The Zone are now carrying my review of David Logan‘s first novel, Half-Sick of Shadows. The book was one of the joint winners of the inaugural Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now First Novel Award. The curious thing about it is that, for a work of the fantastic, Half-Sick of Shadows is at its best in realist mode: Logan’s portrait of childhood in a remote part of Ireland is excellent; but, when time travel elements kick in properly at about halfway through, the novel starts to falter.
Click here to read what I thought about Half-Sick of Shadows in full.
19th July 2012 at 11:48 am
I agree that the realistic elements of this book were the best. I didn’t quite understand why some sections were there and wondered if I was missing some fantasy references that I wasn’t familiar with. It was still a good read though.
21st July 2012 at 1:55 pm
That’s interesting, Jackie – which sections do you mean?