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Monday, December 19, 2011

The New Death and Others by James Hutchings

The New Death and Others, by James Hutchings, is an anthology of various short stories, jokes and poems written by Mr. Hutchings in e-book form. The book itself isn't more than a hundred pages, so it's a quick read and good if you have an afternoon free or some spare time in your commute. At least, for those of you that commute using buses or trains, don't read and drive kids.

To be perfectly honest, at times I feel like I'm reading through Hutchings's notebook. Some of the entries aren't longer than a paragraph or two, while others take up numerous pages. Some stories or entries are serious and melancholy, while others are flippant and filled with puns. Oh sweet merciful Emperor, the puns. If making puns truly is the Eighth Deadly Sin, then Hutchings is incredibly guilty. Even if the book feels like a notebook, at the very least it's a well-written notebook.

I do feel like some of the entries, especially the shorter ones, could do with a little fleshing out. However, the majority of the stories and poems are well-written, even if the moral kind of hits you over the head at times. Overall I would say it's well-worth the one dollar and there are plenty of worse ways to spend a dollar these days. Well...if you can find anything for a dollar. I give it three and a half sheep based largely on its brevity and its low cost, as well as it being an enjoyable means to spend an afternoon.

The New Death and Others is available on Amazon and Smashwords for the bargain price of $0.99 USD.


-Kalpar


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for this review. I've linked to it from the New Death page on my blog.

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  2. Thanks for bringing this little gem to my attention. I also found this author's blogsite at http://apolitical.info/teleleli/ to be worth perusing.

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  3. Wow only a buck?! And you get a good laugh! Sounds like a winner to me!

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  4. This one sounds like a maybe to me. I generally want a little more meat on my plate, but I do like to take time for a snippet now and then. Thanks for sharing about The New Death and Others, I now know what to expect from it :)

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