Viv Laine
Reviews of 'The Hollow Moon'
Donna Cains
A faerie good read
The hollow moon is an enjoyable read. Viv Laine brings you close to the characters in the first few pages. You stand side by side with Nikki as she traverses the mist between two worlds and encounters the Sidhe. You feel her pain as she struggles with her personal loss and her relationship with her father. The tension builds towards an unexpected conclusion and leaves you looking forward to the sequel.
By Claire P Gillon - author
If you go down to the woods today...
When Laine leads you into the magic and legend of The Hollow Moon, it’s three-dimensional world springs up around you. This is no mystic land of ‘Faerie’ where fairy-tales are confined to fabled times and places – this is the here and now and the reader is transported through portals – that have you so engrossed your coffee goes cold.
Sometimes fantasy books can take some time to envelope you; (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones). The Hollow Moon doesn’t do unnecessarily long sentences and pages of meandering text; it is a readable mix of brilliantly inventive ideas, believable characters and a storyline that takes the lead and keeps you guessing, from quests and battles to otherworldly beings and dangerous other-scapes.
The Hollow Moon’s real strength is the way all the ideas fit together to produce a convincing and immersive world. The book's concept of magic or lore is a great device for generating plot twists, and merging the battle scenes dominated by the Sidhe making entertaining reading. Indeed, lore threads its way through the entire plot, through the lethal effects of the Sidhe, to the relationship between loyalty and conflict where our protagonist Nikki Hunter is caught. I look forward to Laine’s next instalment – life can never be the same for Nikki!
By Brian Braund - Published on Amazon.com
A haunting fantasy, brilliantly written
Nikki haunted by grief, flees from her nightmares into the woods locals avoid. What is the icy presence she senses there that threatens humankind? Why do people die there? and why can she see in the invisible people who dwell in the Hill. This original fast moving story brings ancient values into conflict with modern. Where will Nikki's loyalties lie, how will she choose. A Christmas stocking thriller, I am sending to my Granddaughter, she will love it too.
By S Cornish - author/animator
Dare you go to Barrow Wood?
Viv Laine’s novel hit me immediately as a tale of both mystery and subtle menace. It doesn’t deal with the every-day nice elves of popular fantasy, but the fearsome Sidhe of Celtic mythology. Sidhe who are mercurially unpredictable as they are beautiful and dangerous. And when Nikki encounters them she comes to realise the Sidhe have an agenda of their own. An agenda that rips through the lives of those around her and threatens to tear her between two worlds. Hollow moon offers strong and believable characters with a delightfully fabulistic narrative.
By Ronan Coghlan
Well worth reading
This is a very well crafted book, steeped in mythology, but containing credible contemporary characters as well. It was a pleasure to read it. I look forward to the sequel. The author is particularly skillful in making the fairies somewhat but not exactly human in character. The psychology of the heroine is particularly well thought out.
By Bruce G. Hallenbeck - author/filmmaker
It's really, really good. As in Arthur Machen good, Lovecraft good, Clark Ashton Smith good. Better than good. It's a first-rate dark fantasy novel, the kind of book I've always loved. The dialogue is completely believable, the descriptions beautifully dreamlike. I adore this book.
By Serena Cairns - author
Step into a world where eroded modern values clash with ancient magic and menace, where loyalties are torn and nothing is as it seems. Incredibly beautiful but sometimes harrowing descriptions weave a tale that will leave you aching for what we've lost, whilst possibly fearing what we've gained.
Reviews of 'Between Stops'
Graham Higson on 29 July 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Review policy: if I can't award 3 or more stars then I don't post a review. I mark on technical considerations; I will not slate a book just because I don't like a genre or a story, unlike many people who post so-called "honest" reviews. If I feel there's an issue then I will try to contact the author for clarification. Fairness, not vindictive point-scoring, is how I work.
The book:
I was given a copy of Between Stops for review purposes. This is a collection of over three dozen short stories, each tending to have sinister and wryly comedic undertones, some with an unexpected twist ending. I see it as easy reading at bedtime or for a little escapism such as, well, when between travel stops.
It's difficult to judge any anthology unless the stories are linked in some way or are about one character, or at least written by the same author, whereby the reader may witness some degree of character development or catharsis by the end. Because Between Stops comprises different stories by different writers, each with their own individual style, my score of 4 stars is merely an average and one which should be seen as a very high ranking for this genre.
A touch of the "Tales of the Unexpected"
By Netty18 on 2 July 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Between Stops is a collection of 37 little stories. Some should be classed as short and some very short. They are great to read on the bus/train – literally between stops. The book is well presented and offers a variety of themes from the gruesome/macabre to whimsical humour. Each of the 5 authors put their own style on their offerings.
It's a veritable pot pourri of shorts that you can dip into when you don't have time to give to a full length novel. Bite size chunks of fiction that you can enjoy anywhere – anytime. But beware, some may be better not read before you go out alone walking the dog in the dark!
Well written and interesting. Lots of different concepts and interesting short stories. A good read!
By John on 16 July 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Great book of short stories. Beautifully written stories and also with some off the wall concepts and views on the world (and other worlds) to make you think and want to keep reading. And because they are short stories you can pick it up and read a bit at any time you want. And each time is interestingly different. I will certainly check out these writer's other works!
A very well written book
By M A W GOOD on 2 July 2014
Format: Paperback
A very well written book, especially if you are a person who likes short stories. When I saw it on Amazon, I was in two minds about buying it, but decided to give it a go. Once I received the book, and began to read it, I found it was a book you could not put down and reading the short stories was more relaxing. It is an ideal book if you are travelling and you want to finish a story before you reach your destination. Some stories I enjoyed more than others, but, in my opinion, they are all good stories to suit different tastes. I would recommend this book.
Reviews of 'Wyrd Stories'
Great book (5 star)
By hairyforester on 23 Aug. 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Great book, lots of interesting, innovative fantasy stories from some good authors. Well worth a look at this price, certainly!