Eclectic: Ten Very Different Tales

by Jonathan Hill

From humour to horror, drama to pathos, this book of short stories will move and surprise you.

Starting with a relationship spanning an entire lifetime in just several pages and ending with a boy's struggles both at home and school, via stories including a woman's disastrous brush with modern art, a teenager's deadly obsession with video games, a man's ghostly encounter and even a humorous poem, this five-star book of eclectic tales has something for everyone.

Enjoy the variety!

54 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Jonathan Hill is an author from Manchester, UK.

His work isn’t confined to one genre, but he has already published a number of gay literary fiction books to high critical acclaim. His debut novel 'FAG', a hard-hitting story set in an English boarding school in the 1930s, was named as the overall winner in the Self-Published and Small Press 2014 Book Awards.

He has also penned the hit comedy series of Maureen books, in addition to numerous short stories and 100-word drabbles. Jonathan firmly believes that writing should not only entertain but also enhance and change the way readers view the world.

When he’s not writing and working as a pharmacist, he enjoys painting, photography and going to the theatre.

www.jhillwriter.com
www.fagthenovel.com

Reviews

[Geoffrey Wakeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought Eclectic largely because I wanted some more Maureen action and despite her only having one more short story, I couldn't wait to read more about this hapless woman. I have to say, poor old Maureen got into just as much strife as she normally does, though, perhaps, it was a little obvious as to what was going to happen.

Aside from Maureen's short tale, I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of Eclectic. The first story, 'Till Death Us Do Part', was beautifully written and a gem of an idea. The same goes for 'Thomas Turner's Talk' which will probably stir some feelings for most people's recollections of high school.

Maybe it was me and I missed the meaning altogether, but 'The Last Laugh' I just didn't understand at all, even when reading it twice. I suspect the subtlety passed me over altogether.

It's actually the first short story collection I've read and I'm now inclined to read more. Hill's writing has a fantastic and easy to read flow, and these are the sort of stories you can pick up and read a couple of when you have a few spare moments.

[Michael Brookes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few of the authors books now and I've enjoyed all of them and this was no exception. As the name suggests this is a collection of short stories. Also living up to the title is the variety of stories on offer.

I enjoyed reading the variety on offer, the first and last stories really stood out for me. In the first we journey through the life, in fact it reminded me of a lovely animation I watched a few years back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZJDNS...). It has a melancholy feel that really plays on the heart strings.

The last story has similar effect, but in this one we see a young boy troubled at school, but with more serious issues than that to deal with. The collection also sees the first appearence from Maureen, a ditsy elderly woman who features in a few of the authors other books. She is a joy to read about and seeing her visit a modern art exhibition was fantastic.

The author is a talented writer, he weaves in wry humour and touching emotion with equal skill. He's not to heavy handed, but it leaves an impression. An excellent read.

[David Wailing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eclectic is one of the most well-titled books I've read for a while! These short stories cover a lot of ground, and show off the versatility of Jonathan Hill's writing.

This is one for those who enjoy reading stories in rapid succession. A few were a little too short for my tastes, or didn't have as satisfying or meaningful a conclusion as I'd hoped. But I never felt much disappointment because a new one came along quickly after.

Of those I enjoyed the most, Game Over had the potential to be a much longer tale of computer game obsession, Modern Art made me laugh the most, and The Last Laugh had the strongest twist ending. But it was the final story, Thomas Turner's Talk, which carried the most emotional wallop for me.

Based on this selection, I am keen for Jonathan to write a full-length novel, keeping the precision of his style while exploring story and characterisation with greater depth.

[Kath Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of short stories is, as the title suggests, a varied bag, from humour to horror. It is the author’s first publication and I have to say the writing is in many ways better than that found in most first Indie books. The style is clear and concise and easy to follow. The only reservation I have is that it didn’t have that spark that allows me to feel the author’s passion for the story s/he is writing. This could be the fault of the medium. Within the confines of a short work it’s difficult to flesh out the characters so the reader cares about them and it’s hard to give enough background for plot development.

I would love to see this author stretch his wings and take on a bigger project and really put his soul into it. Then I would feel I had met the real Jonathan Hill. I so look forward to that!

[David Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I've got to say I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, which are accurately described as eclectic! They're all well written and although I haven't read many short stories I found them to be of a length which retained my interest. The obvious winner for me in this collection is Modern Art which has resulted in a deservedly successful spin off. However I also think running a very close second is The Ornithologist; I really enjoyed it and I think Jim has got plenty of scope for further stories.
Enjoyable and easy to read - A good collection.

[Chris The Story Reading Ape · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten excellent short stories to tickle the literary taste buds, ranging from the embarrassingly funny to the shiveringly spine tingling. Delicious!

See my review also at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ECLECTIC-Very...

http://www.amazon.com/ECLECTIC-Very-D...

[Jess Mountifield · Rating 4 out of 5]

The info and title give the impression that these were vastly different short stories. I have to admit I found them a little samey. They were all well written, with some interesting characters but I felt they all followed a very similar format. They'd all set the scene for a simple few sentences or a paragraph or two of conclusion at the end.

There was nothing particularly wrong with any of the stories but they felt a little like they were all following the some formulaic plot style. I stopped reading half way through and took a break to see if it was just me but I still felt the same when I came back to them a day later.

So I guess I'm struggling to put my finger on what was wrong with these stories but something about them just didn't connect with me.