REVIEW
I was reminded of the intensity of my adoration for short stories and novellas, all thanks to my starting of this book. And I have Tor’s monthly free books to thank for that, as this was a part of that campaign.
“I want to kill my stepdad.”
Hammers on Bone began with such powerful first liner that you just can’t go about ignoring the story after you’ve read it.
More than a statement, it is a collection of questions for the reader: Who is this person? Why do they want to kill their stepdad? Where are they making this statement and who? How will they go about doing it? And many more.
“Every man’s got a little bad in him. If we spend all our time judging people for one wrong, we wouldn’t have enough left over to get on with it. Besides, there are worst people out there.”
For the briefest of summary, the story follows a P.I that occasionally do side hustles of assassination. However, this time, he didn’t expect a child to be the client.
The book was surprisingly—although, I would say less, given that it was by Tor and they tend to produce great works—well-written. And for a novella, it has so much strong aspects that it could’ve survived with being a longer, more elaborate novel.
I have not read any works by Lovecraft, but this is a story that many people who likes him or the eerie, thrilling mystery of a hidden monster would love. It played well in incorporating these fantastical elements to the story. Add to that, the atmospheric nuance of the plot and you’d get a well-rounded story.
“The cry of the gun is loud as the death of stars.”
There is a trigger warning as the story works its way through a domestically abused family. The violence are not strongly active; however, the book isn’t without its presence.
As with my first statement, it would be extremely obvious that I enjoyed this book. It has the good aspects of a perfectly crafted story, and you can see with every page that the author’s effort and love for literature translated amazingly within this book.
