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Timmy Quinn #3
Vessels
Only 400 signed limited edition hardbacks will be published. Bloodletting Press On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, an unpiloted boat drifts ashore, watched by a man to whom the dead are something to be feared... In a small stone chapel that stands hunkered against the vicious island winds, a woman whispers a frantic prayer to the gathering dark as something pale and dreadful scratches at the window. A young girl in love races to the shore to meet her lover and finds something monstrous instead... And in a confessional, a dead man waits to tell his sins... A gunshot in a church in Los Angeles leads Tim Quinn halfway around the world and into a nightmare, for on Blackrock Island, he will find love, murder and madness, and discover an earth-shattering truth about the Curtain, and those who hide behind it.
137 pages, Hardcover
First published November 21, 2006
27 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
Kealan Patrick Burke
194 books2,327 followersHailed by Booklist as “one of the most clever and original talents in contemporary horror,” Kealan Patrick Burke was born and raised in Ireland and emigrated to the United States a few weeks before 9/11.
Since then, he has written six novels, among them the popular southern gothic Kin, and over two hundred short stories and novellas, many of which are in various stages of development for film/TV.
A five-time nominee, Burke won the Bram Stoker Award in 2005 for his coming-of-age novella The Turtle Boy, the first book in the acclaimed Timmy Quinn series.
As editor, he helmed the anthologies Night Visions 12, Taverns of the Dead, and Quietly Now, a tribute anthology to one of Burke’s influences, the late Charles L. Grant.
More recently, he wrote the screenplays for Sour Candy (based on his novella), and the remake of the iconic horror film The Changeling (1980), for producer Joel B. Michaels.
He also adapted Sour Candy as a graphic novel for John Carpenter's Night Terrors.
His most recent release is Cottonmouth, a prequel to Kin. The Widows of Winding Gale, a maritime horror novel set in Ireland, is due for release in October as a signed limited edition from Earthling Publications.
Kealan is represented by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House.
He lives in Ohio with a Scooby Doo lookalike rescue named Red.
Since then, he has written six novels, among them the popular southern gothic Kin, and over two hundred short stories and novellas, many of which are in various stages of development for film/TV.
A five-time nominee, Burke won the Bram Stoker Award in 2005 for his coming-of-age novella The Turtle Boy, the first book in the acclaimed Timmy Quinn series.
As editor, he helmed the anthologies Night Visions 12, Taverns of the Dead, and Quietly Now, a tribute anthology to one of Burke’s influences, the late Charles L. Grant.
More recently, he wrote the screenplays for Sour Candy (based on his novella), and the remake of the iconic horror film The Changeling (1980), for producer Joel B. Michaels.
He also adapted Sour Candy as a graphic novel for John Carpenter's Night Terrors.
His most recent release is Cottonmouth, a prequel to Kin. The Widows of Winding Gale, a maritime horror novel set in Ireland, is due for release in October as a signed limited edition from Earthling Publications.
Kealan is represented by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House.
He lives in Ohio with a Scooby Doo lookalike rescue named Red.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 21, 2021
Vessels is regarded by some (including the man himself) as Kealan Patrick Burke’s best work. Upon completion, I am inclined to agree, even though I do find most of his work very impressive. I highly recommend the Timmy Quinn series to anybody who likes mystery stories with some great horror moments.
We join our protagonist Timmy Quinn, now wanting to be known as Tim Quinn, at the very least a decade or two after the events of The Hides.
It opens with an admission of guilt by Tim’s father, which had been seeded quite well throughout the first two books and made quite obvious, but it felt good to have that confirmation from Kealan.
After this, Tim is hellbent on escaping to a place where no murders should have taken place. He doesn’t see the dead unless people have been killed. He moves to an island off the coast of Ireland, hoping that this location will be remote enough.
Of course, nowhere on Earth is devoid of any murderous goings-on, and Tim’s “special power” will always be exercised.
Kealan Patrick Burke has a knack for writing believable characters and creating great relationships between them. This is evident with the return of Tim’s girlfriend, Kim. The part when Tim first sees her after so long is written so well. He wanted to keep her away from him and out of danger, but she feels safer with him by her side despite the dangers that surround him.
The progression in the series is remarkable and each story you won’t be able to put down and be very eager to carry on with until its satisfying conclusion.
This is the best type of story to read in the dark, going into the small hours of the morning.
An easy 5 star rating from me. 💀
We join our protagonist Timmy Quinn, now wanting to be known as Tim Quinn, at the very least a decade or two after the events of The Hides.
It opens with an admission of guilt by Tim’s father, which had been seeded quite well throughout the first two books and made quite obvious, but it felt good to have that confirmation from Kealan.
After this, Tim is hellbent on escaping to a place where no murders should have taken place. He doesn’t see the dead unless people have been killed. He moves to an island off the coast of Ireland, hoping that this location will be remote enough.
Of course, nowhere on Earth is devoid of any murderous goings-on, and Tim’s “special power” will always be exercised.
Kealan Patrick Burke has a knack for writing believable characters and creating great relationships between them. This is evident with the return of Tim’s girlfriend, Kim. The part when Tim first sees her after so long is written so well. He wanted to keep her away from him and out of danger, but she feels safer with him by her side despite the dangers that surround him.
The progression in the series is remarkable and each story you won’t be able to put down and be very eager to carry on with until its satisfying conclusion.
This is the best type of story to read in the dark, going into the small hours of the morning.
An easy 5 star rating from me. 💀
July 18, 2017
This hardcover is numbered 328 of 500 printed and is signed by Kealan Patrick Burke.
March 22, 2021
This was virtually impossible to put down, and definitely the best one of the series (so far). I really liked and appreciated the more personal aspect of this story about Tim. KPB’s writing was very good in this one as well, or perhaps I’ve warmed to it? Idk-felt pretty good to me, excellent installment of the series.
January 16, 2019
Another great book in this series, this time Tim seeks isolation to escape his burden but the dead just can’t seem to leave him alone. The mythology of this series is delved into further and the story is just as gripping as the last book if not moreso. I’m totally addicted to this series… so on to the next!
May 30, 2014
Kealan Patrick Burke is an accomplished storyteller. He spins and weaves mystery and horror in his tales deftly and evocatively.
Vessels is the third of 5 books in the Timmy Quinn saga.
It begins on a radically different tone than the previous installment and its focus is much more anchored in the heritage of the catholic church and the weird and bizarre doctrines of this church. Like the author, I was raised under (not to say brainwashed by) the catholic faith. I was dragged to church by my parents and was taught all the cutesy new testament stories in grade schools. Oh! And it was also drilled into me that I would burn in hell forever if I was bad or sinned. I'm in trouble if it's all true :-).
The author threads into the more horrific aspects of churches and confessionals in particular.
Note that this focus is not ponderous in the least. There is a lot of horror to be found in Catholicism if you look close enough (as in any religion really). :-)
So... We meet Timmy several years later as an adult and discover that his relationship with his father went south big time. This was confusing to me at first given how things finished in TQ#2. I never got a satisfying explanation on this matter but it didn't bother me.
He needs to get away from his encounters with the vengeful dead wherever he goes. His dad sends him to a very small island in Ireland where he will find peace. So you think he finds peace? Read the book.
It wouldn't be much of a story if he did: "Tim went to the island. All was peace and bliss as expected. He lived happily ever after. The end."
The story expands the previous stories into a more cosmic scale of control and manipulation of the living and the dead and something behind the scenes.
All in all, a very enjoyable TQ chapter. Onto the next...
Vessels is the third of 5 books in the Timmy Quinn saga.
It begins on a radically different tone than the previous installment and its focus is much more anchored in the heritage of the catholic church and the weird and bizarre doctrines of this church. Like the author, I was raised under (not to say brainwashed by) the catholic faith. I was dragged to church by my parents and was taught all the cutesy new testament stories in grade schools. Oh! And it was also drilled into me that I would burn in hell forever if I was bad or sinned. I'm in trouble if it's all true :-).
The author threads into the more horrific aspects of churches and confessionals in particular.
Note that this focus is not ponderous in the least. There is a lot of horror to be found in Catholicism if you look close enough (as in any religion really). :-)
So... We meet Timmy several years later as an adult and discover that his relationship with his father went south big time. This was confusing to me at first given how things finished in TQ#2. I never got a satisfying explanation on this matter but it didn't bother me.
He needs to get away from his encounters with the vengeful dead wherever he goes. His dad sends him to a very small island in Ireland where he will find peace. So you think he finds peace? Read the book.
It wouldn't be much of a story if he did: "Tim went to the island. All was peace and bliss as expected. He lived happily ever after. The end."
The story expands the previous stories into a more cosmic scale of control and manipulation of the living and the dead and something behind the scenes.
All in all, a very enjoyable TQ chapter. Onto the next...
January 31, 2014
Ten years after the terrifying events portrayed in The Hides Tim Quinn visited a church in Los Angeles – the results did not go the way he wanted them to go, but his attitude was that he shouldn’t expect anything else. Arriving on Blackrock Island where he hoped to live out his days in peace, within a sanctuary that had been denied him until now, he spent the beginning of his time there quietly, not encountering any of the islanders. But the day he saw a vessel which drifted ashore, seemingly unpiloted, was the day his life descended into hell once again.
Tim Quinn had become the vessel for the dead to return, bringing revenge and retribution to their killers – but the horror of what he had to do never left him. He had sent his beloved away ten years earlier, so she wouldn’t have to be a part of his terrible life – but the night he was drawn into the small chapel in the dark and the rain, seeing the monstrosity hanging before him, feeling the pain of the dead – was the night he saw her again.
The villagers made him uneasy – they were suddenly menacing. What happened on Blackrock Island? Why was his sanctuary now so suddenly not? The danger ebbed and flowed around him – he had to get away, he had to finish the Curtain and its inhabitants once and for all.
This is the third in the Timmy Quinn series and I enjoyed it as much as I did the previous two. It’s an unusual concept but one that works well. Tim is a great character and the horror he feels deep inside is portrayed well. There is mystery threaded through the story along with the horror, and a touch of romance to even things out (a little!) This is a series I have no hesitation in recommending.
Tim Quinn had become the vessel for the dead to return, bringing revenge and retribution to their killers – but the horror of what he had to do never left him. He had sent his beloved away ten years earlier, so she wouldn’t have to be a part of his terrible life – but the night he was drawn into the small chapel in the dark and the rain, seeing the monstrosity hanging before him, feeling the pain of the dead – was the night he saw her again.
The villagers made him uneasy – they were suddenly menacing. What happened on Blackrock Island? Why was his sanctuary now so suddenly not? The danger ebbed and flowed around him – he had to get away, he had to finish the Curtain and its inhabitants once and for all.
This is the third in the Timmy Quinn series and I enjoyed it as much as I did the previous two. It’s an unusual concept but one that works well. Tim is a great character and the horror he feels deep inside is portrayed well. There is mystery threaded through the story along with the horror, and a touch of romance to even things out (a little!) This is a series I have no hesitation in recommending.
January 26, 2024
Good read, I preferred this to the 2nd book in this intriguing series.
December 13, 2020
Excellent, excellent, excellent. The best in the series so far. Can’t wait to see where this goes from here!
December 9, 2016
Book 3 of the Timmy Quinn series, (now just Tim, since the man is in his 30's), has another time jump, and finally a resolution of sorts to the cryptic message that the Turtle Boy delivered to young Timmy at Myers Pond.
After the shocking events at the opening of Vessels, Tim moves to a tiny island off the coast of Ireland in order to escape the dead. He's convinced that if he can find a place where no one has been murdered that he can escape the tortured souls who haunt him in search of justice. Of course no such place exists, and Tim quickly learns that trying to escape the dead has only set events into motion.
Vessels is just as deliciously creepy as the first two books in the series, and I couldn't put it down. This story just keeps getting better. I'm off to read the 4th book now. Highly, highly recommended.
After the shocking events at the opening of Vessels, Tim moves to a tiny island off the coast of Ireland in order to escape the dead. He's convinced that if he can find a place where no one has been murdered that he can escape the tortured souls who haunt him in search of justice. Of course no such place exists, and Tim quickly learns that trying to escape the dead has only set events into motion.
Vessels is just as deliciously creepy as the first two books in the series, and I couldn't put it down. This story just keeps getting better. I'm off to read the 4th book now. Highly, highly recommended.
November 15, 2017
After another blistering prologue and the end to the core mystery of books 1 and 2, Timmys story slows down a lot and here we get a darker, more personal tale.
I enjoyed the lack of action here compared to book 2 and appreciated the more emotional core. Timmys ex girlfriend Kim returns and their relationship feels genuine due to Kealans perfect prose and dialogue.
The big bad here isn't quite as interesting as The Hides from the 2nd part, but it was definitely enough to keep me interested, and i cant wait to see where the rest of this series goes.
I enjoyed the lack of action here compared to book 2 and appreciated the more emotional core. Timmys ex girlfriend Kim returns and their relationship feels genuine due to Kealans perfect prose and dialogue.
The big bad here isn't quite as interesting as The Hides from the 2nd part, but it was definitely enough to keep me interested, and i cant wait to see where the rest of this series goes.
February 1, 2012
Another excellent chapter in the Timmy Quinn series. Burke continues to write very well and maintains the creepy atmosphere and his original take on the "I see dead people" theme he started in Turtle Boy. This one ends with a bang and leaves you anxious for the conclusion of the story. Burke has created a protaganist you care about and want to see through to the end of the tale.
October 19, 2020
Equally enjoyable as the second chapter, Burke's writing remains captivating and terrifying at the same time.
December 18, 2023
Great author!!! Looking forward to the 4th book!
December 30, 2022
And here we are – book three. This one starts out with a phenomenal opening where we get some ‘closure’ and story clean up from book two. As I get further along, two things are apparent – Kealan is not telling a story has book two end on a Tuesday and book three begin on a Wednesday, which is great and works so well when you consider he’s telling the life story of this man who has been cursed. The second thing, is that no one is safe and that anyone can die at any moment in time. Consider this like the horror world equivalent of George R.R. Martin.
What I liked: Following the events of book two (and we find out numerous other incidences between then and now), Tim – as he’s now known – has decided he needs to get away, find a place where very few people live and where the likely hood of people knowing who he is, what he can do and the dead badgering him every moment of the day, is his only option. But it becomes all too apparent – that Tim’s curse has no off switch, no place where he can go in the world and that the things that haunt these places will use Tim as a conduit to get free from their afterlife shackles.
Kealan also does a fantastic job of showing how Tim’s curse has trickled out and had huge ramifications on those around him, including the love of his life, Kim. It was great to see this reconnection and it worked really well to set up things for book four.
I will also say, that Kealan has done such a phenomenal job of ‘aging’ this character. It reminds me of Denis Leary’s character in Rescue Me, how he has to deal with real life, the afterlife and how his own decisions directly influence both avenues.
What I didn’t like: In the general world of Timmy Quinn, this one worked really well, but of the three so far, I think this one was the most ‘set up’ of any of them and the least ‘story building,’ if that makes sense. It was solid, but didn’t have me as enraptured as the previous two.
Why you should buy this: If you’ve read the first two, obviously you’ll be diving into book three here at some point. But, if you’re looking for a really well done, fantastically crafted biography of a man navigating life while hugely cursed, this one is definitely a series for you!
What I liked: Following the events of book two (and we find out numerous other incidences between then and now), Tim – as he’s now known – has decided he needs to get away, find a place where very few people live and where the likely hood of people knowing who he is, what he can do and the dead badgering him every moment of the day, is his only option. But it becomes all too apparent – that Tim’s curse has no off switch, no place where he can go in the world and that the things that haunt these places will use Tim as a conduit to get free from their afterlife shackles.
Kealan also does a fantastic job of showing how Tim’s curse has trickled out and had huge ramifications on those around him, including the love of his life, Kim. It was great to see this reconnection and it worked really well to set up things for book four.
I will also say, that Kealan has done such a phenomenal job of ‘aging’ this character. It reminds me of Denis Leary’s character in Rescue Me, how he has to deal with real life, the afterlife and how his own decisions directly influence both avenues.
What I didn’t like: In the general world of Timmy Quinn, this one worked really well, but of the three so far, I think this one was the most ‘set up’ of any of them and the least ‘story building,’ if that makes sense. It was solid, but didn’t have me as enraptured as the previous two.
Why you should buy this: If you’ve read the first two, obviously you’ll be diving into book three here at some point. But, if you’re looking for a really well done, fantastically crafted biography of a man navigating life while hugely cursed, this one is definitely a series for you!
February 9, 2018
Oh Timmy (sorry just Tim now) you never disappoint me.
Kealan is such an accomplished writer the story flows so well. You can feel how withdrawn Tim has become. His pain and loneliness just makes you feel for him. Tim tries to find a sanctuary for peace but you just know something horrific will happen.
Then Father Brennan pops up. Blinking priests, it's always the priest! Brennan being my family name I knew he would be a bad one! I actually shuddered when he said what he had done to the girls.
Loved the way Kim and Tim's relationship was so awkward and built so beautifully.
Timmy Quinn bring on number 4 (you will always be Timmy to me).
Kealan is such an accomplished writer the story flows so well. You can feel how withdrawn Tim has become. His pain and loneliness just makes you feel for him. Tim tries to find a sanctuary for peace but you just know something horrific will happen.
Then Father Brennan pops up. Blinking priests, it's always the priest! Brennan being my family name I knew he would be a bad one! I actually shuddered when he said what he had done to the girls.
Loved the way Kim and Tim's relationship was so awkward and built so beautifully.
Timmy Quinn bring on number 4 (you will always be Timmy to me).
