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motherhorror's review
5.0
Right after I read Kealan Patrick Burke's Blanky, I knew I'd need some more. So if you haven't read that one, I highly recommend that novella as well.
I won a giveaway Burke hosted on his Instagram (yes, follow him) for a signed poster of his book cover for Milestone. Well, a book worm can't have a signed poster of a book she doesn't own so I bought the book and threw KIN in my cart for good measure.
Milestone is a collection of 4 short stories (I think I'm learning the difference between a novella and a short story? Size matters?) all taking place in Kealan's fictional town, Milestone.
You do NOT want to visit and you certainly don't want to live there. This place is like on the same evil plane as Derry, Maine or Castle Rock.
My favorite story in the collection are the bookends, the first: The Witch and the last, The Palaver. The second story, Saturday Night at Eddie's is also very good-Burke shows off his talent for characterization in this one, the main character/narrator giving me some noir, Jim Hopper (Stranger Things) vibes. Loved it.
I loved them all, actually! Not a weak story in the lot. And a 4 story collection is really awesome, think Different Seasons.
So now I've read a novella, a bunch of shorties and now I'm moving on to a novel. This author is proving to be a new fangirl favorite! A dangerous instabuy--have to own them all. It's my recommendation that fans of horror and dark fiction will love Burke's storytelling as much as I do. Get yourself some.
*fan-fact* you can read my interview with author Kealan Patrick Burke right here:
http://sadiehartmann.blogspot.com/2017/11/author-interview-kealan-patrick-burke.html
I won a giveaway Burke hosted on his Instagram (yes, follow him) for a signed poster of his book cover for Milestone. Well, a book worm can't have a signed poster of a book she doesn't own so I bought the book and threw KIN in my cart for good measure.
Milestone is a collection of 4 short stories (I think I'm learning the difference between a novella and a short story? Size matters?) all taking place in Kealan's fictional town, Milestone.
You do NOT want to visit and you certainly don't want to live there. This place is like on the same evil plane as Derry, Maine or Castle Rock.
My favorite story in the collection are the bookends, the first: The Witch and the last, The Palaver. The second story, Saturday Night at Eddie's is also very good-Burke shows off his talent for characterization in this one, the main character/narrator giving me some noir, Jim Hopper (Stranger Things) vibes. Loved it.
I loved them all, actually! Not a weak story in the lot. And a 4 story collection is really awesome, think Different Seasons.
So now I've read a novella, a bunch of shorties and now I'm moving on to a novel. This author is proving to be a new fangirl favorite! A dangerous instabuy--have to own them all. It's my recommendation that fans of horror and dark fiction will love Burke's storytelling as much as I do. Get yourself some.
*fan-fact* you can read my interview with author Kealan Patrick Burke right here:
http://sadiehartmann.blogspot.com/2017/11/author-interview-kealan-patrick-burke.html
0hfortheloveofbooks's review
5.0
"See I read you the minute you pulled up. You got secrets. Hell, everyone does, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. At least, there wouldn't be, if you was thinkin' of headin' anywhere else."
Milestone couldn't have come at a better time for me. It took me almost a full month to finish my last read so I was craving something catchy and quick. Milestone was just that. I couldn't put it down. I loved the four novellas and how they all had the creepy little town of Milestone in common. I do love a creepy, dilapidated small town! This one definitely gets added to the list of places I never want to visit (this list includes both Castle Rock and Derry Maine) but also kind of want to drive through. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess! Like Derry and Castle Rock, I wonder if the people are evil because they live there, evil seeping into their very bones, or is the town evil because evil people have lived there and poisoned the atmosphere? (And I use the word "evil" as a catch-all for negative energy - evil, hopeless, not belonging anywhere else.)
I still can't decide which story is my favorite. As I was reading each one, I said to myself “no, this one is my favorite!” The Witch was a perfect starting point to the collection. It was a great introduction to the town of Milestone. There were no jump scares or gore but it was filled with haunting bleakness. I was not expecting the outcome! Actually, I really did not expect the outcome of any of the stories. I'd like to think that speaks more to Kealan Patrick Burke's skill as a writer than it speaks to my powers (or lack thereof) of observation.
Saturday Night at Eddie's and Thirty Miles South of Dry County were both set in Milestone but were both unique and very different stories that really showed the devolution of the town. The final story, The Palaver, was slightly different as the story itself was not set in Milestone but it showed how the tentacles of Milestone are far reaching. And now I'm torn between feeling like I need to go get my hair cut and never wanting to see a barber (hairdresser) again!
After reading, and falling in love with Blanky, I was worried all subsequent books wouldn't be able to hold a candle to it. However, I was so wrong! Kealan Patrick Burke has solidified his place as one of my favorite authors.
Milestone couldn't have come at a better time for me. It took me almost a full month to finish my last read so I was craving something catchy and quick. Milestone was just that. I couldn't put it down. I loved the four novellas and how they all had the creepy little town of Milestone in common. I do love a creepy, dilapidated small town! This one definitely gets added to the list of places I never want to visit (this list includes both Castle Rock and Derry Maine) but also kind of want to drive through. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess! Like Derry and Castle Rock, I wonder if the people are evil because they live there, evil seeping into their very bones, or is the town evil because evil people have lived there and poisoned the atmosphere? (And I use the word "evil" as a catch-all for negative energy - evil, hopeless, not belonging anywhere else.)
I still can't decide which story is my favorite. As I was reading each one, I said to myself “no, this one is my favorite!” The Witch was a perfect starting point to the collection. It was a great introduction to the town of Milestone. There were no jump scares or gore but it was filled with haunting bleakness. I was not expecting the outcome! Actually, I really did not expect the outcome of any of the stories. I'd like to think that speaks more to Kealan Patrick Burke's skill as a writer than it speaks to my powers (or lack thereof) of observation.
Saturday Night at Eddie's and Thirty Miles South of Dry County were both set in Milestone but were both unique and very different stories that really showed the devolution of the town. The final story, The Palaver, was slightly different as the story itself was not set in Milestone but it showed how the tentacles of Milestone are far reaching. And now I'm torn between feeling like I need to go get my hair cut and never wanting to see a barber (hairdresser) again!
After reading, and falling in love with Blanky, I was worried all subsequent books wouldn't be able to hold a candle to it. However, I was so wrong! Kealan Patrick Burke has solidified his place as one of my favorite authors.
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