Twisted Tongue Magazine
a magazine with a twist
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Please note I have limited time to spend on book reviews.
All book reviews will added below and printed in TT.
Spritz--Neil J Hart
I don’t usually read humorous books, however I found myself immersed in this one—definitely a page turner. Spritz is a highly amusing novel, even though Neil J Hart writes about lowlife, misfit characters. I found myself relating to Bob Flint due to his desperation for hope and his longing to fulfil his dreams of running his own bar ‘Bobs Bar’, although he drinks himself stupid and manages to place his wife in a coma and owes a large sum of money to some undesirable people.
The story is set in Swansea and is based on everyday normal life with familiar places and events. Several other characters are introduced in short chapters that help develop the story. Neil J Hart kept me on the edge of my seat to find out what was to become of Bob Flint. By the end of the story I was disappointed—not because of the ending—I knew I was going to miss the alcoholic Bob Flint. The novel took a relatively short period to read, this could be due to the realistic dialogue, the crazy plot that was shocking and crammed with twists with a hint of darkness. Readers who are fans of British Humour will love Spritz, those who do not usually read humour, like myself, will be enthralled with the story—either way, you won’t be able to read Spritz without a tear of laughter.
Feels Like Stephen King--Steven Deighan
Steven Deighan’s Feels Like Stephen King certainly does, even though there is only one reference within the text where the main character, Eric Bain, states: ‘I felt like Stephen King’. The story itself does not relate to Stephen King, however the tale does have a typical morbid feel with a lot of suspense—just like a typical King tale. Steven Deighan is a relatively young writer with a bright future in the writing world ahead of him.
Feels Like Stephen King is a well thought-out collectible graphic novel, printed on quality paper and bound by saddle stitch.
Terry Cooper illustrates the graphic novel. At a quick glance the artwork is very impressive, especially for greyscale, at a closer look the shading, toning and detail are superb. The expressions on Mathers’ face add to the dreaded atmosphere of the story. Cooper tactfully uses colour on one page to add emphasis of the shock that is revealed to the reader. This effect combined with greyscale provides the graphic novel with an uneasy sinister air. The cover, yet simple with raindrops present an eerie touch. The layout has been well planned with plenty of space in-between the boxes and the speech bubbles.
Feels Like Stephen King began as a short story, and now it has been adapted to comic format—what next? A television program—it certainly would be suitable for the Twilight Zone. This morbid tale begins with Eric Bain receiving his manuscript back from a publisher with an acceptance letter that requires ‘a very special agreement’, from that instant you cannot help but feel uneasy. Eric has been contacted from a jaded publisher who has a peculiar method towards book publishing. After a phone call Eric is unsure, yet agrees to meet Mathers, the publisher, in the middle of the night….
I was especially fond of the way Deighan created Eric’s thoughts with apprehension. The reference to ‘Psycho’ adds an extra chill. The outcome was not what I expected. The build up did lead me to believe that something more disturbing and shocking was going to be revealed. Even though I felt a little disheartened the ending is suitable as it plays with your mind.
Overall, Feels Like Stephen King is a superb graphic novel—a pleasure to read. The collaboration between Steven Deighan and Terry Cooper works exceedingly well.
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