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The Hill Ghost
It's rural Scotland in the early 19th century. A noble Tibetan mastiff and a nautically deluded seagull must defend their sheep against the last pack of wolves in the British isles. Together, they reckon with numerous worthy themes, and dip their toes in downmarket philosophy.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2018
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193 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 20, 2018
Callan brings an endearing tale of a Mastiff and Seagull to life in The Hill Ghost. I immediately came to love the protagonist, for he was very matter-of-fact and proven to be a loyal protector to his flock. The old dog captures your heart and hope as challenges arise at the paddock. Wolves come to take revenge on the dog for his actions in the past against their kin. Callan evokes many emotions through his writing--lightheartedness, love, concern, hope, anger, triumph, and everything in between. I found myself reading funny parts aloud over and over again, just to hold onto the humor a little longer. I even found myself blushing at one point! This story is both heartwarming, and just as equally heartbreaking. The Hill Ghost has wiggled its way into my top five book list and there it shall remain!
After communicating with the author, I've learned so much about the history behind the setting and the inspiration for his characters. He is a talented writer and I hope that Callan will be eager to write again!
After communicating with the author, I've learned so much about the history behind the setting and the inspiration for his characters. He is a talented writer and I hope that Callan will be eager to write again!
February 5, 2020
Part Watership Down, part Shakespearean tragedy.
A highly entertaining book brimming with character, humour and brutality.
A highly entertaining book brimming with character, humour and brutality.
July 29, 2020
10/10 enjoyment and 10/10 would recommend. Loved the style, humour and flow of writing, I have about 5 books on the go at any one time and I put them all on pause to finish this one.
November 13, 2020
The book's so enjoyable to read. It made me laugh a lot and feel various things: happy, anxious, angry, heartbroken, hopeful, shocked, and so on--which makes me think that Callan's so good at translating his humor, ideas, and feelings into words. I even remember feeling nostalgic about something I've never even experienced (remember, the lead character is a dog).
I love the main characters, even some minor ones (hello, 'Constellation') but of course my favorites are Dog and Gull. They are both lovable in their own ways, though I think I have become more fond of Gull a.k.a. Blue. Dog is a noble, brave, and admirable protector, who's also adorably innocent and awkward times. Meanwhile, Blue is a loyal and reliable friend with a comforting presence. And being a bird that's been to many places and witnessed many wars at sea, he's full of wisdom and often gives sound advice--when he's not deluded (I don't agree with some of the things he says even when he's in his right mind, but yeah, we all have our own opinions and beliefs, even a bird. To each his own). But even when he's lost in his nautical adventures, he's still so adorable.
One of the things I find most amazing about the book are Callan's descriptions--they're so vivid and creative that I've had to reread some of them (some of them are long, too 😆). And when those images have become clear in my mind, down to which direction my gaze should go--up a tree trunk for example--, it felt like I was reading a movie!--If that makes sense. Callan indeed writes pretty sentences that make one imagine exactly what's happening.
The story starts in a lighthearted way, then turns more serious as it progresses--serious yet still interesting. When the characters talk about ideas and ideals, I realize that the book is philosophical, indeed. Amid the story of how Dog and Blue decide to protect their sheep, The Hill Ghost touches on many worthy themes, as the blurb on the back cover promises. I love the book because it makes one think--even of things many of us probably just take for granted or ignore--like the fate of animals we live and don't live with--because we are busy with our own lives and we've become so accustomed to the current way of things that we think some situations are normal or acceptable. I love how the book doesn't impose which ideas are right, but rather presents both sides of an issue.
In the end, the author offers a moral lesson,
albeit comically. Of course, we may or may not agree with it in real life (I agree with it to some extent--but why I don't agree fully is another thing and I don't need to discuss it here), but I think it captures what the story is about, given the circumstances of the characters. I know that creative works are open for interpretation and while I like it that way too, I think what Callan does--stating what the moral of his novel is--is also a good idea, not to mention unique: as unique as the 'names' of the reviewers in the book's back cover. Haha.. You know that feeling sometimes when after reading something, you find yourself wanting to reach out to the author to clarify some things and know if you've understood things perfectly? For me, the last page of the book helped me connect the actions and events in the story and better see things as a whole.
By the way, there's some adult content in the book, so I think it's more appropriate for readers that are of age and are mature enough for such things. But to clarify, these parts are still presented carefully. They're almost harmless, I think, especially considering that the characters are animals and we see such things in documentaries about nature. And let us not forget that the author has 'warned' us about such beforehand in one of his IG posts~
All in all, The Hill Ghost--which, by the way, is Callan's first book--is wonderful and I recommend it. He said he said he wrote it years ago and remembers "being quite proud of it"--and I think he should really be! I hope he'll publish more works in the future. =)
(By the way, I didn't want to call this a book review because it's just a compilation of my thoughts and I'm not even a book critic, but yeah for the sake of convenience, let's call it a review. 😂)
I love the main characters, even some minor ones (hello, 'Constellation') but of course my favorites are Dog and Gull. They are both lovable in their own ways, though I think I have become more fond of Gull a.k.a. Blue. Dog is a noble, brave, and admirable protector, who's also adorably innocent and awkward times. Meanwhile, Blue is a loyal and reliable friend with a comforting presence. And being a bird that's been to many places and witnessed many wars at sea, he's full of wisdom and often gives sound advice--when he's not deluded (I don't agree with some of the things he says even when he's in his right mind, but yeah, we all have our own opinions and beliefs, even a bird. To each his own). But even when he's lost in his nautical adventures, he's still so adorable.
One of the things I find most amazing about the book are Callan's descriptions--they're so vivid and creative that I've had to reread some of them (some of them are long, too 😆). And when those images have become clear in my mind, down to which direction my gaze should go--up a tree trunk for example--, it felt like I was reading a movie!--If that makes sense. Callan indeed writes pretty sentences that make one imagine exactly what's happening.
The story starts in a lighthearted way, then turns more serious as it progresses--serious yet still interesting. When the characters talk about ideas and ideals, I realize that the book is philosophical, indeed. Amid the story of how Dog and Blue decide to protect their sheep, The Hill Ghost touches on many worthy themes, as the blurb on the back cover promises. I love the book because it makes one think--even of things many of us probably just take for granted or ignore--like the fate of animals we live and don't live with--because we are busy with our own lives and we've become so accustomed to the current way of things that we think some situations are normal or acceptable. I love how the book doesn't impose which ideas are right, but rather presents both sides of an issue.
In the end, the author offers a moral lesson,
albeit comically. Of course, we may or may not agree with it in real life (I agree with it to some extent--but why I don't agree fully is another thing and I don't need to discuss it here), but I think it captures what the story is about, given the circumstances of the characters. I know that creative works are open for interpretation and while I like it that way too, I think what Callan does--stating what the moral of his novel is--is also a good idea, not to mention unique: as unique as the 'names' of the reviewers in the book's back cover. Haha.. You know that feeling sometimes when after reading something, you find yourself wanting to reach out to the author to clarify some things and know if you've understood things perfectly? For me, the last page of the book helped me connect the actions and events in the story and better see things as a whole.
By the way, there's some adult content in the book, so I think it's more appropriate for readers that are of age and are mature enough for such things. But to clarify, these parts are still presented carefully. They're almost harmless, I think, especially considering that the characters are animals and we see such things in documentaries about nature. And let us not forget that the author has 'warned' us about such beforehand in one of his IG posts~
All in all, The Hill Ghost--which, by the way, is Callan's first book--is wonderful and I recommend it. He said he said he wrote it years ago and remembers "being quite proud of it"--and I think he should really be! I hope he'll publish more works in the future. =)
(By the way, I didn't want to call this a book review because it's just a compilation of my thoughts and I'm not even a book critic, but yeah for the sake of convenience, let's call it a review. 😂)
October 26, 2019
Beautifully written
This book may one day be a classic. I'd love to see illustrations for it although the descriptions bring the story alive to my mind's eye. It was a enjoyable read, and I cannot but agree wholeheartedly with the last line.
This book may one day be a classic. I'd love to see illustrations for it although the descriptions bring the story alive to my mind's eye. It was a enjoyable read, and I cannot but agree wholeheartedly with the last line.
December 1, 2019
Too convoluted for my taste
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews