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Smalltown Tales
72 pages, Hardcover
Published August 27, 2024
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 4, 2025
This is a strange book - part illustrations and part short stories - and they work perfectly together.
Iain McCraig is a writer/illustrator and you can tell that by how the pictures and text work so well together. the stories really are quiet varied but are held together by a common theme - rather like the stories of Castle Rock by Stephen King
But that is really the limit to the similarities to any other book I have read before. So yes rather short and I would love to see more however I think part of their appeal and impact is their short sharp hit however the two characters Frightwood and Po and I would love to see more and read more of their tales.
Iain McCraig is a writer/illustrator and you can tell that by how the pictures and text work so well together. the stories really are quiet varied but are held together by a common theme - rather like the stories of Castle Rock by Stephen King
But that is really the limit to the similarities to any other book I have read before. So yes rather short and I would love to see more however I think part of their appeal and impact is their short sharp hit however the two characters Frightwood and Po and I would love to see more and read more of their tales.
August 28, 2024
8/27/2024 Incredibly delightful. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
8/28/2024 I am genuinely vexed that this is the first time that I, a pop culture maximalist, have ever heard of Iain McCaig. Ofc, as I was just discussing with another Learned League Llama yesterday, my mind dwells more on story than on details, but it still seems bizarre to me that this name has never stuck in my brain as being well worth noticing, the way so many other artists' and storytellers' have. Have I just never encountered him before, or at least not in a context where his name was ever given?
Regardless, I love how the back bio of this book describes Mr McCaig as someone who encourages people to draw and tell stories, because that is 100% what I felt like doing after finishing this book. Between this, Zoje Stage's Dear Hanna and Tim Hutchings' A Collection Of Improving Exercises, I am starting to want to get back into sketching again. My art has definitely fallen by the wayside this summer -- and who has time! Not me! -- but the gorgeous pencil and charcoal works in this book remind me of how much I enjoy drawing, even tho my art is nowhere near the level of this author's.
Pencil and charcoal aren't the only mediums he uses tho. Inks, pastels and watercolors are all applied to excellent effect here, along with other techniques that I couldn't necessarily pinpoint. But whether drawing mermaids, aliens, dinosaurs or ghosts, all the work is phenomenal, with an uncanny eye for light, especially, that sets his work apart. Even his grotesque drawings are possessed of an uncanny beauty, the kind of majesty that compels the gaze and refuses to let you look away.
But Smalltown Tales isn't just an art book. It's also a collection of scary stories that touch briefly on almost all of the genres of horror, from monsters and spirits to robots and extraterrestrials. And they're not all uniformly terrifying: there is romance and humor and happiness to be found here too. Honestly, my only complaint is that some of these stories sound like the seeds for truly epic novels, which I would also love to read. Better, I suppose, to commit them to and share them in these jewel-like forms before the very ideas are lost back into the great storytelling ether. The author could always revisit the concepts later, after all, if time and the No Time described in one of the standout pieces here permit.
I did sometimes wonder which came first, the story or the accompanying art. Some of the stories did feel a little underexplained (I could have done with a little more background on The Bell-Ringer's Apprentice, for example) but others, tho short, are perfect as is. I did very much love how there's an overarching narrative tho, and very much want to read more of Smalltown and its inhabitants/creators.
With the days getting shorter and the nights getting colder, this is the perfect book with which to welcome in the darkening of the year. Tho spooky, it's also filled with the warmth of humanity, even in the face of heart-stopping horror. I can't wait to pass it on to my eldest kid and see if he loves it, too.
Smalltown Tales by Iain McCaig was published yesterday August 27 2024 by Titan Books and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
8/28/2024 I am genuinely vexed that this is the first time that I, a pop culture maximalist, have ever heard of Iain McCaig. Ofc, as I was just discussing with another Learned League Llama yesterday, my mind dwells more on story than on details, but it still seems bizarre to me that this name has never stuck in my brain as being well worth noticing, the way so many other artists' and storytellers' have. Have I just never encountered him before, or at least not in a context where his name was ever given?
Regardless, I love how the back bio of this book describes Mr McCaig as someone who encourages people to draw and tell stories, because that is 100% what I felt like doing after finishing this book. Between this, Zoje Stage's Dear Hanna and Tim Hutchings' A Collection Of Improving Exercises, I am starting to want to get back into sketching again. My art has definitely fallen by the wayside this summer -- and who has time! Not me! -- but the gorgeous pencil and charcoal works in this book remind me of how much I enjoy drawing, even tho my art is nowhere near the level of this author's.
Pencil and charcoal aren't the only mediums he uses tho. Inks, pastels and watercolors are all applied to excellent effect here, along with other techniques that I couldn't necessarily pinpoint. But whether drawing mermaids, aliens, dinosaurs or ghosts, all the work is phenomenal, with an uncanny eye for light, especially, that sets his work apart. Even his grotesque drawings are possessed of an uncanny beauty, the kind of majesty that compels the gaze and refuses to let you look away.
But Smalltown Tales isn't just an art book. It's also a collection of scary stories that touch briefly on almost all of the genres of horror, from monsters and spirits to robots and extraterrestrials. And they're not all uniformly terrifying: there is romance and humor and happiness to be found here too. Honestly, my only complaint is that some of these stories sound like the seeds for truly epic novels, which I would also love to read. Better, I suppose, to commit them to and share them in these jewel-like forms before the very ideas are lost back into the great storytelling ether. The author could always revisit the concepts later, after all, if time and the No Time described in one of the standout pieces here permit.
I did sometimes wonder which came first, the story or the accompanying art. Some of the stories did feel a little underexplained (I could have done with a little more background on The Bell-Ringer's Apprentice, for example) but others, tho short, are perfect as is. I did very much love how there's an overarching narrative tho, and very much want to read more of Smalltown and its inhabitants/creators.
With the days getting shorter and the nights getting colder, this is the perfect book with which to welcome in the darkening of the year. Tho spooky, it's also filled with the warmth of humanity, even in the face of heart-stopping horror. I can't wait to pass it on to my eldest kid and see if he loves it, too.
Smalltown Tales by Iain McCaig was published yesterday August 27 2024 by Titan Books and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
January 16, 2025
I love THEM! I love them all! Well, I love all but one. Nothing is perfect after all, but I’m certainly not disappointed. Quite the contrary!
I bought this book mainly for the art and felt, “Ok, it will be interesting to see what kind of stories the great Iain McCaig writes,” especially as he talks in all kinds of interviews and podcasts about his love for them. Well, the short stories don’t disappoint, as I wrote earlier. The art is exquisite, as always, but the highlight here are the stories. I might be biased or not because the short stories genre is my favourite or one of my favourites, and these stories have everything that makes me love it in the first place. Smalltown is another small town filled with curious moments, monsters, and people, and is as good as every other—at moments, maybe slightly better!
P.S.
I recommend acting out the characters and narrators with your voice! It truly makes the experience even more special.
I bought this book mainly for the art and felt, “Ok, it will be interesting to see what kind of stories the great Iain McCaig writes,” especially as he talks in all kinds of interviews and podcasts about his love for them. Well, the short stories don’t disappoint, as I wrote earlier. The art is exquisite, as always, but the highlight here are the stories. I might be biased or not because the short stories genre is my favourite or one of my favourites, and these stories have everything that makes me love it in the first place. Smalltown is another small town filled with curious moments, monsters, and people, and is as good as every other—at moments, maybe slightly better!
P.S.
I recommend acting out the characters and narrators with your voice! It truly makes the experience even more special.
August 28, 2024
Smalltown is a place where monsters roam, and these twelve illustrated short stories detail what life is like there. The ghosts Frightwood and Po introduce these stories to the reader.
Iain McCaig has worked on many popular film franchises, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Marvel movies, as well as video games, comic books, and graphic novels. The art is gorgeously done and creepy at the same time. The stories take place in Smalltown and its environs, with a vampire that steals abilities, werewolves, ghosts, sirens, and creatures from the past. Most characters are given titles based on their roles, and sometimes they have names. Many books take place in spooky or witchy towns, but this one doesn't guarantee there's a happy ending. Sometimes surviving means sacrifice. This will appeal to fans of the macabre.
Iain McCaig has worked on many popular film franchises, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Marvel movies, as well as video games, comic books, and graphic novels. The art is gorgeously done and creepy at the same time. The stories take place in Smalltown and its environs, with a vampire that steals abilities, werewolves, ghosts, sirens, and creatures from the past. Most characters are given titles based on their roles, and sometimes they have names. Many books take place in spooky or witchy towns, but this one doesn't guarantee there's a happy ending. Sometimes surviving means sacrifice. This will appeal to fans of the macabre.
April 23, 2025
Smalltown Tales is a collection of 12 illustrated short stories set in a town called Smalltown.
The book is also extremely short, being only around 70 pages in total, so I did end up reading it quickly in one sitting.
The stories were all really weird but really enjoyable as well!
They were either about vampires, sirens, werewolves, pet spiders, dinosaurs warring with Martians, and more...
I overall did enjoy all the stories, though I don't think I could pick a favourite one out of them all.
The illustrations included were also all very lovely, but some did feel a bit out of place and were kinda random and unrelated to the stories.
Overall, this was a great collection of short stories that I would recommend checking out!
The book is also extremely short, being only around 70 pages in total, so I did end up reading it quickly in one sitting.
The stories were all really weird but really enjoyable as well!
They were either about vampires, sirens, werewolves, pet spiders, dinosaurs warring with Martians, and more...
I overall did enjoy all the stories, though I don't think I could pick a favourite one out of them all.
The illustrations included were also all very lovely, but some did feel a bit out of place and were kinda random and unrelated to the stories.
Overall, this was a great collection of short stories that I would recommend checking out!
December 8, 2025
I saw a signed edition of this for sale online for next to nothing, so gave it a shot. I had no expectations about it but somehow was still disappointed.
Generally a pretty weak collection of stories.
I liked, The Small-town Vampire, Albert Moon, and The Bell-Ringer's Apprentice. The rest just seemed like they were there for the page count.
As McCaig is primarily known as an illustrator, they were obviously pretty good, but not good enough to make me enjoy this any more than I did.
Generally a pretty weak collection of stories.
I liked, The Small-town Vampire, Albert Moon, and The Bell-Ringer's Apprentice. The rest just seemed like they were there for the page count.
As McCaig is primarily known as an illustrator, they were obviously pretty good, but not good enough to make me enjoy this any more than I did.
October 15, 2025
A really fun book of short stories, nice quick spooky read for halloween
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews