Alayna Cole

Alayna Cole reviews a debut novel
by Andrew J McKiernan from Satalyte Publishing

The short story collection Last Year, When We Were Young, by Andrew J McKiernan, shines a unique light on classic horror. The sixteen tales in the collection draw inspiration from a variety of genres and styles, with the magically humorous juxtaposed against the frightfully repulsive, but each story has something in common: they are all hauntingly clever.

Each twisted tale is striking and features an assortment of fascinating characters. From a mute mime to a woman in search of a second chance, from a teenage boy to a young country girl, the individual voice of each protagonist is expertly carried through the narrator, granting each story a distinct tone. Language is used skilfully to completely change the atmosphere of each story and to construct the identity of each character.

Creating three-dimensional characters in short stories is a difficult task, but McKiernan succeeds time and again. Although each protagonist is identifiably different from those in neighbouring stories, they all have traits that resonate. Being able to relate to and sympathise with this diverse range of characters makes these tales even more confronting and thought-provoking.

This short story collection is filled with surprises. With darker ideas littered between more light-hearted stories, it is impossible to guess what is waiting on the next page. The constant curiosity of what the next story might contain makes Last Year, When We Were Young difficult to put down.

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Had some new reviews this week, so though I would share a few.

The first is from the Book Plank and here is a snippet from it. ‘Marianne de Pierres really shows that she has some great skills when it comes down to both writing in an addictive way and creating an engaging environment…the sequel can’t come soon enough.’

On GoodReads, Austin Brooks says, ‘A wonderful escapist book with plenty of action. I would most definitely pick up the next book in de Pierres’ series…’

On Amazon, Sporadic Reviews says, ‘This book has great characters and character interactions, an interesting setting and world building, and so much possibility. And pretty much no one is who they seem at first glance, or at least everyone has secrets. Great ending too: satisfying, but leaves room for sequels.’

And Kath from GoodReads said, “Well that was Awesome!!! Wild West meets Murder Mystery meets Religious Mystics meets really great dialogue, with a huge slice of fantastic world building. This book also included a sprinkle of the Apocalypse and Romance. Well worth the price of admission!!”

I’m deeply delighhted to be helping Paula Weston launch the next book in the Rephaim series at Riverbend Books. Come along and hear about this wonderful series and what Paula has planned next!