Thursday, November 30, 2017

Review: Histories of the Dead by Math Bird


Genre: Short Story Collection/Crime Fiction/Noir

Description:

“Set in the borderlands of northeast Wales, among a landscape of forests and hills, small coastal towns, and the Dee estuary, these are the stories of lonely boys and grief-stricken men, ill-fated lovers, tough women, distant fathers and disillusioned sons. Many of them hell-bent on revenge, battling with both the present and the past. Bird writes about men and women and the social and geographical borders they cross. Throughout these tales runs the influence of place, and how the land and its ghosts can redeem us.”

Author:

“Welsh writer Math Bird has had stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Radio Wales, Radio 4 Extra. His work has also appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies.”

Appraisal:

If you like your stories short, crime-ridden, and dark, this is the book for you. Those are qualities all seven of the stories in this collection share. Other things they have in common are, as the description indicates, a setting in Wales and being solidly written, entertaining reads.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses UK spelling conventions.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

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