy obsession with Jodie Foster. This short introductory adventure pits Grange against a small legion of walking dead and garden gnomes (yes, garden gnomes) armed only with an antiquated revolver and a bayonet.
The overall story, while decent, utilizes a bit more deus ex machina (quite literally) than I'd like. The real treat here is Grange himself. He won't be the first antihero you've read about, but in my opinion they make the best characters, and another can't be a bad thing. His flawed character is evident even from the short 125-page glimpse you get here, and there's lots of room for future character development and loads of entertaining stories. I can't wait to see what happens next, and I kinda want to play in Hiram's sandbox myself. I'm calling this a 3.5/5 with high expectations for future installments.
The overall story, while decent, utilizes a bit more deus ex machina (quite literally) than I'd like. The real treat here is Grange himself. He won't be the first antihero you've read about, but in my opinion they make the best characters, and another can't be a bad thing. His flawed character is evident even from the short 125-page glimpse you get here, and there's lots of room for future character development and loads of entertaining stories. I can't wait to see what happens next, and I kinda want to play in Hiram's sandbox myself. I'm calling this a 3.5/5 with high expectations for future installments.
angielisle's review
4.0
Quirky
The quirky bit of this series is that many authors have contributed to its creation, reminding me of all the ghostwritten series I read as a kid. Except I know who the actual writers are in this series and, when I like one story better than the rest, I can go gorge on that writer's work.
In many ways, the anti-hero of this story, Hiram Grange, reminds me of Sherlock Holmes' mirror image. Or it might be easier to describe Grange as what would happen if Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes got stuck in a room with Anita Blake while her ardeur is in full force - the action of Indy with all of Holme's flaws and Blake's paranormality (with less sex).
France's story is shorter, with a less complex plot (because of its size), and the supernatural elements of the story aren't as fleshed out (which I expect to be built upon in future installments).
The story/series has a strong drug element, which I usually find off-putting but I like that we see Grange screwing up when he uses - given the parallel with Holmes, it makes me ask questions about how the rest of the series will progress and I'm eager to read the next book to see if I get answers.
The quirky bit of this series is that many authors have contributed to its creation, reminding me of all the ghostwritten series I read as a kid. Except I know who the actual writers are in this series and, when I like one story better than the rest, I can go gorge on that writer's work.
In many ways, the anti-hero of this story, Hiram Grange, reminds me of Sherlock Holmes' mirror image. Or it might be easier to describe Grange as what would happen if Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes got stuck in a room with Anita Blake while her ardeur is in full force - the action of Indy with all of Holme's flaws and Blake's paranormality (with less sex).
France's story is shorter, with a less complex plot (because of its size), and the supernatural elements of the story aren't as fleshed out (which I expect to be built upon in future installments).
The story/series has a strong drug element, which I usually find off-putting but I like that we see Grange screwing up when he uses - given the parallel with Holmes, it makes me ask questions about how the rest of the series will progress and I'm eager to read the next book to see if I get answers.
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