March 26, 2019
In this third installment of the Timmy Quinn series, Burke has honed his ability to create sympathetic characters put into incredible situations to a razor's edge. The tension caused in the reader, in such a short novella, just keeps Burke on my very short list of must-read authors. A definite ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!
April 19, 2019
Would probably give this a rating of 3.5 if available. I guess it's just that the first two books in this series sort of drove me to the finish line at a more rapid pace. Whereas this addition took me a little longer because I was not driven. But I love Timmy's journey too much to not continue regardless of my personal drawbacks. Still highly recommend this series for anyone enjoying a good story from an extremely talented author.
December 11, 2017
Another 5 star for me! Started out a little slower for me but man it picked up speed and really killed it all in the second half! Perfectly played to end set up for the next book and make me neeeeeed to roll right into the next one! I must know who Peregrine is and what will happen!
June 25, 2021
I enjoyed books one and two, but they were both extremely poorly edited. It was nice to just be able to enjoy the story with this one (and the two sequels)
February 24, 2014
VESSELS is the 3rd book in Burkes series of The Turtle Boy. Timmy ( now known as Tim) is ten years older than he was in The Hides. He is still seeing dead people and the horror of this curse is moving much faster and much more horrid than in his younger years. He moves to an island off the coast of Ireland in hopes he can live out the rest of his life in peace. We, as readers, know this is not going to happen!
Within pages of beginning the book he see his first dead person and in a matter of days events escalate to horrific proportions.
One good thing happens to Tim-- his girlfriend, Kim returns to him and refuses to leave him alone to deal with his curse--after all, she was there at the beginning.
I give this book 5 stars and am now ready to start the fourth book. Book 3 tells us we will discover......
Within pages of beginning the book he see his first dead person and in a matter of days events escalate to horrific proportions.
One good thing happens to Tim-- his girlfriend, Kim returns to him and refuses to leave him alone to deal with his curse--after all, she was there at the beginning.
I give this book 5 stars and am now ready to start the fourth book. Book 3 tells us we will discover......
April 30, 2015
In the first two Timmy Quinn novellas, we see Tim first as a youth filled with childlike wonder and then as a more self-aware teen on the brink of adulthood. In Vessels, Burke introduces to the adult Tim, a man who has suffered much, endured vast heartbreak, and somehow found the strength to survive. The story opens with a jarring scene between Tim and his estranged father, and the rest of the tale takes place on a remote Irish fishing island. Once again, the dead come calling, but this time we learn more about what's going on behind the Curtain between life and death. I won't spoil anything, except to say that with this volume, Burke truly takes Timmy Quinn's story to bold new depths. The relationship between Tim and his childhood sweetheart Kim is expertly written, at once tender and realistic. And the local constable on the island is a welcome addition to the cast.
November 29, 2012
Review of Vessels
Timmy Quinn #3
5 stars
I thought “The Turtle Boy” was riveting, and “The Hides” was terrifying, but this one-hurts. Emotionally wrenching, heart-breaking, “Vessels” just ripped the heart out of my metaphoric chest cavity. Poor Timmy Quinn: literally, he can run, but he cannot hide. The dead are everywhere; and not only that, but every locale seems to hold dead who passed untimely, by means either their own or someone else, who must appear to Timmy and urge him to be the vessel of their passage into this plane to seek retribution. I expected that the final installment of the Timmy Quinn stories, “Nemesis,” would be the heartbreaker-but no, it is this one.
Timmy Quinn #3
5 stars
I thought “The Turtle Boy” was riveting, and “The Hides” was terrifying, but this one-hurts. Emotionally wrenching, heart-breaking, “Vessels” just ripped the heart out of my metaphoric chest cavity. Poor Timmy Quinn: literally, he can run, but he cannot hide. The dead are everywhere; and not only that, but every locale seems to hold dead who passed untimely, by means either their own or someone else, who must appear to Timmy and urge him to be the vessel of their passage into this plane to seek retribution. I expected that the final installment of the Timmy Quinn stories, “Nemesis,” would be the heartbreaker-but no, it is this one.
September 6, 2012
Running away to an isolated island can't shield Timmy Quinn from his destiny. He will soon find out - You cannot run from the dead! The third tale in the Timmy Quinn series takes you on a balls to the wall ride beyond the curtain and onto the stage of Kelan's excellent series. I felt like I was on a wild ride careening out of control as I read this - It's moving very fast and furious now and it just keeps getting better! Kealan delivers another great installment!
September 5, 2012
Liked it but left wanting more. I guess that's a good thing.
January 12, 2013
Really interesting. I liked this better than The Hides. It wasn't as "out there". Still loving Timmy Quinn. Can't wait to see what happens to Timmy in the final book!
February 21, 2016
Vessels is the last Timmy Quinn book that I will read, and also likely will be the last book I read from Kealan Patrick Burke. In a way, this bothers me because the first in the series, The Turtle Boy, was such a good introduction to the main character and his ability to give power to spirits thirsting for revenge. But the second book The Hides took some massive missteps for me, and Vessels doubles down on these problems while also making me aware of what's truly missing from the series as a whole.
There's no emotional investment in the characters. There never has been, but at least in the first book it was easy to miss because of how quickly the story unfolds. But with the second and third books, it becomes clear that far more attention is given to the locations than to any of the characters, Tim included. The writing is always good, but there's loving attention to the details of the locales and homes that people inhabit, while the people themselves are so flat as to seem two dimensional.
Maybe I'm being unfair because these stories are all in a short novelette/novella format, but I still feel like these could have added a few more chapters to flesh out the characters, which would help build the mood and create some sense of dread. But after the first book, the sequels both have the exact same too fast plot. Tim goes somewhere to "get a fresh start," and then bam, here's a ghost. The only difference is that in the second outing, Tim's parents forced this decision on him, and in the third, he's making this choice on his own. I think this third story says Tim arrived a couple weeks back, but it skips the little bit of quiet time that could have been used for character development and moves right into the same haunting routine.
Tim has now grown to be a middle-aged man who rather than coming to terms with his abilities is still looking in vain for a place where no one has ever been murdered. This is a lost cause, really. The only way finding such a sanctuary would be possible is to journey to a place where humans have never been before and to live alone forever. Instead, Tim has opted to go to a remote island, and the story leaves no breathing room to get to know the locals before Tim is once again encountering angry ghosts.
The big question that had hung over the first two books is finally answered here, but not in any satisfactory way. It's just touched on for a very brief passage, and then it's dropped to move on to the next move to a "clean start." There should be more to this moment, to Tim coming to terms with this thing that's supposedly been hanging over his relationship with his father for years. But the whole thing boils down to a few quick lines of dialogue, and then it's forgotten.
Another thing driving me bonkers is how Tim has absolutely no life to mention between these books. At one point a cop takes out Tim's files to read about his past cases, but it's only the events from books one and two in an extremely condensed form. This makes no sense. Tim's supposedly famous for his abilities, and yet the only examples the cop can give from his past are the two we've already seen. Like, nothing else has happened to him in the last fifteen years? If that's the case, why would he have spent so much time looking for sanctuary? No, of course something else happened, but building a backstory doesn't seem important.
There's a reunion with a previously mentioned character, and I felt nothing about this precisely because they were a name drop in the last book at best. So they've barely shown up when "Oh noes, they're in danger from the ghost." Why? It's supposedly part of the plots that the ghosts only show up to get revenge on people who've wronged them. But this ghost is different. Why? Oh, "The rules are changing." Why? Nah, don't bother explaining this mess, let's just go to another action scene.
This is the problem with all the characters. Here's a name, and this is what they look like, and let's move on to the "good bits." When the shit hits the fan, as it is obviously meant to do, I feel nothing for any of these people. In this way, each of these books has taken on the feel of a lazy puppet show. The backdrops have been painted with exquisite care, laced with intricate props, and lit with great attention to every little shadow thrown. But for some reason the producer opted to use sock puppets with faces drawn in black fabric marker. It robs the story of any emotion or sense of urgency.
It doesn't help that the ghost calling on Tim actually deserved their death. But as I said, in all this time, Tim's never bothered learning anything about his abilities, so he's always at the mercy of the ghosts. He's a pinball, pinging off of ghosts and rolling away to strike another. He makes a bullshit speech about being an instrument of justice, but the ghost he's enabling is--no shit, seriously--a child molesting cannibal murderer. The only way this dude could seem more evil is with a Hitler moustache or by rubbing his hands together and practicing a muah-haha kind of laugh. But so what? The people who had a legitimate reason for killing him are cast as a bunch of backwater assholes, the ghost is unleashed, and then it attacks Timmy. Why? Fucked I know.
I think the big reveal of this book was supposed to make me scramble to read the next in the series, Peregrine's Tale, but instead, it made me debate giving up even though I was almost done. Of course what's happening in this series isn't some natural phenomena. It's all being conveniently manufactured by someone else, and Timmy is just a reactive pawn in their plans. Despite having close to two decades of experience with these encounters, Tim is still just so helpless that his only alternative is to go seek out the source of these hauntings and...do what? Blubber and plead for mercy? I can't imagine him doing anything remotely proactive at this point.
And...I don't care to find out what he does next. I've never been given a chance to connect to Tim or to any of the people in this series, so the most vivid descriptions of attacking ghosts isn't going to evoke an emotion in me. It's an elaborately painted monster attacking a sock. I've read much better horror quite recently, and what made those stories effective at scaring or horrifying me was an established connection to the people being harmed. I have so little connection to these people that it becomes a farce, much like a familiar scene in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes:
"There's a giant tomato."
"I didn't knew they grew so big."
"I wonder where it's going...they got little Timmy."
"Poor Timmy."
"They e't him all up."
And that's about how I feel reading the "scariest" moments of this book. Oh, the ghost done attacked Timmy Quinn...poor Timmy.
I give Vessels 2 stars, and I'd only very tepidly recommend it to folks looking for something to read after finishing the latest Odd Thomas book or looking for something as a slightly scarier alternative to The Ghost Whisperer.
There's no emotional investment in the characters. There never has been, but at least in the first book it was easy to miss because of how quickly the story unfolds. But with the second and third books, it becomes clear that far more attention is given to the locations than to any of the characters, Tim included. The writing is always good, but there's loving attention to the details of the locales and homes that people inhabit, while the people themselves are so flat as to seem two dimensional.
Maybe I'm being unfair because these stories are all in a short novelette/novella format, but I still feel like these could have added a few more chapters to flesh out the characters, which would help build the mood and create some sense of dread. But after the first book, the sequels both have the exact same too fast plot. Tim goes somewhere to "get a fresh start," and then bam, here's a ghost. The only difference is that in the second outing, Tim's parents forced this decision on him, and in the third, he's making this choice on his own. I think this third story says Tim arrived a couple weeks back, but it skips the little bit of quiet time that could have been used for character development and moves right into the same haunting routine.
Tim has now grown to be a middle-aged man who rather than coming to terms with his abilities is still looking in vain for a place where no one has ever been murdered. This is a lost cause, really. The only way finding such a sanctuary would be possible is to journey to a place where humans have never been before and to live alone forever. Instead, Tim has opted to go to a remote island, and the story leaves no breathing room to get to know the locals before Tim is once again encountering angry ghosts.
The big question that had hung over the first two books is finally answered here, but not in any satisfactory way. It's just touched on for a very brief passage, and then it's dropped to move on to the next move to a "clean start." There should be more to this moment, to Tim coming to terms with this thing that's supposedly been hanging over his relationship with his father for years. But the whole thing boils down to a few quick lines of dialogue, and then it's forgotten.
Another thing driving me bonkers is how Tim has absolutely no life to mention between these books. At one point a cop takes out Tim's files to read about his past cases, but it's only the events from books one and two in an extremely condensed form. This makes no sense. Tim's supposedly famous for his abilities, and yet the only examples the cop can give from his past are the two we've already seen. Like, nothing else has happened to him in the last fifteen years? If that's the case, why would he have spent so much time looking for sanctuary? No, of course something else happened, but building a backstory doesn't seem important.
There's a reunion with a previously mentioned character, and I felt nothing about this precisely because they were a name drop in the last book at best. So they've barely shown up when "Oh noes, they're in danger from the ghost." Why? It's supposedly part of the plots that the ghosts only show up to get revenge on people who've wronged them. But this ghost is different. Why? Oh, "The rules are changing." Why? Nah, don't bother explaining this mess, let's just go to another action scene.
This is the problem with all the characters. Here's a name, and this is what they look like, and let's move on to the "good bits." When the shit hits the fan, as it is obviously meant to do, I feel nothing for any of these people. In this way, each of these books has taken on the feel of a lazy puppet show. The backdrops have been painted with exquisite care, laced with intricate props, and lit with great attention to every little shadow thrown. But for some reason the producer opted to use sock puppets with faces drawn in black fabric marker. It robs the story of any emotion or sense of urgency.
It doesn't help that the ghost calling on Tim actually deserved their death. But as I said, in all this time, Tim's never bothered learning anything about his abilities, so he's always at the mercy of the ghosts. He's a pinball, pinging off of ghosts and rolling away to strike another. He makes a bullshit speech about being an instrument of justice, but the ghost he's enabling is--no shit, seriously--a child molesting cannibal murderer. The only way this dude could seem more evil is with a Hitler moustache or by rubbing his hands together and practicing a muah-haha kind of laugh. But so what? The people who had a legitimate reason for killing him are cast as a bunch of backwater assholes, the ghost is unleashed, and then it attacks Timmy. Why? Fucked I know.
I think the big reveal of this book was supposed to make me scramble to read the next in the series, Peregrine's Tale, but instead, it made me debate giving up even though I was almost done. Of course what's happening in this series isn't some natural phenomena. It's all being conveniently manufactured by someone else, and Timmy is just a reactive pawn in their plans. Despite having close to two decades of experience with these encounters, Tim is still just so helpless that his only alternative is to go seek out the source of these hauntings and...do what? Blubber and plead for mercy? I can't imagine him doing anything remotely proactive at this point.
And...I don't care to find out what he does next. I've never been given a chance to connect to Tim or to any of the people in this series, so the most vivid descriptions of attacking ghosts isn't going to evoke an emotion in me. It's an elaborately painted monster attacking a sock. I've read much better horror quite recently, and what made those stories effective at scaring or horrifying me was an established connection to the people being harmed. I have so little connection to these people that it becomes a farce, much like a familiar scene in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes:
"There's a giant tomato."
"I didn't knew they grew so big."
"I wonder where it's going...they got little Timmy."
"Poor Timmy."
"They e't him all up."
And that's about how I feel reading the "scariest" moments of this book. Oh, the ghost done attacked Timmy Quinn...poor Timmy.
I give Vessels 2 stars, and I'd only very tepidly recommend it to folks looking for something to read after finishing the latest Odd Thomas book or looking for something as a slightly scarier alternative to The Ghost Whisperer.
March 2, 2020
I don't understand how I let 8 years go by between reading The Hides and Vessels. The first two books in The Timmy Quinn series were excellent, and Vessels maintains that standard of quality. Timmy, or should I say Tim, is trying to outrun his past, but those pesky ghosts are everywhere, even in the smallest, remotest towns. Tim is guided towards one with a particularly dark past, and chaos ensues. Some information regarding the Curtain is given as well, setting up the 4th novel perfectly. Burkes writing is tight, his prose is beautiful, the story is action-packed, and brimming with great characters. Burke really knows how to work a shorter format and his stories and novellas usually pack as much punch as a full length novel. One thing I know for certain, I won't be waiting 8 years to read Peregrine's Tale.
March 26, 2020
3rd book Of Tummy Quinn series. To be truth I liked the 2nd book THE HIDES than this one but of course this one too was good to enjoy...
Tim tried to take a break from everything that happening around him but he just couldn't. On a remote island off the cost in Ireland he found a vessels and in the Chapel he experienced something too that was unimaginable to believe and thus it went on. Special thanks to the author for bringing Kim, Tim's girlfriend. I was really looking for it and finally I got to know her...
The story and the plot was really good enough to read. There's some terrifying incidents and I hate that sergeant 100%. But the ending, well that was of course in a way really frightening and sad too because what happened to Tim's girlfriend...
Anyway enjoyed it much and going for the next one...
Tim tried to take a break from everything that happening around him but he just couldn't. On a remote island off the cost in Ireland he found a vessels and in the Chapel he experienced something too that was unimaginable to believe and thus it went on. Special thanks to the author for bringing Kim, Tim's girlfriend. I was really looking for it and finally I got to know her...
The story and the plot was really good enough to read. There's some terrifying incidents and I hate that sergeant 100%. But the ending, well that was of course in a way really frightening and sad too because what happened to Tim's girlfriend...
Anyway enjoyed it much and going for the next one...
January 10, 2020
Vessels takes place several years after the events of The Hides. Timmy (Tim) is now an adult and living on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. He's trying to find isolation, but of course, the dead always managed to find him. This was an extremely creepy tale and maybe my favorite of the series so far. I had to put it down a couple of times because it was starting to freak me out a bit too much. Once again, Burke weaves a masterful tale of suspense and horror and as soon as I finished this I dove into Peregrine's Tale. Loved this one a lot.
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May 6, 2023 Am enjoying this series.
KPB paints pictures with words. I have been able to visualize each character, their surroundings, and their actions. I also promise that the readers will probably lose some sleep because it will be nearly impossible to put the book down once they start reading. I will download book four and start reading again. Thanks KPB for another great read.
KPB paints pictures with words. I have been able to visualize each character, their surroundings, and their actions. I also promise that the readers will probably lose some sleep because it will be nearly impossible to put the book down once they start reading. I will download book four and start reading again. Thanks KPB for another great read.
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