Ketchup on Everything by Nathan Robinson
Title: Ketchup on Everything
Series: none
Author: Nathan Robinson
Published: Snakebite Publishing; 2014
116 pages, kindle edition
Source: Review copy provided by author
Description:
For the past twenty years, Elliott Tather has been living a life of mourning that almost destroyed him. After losing everything he held dear and bound by a consuming sorrow, Tather travels the country attempting to fix a wrong that haunts his every waking and dreaming moment. But one evening after pulling into a roadside diner to settle down with a simple cup of coffee, the door opens and everything changes. The nothing he had, and the regret that filled it will never be the same again.
Author Bio:
Horror author Nathan Robinson lives in Scunthorpe with his darling four year old twin boys, his patient wife/editor and a three legged cat named Dave. So far he’s had numerous short stories published by www.spinetinglers.co.uk, Rainstorm Press, Knight Watch Press, Pseudopod, Static Movement and many more.
He writes best in the dead of night or travelling at 77mph. He is a regular reviewer for www.snakebitehorror.co.uk, which he loves because he gets free books. He likes free books. His first novel “Starers” was released by Severed Press to rave reviews. This was followed by his short story collection “Devil Let Me Go.” His novelette “Ketchup with Everything” is the first publication from Snakebite Horror Publishing.
My Thoughts:
2.5 stars
Hmmm... This book has left me feeling oddly conflicted. I liked the idea of this book. The blurb is oddly cryptic and I went in without the slightest inkling to what this was about - just like how I like it! I hate when the blurb spoils the story *cough* Hunting Lila *cough* - but that is an entirely different rant that I am not going to go into. I'll just say that not knowing what was going to happen next was the best part of this. The suspense was practically palpable in the beginning and ending of the book. The middle? Well, that is where I had most of my problems.
While Ketchup on Everything had its moments, most of it was awfully dull. The middle sections, the flashbacks, were uneventful and boring. They dragged on and on and took over most of the book. I understand that they were important in building up the tension for the ending, but I didn't enjoy them.
The ending certainly helped to make up for this, however. What a shocker! I honestly didn't see that coming. Looking back I can see that I should have predicated something like that happening, but I was completely blindsided! And I love being shocked by a book. Books are becoming more and more like cookie-cutter carbon copies of each other, and as a consequence: more predictable. Ketchup on Everything was hardly that and it was a pleasant surprise.
The only other major fault that I feel like I need to point out is the characters were a little flat. I didn't dislike them necessarily but I didn't feel like I go to know them very well. However, seeing that this is only a very short book, I can understand that character development isn't the easiest task. Saying that the book really would have benefitted from it.
Overall, I think this was very well-written and I look forward to picking up more of this author's work, namely Starers and Devil Let Me Go which I have read some great reviews about. I would recommend Ketchup on Everything to fans of The Graveyard Kiss.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Nathan Robinson in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
2.5 stars
Hmmm... This book has left me feeling oddly conflicted. I liked the idea of this book. The blurb is oddly cryptic and I went in without the slightest inkling to what this was about - just like how I like it! I hate when the blurb spoils the story *cough* Hunting Lila *cough* - but that is an entirely different rant that I am not going to go into. I'll just say that not knowing what was going to happen next was the best part of this. The suspense was practically palpable in the beginning and ending of the book. The middle? Well, that is where I had most of my problems.
While Ketchup on Everything had its moments, most of it was awfully dull. The middle sections, the flashbacks, were uneventful and boring. They dragged on and on and took over most of the book. I understand that they were important in building up the tension for the ending, but I didn't enjoy them.
The ending certainly helped to make up for this, however. What a shocker! I honestly didn't see that coming. Looking back I can see that I should have predicated something like that happening, but I was completely blindsided! And I love being shocked by a book. Books are becoming more and more like cookie-cutter carbon copies of each other, and as a consequence: more predictable. Ketchup on Everything was hardly that and it was a pleasant surprise.
The only other major fault that I feel like I need to point out is the characters were a little flat. I didn't dislike them necessarily but I didn't feel like I go to know them very well. However, seeing that this is only a very short book, I can understand that character development isn't the easiest task. Saying that the book really would have benefitted from it.
Overall, I think this was very well-written and I look forward to picking up more of this author's work, namely Starers and Devil Let Me Go which I have read some great reviews about. I would recommend Ketchup on Everything to fans of The Graveyard Kiss.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Nathan Robinson in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
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