I Got His Blood on Me

by Lawrence Patchett

The short stories in this collection follow characters that are plucked away from their normal lives to face wildly abnormal situations. An old coachman must face the death of his passenger; a missionary loses a colleague in the swollen waters of the Turakina River; a cranky ghost wreaks havoc on a Kapiti train; and a bloodied figure travels through time. From a reimagined history to a future where holograms walk the streets, these stories traverse time and genre to explore adventurous frontiers in the past, present, and future.

Genres: Short Stories, Historical Fiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[danuberose · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a 2.5 stars mainly because, like many other short stories collections, I find some short stories fascinating and solid, while wanting to skip the others.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was v impressed by this which was a Hamilton Salvation Army find and a nice change to just find a good book rather than seek one out that I heard about. Short stories, all very creative and well written, all to do with different aspects of NZs frontier past, prior to big time settler colonisation - missionaries, whalers and traders, interacting with Māori, other settlers, the natural landscape and bush.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was aite.

[Stacey Lattin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me want to look for more New Zealand historical fiction

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing mix of well-written short stories, many of which play around with aspects of New Zealand history. Some are longer than an average short story, e.g. 30-50 pages.
Highlights for me were:
- The title story, with a Pakeha-Maori mysteriously turning up injured in the present day and developing a friendship of sorts with the man who rescues him.
- My Brother's Blood about two brothers separated for years and the clash when they meet again; one is a sealer and the other in a religious order.
- The Snack Machine set in the present and about the relationship between a man and his young step-son.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a demanding read and so far I love it!

[Apteryx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a curate's egg - some parts were very good.