Mike Finn > Recent Status Updates

This is a torrent of a book: lots of characters, lots of narrators, a huge scope, fun ideas, a little bit of snark and some tense action.
I'm just going to go with the flow on this and let myself be entertained and amused and maybe learn a thing or two.

I'm done. Not my kind of horror novel. The plot is excuse for sewing together a series of gory kills by the seamonster. The bad guys are cartoon villains. The old woman has no depth. Even her memories are romanticised clichés.

With 90 minutes left. I'm fairly sure the billionaire, his son and their minions are about to meet a well-deserved, graphically described, gory death but I've just realised, I DON'T CARE.

This is very well done. Having Watson write this at the end of his career as a remembrance of earlier times is an inspired idea that always Watson to provide context as he reflects on events and personalities and relationships. While the tone of storytelling feels authentic (or close to it) the story is more complicated and has a bigger scope than most of Holme's stories.

This is beautifully written and flawlessly narrated.

The presence of the humans is disquieting. I can't see how this is going to end but most of the outcomes are upsetting.

I like that the pace and style of the storytelling resembles Conan Doyle's, rather than being accelerated to match 21st Century expectations.

The one thing that isn't working for me is Holmes' motivation for taking the case. He remarks that "This is becoming an increasingly interesting and complex case' but I have no idea why he thinks that.

OK, I'm starting to see the appeal of telling the story from Gobbelino's point of view. I like his mix of humour, hauteur, reluctant empathy and thinly concealed damage.

Immediately immersive. Masterful use of a first person narrative. Great narration.
I'd worried that this might be a clunky retelling of Red Riding Hood but it's actually a deeply imagined tale of survival. Red, the main character, is vividly drawn.

This is much gentler and more sentimental than I'd expected. I'm yet to see the comedy part. Not a complaint. I like what I'm reading but I'd prefer the marketing to relate to content and not the assumed expectations of the target audience.

This has one of those slow, pull up a chair on the porch and get yourself situated starts that sometimes signal a tall tale. I found it quite relaxing.

Great description of being in a firestorm.

I like the extra perspective added by getting the FBI agents point of view.