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The Vessel
Savaged by disease and riots, the world has descended into a state of chaos. Amidst the desperate remains of humanity, the American government has resorted to extreme measures to try and repopulate their now depleted country but one unwilling subject of their ruthless actions will not suffer in silence. Escaping from a facility at the heart of their experiments, Eva Cole’s nightmare is far from over. Hunted at every turn, she must fight to survive so that she can expose the truth.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2013
7 people want to read
About the author
Callum McLaughlin
5 books92 followersBased in Scotland, Callum McLaughlin is a writer of words, a reader of books, and a lover of cats. He operates on a freelance basis, producing content for blogs, websites, and magazines. His fiction and poetry have also been featured in several literary journals, both online and in print.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 16, 2014
What an incredible read!
This book gripped me and my emotions from the very first line and took me along with the story and characters so deeply that I felt like part of their world.
The story is set in a rather bleak version of Earth’s future, a future that felt believable, which I think helped draw me further into the story. We are introduced to Eva, the main character in a rather intense moment, and from then we are along for her journey through the story. She faces a life of being chased and possibly never finding her home, and I felt her struggle and turmoil all the way throughout.
This story was intense and driven forwards by the characters, who were all striving to survive in the world that was around them.
The actual writing was of very high quality, with descriptions that had me in awe at some points.
I would thoroughly recommend this book (as I already have to my mother!). It is a genre I would not normally choose for myself, but I am so glad that I read this. It is going to one of those books that I will think of frequently and a story that will stay with me. Can't wait to see what he writes next!
This book gripped me and my emotions from the very first line and took me along with the story and characters so deeply that I felt like part of their world.
The story is set in a rather bleak version of Earth’s future, a future that felt believable, which I think helped draw me further into the story. We are introduced to Eva, the main character in a rather intense moment, and from then we are along for her journey through the story. She faces a life of being chased and possibly never finding her home, and I felt her struggle and turmoil all the way throughout.
This story was intense and driven forwards by the characters, who were all striving to survive in the world that was around them.
The actual writing was of very high quality, with descriptions that had me in awe at some points.
I would thoroughly recommend this book (as I already have to my mother!). It is a genre I would not normally choose for myself, but I am so glad that I read this. It is going to one of those books that I will think of frequently and a story that will stay with me. Can't wait to see what he writes next!
February 16, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. Each page was consistently well written, keeping me captivated in the story from beginning to end. It was well paced and I did worry that the book would involve lots of details on how the characters survived on their own, but it didn't. Callum has a wonderful way of writing descriptions and setting scenes which make you want to know the details of the character's surroundings and keep the reader interested.
The Vessel is a categorised as a thriller and it is definitely written in this way leaving you constantly wondering what is going to happen next, especially in a world where you're not sure who you can really trust. As a result of this, it is even more pathos inducing when something happens to a character you and the main character have quickly grown to care about.
The final part of the book is certainly eventful. I definitely feel like I was kept on my toes, in fact I almost felt like I could have been running through the woods with Eva! The intensity of everything occurring makes you question how happy/sad the ending really is, I mean *slight spoiler* there is death, but as a whole it is a very satisfactory ending which leaves you with a lovely sense of hope for the future.
The Vessel is a categorised as a thriller and it is definitely written in this way leaving you constantly wondering what is going to happen next, especially in a world where you're not sure who you can really trust. As a result of this, it is even more pathos inducing when something happens to a character you and the main character have quickly grown to care about.
The final part of the book is certainly eventful. I definitely feel like I was kept on my toes, in fact I almost felt like I could have been running through the woods with Eva! The intensity of everything occurring makes you question how happy/sad the ending really is, I mean *slight spoiler* there is death, but as a whole it is a very satisfactory ending which leaves you with a lovely sense of hope for the future.
August 30, 2015
With ‘The Vessel’ McLaughlin has delivered a fantastic post-apocalyptic tale that kept me gripped until the very end. This novel is well structured and brilliantly written, with enough drama, action and emotion to catapult the story forward at an intense speed. McLaughlin knows how to keep his audience on the edge of their seats, while readying to pull the chair from under them!
Without giving too much away, we follow Eva through the disease ridden remnants of a world that now consists of struggles and mayhem. At first glance it may seem like your run of the mill adventure through the wastes of our world, but from the very opening we are shown a world filled with vivid description and an emotive stranglehold.
‘The Vessel’ is an incredible and well written story that is a must for anyone who loves this genre, as I do. It is definitely worth picking up and will haunt you for a long time to come! I look forward to reading McLaughlin’s other work, as well as seeing where he takes us in the future.
Without giving too much away, we follow Eva through the disease ridden remnants of a world that now consists of struggles and mayhem. At first glance it may seem like your run of the mill adventure through the wastes of our world, but from the very opening we are shown a world filled with vivid description and an emotive stranglehold.
‘The Vessel’ is an incredible and well written story that is a must for anyone who loves this genre, as I do. It is definitely worth picking up and will haunt you for a long time to come! I look forward to reading McLaughlin’s other work, as well as seeing where he takes us in the future.
November 29, 2014
Found out about this book through the author's blog. I read the description and thought I would give it a try. I'm glad that I did. The concept for the book is fantastic. The lead character Eva is fantastic, as well. And I very much enjoyed McLaughlin's writing style. He doesn't waste anytime with his writing: he writes with a brevity that makes each page a thriller. I especially love the ending. So much happens in the last 40 pages or so and I appreciated the way the book ended. An exciting read. I would recommend this, for sure.
Looking forward to reading much more from this author.
Looking forward to reading much more from this author.
December 31, 2014
Sounds weird to say, but I had so much fun reading this dark, bleak tale come to life before my eyes, despite just how closely linked the hopeless was with the hopeful.
My full review of The Vessel can be found at permashift along with many other fantastic dystopian adventure reads.
My full review of The Vessel can be found at permashift along with many other fantastic dystopian adventure reads.
January 12, 2015
The Vessel is a solid story with plenty of emotion and action. Callum's scenes are well set, as well as the characters. I found it very easy to walk into the story and become part of it. An all around great effort.
November 13, 2015
To think my little book is two years old today. If I can't give it 5 stars as a 2nd birthday present, when can I?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews