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Hank Shank VIII
Hank Troud has it all ... but he's never satisfied.
He sees enemies everywhere, plotting to kill him and take
everything he has.
His grandiose personality, greed and mounting paranoia turn
him into his own worst enemy.
In Hank's mind, he is the king of his own empire, born to rule
with the right to use and murder people as he sees fit.
He is a leader at war with the world, a ruthless gangster with
double-standards and delusions of grandeur.
How far would you go in order to get everything you desire?
What would you be willing to compromise in the bargain?
Is your character, morals and soul too high a price?
Hank Shank VIII retells the story of King Henry Tudor in our time,
caught in changing times and an ever-raging power struggle,
battling with his personal demons and finding himself constantly
at war with enemies both outside and within
his organisation.
A contemporary Henry for our era.
Would his legacy be so different?
He sees enemies everywhere, plotting to kill him and take
everything he has.
His grandiose personality, greed and mounting paranoia turn
him into his own worst enemy.
In Hank's mind, he is the king of his own empire, born to rule
with the right to use and murder people as he sees fit.
He is a leader at war with the world, a ruthless gangster with
double-standards and delusions of grandeur.
How far would you go in order to get everything you desire?
What would you be willing to compromise in the bargain?
Is your character, morals and soul too high a price?
Hank Shank VIII retells the story of King Henry Tudor in our time,
caught in changing times and an ever-raging power struggle,
battling with his personal demons and finding himself constantly
at war with enemies both outside and within
his organisation.
A contemporary Henry for our era.
Would his legacy be so different?
214 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2008
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 28, 2009
John Walker has brilliantly succeeded in taking the historical character of King Henry VIII and transporting him into our current time for Hank Shank VIII. It’s like the Henry VIII version of Al Capone: ruthless, arrogant, selfish, womanizing, and a vicious, cold-blooded murderer.
The story revolves around Hank’s rage of power struggles with the added ingredients of pure paranoia and self-pity throughout his entire reign. He’s an ideal character study of the true psychopathic mind, which I find extremely fascinating. It’s definitely not a light read and not even a feel good read, but well worth your time.
I really enjoyed this book. I found the story to be interesting, gripping, and difficult to put down until I found out what was ultimately going to happen to Hank. It’s a fairly short book (about 200 pages) and it’s perfect for an evening or weekend read. It would be a great topic of conversation for book clubs. I highly recommend this book.
The story revolves around Hank’s rage of power struggles with the added ingredients of pure paranoia and self-pity throughout his entire reign. He’s an ideal character study of the true psychopathic mind, which I find extremely fascinating. It’s definitely not a light read and not even a feel good read, but well worth your time.
I really enjoyed this book. I found the story to be interesting, gripping, and difficult to put down until I found out what was ultimately going to happen to Hank. It’s a fairly short book (about 200 pages) and it’s perfect for an evening or weekend read. It would be a great topic of conversation for book clubs. I highly recommend this book.
August 13, 2009
I liked this book! I wish we could give half stars because I probably liked it more than the books I give three stars to, but maybe not as much as the ones I have in my four star category. It's not a romance, it's not a happily ever after, or feel good book of the year, definitely not the genres that I normally find myself in, but I liked it anyway ;)
I liked seeing a historical character unfold in a time I'm familiar with, although it doesn't increase my sympathy for him. I probably dislike him more now than I did before.
The story had a nice steady pace that it didn't deviate from and at 200 and some pages is one that you could read in a day.
The idea was good, and I think it was well executed. It also left me wondering what happened to the rest of the players in this drama, I may have to look them up after I'm done here.
I liked seeing a historical character unfold in a time I'm familiar with, although it doesn't increase my sympathy for him. I probably dislike him more now than I did before.
The story had a nice steady pace that it didn't deviate from and at 200 and some pages is one that you could read in a day.
The idea was good, and I think it was well executed. It also left me wondering what happened to the rest of the players in this drama, I may have to look them up after I'm done here.
January 19, 2011
I remember learning about Henry the VIII at school and I’ve seen a lot of films and TV adaptations of his story. This book is a great retelling of the same character, but in a different century. Hank Troud’s life pans out in the exact same way, as he chooses the same women, makes the same choices and seems fated to make the same mistakes. There are subtle differences made here and there in his life and dealings to make it work in the contemporary world. It’s also a shorter book than John Walker’s previous novels, but it was still a thorough, descriptive and enjoyable read. It’s a great idea, bringing a historical character to life in a modern setting and exploring the same set of situations again. I wish I’d thought of writing something like this.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews